To Kiss a Highland Rose (Kiss the Wallflower #6) - Tamara Gill Page 0,30

places. She was a maid, a lady, and soon to be his wife. She deserved better than this. With a strength he did not know he possessed, he wrenched away, breathing deep to control his need.

Sebastian threw himself into the squabs, facing forward, and refused to look at her mussed hair, her flushed face, and swollen, well-kissed lips as she set her gown to rights.

He looked out the window and found they were not far from the small village where he had organized the reverend at St. Mary's church to marry them.

She reached out, touching his arm, and he closed his eyes, fighting not to wrench her onto his lap and continue what they had started.

"Sebastian, what is the matter?" she asked, trying to catch his eye.

He shook his head, grinding his teeth. "We're not married yet. I should not have touched you as I did."

A seductive, knowing chuckle sounded at his ear, and he shivered. She leaned close, clasping the lapels of his jacket. "You dinna see me stopping ye."

He took a calming breath. "I know, but it does not make it right. I want to marry you, and I do not want to ruin you in this way. You deserve better than a romp in a moving carriage."

She bestowed the loveliest smile, and it was equal to a fist to the stomach. He ought to tell the truth. Tell her that his courting of her had been born out of greed. The need to have his ancestral home back and nothing else.

But how could he tell her such a thing? She would never marry him then, and that goal had now changed. Morphed into something new and real, something true that made his heart full.

"You said you would marry me," he continued. "I have a reverend waiting for us. Married acquaintances of mine who live on an estate just outside of Dalmahoy will meet us at the church and be witnesses to our vows."

"However did you organize all this so soon?" she asked him, her eyes bright with wonder and excitement.

"You are over one and twenty, so we do not need your family's approval. I paid a hefty fee today to secure a special license. Not easily found here in Edinburgh. Our union will be legal, then nothing can come between us."

The carriage lurched to a stop, and Sebastian turned to her, taking her hand. "We're here. Are you ready, Lady Elizabeth to become Countess Hastings?"

She squeezed his hand in return, nodding once. "I am ready."

And so was he.

Chapter 13

Elizabeth walked up the aisle alone, wishing her family could be here with her, and yet, overjoyed at the idea that she was about to marry a man she adored. Seeing Sebastian waiting for her before a stone altar, the reverend smiling as he stood with his bible in hand, made butterflies take flight in her stomach. Soon she would be his, and she could be with him always. A small part of her had to admit she was marrying him for more than the mere reason she enjoyed his company and found him amusing, not to mention, devastatingly alluring.

Her heart had been speared by love's arrow, and for several days now, she had come to realize she did not merely like Sebastian, but loved him. Loved his humor, his conversation, and kisses. His hot, commanding gaze that even from across a room made her skin singe.

After all the legalities were dealt with, the thought that she would be alone with him, and as his wife, set her senses rioting.

Absently she heard the reverend declare them husband and wife, and before she had a chance to thank the father, she was caught up in Sebastian's arms, his mouth taking hers in a searing kiss.

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. The day was simply perfect, and when she returned home to Moy, she would celebrate with her family and friends, but tonight, right now, was her time. A time to savor with her new husband.

He set her back down on her silk slippers before turning to his friends and the reverend. "Thank you for tonight. I shall not forget your kindness for our sake."

"You are most welcome, Hastings," Lord Pitt said, smiling at them both and holding his wife's hand atop his arm. "I took the liberty of preparing a room at our estate if you wish to rest."

"That is most kind, Pitt. I do not know how to thank you," Sebastian said, smiling down at