Tempting The Best Man. Tanya Michaels

on the pavement, stammering, “I, ah...”

      “We were just saying good-night,” Daniel said. “We’ll be on our way now.”

      Myron’s head bobbed in relieved agreement. “Good, good. Y’all drive safe.” He got back into the little golf cart he used to cover the spacious lot.

      Mia pulled her trench coat tight across her body, feeling exposed. But it occurred to her that Myron hadn’t really seen anything other than some intense kissing. Nobody had been undressed. Yet. Now that she’d had a chance to regain her composure, she was able to see humor in being mistaken for a couple of kids necking.

      She turned toward Daniel, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Well, that was—”

      “Unacceptable.” His tone was grim. Bordering on angry.

      Unacceptable? Not what a girl hoped to hear after a first kiss. The last of the pleasure she’d felt faded, making her newly aware of how cold the night had become.

      “I apologize for my behavior.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “That wasn’t me. I never—You...”

      She started to point out he hadn’t acted alone, but maybe that was the point. Was he blaming her for their kisses? Why was he even upset? He wasn’t the one who’d have to face Myron again. She stared, trying to understand what Daniel was feeling. But his expression was shuttered. He looked nothing like the playful man she’d spent the evening with.

      Because he’s reverted to form. Right now, he bore entirely too much resemblance to the remote, critical classmate who’d tried to shame her for her actions in the past. One would never guess by looking at him that he’d been aroused.

      His voice was downright impersonal as he asked, “Are you okay to drive?”

      “Fine.” She’d been temporarily dazed, not drunk. That haze of desire she’d experienced was embarrassing next to Daniel’s calm clarity when they’d been interrupted. While she’d been writhing against the car and losing her mind, had he been unaffected? No, not unaffected, not with the way he’d kissed her. But he hardly seemed swept away by passion.

      He looked like a man who faulted her for his temporary loss of dignity. That wasn’t me, he’d said. You... Sure. Why not wash his hands of all responsibility and dump it on her? An unpleasant sense of déjà vu stung her chest like heartburn. Why couldn’t grown men be accountable for their own actions?

      Teeth clenched, she unlocked her car door. “Good night, Daniel.”

      He hesitated, and she willed him to say something—anything—that made her feel like he didn’t regret what they’d shared, that she hadn’t been the only one caught up in the moment. Instead, he nodded stiffly. “Night.”

      Inside her car, she let loose a few choice expletives before putting the vehicle in reverse. That was a humiliating end to the evening.

      It could have been worse, though. At least he’d delivered her back to her car after dinner and hadn’t driven her home. Because, if they’d been in proximity of a bed and he’d kissed her like that... Given the disdainful way he’d eyed her after making out, she could just imagine how charming he’d be after they slept together. Forget the question of whether he’d respect her in the morning—he barely respected her now.

      Past college fantasies be damned, sex with Daniel Keegan was out of the question.