The shower turned on, and she stripped off her bra and pulled the gown over her head, then dropped her discarded dress into the bag.
How in the world could she sleep with him now?
But a wave of exhaustion overcame her, so she pulled back the covers and climbed under them. The lamp on her bedside table filled the room with a warm glow, transporting her back over ten years, to when she had lived in this room. She’d failed her mother’s expectations as a teen and young girl. Was that why she’d stuck with Jay, even when she knew he was so wrong? Her mother held marriage and motherhood on such a high pedestal; maybe marrying Jay had been one last-ditch effort to mend burned bridges. But it turned out that Megan was a failure at getting married, too.
But the final nail in the femininity coffin was Josh’s rejection. Did he wish he’d gone home with Libby instead? Was he in the bathroom thinking about her now?
Libby was like a siren. She drew men like honey did flies, and half the time she didn’t even realize the power of her allure. How many times had Libby taken the attention of the boys Megan crushed on in high school? But there was never any malice in Libby’s behavior. She was like a candle that burned so brightly men had no choice but to notice her. Megan didn’t doubt that if Libby had gotten ahold of Josh first, he would be in her bed right now. Maybe that’s what he was thinking about in the shower.
But the thought sent another blaze of jealousy through her, and she had to laugh at her idiocy. Josh McMillan had never been hers. This was an arrangement, and the sooner she not only accepted it, but ended it, the better.
Chapter Eleven
Josh stayed in the shower until the water turned cold, and then stayed in even longer. If Megan kept looking at him with that longing in her eyes, he couldn’t guarantee he’d keep his hands to himself. And although every part of him demanded he go into the other room and satisfy them both, the sliver of decency still burning inside him—despite all the duplicity—demanded that he respect her enough to keep his hands to himself. So he took his time drying off and dressing in a pair of athletic shorts and a T-shirt. When he opened the door, he was prepared for an inner battle of epic proportions.
He took a few steps into the room. Megan was huddled under the covers, her eyes closed. Her long dark hair had pooled on the pillow and her worry lines ebbed away, leaving a peacefulness he hadn’t yet seen in her.
She was asleep.
He let out a breath of relief. An asleep Megan made things immeasurably easier. Especially since he was still planning to escape the room and search the house for evidence of her father’s deceit.
He cracked open the door and listened for a moment. Voices drifted up the stairs, and he recognized one of them as belonging to Megan’s mother. So the party had moved inside. He could at least search the rooms upstairs, but as he started out the door, he heard Kevin’s voice on the stairs.
“Are you worn out, Gram?”
“Heavens, no. This was nothing compared to the parties your grandfather and I used to host.”
Kevin laughed. “Mom’s parties tend to be pretty dull.”
“She’s more interested in the show than she is in having fun.”
He laughed again. “Maybe that’s why the party’s over by ten p.m. Yours always went well into the morning.”
“Which is part of the reason why your mother had a conniption when she realized what we had you doing.”
“I learned some valuable life skills, Gram,” he teased.
“Don’t say I never did anything for you. Especially when you see your inheritance from me.”
Kevin released a long rumbling laugh. “I’ve missed you, Gram.”
“You and your sister need to come home more often. In spite of what you both think, your mother does love you. She just has a hard time showing it.”
“I know, but it’s hard to escape the Death Star once you’re in its gravitational pull. It’s safer to keep a healthy distance.” He was silent for a moment. “I still say there’s something off about Megan’s fiancé.”
“Josh? You promised me you’d give him a chance tonight.”
“Yeah,” he growled. “I did, but now I trust him even less. A guy doesn’t just go from being a cold fish to being so affectionate.”
“We don’t know that he was cold to her. Only suspected.”
“We both know her, Gram. Did she ever seem happy with him?”
“No, but people change,” Megan’s grandmother said. “Maybe he came to his senses and changed. If anything, I trust him more after meeting him. He’s good to her, Kevin. I know you had to notice the way he was looking at her tonight.”
“Yeah, but what’s behind the change? Something’s up, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”
Josh sucked in a breath. So Libby wasn’t the only one who’d noticed his attentiveness? That was a good thing, right?
“You need to stay out of your sister’s business.”
“I’ve stayed out of it for too long. If he’s marrying her, he’d better love her.”
Josh hoped he was a couple of thousand miles away when Kevin discovered the truth.
“You’re a good big brother,” the older woman said. “Just make sure your motives are pure.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Guilt has a funny way of bending people.” They were silent for a moment. “I’m getting off to bed. I need my rest. Your mother thinks she’s putting on the royal wedding.”
“Night, Gram.”
Josh stood with his ear pressed to the door, wondering how good of a brother Kevin actually was. He’d suspected his sister was unhappy for at least two years without ever calling her on it. Where had he been while Megan was dating the bastard who’d cheated on her? Maybe Josh would let him know what Jay had done after everything had played out. He liked the idea of someone seeking retribution on her behalf.
His ears strained to hear further conversation, or at least the closing and opening of doors, but instead he was greeted with silence.
Dammit. He’d been so busy thinking about Megan he hadn’t paid attention to which rooms they’d gone into. It wasn’t like he could check out the office now anyway. Both Grams and Kevin were up here and awake, and they could catch him at any moment. He needed to wait until everyone was asleep.
A sudden wave of exhaustion overtook him, catching him by surprise. Although he was still partially resistant to his brother’s impending arrival, he had to admit that part of him was relieved Noah would be jumping on board. The clumsy way his brother had lost the plans notwithstanding, Noah was an expert at subterfuge. Although Josh was loath to admit it, he needed him. He only hoped he came up with a plausible explanation for showing up. Maybe he should come up with a backup plan. Just in case.
But he still had tonight, even if he couldn’t do anything for at least half an hour, which left him unsure of how to pass the time. Since he was so tired, he decided to lie down on the bed and rest, maybe check his emails on his phone.
But Megan was in the bed.
He knew he should sleep on the floor—he could grab a pillow and use the blanket he’d seen in the bathroom closet. But he sank down onto the edge of the bed instead, then lay down on his side, facing her. Her hands lay on her pillow, in front of her face, and she wore a serene look that tugged at something deep in his heart.