Testing my interesting life theory the next day, I paid a visit to Eye-on-I, the brainchild of the dynamic duo.

"Glad you could make it, darling." Rakesh air-kissed my cheeks like a New York princess, playing the part for Drew, who hovered behind him like the all-pervading wet blanket he was.

"Thanks for sending the limo. It caused quite a stir outside Anjali's place." I'd felt like a celebrity before reality hit and I realized I'd have to fight my way through a crowd ten-deep to reach the car. Thankfully, Anjali's sumo strength came in handy and she'd cut a path through the masses better than Moses.

"Would you like a tour of our humble office?"

Real humble from what I could see in the marble and chrome foyer, complete with forty-yard atrium, giant plasma screen, and cascading waterfall.

"Drew has to tag along as chaperone but you don't mind, do you?"

I bit back a grin as Rakesh winked. What were the odds he conveniently found a way to leave me stranded with Drew? Not that I'd object. I'd be heading home at the end of next week and though nothing would ever come of my teensy-weensy interest in the gorgeous Brit, it was time to 'fess up.

"That'd be great." I gazed at Rakesh with faux adoration, enjoying the sight of Drew glowering at my fakeness over his friend's shoulder. "Lead the way."

To Drew's credit he maintained a polite facade as we toured the impressive offices of India's number one IT company. Until Rakesh left us alone in the lavish conference room, citing an urgent phone call as his excuse.

I waited until the door clicked shut before turning to Drew. "I need to tell-"

"-Rakesh the truth. Which you haven't done yet and it makes me sick." He stalked across the plush Persian carpet and flung himself into a sleek leather chair at the head of the table.

I tried to work up a temper at his pretentious behavior but failed miserably, what with admiring the way the Hugo Boss suit clung to his back and moved over his butt as he'd strode to his desk. "You're wrong about me."

I followed at a more sedate pace, making sure I worked it as I strolled toward him, and for a split second I glimpsed something akin to desire in his surly glare.

"Wrong? The only thing wrong is this fiasco you're making of Rakesh's life. Your lies, your acting, your-"

"Shut the hell up for one second." I had the satisfaction of seeing his jaw clench as I leaned over him. "He knows, you big British geek. He's known from the start, he's happy with it, and the only person who has a problem with any of this is you. So how about you shrug that big chip off your shoulders and get down on your knees and start groveling. I won't accept anything less than a full apology."

"He knows?"

I tried not to feel sorry for him as his mouth opened and closed like a sideshow clown at Central Park during a recent carnival.

"Yeah, apparently you IT guys are one step ahead of the rest of us, though you never did tell me how you found out I'm not Rita. Anyway, Rakesh is one of the good guys, unlike present company, and didn't want to shame her family so he decided to keep his mouth shut."

Drew shook his head, mussing his hair, my fingers tingling with the urge to smooth it back. "I don't get this. Any of it."

"Rita doesn't want a husband, especially one hand-picked by her parents, so she sent me to ditch him." I slid into the seat next to Drew. "We look alike, we thought Rakesh hadn't seen her pic, seemed harmless enough. Her folks are strict Hindu and she can't overtly go against their wishes, hence the subterfuge."

"Some ruse."

"Rakesh had investigated his betrothed and knew I was an imposter from the start. Upshot is, he likes what he sees in Rita so he agreed to perpetuate our charade in exchange for a meeting with the real thing in New York."

He eyeballed me with blatant skepticism. "I take it you're telling the truth this time and not having a laugh at my expense?"

"Been there, done that." My cheeky smile aimed to infuriate. "Joke's on you, Bollywood Boy."

"Bollywood Boy?"

Oops, I'd been having so much fun, the last part slipped out.

"Bollywood Boy." This time, he said it quieter, slower, as if rolling it over his tongue to check the fit. To my amazement he laughed, startling in its volume and unexpectedness, with a sexy depth that had me clenching my thighs together before I did something crazy, like spread them.

"You're an amazing woman, Miss Jones." If his laughter had shocked me, it had nothing on the hundred-watt smile making me wish I had a protective force field.

