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He glided by her side, buying her a glass of icy wine from a vendor. She downed it in one go and asked for another. He blinked when she downed that one too. She ordered another, and this time she held the glass in her hand.
When she noticed him watching her, she said, “Don’t judge. It’s called liquid courage for a reason.”
He chuckled. She was too cute and he loved her spirit.
She entered the mass of swaying bodies and began to dance with them. He watched her from a distance as she danced with two women of African origin, shaking her hips, and lifting her hands in the air. The women with her were great dancers, and Avantika matched their steps in perfect rhythm.
His lips curved into a wide smile. It surprised him. He hadn’t genuinely laughed or smiled in years. But now, he found himself smiling often, laughing too. His heart clenched at the emotion flowing through him, one that had eluded him for far too long…Twelve years to be exact. It was…pure unadulterated happiness. He’d been sad, lonely and heartbroken from the second he’d lost her. He’d stopped feeling anything after that night. Post that, the only emotion he’d allowed himself to feel was hate. It had given him a sense of purpose to succeed, to reach the pinnacle he had.
But Avantika… When she’d walked into his life, with her returned that long-lost happiness. No matter that she was mad at him and she hated him.
For him, simply being with her was enough. She’d returned joy to his life by merely being in front of him.
He thumped a fist over his aching heart. God! Time hadn’t diminished whatever he felt for her. This woman had always been the center of his existence, and even now, she remained just that.
Suddenly, a man gripped Avantika’s waist. Dev was by her side even before she could turn.
“Let her go, now,” Dev ordered, the menace in his voice clear.
The man raised his hands. “It’s all in fun, mate. We’re all friends here.”
The two women dancing with Avantika put their arms around the man, and Avantika high-fived all of them before the three of them disappeared into the crowd.
She faced Dev. “You’re such a buzzkill. I was having a good time until you intervened.”
“You can continue having a good time without another man touching you.”
She began to move again, dancing in front of him. “Why does the thought of me with another man make you so…so jealous?”
“Murderous is the word you’re looking for, sweetheart. Not jealous.”
“Why, though? Do you think I haven’t had any lovers after you?”
Even thinking of that awful situation made anger pulse through him.
At his lack of response, she halted in front of him, looking into his eyes. “Do you want to know their names?”
His blood bubbled. His vision began to turn red. But she clearly wasn’t concerned. She opened her mouth, and he pulled the straps of the camera around her neck, tugging her closer to him.
“You. Need. To. Stop. Talking.”
Still, she remained unfazed. Chaos swirled in the depths of her light brown eyes. “Should I list their names alphabetically for you?”
Whether it was the alcohol talking or plain bravado, he knew not, and he cared not. He stared at her, anger roiling through him, as she lifted her chin in challenge, defiance etched on her face. All around them, the crowd swelled and thickened, unaware of the storm brewing between the two of them.
People pressed into them from all sides. Someone pushed her. Avantika fell forward. She grasped his shoulders, the same time he caught her waist. One second, she was standing a little distance from him, and in the next, she was plastered all over him, her whole body in contact with his. Their eyes crashed and locked. The air around them hummed.
A whole new emotion surged through him. It was plain, unadulterated need. His body hardened of its own accord, while hers softened. Something flared in her eyes, and he recognized it for it was. It was the same desire that he was feeling for her. His eyes fell on her mouth. Avantika bit her lip, and a bolt of raw lust slammed through him, blocking out everything.
His head lowered at the same time her head lifted up. Their mouths crashed and opened up. Their tongues dueled, searching, seeking, not letting go. Refusing to let go. The kiss wasn’t soft. It was a domination for control; a punishment for the years gone by. It was an explosion that had been waiting to happen since the second they’d seen one another again. It was a volcano erupting. It was also an…awakening.
His heart had been dead, only pumping blood for him to live. It had been cold since the day she’d left his life, and now with this kiss, she was breathing life back into him. He drew her closer, needing what only she could ever give him.
Avantika tightened her arms around his neck as she plundered his mouth, fighting with him for control. Battling with him to concede to the demands of her mouth and he gave it to her. He allowed her the victory, and she took it, relished it as her tongue curled inside his mouth, tasting him in exactly the way she wanted.
His heart thundered in his ears, electricity coursed in his veins, and desire grated against his skin. Years had passed, but nothing had lessened the impact of this woman. She was the only one he’d always wanted, the woman he’d needed more than oxygen to breathe. She was a craving that hadn’t died with time. She was a need that could never be fulfilled. She was more… She was everything.
She kissed even better than he remembered. Her body felt even more decadent and lush against his. This reality was way better than his dreams. His hands roamed over her back, sinking into her long hair. Everything about her was perfection. To him, she was a goddess—always had been. Only now, she was more mature.
