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She’d tossed and turned the whole of last night, unable to sleep becausehewas in the bedroom opposite hers. Memories of their time together kept returning to her mind, and she couldn’t help but remember what she’d felt when she was with him. Only with him. Because suddenly, her body was waking up as if from a deep hibernation, and each time they touched, it woke up some more, craving, needing things she had not wanted in a bloody long time. Her stupid body recognized his touch and recalled his mouth-wateringly familiar scent. Her body ached to be closer to him and feel once again what only he’d ever made her feel. Fuck! She was going mad.
And there was only one way out of this madness. If she truly didn’t want to know how hot they burned together, she had to be very careful and not touch him again. It was that simple. Her mind made up, she inhaled and exhaled again, ignoring that delicious scent of leather and musk, which she surely was imagining.
When she opened her eyes, she shrieked. Her hand rushed to her heart as she took him in. Dressed in a grey t-shirt and cotton pants, Dev was seated cross-legged on the floor, right in front of her, observing her. It was as if she’d conjured him straight from her thoughts and put him in front of her.
She gulped, dropping her hand. “What are you doing?”
“Watching you do your deep breathing,” he replied. “Is this a daily thing for you?”
“Yes.”
Aargh! She should have chosen to meditate in her own room and not outside in their shared living space.
Dev ran a hand through his sleep-mussed hair, messing it even more. Her eyes ran down his face, taking in the overnight scruff on his jaw and his tired eyes. She’d heard him pace outside in the living room in the middle of the night before he’d returned to his bedroom at some point. She knew he’d been unable to sleep, just like her. She forced her eyes away from him and tilted her head up at the weak sunlight filtering over her face from the windows at her side. She’d chosen this place in the living room for her meditation precisely because the floor-to-ceiling windows had good morning light.
From the corner of her eye, she found him watching her in silence. Thank God she’d worn a loose t-shirt over her yoga pants and bustier. Being with him already made her feel exposed and on edge. And now her skin was flushing under his ardent appraisal.
She fixed him with a steady gaze. “It’s creepy the way you keep watching me so intently.”
He rubbed a finger down the corner of his jaw. The action was so insanely familiar that her heart ached.
“I haven’t seen you in twelve years, Avantika,” Dev began, “and now I have you for less than twelve days. Every second not watching you or talking to you is a second lost forever. I want your face to be permanently engraved in my being and your voice to be etched on my mind for the rest of my life.”
Hiswords. At one time, they used to make her melt. But now, she didn’t know what to make of them. Statements like these confused her even more. But Dev was unfazed. He continued to watch her unapologetically, as if this was a normal occurrence for him and not weird at all.
“Does breathing help you find your calm?” he finally asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you start it after your siblings and you escaped from my father?”
“Yoga, meditation, and deep breathing helped me out after we ran away from your father andyou.”
He flinched.
She rose smoothly, and he followed.
“I’ve called for breakfast in the room,” he informed her.
She lifted her jaw. “What if I wanted to eat at the buffet?”
“Unfortunately for you, mealtimes will be as per my preferences…mostly.”
She narrowed her gaze. “And the rest of the time is mine to do with as I please?”
He looked heavenward. “Your lack of trust in me is rather sad.”
When she opened her mouth to retort, he raised his hands in the air. “I know what you’re going to say, and I’d rather not ruin my mood first thing in the morning with how I destroyed your trust etc. etc. That line is becoming old now.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. She absolutely hated how he wanted to brush his past transgressions under the rug. It made her want to commit violence. But unless she agreed to listen to his story, this verbal battle between her and him would go on and on. And she was weary of it. If she could have some aspect of freedom during her time with him, she’d rather get to that immediately.
“Fine, where is the breakfast?” she asked.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang and two hotel staff members came in and set up the dining table with several dishes before they left.
She sat at the table, lifting lids off several platters.
By the time Dev sat in front of her, she’d already gathered some fruit on her plate.