"Thanks." I batted my eyelashes, slipping into flirt mode, something I'd wanted to do since I first set eyes on the guy. Kudos to Rakesh for having the foresight to arrange this private meeting, bless his scheming heart.

"Let me get this straight. Rakesh has known from day one you're a phony and he's going along with it to protect their families and meet the real Amrita?"

"Yep."

"And you've let me make a fool of myself since we met by harassing you to tell him the truth?"

"Yep, wasn't too difficult." My grin broadened. "Letting you make a fool of yourself, that is."

To give him credit, his smile didn't slip. Instead, his eyes took on a predatory glint and I knew I'd pushed once too often. "You've got a smart mouth. And I think it's time you put it to good use."

Huh? This time, I did the jaw-dropping routine as he closed the gap between us.

Ohmigod.

He was going to kiss me.

In the split second realization hit, I ran my tongue quickly over my teeth, wished I'd flossed that morning, and hoped my technique hadn't slipped, considering it had been a while since I'd lip-locked anybody.

I held my breath as he paused, his face inches from mine. He tipped my chin up with a finger. "Let's see exactly how good you are."

My mind raced frantically as I searched for something witty to say. Sadly, all I could come up with was, "Very good."

"In that case, let's hear it."

Hear what? I knew I was out of practice but last time I checked, kissing involved mouths and lips and tongues-not ears. Unless the guy was very, very good and let his tongue wander to my ear, one of my hot spots.

"Your apology, of course," he said, almost a whisper, his mint-fresh breath wafting over me and begging me to taste. "Sometime this century would be nice." His smug smile grated, but he was right. Besides, the sooner he got his damn apology, the sooner I could break this almost-kiss hold he had over me.

"Sorry."

"Come on, you can do better than that." His fingertip wandered, tracing a lazy path along the tender skin under my chin, and I desperately tried to hang onto my self-control.

Kiss him... kiss him... kiss him...flashed through my mind, an insistent echo like a booming announcement at a Yankees game.

"I'm waiting."

Damn him. How could two innocent words sound like a seductive purr?

"Sorry for stringing you along and wasting your time," I blurted, managing to sit up straighter, dislodge his finger, and put some valuable distance between our faces at the same time.

"Better, though your delivery needs some work." He didn't make a big deal out of my chicken act (this from a woman who'd never backed down from a challenge in her life). The cozy atmosphere he'd created had vanished, though his smile didn't cool my hormones, not one bit.

"Take it or leave it. It's the only apology you'll get out of me."

"Fine. Now you've had your fun at my expense, why don't you tell me what you think of India so far?"

Interesting change of subject. Though I'd rather pursue what he thought of me, I'd play along for now. "Chaotic, crazy, and totally mesmerizing. How long have you lived here?"

His eyes lit up with enthusiasm and I irrationally wished he would look at me that way.

"Five years, give or take. I'm mainly based in London, but spend several months a year here from choice, not necessity."

"You like it that much?"

He nodded, enthusiasm sparking his eyes, making my 'kiss-him' mantra rev up again. "From the first minute I set foot here I loved everything about it. The contrasts, the people, the food, the vibrancy. It's magic."

"Are all you English this eloquent or is Shakespeare a long lost uncle?"

"Are you Yanks this brash all the time?"

I squared my shoulders. "Nothing wrong with blunt honesty."

"Fine. Are you attracted to me?"

Shit. I mentally flapped my wings and squawked in a fair chicken impersonation. "Let's get back to our cultural discussion. How did you get involved in the movies?"

He let me off the hook. By the gleam in his eyes I knew it was only a reprieve. "I've loved them since I was a kid. When Rakesh took me out to Film City one day to see his dad, I was hooked. Bollywood's like the rest of this place. Big, bold, larger than life. Who wouldn't get sucked in?"

"Must admit, I wish I'd had more time to explore yesterday. I'm a bit of a film fanatic."

He grinned, obviously remembering what made me flee. "Anjali's something else. Kapil doles out fortunes to anyone foolish enough to listen. Most people laugh it off so I'd hazard a guess he's never had a half-naked woman attempting to strangle him before."

