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“It’s time to go, Avantika,” Dev gritted out before he actually put his tumultuous thoughts into action. Any action he took against Rajiv now would only hinder his cause. He needed those twelve days with Avantika. She came first,always.
Avantika gave him a scathing look before she whispered something in Rajiv’s ear, and Dev’s fists curled. Every moment of seeing her with that man was destroying his delicate hold on his restraint.
Rajiv faced him. “If you harm even a hair on her head, I will make it my mission to find you, and I will kill you.”
“You can try, but you will never succeed,” Dev scoffed. “Besides, what happens between me andherwill remain between us. And not that I need to assureyou, but Avantika will be safe with me.”
“There are many ways of hurting someone other than causing physical harm,” Avantika voiced. “How do I know you won’t hurt me in other ways?”
He had so many answers to give her, but she was still touching Rajiv, and that was clouding Dev’s judgement and his reactions.
“Don’t worry,baby.” His lips tipped up in a mocking smile. “Everything will be revealed in its due course.”
Her eyes hardened. His eyes never left hers.
He splayed his hand. “After you.”
She climbed up the stairs of the jet, her head held high and her back ramrod straight.
Dev gave Rajiv a parting look before he followed her up and into the plane.
Victory flashed through him.
Finally, he was all alone withher—the one woman he hadn’t forgotten.
The jet took off as soon as they were seated. Dev made it a point to take the seat facing hers. She didn’t look away. In fact, she met his gaze head-on, bold and unafraid. Considering she most certainly thought he was the villain in her story, he’d expected her to be a bit nervous around him. Surprisingly, she was not. Interesting!
Knowing he was watching her, she removed her jacket and tossed it on the seat next to her. His eyes widened as they fell on her majestic tattoos. The gorgeous design covered one side of her neck, down her shoulder and her arm to her middle finger. The ink was beautiful. It was a swirl of roses, vines, and butterflies, done specifically to cover the scars left behind by a madman. A man whom Dev had…
“Are you done gawking at me?” Avantika’s loud query pulled him out of the past to the present.
He tapped his chin, continuing to study her. “Not yet, and not enough. Never enough.”
He studied her slowly, from the top of her head down to her crossed legs. Dressed in a sleeveless, pleated, maroon, deep V-neck dress that curved around her bounteous chest and fell in a skirt of pleats till her knees, Avantika looked fabulous. The dress exposed the creamy skin of her arms and legs. Her long hair was untied and fell to her waist in soft waves. Her makeup was barely there, simple and understated.
Twelve years back, she’d been an eighteen-year-old girl on the threshold of womanhood, but now, she was a mature woman of thirty. She had matured with age, but her features remained the same. The same tip-tilted brown eyes, lighter than her brothers, the same button nose and wide forehead, the same perfect creamy complexion, and those wide pink lips. He focused on the shape of her mouth. As if sensing his attention, Avantika bit her lower lip, and his blood thickened again.
Avantika Rajpoot had grown to be a stunning woman, indeed. His eyes once again fell on the majestic ink on her skin.
Her gaze stayed fixed on the bright sky beyond her window.
“So, how have you been?” he asked her.
Her eyes met his for a brief second before she flicked them away from him, refusing to reply.
“I asked you a question,” Dev pressed.
Still not looking at him, she said, “You and I are not friends to indulge in such casual conversation. Are you going to talk to me about the weather next?”
“Maybe, if I feel like it.”
She rolled her eyes, keeping them firmly fixed outside the window. It bothered him that she wouldn’t look at him. He’d waited for years to have her in front of him, to talk to her, to learn more about her, and now her petulance wouldn’t dissuade him.
“Aren’t you going to ask me where we are going?” he queried, changing the subject to something she’d probably be interested in.
“Does it matter?” she asked, still looking outside the window.
“Look at me when I talk to you,” he demanded, annoyed that her beautiful eyes weren’t on him. She needed to be looking at him, only him. Once these twelve days were done, she’d be free to look where she wanted. But not right now.
