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13
Avantika woke up wrapped in a warm cocoon. Dev’s arms were folded around her as she slept on top of him. She looked up, and her heart jumped at seeing Dev sleeping soundly, his arms holding her close. They’d fallen asleep on the sofa in the suite’s living room.
She looked to the side and found the TV switched off. She recalled the videos she had seen. Images of her parents were etched in her mind now. Seeing them had tugged at her heartstrings. She finally had something of her parents to remember them by, and it was all because of him. He’d gifted her something priceless. She hadn’t known how much she’d been missing until she’d seen these videos. They were so special. Now, her son would know who his grandparents were. Neil would have something to remember them too.
She looked up to study Dev. His thick lashes curled like half-moons on his cheeks, his expression soft and composed. A sudden memory of seeing him like this, of being draped over him exactly the way she was now, flashed in her mind. They’d been so young then, and now they were so much older. So much had transpired between them in the past and more recently as well.
Dev was… He wasn’t what she’d expected him to be. She’d expected a cruel man, intent on hurting her, but what she’d found was an extremely considerate man, one who had time and again proved that he was concerned about her well-being. He also seemed equally burdened and tortured by the events of their combined past. The question that had been haunting her since long drifted back into her mind.
Should she hear him out? After last night, it had become imperative she decide on this once and for all.
If she were being absolutely honest, her heart and mind had been in turmoil for a long time. While her heart had wanted her to hear him out, her mind had categorically declined to take that step of no return. She sucked in a breath. What was she going to do?
For the first time in many years, she wished her mother was alive to guide her so. She’d know exactly what to say to make everything alright.
Oh, Mom! I wish you were here to tell me how to proceed with him because I’m so conflicted about him. Do I hear him out? What do I do?
As if in reply to her questions, a bright ray of golden sunlight washed over the two of them, holding them in its light and warmth. A faint scent of lavender drifted over her. Her heart constricted, and Avantika had to hold back her tears.
God! She didn’t know if she was imagining things here, but if this was her mom giving her a blessing, then she’d take it. She didn’t know what else to do, and after last night, she was convinced there was more to his story.
Perhaps, it was time to hear him out.
Dev’s eyes fluttered open. He caught her staring at him and caressed her cheek.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded, unable to reply against the tightness in her throat. The weight of the monumental decision she’d just taken settled on her shoulders.
She tried to rise, but her long hair tangled in his shirt buttons, and she fell back against his chest. Dev groaned. His whiskey-colored eyes smouldered with every second she remained atop him, watching him. An electric charge crackled in the air between them. Her body flamed, melting over his, while his hardened, stiffened.
His hands crept up her waist. His fingers dipped under her cropped tee and caressed the skin there. She shivered. His eyes darkened further. Desire stormed through her. Need crashed over her. Her whole body was alight.
With one swoop, he turned them both, and he was on top of her now. Her legs widened of their own accord to fit him to her. Every thick, hard ridge and length of him pressed against her. Her body turned liquid, and molten heat pooled at her core. Her breathing turned ragged, and her pulse escalated.
Dev lowered his head, and his lips skimmed the soft skin of her belly. She moaned. His hands lifted her top higher while his mouth inched further up her bare skin, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. The friction from the overnight shadow on his jaw was too much against her already sensitive body. She squirmed. Tension began to hum inside her. Desire ignited every cell in her body, leaving her wanting, aching for more.
Her phone rang in her room. She blinked, waking up out of the haze of lust. Dev’s golden eyes met hers. She pushed against his shoulders and he rose swiftly.
Her heart still thundered in her ears as she stood up and left him to go to her room. At her door, she turned to face him. He was still watching her quietly.
“Tonight, after dinner, I want you to tell me everything,” she announced.
His eyes lit up. “Why after dinner and not now?”
“Because I’ll have the whole day to convince myself not to do this then.”
Because she wasn’t sure how her brothers would react if they found out she was harboring doubts about Dev’s true role in the events of that night. She wasn’t sure if they’d ever agree to listen to Dev.
The light in his eyes dimmed. “What happens if you refuse to hear me out?”
“Then you have tomorrow to convince me again, I suppose,” she quipped.
A chuckle escaped him, bringing forth that delicious-looking indent.
“Damn! I love your spark,” he said.
She shut the door of her room and rested her head against it. God! What was she doing? Why was she allowing him all these liberties with her body and her mind? Why was she craving the pleasure she knew he could give her?
