Megan

Megan had just finished giving herself a pep talk and was busy reapplying her lipstick when Tabitha slinked into the ladies’ room.

She grinned wickedly at Megan. “That dress is just darling,” she drawled sarcastically. “Did you make it yourself?”

“No,” Megan replied, determined not to let the model get to her. “But Zander likes it.”

Tabitha laughed. “Please . . . You can’t honestly think he’d want anything to do with you when he could have me?”

Megan’s confidence shattered as Tabitha voiced Megan’s fears. “I don’t really care what you think,” she shot back.

Tabitha slinked closer, towering over Megan. “You should.” She smiled, turning to the mirror to examine her flawless complexion. “Because while you were in here trying to tart yourself up, I was doing what I do best.”

“And what’s that?”

“Getting what I want.” Tabitha smirked. “In fact, I think I’ll get back to it.”

Tabitha started to slink away and Megan called after her, her temper getting away from her. “You got Rita’s message, didn’t you?”

Tabitha paused. “Maybe. But does it really matter?” She shrugged. “Guys like Zander don’t end up with girls like you.”

Tabitha walked out of the ladies’ room leaving Megan alone and crushed, just as she’d planned. The sad thing was, Megan knew it was probably true. If she were writing this film script, she knew she was the underdog—the geeky nerd girl going up against the model.

But sometimes the underdogs win.

Megan reminded herself of every book and movie where the underdog was triumphant until she felt steady enough to return to the party. With one final glance in the mirror, Megan squared her shoulders. She knew she had a choice to make—either give up or put up. And Megan wasn’t one to back down from a challenge.

She knew she had few options. She could tell Zander everything Tabitha just said to her in the ladies’ room, but Tabitha would deny it and then Megan would just look like a needy drama queen. Megan’s heart beat like a speed bag in her chest as she thought of another option. It was risky—but maybe some risks are worth it?

Zander

Zander was growing more anxious by the second as he scanned the ballroom for Megan. He didn’t see her anywhere. He’d even checked back with Sam and Devon but they hadn’t seen her either.

He’d lost Megan when he was posing for photos with Tabitha. He should’ve never agreed to it. His night was going so well until he’d run into Tabitha. But Megan was always so confident and honest with him. Zander thought she would’ve said something if it was a problem. Megan had to know it was just part of his job description, didn’t she?

‘But not when yer on a date, ye wanker,’ his conscience chided.

Zander blew out a breath of frustration. To make matters worse, Tabitha was headed back his way.

“Have ye seen my date?” Zander asked shirking Tabitha’s grasp as she tried to link arms with him.

“Right here,” she purred.

“Tab . . .” Zander grumbled losing patience.

“Oh, you mean the little girl in the pink Prom dress?” Tabitha asked, feigning innocence. “No, I haven’t.” She smirked. “Is she some sort of new charity project?”

Zander cut his eyes at Tabitha, biting back his simmering temper.

Tabitha took his silence as an invitation. She moved closer and slid her arm down his back, pressing her lips to his ear. “It’s getting kind of late. Do you want to get out of here?”

Zander put his hand on her hip to keep her at bay. “What I want, is to find my date,” he growled.

“I’m right here,” Megan said striding up to them.

Zander froze realizing he and Tabitha looked rather scandalous in their current position. He started to sputter an explanation, but Megan didn’t let him get a word out. She strode directly up to him and shoved Tabitha out of the way before mashing her lips into Zander’s in an aggressive kiss.

The shock of Megan’s unexpected kiss made Zander stumble back. He wrapped his arms around her to regain his balance. She’d caught him completely off guard with the move, but the flash of a camera brought him back to the present.

Zander quickly broke their kiss and steadied Megan back to her feet. Another camera flash pushed him into action. He grabbed Megan’s hand and dragged her away from the media crowd that was forming.

Megan

Shit! So maybe Megan had been wrong to go with her risky plan. Because from the ticking muscles in Zander’s jaw, he was anything but pleased by her bold move. He gripped her hand firmly as he tugged her through the party.

“Zander,” Megan panted trying to keep up with his brisk pace in her heels. “Zander, I’m sorry.”

But he didn’t stop. He kept going until he pulled them through a heavy door that slammed shut with a foreboding finality.

Double shit! There was a wildness in Zander’s emerald eyes that Megan had never seen before. She was about to apologize again when Zander’s lips collided with hers. His powerful body pushed hers against the cold stone wall behind her, his tongue caressing hers in hungry waves. Megan gasped as Zander’s fingers traveled roughly down her body until he was hoisting her up against him.

Megan gasped as his mouth claimed hers again. She’d never been kissed so possessively. It set her on fire as her lungs ached for air. She finally pulled away from him, panting as his mouth ravaged a path down her throat.

“So you’re not mad?” she asked, breathlessly.

“Mad?” he murmured absently as his lips traced her collarbone.

“That I kissed you in front of Tabitha?”

Zander stopped his trail of kisses and pinned Megan with a look that made her naughty bits liquefy. “I’m not mad. I just prefer not to have an audience of cameras in my face when my girl gets me bloody well turned on.”

My girl? Megan smirked. “Really?”

“Really,” he growled pressing his lips to hers softly. “I’ve never had a woman fight for me before.”

Megan laughed, finding that hard to believe. “You’re clearly not hanging out with the right women.”

“Clearly,” Zander said, devilishly.

“I thought you were pissed when you dragged me back here,” Megan admitted. “By the way, where are we?” she asked, looking around the dark, narrow hallway.

“Secret passage,” Zander teased.

“Hogwarts has nothing on this place,” she joked.

“I don’t know, I could do with a Room of Requirement right about now.”

“Oh yeah? And what do you require, Mr. O’Leary?”

“To have my way with ye, doll face,” he murmured before teasing her with another tantalizing kiss.

Screw a room. Megan was ready to tear her clothes off right in the damn hallway if Zander kept kissing her like that. “Where does this secret passage go?” she asked when his lips left hers.

“Anywhere ye want.”

“Your bedroom?”

Zander’s crooked grin lit his face. “It’s like ye can read my mind.”

Megan’s feet were back on the floor again and Zander took her hand.

“Come on,” he said tugging her after him.

Zander’s strides were too much for Megan to keep up with.

“Wait,” she protested.

“What?”

“I can’t run in these stupid heels.”

Zander paused only to hoist Megan over his shoulder in one fluid move. He gave her ass a smack and continued purposefully down the dark hall.

The cold breeze against her backside alerted Megan that she was most definitely flashing the world her tiny black thong. “Zander!” she yelped. “My skirt is rather short.”

“And yer knickers are rather sexy.”

Megan giggled, delighting in the dirty commentary Zander was plying her with as his hands steadily gripped her thighs. They rounded a corner and nearly collided with a caterer carrying a crate of champagne.

“Pardon us, mate,” Zander said sounding entirely too official for someone carrying a girl in a pink party dress over his shoulder.

Megan snorted and swiped a bottle of champagne from the open crate as she bobbed past. “Pardon us, mate,” she yelled in her over-the-top Irish accent. “Pardon my knickers, too!”

Zander smacked her ass, his deep laugh rumbling through Megan in a deliriously delightful way.