Her body responded before thought could catch up. She leaned into him. Her fingers curled into his shirt.
His mouth moved to her jaw, drifting lower, desperate.
“I kept thinking about it,” he murmured against her skin, his lips brushing, tasting, leaving a trail of fire in their wake.
“Mmmm…”
His hand slid up her back, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them. “About how it will feel under my hands…”
She arched against him.
His mouth touched her throat. “…when I take it off.”
She inhaled sharply.
“What it will feel like,” he continued, “when there’s nothing left between us.”
“Hukum…” The word came out unsteady.
He did not answer. He bent and lifted her, one arm under her knees, the other at her back.
She gasped as her hands found his shoulders.
He carried her deeper into the courtyard, into a shadowed corner.
He had come earlier today and prepared. Cushions rested against the stone, set behind an old pillar where light did not reach.
She saw. Understood. Her fingers held him firmly, but she didn’t pull away.
He lowered her onto the cushions with a care that contrasted the heat beneath his control.
For a few seconds, he did not touch her. He only looked.
Her breath came uneven. Lips parted. Dim light brushed across her skin, leaving the rest in shadow.
Abhinav’s control snapped.
His mouth returned to her throat, to her collarbone, each touch deeper, more demanding. His hands slid beneath her kurta, palms warm against her cold skin.
She trembled under him, a needy sound breaking free.
“Easy,” he murmured against her neck.
Her fingers tangled in his hair as his hands moved, finding the curve of her breast through the thin fabric of her bra. He pushed the kurta higher. Morning air touched her skin.
Her back arched on instinct as his mouth followed with such tenderness it made her breathe and gasp in the same moment.
He did not remove her clothes. Too risky, even in this hidden corner.
But it didn’t matter.
His hands found what they needed. Every place that changed her breathing. Every place that made her grip him tighter. Every place that drew her closer without her realising she was moving.
“I’ve never…” her voice broke. “This is…”
“I know.” The words came low, close, felt more than heard. “I’ve got you.”
Her head fell back, eyes closing as sensation rose through her. His teeth grazed her peaks softly.
