He pulled back quickly, aware of the camera snap behind them. He angled his body to shield her from prying eyes as much as possible. He told himself he was protecting her because if she lost her composure, her charade would be spoiled.
But he found himself gazing down into her ethereal blue eyes and realized he wanted to keep holding her.
Which is why he let his hands fall away from her waist.
He couldn't afford to be distracted, not when he was this close to achieving his goal.
There was a noticeable hush in the small group of doctors and administrators who surrounded them as they made their way down a quiet hallway and out to the hospital's central courtyard, where the new cardiac wing would be dedicated. Another horde of people and cameras would be waiting there.
He probably should've thought through that kiss better.Probably?
Because kissing her was going to make headlines for sure. He and Tirith were friends, nothing more. Friends who attended events together when having a plus-one was better than being besieged by posers and losers. They had always been careful to be circumspect in public, rarely holding hands. They'd let the public and the press speculate as wildly as they wanted, but they but knew there’d never be more than friendship between them. Luc had been happy with the arrangement, as had Tirith. He’d never kissed Tirith, never wanted to. He’d never felt more than the tiniest twinge of attraction toward the royal princess.
But kissing Margaret?
He'd had his share of first kisses.
And none of them compared to the thrill of that first brush of his hand against her waist.
Kissing her had been electric, pure emotion rising up inside him with no outlet, it was... everything.
What had he just done?
Maggie was breathless.And it was no longer thanks to the fear that had gripped her by the throat at the sudden clatter back in the lobby.
She tried the deep breathing techniques she'd learned as part of her recovery, but she could feel the heat ofhimright behind her, and every inhale brought the scent of his spicy cologne.
She'd just kissed her sister's boyfriend. And she'd felt... something.
Maybe she was confused. Her stomach was rumbling its complaints from her skipping breakfast. Maybe hunger had made her knees weak.
That was it. Had to be, right?
She could barely glance at him. But if she acted shy now, he'd figure it out. If he'd kissed herhellolike that, in front of cameras, no less, he and Tirith must have been closer than Maggie had thought. She'd never asked Tirith outright, just made assumptions from the news articles and web videos the castle staff forwarded to her each week.
She should've quizzed Tirith a little better last night before she'd left Texas. Not that she'd had much time before the royal jet had been scheduled to depart.
Obviously, she needed to call her twin, but now wasn't the time. She was getting ready to step in front of that crowd of people with a giant pair of scissors and smile for the cameras. Shake hands. Be royal.
That was hard enough without worrying about a rogue boyfriend.
She, Luc, and her entourage waited off to the side as a technician fiddled with a cordless microphone and then finally handed it to the hospital administrator.
And then Luc leaned in and spoke so that only she could hear. "Shall we go to lunch after this? Before the board meeting?"
2
Luc did not, in fact, have the opportunity to spirit Tirith's doppelgänger away for lunch.
Her personal assistant insisted that Tirith had a previous engagement, which meant that Luc still didn't have the answers he needed. If Tirith pulled out of the gala, everyone who'd paid a premium donation toward his brother's foundation would demand a refund. It would be a complete disaster.
Luc saw the imposter again for the second time as she entered the luxurious boardroom that afternoon. He'd been waiting on her and was the second person to approach after Mrs. Teague, the chairperson.
He didn’t miss the microsecond flare of panic in the widening of her eyes as he leaned in close.
But he only brushed a friendly kiss to her cheek the way he would've done for Tirith herself.
He did let his hand linger on her waist.
