Abby Gaines - The Engagement Project / Her Surprise Hero - The Engagement Project / Her Surprise Hero

“Hot and cold hors d’oeuvres,” Megan said, glancing over at the crowd around the buffet table. “Or we could skip out and go somewhere else to grab a burger and fries.”

He smiled at the hopeful tone in her voice. “What would your sister say about you skipping out?”

“It’s not like I would tell her.”

“Don’t you think she’d notice?”

She sighed. “Yeah, Ashley probably would.”

He heard what she didn’t say—Ashley would notice but no one else would.

She was obviously used to being overlooked, ignored. And he suspected that she might even prefer it that way. Still, it had to rankle a little that most of her family seemed to think she was below their notice. It certainly rankled him on her behalf.

He frowned at that, recognizing that he was venturing into dangerous territory with Megan. Or maybe it wasn’t dangerous territory at all. Maybe the urge to protect her from the criticisms and insensitivity of her family was similar to what a brother would feel for his sister.

Not having a sister, he couldn’t say for sure. But he did know that he would never have kissed a sister the way he’d kissed Megan. And he wouldn’t be thinking about kissing her again, wanting to devour the softest, sweetest mouth he’d ever tasted. No, it definitely wasn’t a brotherly thing, and he had no idea how to handle this new and unexpected complication.

He took a plate and began piling it with fancy little appetizers that were more likely to whet than satisfy his appetite. But it was safer to stay here, surrounded by Megan’s family and friends, than to be alone with her right now. “I’ll take a rain check on the burger, if that’s okay.”

Megan was silent as she studied the display of coconut shrimp. Or maybe she was silent because Vivian had joined the line at the buffet table and she didn’t want her elderly aunt overhearing their conversation—a suspicion that proved true when they were seated and she finally responded to his question.

“I appreciate that you’re here with me,” she said. “But we both know that you only agreed to come because you felt as if you owed me a favor. Now you don’t.”

“And your point?” he prompted, popping a stuffed mushroom in his mouth.

“My point—” she swirled a carrot stick in the dip she’d spooned onto the edge of her plate”—is that there’s no reason to talk about rain checks because there’s no reason for us to ever see one another outside of the lab again.”

“What if I want to see you again?”

She bit off the end of the carrot, then stared at him, clearly baffled by the possibility. And he found himself again mesmerized by those wide, violet eyes.

She chewed, swallowed, then finally asked, “Why would you?”

He fought against a smile. “Forgetting the why for a moment, it seems that I do.”

She considered that while she nibbled on the rest of her carrot stick.

“I’m not easy,” she told him. “Despite the way I wrapped myself around you on the terrace, I’m not going to sleep with you.”

He’d never known a woman who just blurted out what she was thinking the way that Megan did. After dating so many women who played mind games or worked personal agendas, her forthrightness was refreshing—and only one of the things he was beginning to like about her.

“I’d say the wrapping was mutual, and while I certainly wouldn’t object to more of the same, it wasn’t my plan to take you to bed.”

Of course, that hadn’t stopped him from thinking along those lines when her body was pressed against his, but the fact that they worked together complicated the situation immeasurably. Not to mention that she could be exactly what he needed to secure the promotion that his father had dangled in front of him like a proverbial carrot.

But as he watched the little furrow between her brows deepen, he couldn’t resist saying, “Not yet, anyway.”

Megan was enjoying her first cup of coffee and the quiet solitude of the morning when she heard a key in the lock. A glance at the clock revealed that it wasn’t quite ten—earlier than her sister usually came home after spending the night with her fiancé, and a lot earlier than she would have expected the morning after their engagement celebration.

And when Ashley came into the kitchen, Megan noticed that Paige was right behind her.

“Why are you home so early? And what are you doing here?” The first question being directed to her sister and the second to her cousin.

“Are you kidding me?” Paige responded first. “I saw the lip-lock on the terrace.”

“And I want to hear all the details,” Ashley demanded.

Megan took a long sip of her coffee, hoping the over- size mug hid the flush in her cheeks. “It was an Academy-worthy performance, wasn’t it?”

Her sister scowled as she put on the kettle for the tea she favored. “What do you mean ‘performance’?”

“Gage was there, pretending to be my boyfriend,” she reminded her sister and cousin. “He thought a kiss might further the illusion.”

“A kiss is a way of testing the waters,” Paige said. “Like dipping a toe in the ocean. You and Gage—that was a tsunami.”

“It really wasn’t that big of a deal,” she denied, while secretly agreeing that in Gage’s arms, she’d felt as if she’d been swamped by an enormous wave. The heat and hunger had crashed over her, dragging her into depths that were so far over her head she wasn’t sure she would ever find solid ground again.

But it had only been one kiss.

Despite having alluded to wanting to do that and a whole lot more, when he took her home, he simply walked her to her door, took the keys from her hand to unlock it for her, then stepped back and said “Good night, Megan.”

And she’d gone inside alone, uncertain whether she should be relieved or disappointed.

“Then you’ve been getting a lot more action than I have.” Paige’s complaint drew her attention back to the present. “Because I got seared from the heat standing on the edge of the terrace.”

“And I missed it,” Ashley grumbled.

“You’ve got your own hot-and-heavy romance,” Paige reminded her. “I’m the one who needs to live vicariously.”

“Things didn’t go well with Ben last night?” Megan asked, anxious to change the topic of conversation.

Her cousin shrugged. “He’s sexy and sweet, but there just isn’t any zing.”

Before last night, Megan wouldn’t have had a clue what she meant. She’d been attracted to other men, had experienced the stirring of desire, but nothing in the category of zing. But after last night, after being held in Gage’s arms, she definitely knew about zing.

When Megan came into the lab Monday morning, Gage noted that she’d gone back to wearing her glasses.

And the ponytail and baggy clothes.

He was a little disappointed, but not really surprised. He wasn’t sure if she felt more comfortable dressed that way, or if she deliberately downplayed her natural attractiveness so that she didn’t draw attention to herself.

If he had to guess, he would say it was the latter, and he couldn’t deny that her efforts were mostly successful. He certainly hadn’t taken much notice of her prior to their chance encounter at the shopping mall.

But now that he knew her a little better, was aware of the subtle curves hiding beneath her clothes and the unexpected passion simmering beneath her cool demeanor, he knew he would never be able to look at her the same way again.

He would never be able to look into her eyes and not remember how they’d gone all misty and soft—like lavender fog—when he’d held her in his arms. And he’d never be able to look at her mouth and not remember how soft and sweet it tasted, and how avidly it had responded to his kiss.