She let out an unladylike snort behind him. “Well, it’s clearly something. But if you’re not going to talk with me, let me down and I’ll ride back on Maple with Ethan.”
“Like hell you will!” West practically shouted, startling Shakespeare and making him slow.
Priscilla took advantage of their lagging pace and climbed off the horse.
“Are you insane?” he asked, incredulous, as he brought Shakespeare to a halt. He quickly dismounted and walked up to her. “You could have injured yourself!”
“Well, I’m not sure you would care if I had,” she answered calmly, arms crossed. Just then, the gray clouds Priscilla had been wary of started to spit out a light drizzle. She looked up at the sky before turning and making her way to the closest tree for cover.
West followed her in a huff while pulling Shakespeare. Just then, Ethan rode past with the other horses and gave him a wave as he continued back towards the stable to take care of Goliath. Meanwhile, Priscilla had reached the tree, and ducked underneath the branches for cover, waiting for the rain to pass. He quickly tied Shakespeare to a nearby tree where he would also have some cover before joining her.
“Are you calmer now?” she asked nonchalantly, leaning against the tree trunk. “Can we finally have a real discussion about what’s got you up in arms?”
“I’m not . . . ugh,” West strangled out while balling his fists in frustration. He took in a deep breath to calm himself.
“I’m sorry. I let my feelings run away with me for a moment, but I’m fine now.”
“Good. Do you think you can remain that way?” Her question was genuine, so he felt he owed her an honest answer.
“I’ll be able to manage if you can refrain from flirting with all of my male family members. Is Uncle John your next target?”
He realized that came out harsher than intended when Priscilla pulled back her head in shock. She examined him in silence for a moment before quietly saying, “You’re jealous.”
“Maybe I am,” he said, letting his frustration out. “For all intents and purposes, everyone here believes we are courting. How does it look when you are laughing with and teasing every man in sight? And stay away from Elias, he’s only toying with you to get a rise out of me.”
Her eyes widened with every word he spoke, his volume rising alongside his frustration. Priscilla closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before refocusing her gaze on him.
“First off, I am hardly flirting with every man in your family. Yes, I was laughing and enjoying myself with Ethan just now, but it’s because he’s a warm and friendly person and I was enjoying his company. That does not mean I’m looking for anything further from him. Second, I am well aware of Cumberland’s reputation and suspected he had ulterior motives from the start. I can handle myself around him, but apparently you believe I’m not intelligent enough to be aware of that, too blinded by his attention to do so.”
West, instantly humbled, knew he’d severely mis-stepped. Of course he thought she was intelligent, he’d just beenthinking that based on her conversation with Ethan. She was right, though, that he hadn’t trusted her to see through Elias’s machinations. And as her friendly, charismatic personality had been one of the things that had first drawn him to her, it was hardly fair for him to use it against her now.
“I’m sorry. You’re right, I let my feelings get away from me and acted irrationally based on what I know about you. I like that you can engage with others so easily, and I do respect your intelligence.”
“You were jealous,” she said again.
West threw up his hands in surrender. “Maybe I was. For all intents and purposes, the world believes your mine, so I didn’t like seeing you with other men.”
“I belong to no one,” she said, fire flashing in her eyes. “Real or imagined.”
Somehow, throughout their confrontation, he had drifted closer to her, a mere centimeter now separating them as his body practically caged her against the tree. Both were breathing heavily due to their agitated states, and they stared one another down. The air between them crackled with tension, and before West could think about what he was doing, his mouth crashed down onto hers.
She matched his fervor with her own, kissing him back just as aggressively and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him even more closely against her body. Devouring one another, his hands moved up and down her sides, wrapping around her back and pulling her in just as tightly. Lost in the moment, he didn’t hear the rain begin in earnest until Shakespeare let out a disgruntled nicker.
West pulled back from Priscilla, both of them panting in exertion from the force of their sustained kiss. Reality hit with a vengeance, and he realized he had no right to feel this wayabout her as she was not anything to him other than a friend. To contemplate anything else was dangerous.
“We can’t do this. This was a mistake,” he said, running his fingers through his disheveled hair, where her own fingers had explored just a moment ago. “This isn’t real, we agreed we wouldn’t indulge in passion any longer. It’s not smart, we can’t allow for any real feelings to develop when this must end.”
Priscilla looked wounded. “I understand,” she said in a clipped tone. “However, remember that you were the one experiencing jealousy and you initiated that kiss.” With that, she turned back to Shakespeare. “The rain has let up—let’s get back before either of us finds more trouble.”
CHAPTER 22
Priscilla was furious. Running upstairs to her room as soon as they arrived back, she threw her damp hat onto the bed and covered her face with her hands to muffle the scream that wanted to escape.
Oh, she was such a fool. For just a moment she’d allowed herself to be hopeful. When she realized West was jealous of her interacting with others a flutter had started in her chest. And when he initiated a kiss, her heart soared. But he retreated just as quickly, crushing that hope.
She felt like her heart was lying on the ground in crumbled up pieces and his continued rejection may as well be his heel, grinding the pieces into a fine powder.
This was a situation entirely of her own making and Priscilla only had herself to blame. She knew all along this would be the likely conclusion of accepting the marchioness’s invitation to Hampton House. Even after only a month, she was well aware of the stubborn streak West possessed, that he wouldn’t give up on the perception that she was not for him easily.
