Chapter Ten
Anthony smiled as he watched everyone standing on the terrace.
It was Christmas afternoon, and the snow had finally started to fall.
The weather had been relatively mild since his arrival, but this morning they woke up to cooler temperatures.
Now, most were outside drinking hot cider and enjoying the cold for a moment.
Those not on the terrace were seated in the drawing room, where all the curtains were open so that they could enjoy the flurries while warm.
Harriet was not inside but on the terrace.
He didn’t expect anything else. He glanced out the door to see her with her arms held wide and her face tilted up to the sky.
She was a vision. Jon joined him. “So how is the courtship going?”
“Well.”
His friend lifted a brow. “Is that all you have to say? Nothing more.”
He shook his head. “Right now, it’s just our story.”
“You’re in love.”
“I plan to give her the Hearts of Passion necklace.”
His friend’s brows shot up in surprise. “You do care for her.”
It was a rope of garnets, each fashioned as a heart, that had been designed with only Bohemian stones.
He’d picked the garnets himself and requested the design.
At the time, he thought he could send it to England and make a decent amount of money.
It wasn’t the first piece of jewelry he or Jon had designed.
But once completed, he couldn’t bring himself to sell it or send it to England. Now, he knew why. It was meant for Harriet—his heart.
Jon smiled, “She is headed this way.”
He looked back toward the terrace doors and found Harriet beaming at him. Their eyes connected, and Anthony knew that she was his future, and he was hers. Excitement and optimism surged in him. Jon quietly said, “I will give you some privacy.”
He nodded as his friend departed. When Harriet reached him, she smiled, but he saw nervousness lurking in her eyes.
Anthony never wanted her to doubt his feelings for her.
Yes, they’d only spent a brief amount of time together, and he’d been a dolt when he was younger, but he knew his heart and mind.
Harriet was his other half. “Can I speak with you privately for a moment?”
She glanced around and then said, “Meet me in the library.”
Anthony nodded and watched Harriet leave the room. He waited a few moments and then departed as well.
He reached the library and found her staring out at the snow. Anthony wanted to take her in his arms, but he held back. She turned and smiled. “Merry Christmas, Lord Webster.”
“Merry Christmas, hellion.”
She grinned. “Why does that nickname seem like an endearment now?”
“Maybe it always was.”
She laughed, and he shut the door before joining her by the window. Desire and deeper emotions flared between them. He cleared his throat. “I wanted to give you something.”
Her eyes widened, and Anthony continued.
“A few years ago, my company found a pocket of garnets that were exquisite. I kept several of them and commissioned a jeweler to make a necklace. I’d planned to sell it for a hefty price in England, but once it was complete, I couldn’t.
I knew someday I wanted to give it to my wife. ”
Anthony pulled a velvet pouch from his pocket, his heart pounding. Her eyes watered. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I’m sure today, tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives.”
His words weren’t a formal proposal. That would come after he spoke with her mother and family.
Still, in some ways, this was even more special—this quiet moment between the two of them.
Harriet gently took the pouch from his and slid out the rope of garnets.
A gasp escaped her lips as she stared at the necklace in wonder.
He explained, “I’ve named it the hearts of passion. ”
“Anthony, it is exquisite.”
“A necklace for an exquisite, fiery lady.”
Her eyes watered slightly. “I choose you too. In some ways, I still think it is madness that we’ve decided to wed after only rediscovering each other recently, but it feels right.”
Harriet slid one of her arms around his neck as his hands molded along her back. Their lips pressed together filled with so much yearning. Anthony would hold this woman in his arms every night for the rest of his life. He broke away from the kiss and said, “I love you.”
Her eyes widened at his words, but she smiled. “And I you. If this is madness, I embrace it openly.”
He took the rope of garnets from her and placed them around her neck. “They are exquisite.”
Harriet walked to a mirror on the side of the room and stared at their reflection. He kissed her neck.
“I think I will wear these all day.”
Happiness flared in his eyes. “People will immediately know we are courting.”
“Good.”
Anthony wrapped his arms around her, and they stood staring at each other in the mirror. She grabbed one of his hands and kissed his knuckles. “Come to my room tonight.”
“I don’t expect anything from you.”
She smiled at him like a vixen. “I know, but I want you.”
His body hummed at all the emotions swirling between them and he nodded. Anthony held his arm out. “I suppose we need to return.”
A pout formed on her lush lips, but she nodded in agreement. As they made their way back in, various gazes became drawn to the necklace lying along Harriet’s collarbone. Lillian and Philip beamed at one another while their mothers became teary-eyed.
Anthony suspected these other lords and ladies present were a diversion. Their matchmaking mothers had wanted them together all along. He couldn’t find it in himself to be angry. He was a man in love.
***
Harriet stood in her room, nervously waiting for Anthony. She still wore the Hearts of Passion necklace but was now in her nightgown and wrap. After she’d returned to the drawing room earlier, Anthony had pulled her mother and his aside to announce his attentions. They’d been ecstatic.
They would announce their betrothal once they returned to London.
Now that they’d confessed their feelings for each other, she was ready to start their lives together right away.
