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“Not happening, Mr. Luthra. I don’t have the attire for such a fancy restaurant. I’ve packed the most basic clothes I could find in my closet to get through the twelve days. I never expected to be wined and dined.”
“You ought to expect the unexpected from me.”
She glared at him.
“There are a few boutiques right next to the hotel,” he informed her. “You could check those out if you want, or you can wear whatever clothes you already brought with you. Nevertheless, we will be eating at the restaurant. That is non-negotiable.”
“Fucking hell,” she cursed, marching inside her bedroom and locking it behind her.
Soon, he heard her soft voice filtering through the closed door. Clearly, she was talking to her family. Her door opened, and with her ear still glued to her phone, she stepped out of the bedroom, her purse on her shoulder. She didn’t even cast him a glance as she left the suite.
His heartbeat spiked. He had to trust she would duly return and not negate their agreement. Getting to her again would be quite the pain, one he really didn’t wish upon himself.
He headed into his own bedroom and began to check his emails. He tried catching up with work, but he couldn’t focus on anything. His mind kept returning to one question—would she return? Or couldn’t she stand to be with him for even one day?
His heartbeat returned to normal half an hour later when he heard the soft click of the suite door. She was back, which meant she was ready to uphold her end of the bargain. His spirits rose.
Showing her that she wasn’t a prisoner was only the first step in even trying to gain a semblance of an understanding between them. Getting her to trust him enough to listen to his side of the story wouldn’t be easy. He had years of misunderstandings to clear. He’d do it, though—one step at a time.
* * *
Dev steppedout of his own bedroom into their common living room and stopped short as he caught sight of Avantika. She was exiting her own room, fixing the watch on her wrist. Her eyes met his, and everything around him stilled as he took her in. Fuck! She wasbeautiful.
Dressed in a strappy vermilion dress that molded all her curves, with a long slit that started from her left thigh and opened till her calf, she was the definition of perfect. All her tattoos were on display, and he believed she kept them exposed deliberately, as a reminder for him. He exhaled as she walked forward.
Avantika halted at the mirror on one wall of the suite’s living room, fixing a flyaway strand of her hair. Her eyes met his through the mirror.
“Mr. Luthra,” she began. “You need to shut your mouth. Your drool is beginning to show.”
A corner of his lips tipped. Fuck! She was too sassy.
He moved to stand behind her, keeping his eyes on hers through the mirror. “I can’t help but look when a beautiful woman likeyoudecides to dress up forme.”
Her eyes flared in understanding. She spun around. “This is not a fucking date.”
“Whatever you say,baby.”
Irritation rolled off of her. “I haven’t dressed up for you. It’s for the fancy restaurant you’reforcingme to dine at.”
“Okay.”
“Yourokaysounds lame. Like you’re merely placating me while going about believing what you want to.”
“Oooookkkkkaaaaayyy. Does that sound better?”
Her eyes widened in annoyance or disbelief; he couldn’t figure. She lifted her hand to push him. Okay. Annoyance it was. He arched a brow, staring at her hand.
“Fuck!” She put her hand behind her back, remembering her own no-touching rule and his addendum to that.
“This is not a fucking date,” she repeated. “I don’t even like you.”
He chuckled. “But you are talking to me. It’s enough for now.”
“It’s not like I have a choice.”
“Sure.”
Her mouth tightened. Lifting a small gold ornament from the side table, she flung it at him. He didn’t even need to shift; the missile flew way to the side, nowhere close to him.
