The Fiancée Caper. Maureen Child

we seal the deal with a kiss?”

      “Yeah,” she murmured, gaze locked on his lips as they came closer, closer... Quickly, she took a step back and said, “So not necessary.”

      He grinned and she could have kicked herself. She should have called his bluff and kissed him. Maybe that would have weakened the electricity humming between them. What if it hadn’t, though? What if that hum had only grown and kicked off a fire she so wasn’t interested in? So, she chickened out and with that action let him know that he’d managed to make her nervous. Not a good way to start. If she weren’t careful, he would snatch all the power in this situation and she’d be left stumbling along in his wake. Which, obviously, was unacceptable.

      “Darling,” he said, feigning hurt, “is that any way to treat the man you love?”

      Marie choked on a response. “Really?”

      He smirked a little, then amusement drained from his eyes. “This is the only way we can do what you want. Get used to it.”

      “In public, sure,” she said with more bravado than she was feeling at the moment.

      “And in private. My family will expect to see a woman who is mad about me. How are your acting skills?”

      Sadly, she wouldn’t have to act to portray a woman who was deeply in lust. Love might be a stretch but she would pull it off. “I worked undercover as a cop. I can handle it.”