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They weren’t a family. They’d never be a family, and this man in front of her had ensured that. Yet, the visual remained in her mind, and she knew it would haunt her for the rest of her life.
She hurried away from him, walking back in the direction they’d come from. They neared a pedestrian crossing where several people waited in front of them to cross the road.
“Walking away when I say something you don’t like doesn’t change the sincerity of my words,” Dev said quietly, a minute later.
She looked up into his face. “Why do I get the feeling that everything you’re saying is calculated? To make me doubt everything that happened in the past?”
He breathed out. “I’ve only ever been honest with you, Avantika.”
“Really? Your actions that night were honest?”
“They were my truth then.”
“And this, whatever you keep telling me, is your truth now? You’ve changed from that night? Is that what you want me to believe?”
“My heart has remained the same, and my truth has never changed. You were always my priority, and you always will be, even when we part at the end of our time together.”
Once again, his words managed to shut her up. She had nothing she could say to rebuke him. So, she maintained her silence and rushed forward while her brain worked at dizzying speed, thinking, remembering, concluding and doing that over and over again.
Without thinking, she stepped onto the road. A car honked loudly. She looked up and saw a car speeding toward her and froze in place. She was too shocked to even move. The car sped closer to her and her heart thundered. She saw her life end in front of her eyes.
A strong arm pulled her back, and she found herself crushed against a hard chest. Her breathing turned ragged as she saw the car speed past her. The walk sign had changed to red, and she hadn’t even checked it before walking headlong into the incoming traffic. She’d been that immersed in her thoughts. Thank God, Dev had grabbed her and pulled her to safety. It took a few moments for her breathing to settle, but her heartbeat continued to jump.
She inhaled and his heady scent filled her lungs. Her focus shifted from her near-death encounter to the man crushing her to himself. Her own arms were wrapped tightly around his back, and she could feel his heart beating as wildly as hers.
“Fuck, Avantika! You scared me for a moment,” Dev growled.
He pressed closer to her and his whole body aligned with hers. Awareness washed over her in a dizzying rush. Everything around her faded. It was just him and her, and this longing that always seemed to explode when they were together.
Her eyes met his amber ones. His large hand cupped her cheek, and his face softened as he stared at her. She put her palm on top of his hand and he stilled. His lips parted, and that delicious indent at the side of his lip appeared. Without thinking, she ran a finger across it. Dev’s breath hitched.
His face lowered. She pushed to her toes and met his mouth with her own. Their lips touched, and liquid fire poured down her veins. He palmed both her cheeks as he ravaged her mouth and lips. His kiss was wild; it was rough and filled with so much want—it was an echo of what was roaring inside her. He sucked her lower lip, and pushed past into her mouth, stroking her tongue with his, over and over, until she was filled with a burning, delirious need.
A sense of utter completeness and rightness settled over her. Her soul had been empty, it had been shriveling for too long, and he only had to touch her to make her feel complete again. And so, she welcomed him and the feelings he was arousing in her.
He licked the insides of her mouth and she moved closer to him, her desire becoming urgent now. She sucked his tongue roughly. Her hands sank into his hair, pulling him closer to her. Her teeth scraped against his bottom lip and he growled softly. His body hardened; she could feel the evidence of his desire at her belly, and she pushed into it and him. God! How she needed him. How she craved for him. Passion had been missing from her life for so long, and this man only had to touch her to make her want everything he was offering.
A loud screech of tires and the sound of a heavy brake pushed her back to reality. A bus stopped a little distance ahead of them. She shifted slightly back and stared at his face. He was watching her too. She exhaled. Why was it only he who woke her desire again? And she couldn’t even blame him for taking advantage of her because each time they’d kissed, she’d been equally involved and eager. She could no longer deny that she wanted him with a ferocity she had hitherto experienced only with him.
For the longest, she’d avoided being in a relationship with anyone. No matter that she’d told him otherwise, there had been no one after him. As Neil had grown older, she’d tried to date once or twice, but none of those men had been able to make her feel anything.
She’d believed that she’d lost that part of herself—that ability to feel desire, to feel arousal and lust—along with everything else she’d lost that dreadful night years ago. Oh, how wrong she’d been! Dev only had to touch her, and every cell in her body woke up. Every feeling she thought she’d never experience again came raging back as if with a vengeance.
She backed a step and he released her. She looked in front of her, waiting for the walk signal to turn green before she could move forward. All along, she felt his heavy gaze fixed on her.
They reached the hotel in silence, but the weight of what she had done again remained alive and heavy between them. They stood in front of the elevator bank when someone called Dev’s name.
He turned, and his entire demeanor changed as he faced the man bearing down upon them.
“Dev Luthra,” the old gent spoke in heavily accented English. “What are you doing in London?”
Dev’s demeanor was all stiff and formal as he shook the old man’s hand. “Mr. Fayadi, it’s a pleasure to meet you as always. I’m here on a small holiday.”
The older man’s keen gaze latched on Avantika. “There is talk in all social and business circles that Dev Luthra is never seen with a woman. But I see that’s not true at all.”
“You know, I keep my private life very private.” Dev’s smile was all sharp and business-like. “Please meet Avantika Rajpoot, and Avantika; Mr. Fayadi owns this hotel chain and is the biggest marble dealer in the world.”
Avantika shook Mr. Fayadi’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Your hotel is fabulous.”
