He flipped her over in the next second, lifting her legs and flinging them across his shoulders. And then he slammed inside her, hard and fast. God, this position was so deep, so intense. Her mind started to blank out, her nerves were on fire, and the only word escaping her mouth was his name. Her breathing turned ragged as he kept thrusting into her. Her body began to hum, and her core clenched as her world narrowed down to him and all the delicious feelings he was invoking inside her.
Akash leaned forward and pressed a thumb to her nub. That was all it took. Her vision darkened, and she fell and fell as the most intense orgasm overtook her. But Akash didn’t stop. He pounded into her relentlessly, his strokes faster, stronger. Finally, with a loud roar, he stilled, his eyes squeezed shut as he spent himself inside her.
A long moment later, he curled on the mattress, taking her with him, tucking her to his chest. He kissed her forehead, holding her close, as though he couldn’t let go.
She shut her eyes on a happy sigh. When she opened them again,
Akash was still wrapped around her, sleeping soundly.
She needed to leave and go home. But the thought of disturbing him, knowing he’d had a rough day, kept her in place. Wrapped in his arms, she shut her eyes, allowing sleep to claim her.
27
Akash stirred, his eyes fluttering open. He looked to the side, but she wasn’t there. Only the faint dent in the pillow where she had slept. He inhaled slowly, her warm scent still lingering on the sheets, wrapping around him, grounding him in a way nothing else could. He sat up, thinking about the previous day.
Yesterday had been… a lot.
Facing his father had taken more out of him than he’d believed. He’d expected to face a restless night, with his mind running in circles. Instead, he had slept deeply.
His lips curved slightly. It was all because of her. Shauna.
Once again, she had steadied him and quieted the chaos in his head. His heart rumbled in his chest. He’d known for a long while what he felt for her, but he was still scared to say the words out loud, even to himself.
He’d walked away from her once. Believed it had been the right thing to do. But now she was going to be his, and a part of him wondered if this happiness, this bliss, would last. Because what if she didn’t feel the way he did?
His bedroom door opened, and his heart sped up on seeing Shauna enter. She walked in, carrying a mug in her hand, her hair slightly tousled. Her eyes met his, and her face lit up.
“You’re awake,” she said, a smile breaking across her lips.
He didn’t reply immediately. Because for a moment, all he could do was look at her. She was wearing his shirt from the night before, the fabric falling loosely over her frame, the sleeves folded haphazardly, the hem brushing against her thighs.
A sudden rush of happiness burst through him.
“Come here,” he said.
He took the mug from her and set it on the nightstand before pulling her onto his lap, holding her close.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked, shifting to push his hair from his forehead.
“You know I did,” he said. “Looks like you’re the cure for my decades-old sleeping problem. If only I’d known earlier…”
She laughed, and then tipped her head to the mug she’d got him. He took it from the nightstand and took a sip of the hot brew.
Shauna made a face. “I tried your tea. I swear it’s awful. How do you drink it?”
He shrugged. “When my mother was alive, there were days when we didn’t have money for milk or sugar. She’d make this hot black tea for Keya and me. Keya hated it, but I developed a taste for it. Even now, drinking it makes me feel closer to my mother. It reminds me of days spent sitting with her in the evenings, sipping hot tea and listening to her tell us stories about her life or just promising us that one day Keya and I would have everything our hearts desired.” He cupped Shauna’s cheek. “She was right. We do have everything we ever wanted now.”
“She sounds amazing,” Shauna said.
He smiled. “She was. She would have loved you and Kabier, and Keya’s kids. We really lost her too soon.”
“Why did your mother never get in touch with her father? I mean he was so loving toward you and Keya. Don’t you think he would have helped her?”
Sadness filled his heart as he spoke, “It’s sad she never did. My grandfather loved her deeply. It broke him when she chose my father despite all his warnings. He saw through him from the start… knew he was only after her money.” He paused. “He thought that if he cut her off, it might force my father to step up. Become better. He was wrong.”
Akash looked away for a moment, his jaw tightening. “My mother realized it soon enough… what kind of man she’d married. I think she kept hoping he’d change. That things would get better. That having Keya and me might make a difference. But it never did. And I guess… she never found the strength to walk away. To go back. Perhaps it was guilt that never allowed her to return and face her father. I wish she had. Then she may have been alive and with us today.”
Even now, he couldn’t fully comprehend the pain his mother must have lived through. The silence she must have endured. The guilt that kept her tied to that awful man.
