He kissed her.
Hard.
His arm locked around her waist, pulling her close enough to steal breath.
Her fingers twisted into his shirt.
He kissed her with the intensity of a man who had realised that loving her had become stitched into every part of him, so deeply that even the thought of losing her felt unbearable.
And she kissed him back with everything she had. With relief. With guilt. With love she should have confessed days ago.
When he pulled away, her forehead dropped against his chest. Their breaths came uneven.
“Meera.”
“Hm?”
“Look at me.”
She tried. Her eyes stopped at his collar.
He laughed softly. “Meera Chauhan.”
“Hm.”
“This is shy now?”
“Hukum.”
The word slipped out, soft, dangerous. She bit her lip at once.
His eyes dropped there. The air around them thickened.
“Meera.” His voice was low, rough.
“Hm?” Wide eyes. Innocent expression. Lip still trapped between her teeth.
His hand moved to her waist. The other braced against the desk. Her back met polished wood before she realized what happened.
She hadn’t even known when she had turned.
His mouth hovered near her temple. Not touching. Not yet. “You know what that word does to me.”
“What word, Hukum?”
A breath left him against her ear. Barely controlled. “You are doing this on purpose.”
“I have no idea what you mean, Hukum.”
His mouth traced along her jaw, slow, close enough to make her unsteady before an actual kiss arrived.
Her palms pressed against his chest just to stay upright.
“Meera.”
“Yes, Hukum?”
His mouth lowered further. To the spot where her pulse had already gone wild. The touch of his teeth there drew a soft sound from her.
