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Rohan sighed and faced Kanika. “It is usually like this every year.”
She leaned against the balcony railing, peering into the crowd below. “It’s been great reconnecting with you, Rohan. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about you a lot. In fact, it was quite surprising when you accepted my invitation to go out for dinner the other day.”
He shrugged. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
She laughed. “Come on, everyone knows you don’t go on a second date with any woman. Yet, here we are, on date number three if you count our first outing together last year.”
He hid his annoyance behind a nod, looking down at the teeming crowd. They stood together in silence, taking in the animated atmosphere. A bell sounded, and the second race started. None of his horses were running in it, but he watched fellow owners and people who’d bet on prospective winners cheer their chosen horse.
He chanced a glance at Kanika. She was dressed fashionably in a dark brown fitted formal dress with a matching fascinator on her head. She looked beautiful. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the woman whose mere presence made his blood thicken.
His fingers tightened around the railing. It really was his fault that Kanika thought she was special to him in some way. He never went on a second date with any woman, and here they were, actually out for the third time.
She’d messaged him out of the blue a minute after Rithwik had warned him off Jiya. He hadn’t even thought through his actions when he’d accepted her dinner invite. He’d gone out with her as a diversion in order to forget Jiya. He wanted to forget Jiya’s smiles, her sass, her beauty, her seductive lips, and her red-tipped hair. He’d stupidly thought that another woman would be the answer to his woes. He’d been so bloody wrong.
Kanika and he had gone out on one date, nearly a year ago. They’d been introduced at a business event. She was taking over from her father and had heard how Rohan had already taken over the reins of his businesses from his father. She had wanted to ask him several questions. They’d left the event and gone out for dinner, after which they’d hooked up. He’d been upfront and told her that he didn’t do serious, and she, too, was of the same opinion. Thus, they’d spent a single night together. It had been fun at the time. She’d not sought him out again, and neither had he. He hadn’t even given her a second thought until he’d read her message that day.
He thought he’d go out with her and prove to himself that Jiya didn’t really affect him that much, that she didn’t matter. That he could ignore her and go on with his life. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that she and Jiya had known each other. That Jiya had worked for Kanika’s father before she’d joined FF.
Thus, he’d entered the restaurant that night last week, forcing himself to believe that whatever had happened between Jiya and him hadn’t been significant at all. But then, he’d seen Jiya. She’d been sitting there, her red-tipped hair shining under the lights, her face lit in a smile at something his father was telling her, and his blood had run hot. And then, he’d seen Akash flick her nose playfully like he had all the right to do so.
That was it; the whole night had gone downhill from there. His mood had been ruined on seeing the two of them together, and in an irrational fit of fury, he’d invited Kanika to the races today and to the gala later tonight at his stud farm. He’d even allowed Kanika to link her hand with his and feed him from her plate that night as if they were a real couple. They were not, and unfortunately, they never would be because he—despite his brother’s warnings—still craved another woman, one forbidden to him.
The only reason he’d followed Jiya when she’d left to go to the washroom had been to tell her they couldn’t be together. He was, by nature, an honest man, and thus after the kiss they’d shared in his office and the decision he’d taken to stay away from her, it had been imperative that he talk to her and press upon her to not make more of it. That had been his intention. But she, God…she was something else. She’d taunted him, challenged him, and then proven to him that his heart was working tangential from the words that came out of his mouth. Like a fool, he’d been unable to resist her, and he’d kissed her again, and then he’d continued kissing her even after Akash had caught them together.
He exhaled. What had he been thinking? He’d behaved primitively and staked a claim on Jiya in front of the younger man, uncaring that Akash was close to Rithwik as well. Fuck. Since when did he engage in such ape-like behavior? It was unheard of from him. What surprised him was that he wasn’t even regretting it. He’d wanted the other man to back off from Jiya, and hopefully, after seeing Rohan’s deliberate display, he would back off.
That night had shown him that he was losing the battle with himself to keep away from Jiya. He wanted her, and there was no going back from that. That was the main reason he’d not indulged Kanika post dinner. He’d insisted on dropping her home, despite her not-so-subtle hints of taking the night forward in a different direction, one that would have led to her bed. He shook his head. Even now, being with her here was giving her all sorts of false hopes, which he ought to dispel at the earliest.
His thoughts returned to Jiya. She’d been on his mind constantly. He didn’t even know her that well, yet he was attracted to her in a way that bordered insanity. He’d never felt like this for another woman before.
The whole of last week had passed, and he hadn’t met Jiya even once. He’d been too busy at the stud farm, preparing for the race and the gala. He was still in a dilemma about her, but at least now she knew that he couldn’t give her a future even if they decided to take this attraction further.
He looked down. The race ended amidst several hoots and happy sounds. Kanika clapped. He had to be honest with her. He couldn’t allow her to keep believing they were on their way to becoming more.
He faced her. “Kanika…”
“Oh look,” she pointed down at the ground floor level, “Your parents are here.”
He looked in the direction she was pointing. Sure enough, his parents had arrived, but they weren’t alone. They each had another person on their arm.
He rocked back. His mom had her arm linked with Akash’s, and beside her was Jiya, on his father’s arm. All of them carried champagne glasses. The four of them looked fabulous together and managed to turn several heads their way. What in the world was going on?
“Oh, that’s Jiya again, with the same guy she was with last week. Is he her boyfriend?” Kanika asked. “They were having dinner with your dad and Mr Sehgal, wasn’t it?”
“Akash is not her boyfriend,” Rohan said stiffly.
“He’s not? Huh! Strange. I thought they looked quite cozy together.”
At least he didn’t think Jiya was seeing Akash, not after the way she had responded to Rohan twice now. But he still didn’t like the familiarity between them.
His mother leaned closer to tell Jiya something, and Jiya laughed, her whole face lighting up.
Bloody hell! Since when had his parents become so friendly with her? He couldn’t recall if his mom had ever met her before, and if he was right, she’d just about met his father last week. Yet, here she was, chatting nonstop with his parents like she’d known them for years. His mom pointed to a couple, and she left Akash to go to his dad. Jiya took her place on Akash’s arm as his parents stopped to chat with one of their friends.
His gaze zeroed in on Jiya. She was dressed in a stunning white fitted dress with black edging on the sides and a matching overcoat. Her hair was left loose and on her head was a white hat slanted over one side of her face. She paused and said something to Akash. He clinked his glass to hers, and they both sipped their champagne.
Akash studied her for a moment and straightened her hat, lifting it from the side of her face. A twinge of irritation swept through Rohan. He preferred it at that jaunty angle it was earlier.
