Liam twisted his lips to the side as if considering. “Pork vindaloo?”

“Extra hot.”

“Jalebis?”

“Of course.”

“I want all the food we had at your dad’s house the other night and at the Dosa Palace, plus Priya’s cake.”

“Done.”

“And no Shark Stew.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“What about the crunchy treats?”

“Kurkure Masala Munch? You’d be the groom. You could have as much as you could eat.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “I can eat a lot.”

“You won’t be disappointed.”

He rubbed his lips with his finger. “I suppose just this once I can agree. I’ll expect the amended spreadsheet by the end of the day.”

Daisy pressed up against him, sliding her fingers through his damp hair. “How about we go to your place and amend it together? Our fake wedding day starts at midnight, and I want you naked in a bed that isn’t broken to celebrate the end of the plan.”

“Spreadsheet birthday sexy times.” He gave a satisfied growl. “I’m in.” He turned, gesturing to his bike. “Whenever you’re ready to ride again, your chariot awaits. It has the highest pillion seat safety rating and I’ve bought you head-to-toe body armor to go with it.”

Daisy laughed. “Seriously? Is that your new bike?”

“It will be as soon as I sign the paperwork. I finally understood something Hamish told me.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s not about the ride. It’s about who is in the pillion seat.”

• 34 •

“LIAM!” Daisy’s eyes widened when she saw him in the mirror behind her. She’d slipped out of the tech conference to smooth down her hair before her pitch session. “What are you doing in the ladies’ restroom?”

“I have to show you something, and I thought I’d get arrested if I pulled it out in public.”

Her gaze dropped below his belt, and he laughed. “I always knew you had a dirty mind.” He opened his sports bag and pulled out a sword. “I’m talking about this.”

“Oh my God.” Daisy groaned. “You picked up your sherwani, didn’t you? Our wedding is six months away.”

“Deepa called to say it was ready, and Sanjay wanted to see it. I couldn’t wait.” He beamed, and Daisy knew it wasn’t just about the sword. After a long conversation, Sanjay and Liam were as tight as they’d ever been. When they were all together at her father’s house, joking around and throwing snark, it was like time had stood still.

Liam held the sword up to the light. “The outfit is in my new SUV, but I was afraid to leave the sword in case someone stole it.” He lunged forward, thrusting at the menstrual pad dispenser. “En garde. I will protect my lady’s honor with my life.”

“If you keep that up, you’ll get a sword full of pads.”

“Don’t you need them for your pitch? A few strokes and I can fell the evil machine and you can have all the pads you want.” He lifted an admonishing eyebrow. “Or do you prefer to steal them?”

“I did not steal them,” she huffed. “And I’m not Tyler. I had all my product samples packed and ready for the pitch three days ago. I have backups and backups for the backups as well as three copies of all the documents, and I’ve practiced my pitch so many times I could do it in my sleep.” When she hadn’t heard back from Tanya, she’d assumed the worst, and had arranged to attend the Vizio Tech Con to try and find investors for the new, streamlined Organicare, with its cutting-edge branding.

“I would expect no less.” Liam slashed with the sword. “And if you get rejected, I’ll pay them a little visit in the middle of the night.”

Her lips quivered as she fought back an amused smile. “Your lady has a pitch to give, so how about you put the sword away and give her a kiss for luck?”

With a soft growl, Liam grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his chest, grinding his hips against her black suit skirt. “How about we exchange this sword for another?”

“You also have work to do at the conference today,” she said, trying to maintain the dignity and professionalism of a CEO while her very hot, very sexy, very real fiancé stoked the heat of her desire. “There are a dozen excited young entrepreneurs waiting to pitch to your new company and I think they might be put off if you showed up with any kind of sword.”

He gave a satisfied rumbled of pleasure. “Brendan and Jaxon are going to love it. I’m going to take it out to the distillery tomorrow and show them some moves after we check the new wash back tanks. Are you sure you can’t come?”

“Layla’s wedding is only a few weeks away, but I’m sure you could convince Sam to join you for a sword fight.” Sam and Liam had, of course, become sword-toting besties, while alternately sneaking into Krishna Fashions every week to slip Deepa a few dollars to ensure she knew who to call if she found a bigger sword.

Liam’s shoulders slumped, and he tucked his sword back in his sports bag. “How about I take off your fancy new suit and sheath my non-lethal sword somewhere that will make you scream my name in pleasure?”

Biting back a laugh, Daisy tried to put on a stern face. “Because I might have all the Avengers protecting me today.”

His face brightened with interest. “Let me see. I have a surprise that would make the imminent destruction of the Avengers worthwhile.”

“A surprise in your pants?”

“No, a surprise in the mail.” He laughed when she gave him a puzzled frown. “Aunt Roisin sent us an early wedding gift before she left for her ayurveda retreat in Sri Lanka. She gave us my grandfather’s house. It was part of her inheritance, but she said she doesn’t need it. She’s decided to live a life free of worldly goods, so she transferred the title to us.”