Tonight, she wanted him to hold her in his arms. Her mind flashed to his words the night before.
I want to lay you down only with garnets wrapped around your throat and explore every curve and slope of your body.
Harriet wanted that as well. She didn’t want to wait. The click of the door caused her to turn. She discovered Anthony slipping in. He grinned at her, and her stomach dipped. This would be her husband.
He walked to her. “I’m here, my love.”
“I wasn’t sure if you would come. The dinner and party went so late.”
Anthony stroked the side of her cheek. “I would never pass up an opportunity to spend time with you.”
She blushed. He placed a soft kiss across her lips. His eyes flared with an intensity that made Harriet hot all over. “Anthony, I want you to explore me while I’m only wearing these garnets.”
Harriet realized it was a bold statement, especially from someone who had no skills in the art of seduction, but she hadn’t been able to get his words out of her mind. He sucked in a breath as if calming himself and said, “We can wait.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to.”
His eyes dipped down to the necklace; a groan escaped him. Anthony grasped her face with both his hands and kissed her deeply. His tongue stroked against hers. Harriet found herself bending into him, needing to feel his body pressed against her.
He broke the kiss and untied her wrap, sliding it to the ground. His hands slid along her skin under the necklace, sending goosebumps across her body. “I want to see you with just these, Harriet.”
She blushed as his hand slid from her throat down her front. His fingers grazed her feminine area, and a whimper of want escaped her lips. He smiled, the desire in his eyes darkening. His open hunger for her felt empowering. Harriet found herself not hesitant at all to be bare before this man.
Grasping the front of her nightgown, she began to slide it up. He took over, slowly pulling it up as if he were savoring a present about to be revealed. The thought made Harriet smile—maybe he was.
As the bottom of the nightgown slid over her breasts, he said huskily, “Christ, Harriet. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
He tugged the fabric from her completely, and she stood before him in only his garnets. His eyes blazed with desire. Perhaps she should feel shy, but she didn’t. Harriet smiled at him coyly. “Is this what you wanted to see?”
Anthony didn’t respond but walked her backwards to the bed. When the back of her knees hit the bedding, she sat. He stared down at her. “You are amazing.”
She played with the necklace. “Do you think it suits me?”
He growled and yanked his shirt from his body, then his pants and shoes, before joining her on the bed. They scooted further up, and Anthony glided a hand along her bare skin as if he were tracing the contours of her body in his mind.
The ache in her lower half intensified as his hand slid between her breasts, across her stomach, and then gently explored her sex.”
He played with the sensitive nub until she was writhing under his touch.
The ache was growing with every passing second.
Harriet whimpered in protest when he stopped the delicious torment and slid a finger into her core.
The sensation had her digging her heels into the bed and bucking against his hands.
Anthony grinned. “Do you like that, my sweet?”
She nodded, and he leaned forward, kissing her in a way that matched the intensity of his fingers inside of her.
She clung to his neck, bucking against his hand while demanding more of his tongue and teasing.
The ache between her thighs reached a precipice that made Harriet feel as if she were racing towards something.
She’d explored and touched herself alone, but never had it felt this intense. Her hips bucked greedily, and then suddenly her core exploded. The shattered ache pulsated throughout her body. She looked up at him, filled with wonder and satisfaction.
He grinned down at her, still, stroking her feminine area. His shaft pressed against her leg, hard and demanding. She pulled him forward. “I want you to fill me, Anthony.”
A hesitancy flickered across his face. She smiled at him with adoration. “You are mine and I’m yours. I don’t want to wait.”
Anthony kissed her and positioned himself between her thighs. “This may burn or hurt slightly, but it will only be the first time.”
She ran her hands along his back. “I trust you.”
He kissed her deeply as she felt the tip of his shaft at her entrance.
Slowly, he slid into her. There was a slight burn as he pushed forward.
He scattered kisses across her face, comforting her.
Once their bodies were fully joined, Harriet smiled up at him.
This was messy perfection. She reveled in having him buried so deep in her.
Slowly, he withdrew and slid back in. Harriet followed his motions and gasped when the ache in her core started to build again.
The meeting of their hips became more frantic as they adjusted to each other and the heightened need for release swirled around them.
Harriet's eyes connected with Anthony’s.
They were filled with so much love. His hips pushed against hers over and over again.
She gasped when suddenly the ache in her core shattered once more.
She moaned as Anthony’s pace quickened. He cupped her chin and kissed her hungrily. Harriet clung to him until, with one more thrust, he groaned against her mouth. His body movement slowed to gentle, small rocks. Their chest pressed against one another; their hearts pounding.
Eventually, he fell to the side, taking her with him. Anthony kissed her shoulder, neck, and cheek. She snuggled her back deeper into his chest. He ran his fingers along the curve of her breasts and hips. Huskily, he said, “Merry Christmas, my love.”
“I think I’ve received the best Christmas present ever this year.”
He smiled against her neck. “The necklace.”
She turned to face him. “Of course not. I’m talking about you.”
Anthony cupped her chin and kissed her deeply.