Free The Wedding Wager by Elena Greene Page B

into her eyes. They were dazed and darkened with passion, and he realized that looking into them was destroying his ability to think rationally. Instead, he focused on her cap. Her cap . . .
    He released her and jumped up from the sofa. “What are you hiding underneath that cap, Harry?” he asked, swallowing a painful tightness in his throat.
    She was still staring at him, but now fear and remorse were written all over her face. He could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes, and tried to ignore them. If only he were not so affected by the sight of feminine tears!
    She managed to hold her tears back, except for one which rolled down one cheek. He found himself longing to kiss it dry, and realized he was a complete fool.
    “Where were you last night?” he growled. “The truth now, please.”
    “I see you have guessed,” she said in a still, quiet voice. “I attended your cousin’s masquerade, dressed as the goddess Diana. I’m so sorry. I never wanted to deceive you so.”
    “It was all a trick, wasn’t it? To make me lose the bet. I never dreamed you thought marriage with me would be so terrible that you would go to such lengths to avoid it!”
    “I did it for your sake, too,” she retorted. “I didn’t want you to commit yourself to a marriage before you found someone you could truly love.”
    “Thank you!” he said sarcastically.
    She winced, and another tear rolled down her cheek. His anger faded to a tired sort of bitterness.
    “Couldn’t you have just asked me to let you out of the bargain, instead of making such a fool of me?” he asked, more gently. “You know I wouldn’t have forced you into marrying me.”
    “I knew how disappointed you would be. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing your friendship over this. I thought it would be better to prove to you that you should wait until you met the right lady. I never meant to make a fool of you. Please forgive me!”
    Julian felt a dull ache settle in his chest. It was clear that even if she’d enjoyed their kiss, Harry didn’t love him and probably never would. Part of him longed to heal the breach between them, but his disappointment was still too raw.
    “I had better go,” he said, turning to leave the room.
    “No, wait!” said Harry, a pleading tone in her voice. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her get up from the sofa.
    He stopped, wanting to refuse but unable to do so.
    “Julian, when you didn’t kiss me last night, I was miserable.”
    “Of course. Because your precious scheme failed,” he said, still looking the other way.
    “No, because I truly wanted you to kiss me.”
    At that, he turned back around. She looked so nervous, and in deadly earnest.
    “Oh, Julian, until last night I didn’t know that I loved you. I think I always have. Please forgive me.”
    He forced himself to stay calm as she came to him and put her arms awkwardly around him.
    “I do love you,” she said in a husky voice that reminded him of last night’s encounter.
    He looked down into her eyes, and saw that they were bright with tears. A smile trembled about her lips, and he finally realized that she spoke the truth. By some miracle, her feelings had undergone the same transformation as his!
    He realized he’d been holding his breath, and released it suddenly. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer.
    “Very well, then,” he said gruffly. “I’ll forgive you.”
    “You will?” she asked, looking adorably flustered.
    “On three conditions, that is,” he said, unable to resist a mischievous impulse.
    “No!” she exclaimed. “No more bargains. No more conditions.”
    “Don’t worry, you goose! I think you won’t find my conditions at all unreasonable,” he said, with a reassuring smile.
    “Very well, then. What are they?”
    “First, you must marry me.”
    “Yes, Julian,” she said meekly. “And?”
    He kissed her briefly. “Second, you must promise never to wear that ugly cap again.”
    She giggled, and