To see her standing there with the most surprised look on her face affected Taylor more than he'd have liked to admit. Her big blue eyes widened as they took him in and he felt his heart-rate quicken. All this over a young girl who was probably as inexperienced as a tree trunk? He had to admit though: she seemed as if she would be worth it. A scandal upon her family of course. He could see the headlines now.
War veteran General Taylor Iversley weds Lady Elizabeth Ann Bellinger after a two day acquaintance.
It wasn't exactly the title he had in mind for them.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in a soft voice.
Her hair was as messy as it'd been at dinner, and even now he felt the urge to push the rebellious strands that fell on her face behind her ear.
"I'd like to talk to you in private," he said. "If you have no objections."
She frowned. "I have no desire to be anywhere with you privately, General."
He had the feeling she was going to fight with him forever. And no way was he having it. He'd come too far to give up now. Just as she was about to shut the door he pushed past her, forcing her to retreat. He closed the door behind him, turning the lock, and looked her square in the eye. "And I have no desire to be rejected, Elizabeth." It was the first time he'd used her name without her title attached. And it sounded so much more familiar. And he liked the way it sounded coming from his mouth. He liked her, period. And her feistiness.
She crossed her arms over chest and averted her eyes, as if scared to make eye contact with him. "I don't appreciate you barging into my drawing room as you see fit," she told him.
Taylor shrugged and walked towards her. Slowly. Very, very slowly. "Admit it: you don't have a problem with me. Just the fact that, for once, daddy went against your wishes and did something for you."
"You're very much entitled to your opinion, General. Now I would like you to leave." He didn't miss how she swallowed nervously. Or how she tried surreptitiously to chew on her bottom lip.
"Call me Taylor."
"What?"
"You heard me," he said. "I'm tired of you calling me General. I have a name: Taylor. Now I want you to use it."
"You really aren't anything more than General to me," she said as she brushed past him. "So General is how you'll remain."
He was beyond tired of her always trying to run away from him. His mind was saying let her go. His heart and his body had other ideas. They needed the closeness of a female. And he was damned if he was going to let this one get away from him.
Certain that it was going to earn him a slap when he was through, but knowing that he wouldn't regret it at all, he grabbed her waist and spun her around, pressing his lips firmly against hers.
They were as soft and pliant as he'd hoped they were. And her scent! Good heavens, her scent was intoxicating. Like a wild berry mixture with a hint of spice. The perfect aphrodisiac. His legs wound with hers and his tongue forced her lips open. He was vaguely aware of her hands slamming against his chest then grabbing fistfuls of his shirt to pull him closer. From wallflower to expert in a few seconds. It was quite refreshing.
Taylor couldn't manage to hold back the moan that rose in his throat as Elizabeth started to nibble at his bottom lip. Then she licked away the slight pain. Over and over again she did so, until all he wanted to do was put her on the ground and strip off her clothes. It was all he could do to maintain his composure.
Suddenly he felt her stiffen and start to pummel his chest.
"Unhand me!" Her protests were muffled against his mouth.
The plan won't work if she's pissed off, stupid
Groaning, he allowed his arms to fall from her waist. His efforts were rewarded by a painful sting on his face. "What the hell?"
"That was for attacking me," she said with a smile.
"I didn't attack you. And as I recall, you weren't exactly protesting either."
"Ugh!" Elizabeth groaned and stalked off towards the door. She just couldn't resist slapping his shoulder as hard as she could when she passed him.
"Where," his hand closed around her arm, effectively stopping her exit, "do you think you're going?"
"To my room," she spat. "As if that's any consequence to you."
"I wasn't finished talking to you," he said matter-of-factly.
Elizabeth shrugged and pulled her arm free of his hold. "Well I was finished talking to you."
There was a light knock on the door and the sound of Olivia's gentle voice. "Lizzie? There's someone to sees you in the den."
"I'll be right there, Liv," she said cheerfully. As her sister's footsteps faded, Elizabeth whirled around to face Taylor. "Just so you know I have no intention of being married."
"Not now."
"Not ever," she said through gritted teeth. "Especially not to you." She quickly grabbed the door handle and yanked he door open, striding outside.
Taylor's fist slammed against the door as it slammed shut in his face.
This was going to be a lot harder than he'd thought.
The persistence of the man! Elizabeth continued to seethe as she headed to the den just down the hall from her drawing room. First, he had the audacity to grab her and kiss her. On top of that, he probably still thought that they would be getting married. It didn't matter that her parents expected them to; they couldn't tie her down at alter and force her to say the vows! She would fight them every step of the way. ..
About the Author
A.J. Dixon is young and independent. She started her first novel I the ninth grade, and now, in the tenth grade, she has a passion for books and writing them. Her mother has a hard time getting her to do anything besides reading.