"She didn't strangle him. She just wanted to beat him around the head a little." I joined in his laughter. This laid-back, comfortable warmth is how I felt with Rakesh, but with Drew, it had an underlying sexual sizzle I knew would combust given kindling and a spark.

"Would you like to visit again? This time, I promise to keep Kapil out of your way."

"Thanks, I'd love to," I said, strangely shy all of a sudden.

Detective Drew had been gruff, rude, and irritatingly condescending and I could handle him without blinking.

Disarming Drew crept under my guard, bamboozling me with charm, and handling him would be way too tempting.

Dreamy Drew was interesting, fun, and sexy, and I knew I couldn't handle him if my life depended on it.

"Good, that's settled. Now, about that other question, about the attraction thing-"

"Hey, you two, sort everything out?" Rakesh poked his head around the door, saw our proximity, and winked.

I'd never been so glad to see anyone in my life.

"Yep." I bolted from my chair and rushed to the door. "Drew has offered another visit to Film City. Isn't that great? Can't wait. This time I'll get to see everything. You know how I love movies." I babbled like a bimbo, but was grateful for any sound to fill the void left by Drew's hanging question-and the answer reverberating through my head, a deafening, resounding "YES!"

Rakesh led me back to the table, his cocky smile saying he knew exactly why I had a severe case of verbal diarrhea. Turning a chair backward, he sat opposite Drew and leaned on his elbows. "I hear you've been harassing my fiancee."

"Fiancee, my butt," Drew said, sending Rakesh a mock furious glare. "Why didn't you tell me you knew she wasn't Amrita?"

I slid quietly into a chair between the two guys facing off, an eager spectator now the heat was off me.

Rakesh shrugged, his broad shoulders straining against the white business shirt he wore so well, the sleeves casually rolled up to reveal muscled forearms. "I didn't want to make a big deal. How did you find out anyway?"

For an Englishman, Drew had a tanned complexion rather than the pale pastiness evident in his countrymen-no one could defy the Indian sun for long-and to my surprise a faint pink stained his cheeks, adding to my amusement. "Remember the Thornton deal and the all-nighter to secure it?"

Rakesh snapped his fingers. "You must've seen the info I'd pulled on Amrita when I dashed out of the room to head off the raging CEO. Slick."

He nodded. "It got caught up in a few files, and I unintention-ally read it. How'd you discover enough to know Shari wasn't Amrita?"

Rakesh's turn to look bashful. "I used the company's PIs."

"Ah." Drew grinned, the two cohorts proud of themselves.

Typical smug males. Like I'd let them off that easily. "How did you know my name that night at the party?"

Two pairs of eyes swiveled toward me, one a warm chocolate brown, the other a startling blue with the potential to make me melt.

"I mean, you knew I wasn't Rita but how did you know my real identity?"

The pink in Drew's cheeks deepened to crimson. "When you were mingling I took a photo of you with my cell, checked it against our search engines, and had the info I needed in less than five minutes."

"Perk of the job, huh? Spying, invading a person's privacy, being an inquisitive English ass?"

"I was looking out for my friend's interests."

"You were sticking your nose in business that didn't concern you."

"And you treated me like an idiot instead of telling me the truth from the start."

"Children, children." Rakesh tut-tutted and made a T sign with his hands. "Time out. Now everyone here knows everyone else's business, what say we keep our lips zipped and continue as before?"

"And go back to him being an uptight, pretentious know-it-all?"

A tad harsh. Once Drew learned the truth he'd lightened to the point where he'd turned flirtatious and I'd loved every second. However, I had a reputation to uphold-my don't-be-stupid-where-guys-are-concerned reputation-and I couldn't let a little healthy flirtation get in the way of my new smarter self.

"And go back to her being a lying, devious diva?"

We deadlocked in a staring competition, challenging the other to look away first. Bad luck, Bollywood Boy. I'd been my middle school's staring comp queen three years running and no way would I capitulate.

But he didn't play fair. The longer I stared into his eyes the more I noticed the tiniest green and gold flecks dotted around the irises, overshadowed by that powerful, too-good-to-be-true blue.

I sensed rather than saw the corners of his mouth tilting as if he was laughing at me, and my resolve unwound as fast as Anjali's sari in front of Kapil yesterday.