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Jiya tried hard not to look at him, but it was difficult to ignore him. Each time Jiya raised her head, she could see them talking; well, Kanika was the one doing most of the talking while Rohan was only listening.
As if sensing her watching him, his eyes zeroed in on her. She quickly moved her gaze away from him, focusing on the conversation happening at her table.
“The Fortuna Derby, as you all must know, is the biggest horse racing event in Northern India,” Varun was addressing Akash and her. “We’ve been sponsoring this event since my father’s time. It’s next Saturday. Post that, we have an annual gala held at our stud farm. It’s a very elite affair attended by India’s rich and famous. I’d like to invite you both to it.”
“It will be our pleasure,” Akash said. “Is it possible to buy tickets to the horse race? I’ve been to a few derbies in England. They were highly entertaining.”
“Then I’ll ensure my PA sends you an invite for our Derby as well,” Varun said. “What about you, Jiya? Would you like to come to the race?”
“I’d like that,” she said honestly. “I’ve not been to a horse race ever. Thank you.”
“Then it’s settled. You both will be my guests. Janak, what about you? Any chances of showing up this year to the race or the gala?”
Janak clucked his tongue. “My bones don’t allow me to party so much.”
“Which is his usual excuse for not wanting to do something,” Jiya pointed out.
Janak scowled.
“She’s right, Janak,” Akash concurred with a smile. “You use this excuse each time you don’t want to do something.”
“And then when you ask him why he’s out so late at night at his age, he says, ‘I’m old, not dead,’” Jiya chided.
“These kids!” Janak shook his head. “I swear they’re more trouble than ever. They’re far too observant, remember too much, and don’t let us old men get away with anything. Isn’t it Varun?”
“Old men? Speak for yourself. I’m more than a decade younger than you,” Varun put a hand out. “I’m still very young.”
“Guess I’m the only old man here. How sad!” Janak pouted.
A laugh slipped out of her seeing his petulant expression, and soon, all four of them were laughing together.
Involuntarily, she looked up, and her eyes clashed with Rohan’s. He was watching her again, a pensive look on his face. Her heart, as usual, began to somersault. Kanika tugged at his arm. She said something to him and then brought her fork to his lips. He glanced at the offered food and opened his mouth, allowing the other woman to feed him.
Her barely suppressed anger raged to life. She was so mad…at him and at herself. She should never have made the first move and kissed him. And if he hadn’t wanted her kissing him, then why the hell had he continued to kiss her? Why had he looked like he’d been one step away from losing total control? Why in the world did he throw all those heated looks her way? Bloody stupid man. She was done reacting to him.
She gulped a large sip of her mimosa, her emotions at an all-time high.
In front of her, Kanika linked her hand with Rohan’s, and Jiya wanted to toss her drink on that woman’s face. She’d always disliked Kanika, but now she hated her for behaving so familiarly with Rohan. Jiya took another sip from her glass, but it did nothing to soothe the ugly jealousy from blackening her heart. Fuck. She was an idiot, and the more she sat watching Rohan and that woman together, the more the urge to do something stupid grew. She couldn’t afford that…not at all.
She dropped her napkin on the table and excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. Once there, she washed her hands and dried them. She stood at the vanity for a long moment, controlling her rapidly beating heart. Damn, the effect this one man had on her was worsening.
She had to stop her stupid obsession with Rohan Bali and forget about him. She took a few deep breaths, and, finally, feeling a bit more in control, she stepped out of the ladies’ room.
She was startled to find Rohan pacing outside. He halted when she appeared and said, “We need to talk.”
She blinked. “No hello or hi?”
His mouth hardened. He looked around, and then, gripping her elbow, he dragged her to a small, closed-off corner.
“What do you want?” she asked, shrugging off his hold.
“I want to talk to you about that kiss last evening.”
She narrowed her eyes. Oh, so now was a convenient time for him to talk about it? Well, she was not going to make it easy for him.
“Why?”
“What do you mean why? It was just a kiss, and we need to clear the air about it.”
