Page 88 of The Vegas Lie

“Temporarily,” she said.

He lowered his head by a millimeter and raised his left eyebrow, and she heard the words,“Don’t bullshit me,”without him having to open his mouth.

“He said that if I stayed married to him for three months, he would help me with my research. He’s a well-known name, so it would be huge.”

Miguel came around to her side of the kitchen island. “Why’d you say yes?”

“The research.”

“Raina, when it comes to alcohol, despite you being the size of a pencil eraser, you can hold your liquor.” He searched her face. “You weren’t drunk, were you? You married him sober. You didn’t agree because of research. Youwantto be married to him, but you don’t want the responsibility of going through the process of falling in love.”

Miguel was like a part of the family, and he legally would be when he and Delilah got married. However, that knowledge didn’t stop it from ticking her off that he read her so well.

“I married him to prove a point,” she insisted. “He told me that his last name would be mine one day, and he was so…confident about it.”

Too confident.

No one in her life had ever declared their intentions like that, and she couldn’t erase the memory from her brain, her dreams, or stop it from chipping away at her previously set-in-stone future plans.

Children.

All of a sudden, she was thinking about children. Seriously considering children.

They wouldn’t have any—this was, more than likely, a phase—but she thought about starting a family more than she ever had in the past. Shesawthings she’d never seen, felt urges and tugs that had nothing to do with how badly she wanted to make love to him.

“So, he was right?” Miguel prodded. “Technically, you do now share his last name.”

There was nothing wrong withDaniels.

She likedDaniels.

Yet, her silly ass changed her name in her phone at breakneck speed, at first out of curiosity to see how it would look, how it would flow. But then she didn’t even have the gall to hyphenate.

She wasn’t in love with him, but did “like” pull this strong?

Since when?

If this was like, what did love look like?

“Guel, he doesn’t know enough about me to feel that way.” She gestured to him. “You and Delilah have known each other nearly all your lives. If that had been the case with me and Lucas, it would have made sense, but how can a man who knows so little about me bethatcertain he wants to…marry me one day?”

“Have you ever asked?”

“Not really, no.”

Miguel leaned forward, setting his forearms on the countertop. “Rai, why not just tell him how you feel?”

“He knows how I feel.”

“If I don’t, he doesn’t.”

“What do you mean you don’t? I just told you. I like him. I like how intelligent he is. I love how he looks out for Delilah, how he cares about her. I love his voice, his eyes, his long-fingered surgeon’s hands, and his bad attitude. I like how he challenges me, and I know there’s more to him, but he prefers to live like a cactus. I have a feeling that he might be the kindest asshole I’ve ever met, and those types, they’re difficult. Usually, they’re prickly because of the perceived need to protect something, or someone, close to them, but you know the heart behind all those thorns is…”

Beautiful.

She was scared that Dr. Demon might have a beautiful heart. In fact, it terrified her that he might one day offer her that beautiful heart.

“You like that he’s prickly,” Miguel said.