“I’ll try not to throw up in your mouth.”

Liam chuckled. “Is that your idea of foreplay?”

“It’s my idea of getting this over with as quickly as possible so I can go back to pretending you don’t exist.”

With a soft growl of amusement, Liam gently cupped her face with his free hand, filling her vision with the face that still haunted her dreams.

Daisy’s heart pounded a staccato beat. “Hurry.”

His lips brushed over hers in a featherlight caress, so gentle and unexpected she forgot to breathe. There was no passion in the kiss. The earth didn’t move, time didn’t stand still, fireworks didn’t fill the sky, not even a single bird twittered around her head. But it was tender and sweet, his lips were soft and gentle, and for the briefest second she was tempted to give in to the heat of sensation and kiss him like she was a lovelorn teenager all over again.

“Daisy! How nice to see you.” Madison’s voice grated over her nerves, pulling her out of the moment. Her defenses slammed back into place and she jerked away.

“Madison.” Turning, Daisy forced a smile and slid one arm around Liam’s waist. He was broad and solid and mouthwateringly hard, like he spent his days pumping weights in the gym. “Nice to see you, too.”

“We’re together.” Liam slid his arm around Daisy’s shoulder and pulled her to his side.

“You’re with him?” Orson’s bushy eyebrows flew up like two dancing caterpillars.

“Oh, Orson.” Daisy leaned into Liam’s side, feigning surprise. “I didn’t see you hiding there behind Madison.”

She made the introductions. Orson glared as he shook Liam’s hand. Madison was too busy checking Liam out to notice that her new boyfriend had spiked a jealousy fever.

“How sweet. Daisy has a new boyfriend.” Madison licked her lips like a predator about to feast.

Daisy’s pulse kicked up a notch and panic fuzzed her brain. She had no interest in Liam. That ship had sailed ten years ago on a tide of tears. But she wasn’t about to let Madison steal another man away.

“We’re actually . . . engaged.” The word dropped from her mouth before she could catch it, and she shot Liam a frantic sideways glance silently begging him to play along.

“Engaged?” Orson’s voice cracked. “We only broke up a short while ago.”

“When you know, you know.” Liam pressed a kiss to her temple, jumping on the bandwagon without hesitation.

“‘Engaged’?” Salena Auntie pushed past Orson to stand right in front of her, red purse clutched to her chest. “You’re engaged? Does your father know? Who is this boy?” She turned and squeezed Roshan’s arm. “I didn’t know. I thought she was available.”

“Um . . .” Lying to her aunt wasn’t part of her impromptu plan, but Orson and Madison were watching with avid fascination. “This is Liam.”

“Lemon?” Salena Auntie’s forehead wrinkled.

“Liam.”

“Limb?”

Seemingly nonplussed by Salena Auntie’s inability to say his name, Liam held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Salena Patel.” She shook his hand, mollified by his warm smile and easy charm. “What kind of name is Limb?”

Daisy sighed. “His name is Liam, but it doesn’t really matter—”

“‘It doesn’t matter’?” Salena Auntie staggered back, hand over her heart as if she were about to collapse. Her matchmaking aunt put the queen in drama queen. “You are secretly engaged and it doesn’t matter? When did this happen? What does he do? Who is his family? Your poor father . . .”

Madison mouthed a sympathetic goodbye and turned away, tugging Orson behind her, as a slew of questions tumbled from Salena Auntie’s lips: Who? Why? Where? What? When?

“It only just happened today.” Daisy interrupted her aunt with an apologetic shrug. “You’re the first to know. I’m going to tell the rest of the family when dad gets back from his trip.” Her dad had flown to Belize with his new girlfriend, Priya, and they weren’t due back for another three weeks. By then, she hopefully would have come up with a story about how she’d been engaged and then unengaged and have found another way to put her matchmaking aunties off the scent.

Salena Auntie’s eyes narrowed. “Why not tell him now? Marriage is a family affair. You shouldn’t have done this without speaking to him first.”

“I didn’t want to bother him on his holiday with something so . . . trivial.”

“An unmarried woman of your age left alone to roam the streets is no trivial matter.” Salena Auntie shook her finger. “Look what happened. Your father goes away and this Limb boy took advantage. It isn’t right.”

“I’m not old!” Daisy protested.

Liam lifted an eyebrow. “In some countries, you’d have been put out to pasture by now.”

She shot him a sideways look. “Stay out of this.”

“I don’t think you’re old,” Roshan countered.

“Such a good boy.” Salena Auntie patted his arm. “Don’t worry. I have another niece for you. Her name is Sonam. Beautiful girl. Very smart. She’s a lawyer, but don’t hold it against her. Her office isn’t far.” She narrowed her eyes at Daisy. “And you . . . We’ll speak later after I’ve talked to your aunties. Everyone will need to meet Limb.”

“It’s Liam.”

Her aunt waved as she turned away. “Goodbye, Daisy and Limb.”

After bidding farewell to Roshan and her aunt, Daisy lifted Liam’s arm from her shoulders. “Thanks. You didn’t have to play along.”