He reached for it and unlocked the screen.
He read the text, then froze.
Anticipation thrummed in my veins. ‘What does it say?’
‘He said yes.’ Jai looked up at me, stunned, as if the words hadn’t fully sunk in yet.
‘OH MY GOD!’ Euphoria sparked through me, bright as fireworks. ‘He said yes!’ I grinned.‘Congratulations, Jai! This is so amazing! I’m so happy!’ I couldn’t control myself; I threw my arms around him.
A startled laugh escaped him as his arms tightened around me.
‘It couldn’t have happened without you,’ he said softly. His hand slid down and splayed against my exposed lower back.
The scent of his cologne wrapped around me. My heart hammered against his chest. He held me a fraction longer, then let go. Our breaths tangled in the space between us.
His lips were so close. So full. So perfect.
Hewas so perfect.
Neither one of us moved, the tension a taut wire ready to snap.
Jai tilted his head, his lips grazing mine in the softest of touches.
Electricity coursed through me. A soft gasp escaped my mouth.
And that was all it took.
His fingers tangled in my hair, and his lips slanted against mine.
The current flared into lightning, igniting every nerve. My thoughts scattered like sparks until all that remained was Jai. The press of his mouth on mine. The taste of him. The dizzying pull of the kiss.
Every brush of his lips sent tremors of desire down my spine. My hand fisted his hair and pulled him closer.
‘Ananya,’ Jai rasped against my mouth. ‘You’re going to be the death of me.’
Heat gathered low in my belly, spreading like wildfire. Desire throbbed through me. I wanted his mouth, hands,himeverywhere.
His teeth grazed my bottom lip, drawing a sharp gasp that he swallowed with another all-consuming kiss. He kissed me like a man starving – each sweep of his mouth hungrier, more demanding, until I was desperate for more.
I was unravelling. I never knew it could be like this. So … raw. Overwhelming. Intoxicating. I’d never felt so utterly out of control. Or more alive.
When we finally tore apart, our warm, broken breaths mingled, and his eyes, darkened with desire, bore into mine with an intensity that stole the little air I had left in my lungs.
My pulse thundered in my ears, and the aftershock of the kiss still crackled through me, leaving me in a haze.
But there were three things I knew with terrifying, absolute certainty.
I wanted Jai.
There was no turning back.
This would never work out.
9
All Is Fair in Love and Business
Ananya
