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Behind her, Akash was already talking to someone. Gathering the folds of her gown in her hand, she stepped down onto the deck to look for the only man who had the answer to her questions.
* * *
Rohan leanedbehind a pillar by himself, taking a break from all the meeting and greeting he’d done for the last hour or so. He inhaled and exhaled several times, waiting for his heart rate to settle.
Tonight was going to be a smashing success, as always. How could it not be? He’d mastered the art of throwing this gala, thanks to his mother. Her hostess skills were beyond excellent, and till date, she put her time and effort into helping him plan this event. But tonight, it was going to be extra special because of Xerxes’ win earlier. Rohan was still reeling from it. Everyone he’d met so far was only talking about his super-fast horse. He was already being offered insane amounts of money to get Xerxes mated. He’d rejected them all. This was just the first race. Once Xerxes won the other derbies across India, his value would quadruple.
He smiled, thinking of his horse. He’d spent a little time with Xerxes earlier, brushing him and feeding him after he’d been brought back to Rohan’s stables. If Rohan had to choose, he’d rather spend his time with his horses than cater to the rich and famous of this country.
He sighed. Rithwik was the one more suited to socialize than him. Rohan was not known to throw parties on a whim like his twin. He was also known not to accept the dozens of invites he received every week for some event or the other. The only rare events he did attend were those of key clients—people important to his business—those who’d help him make more money.
Unfortunately for him, this gala was a tradition passed down from his grandfather’s time, and hence, along with the stud farm, it had become his responsibility to uphold the various traditions that had been followed here over the years. This party was one such. The turnout tonight was huge, as always. India’s who’s who attended this event. In fact, they waited for it every year.
His eyes swept through the crowd, zeroing in on the woman in silver, her red-tipped hair shining like a beacon. She was animatedly chatting with a famous romance author, delight clear in her eyes. His lips tipped.
He had spotted Jiya the second she’d entered. It was like all his senses were on edge, waiting for her, and all of him had breathed a collective sigh of relief the second he’d seen her.
She was stunning tonight. That Grecian silver gown with its wide straps and fitted bodice looked fabulous on her. The gown fell to her feet in soft folds. On her thigh was a tantalizingly long slit that gave glimpses of her leg as she walked. Her makeup was soft, her lips pink, and her hair left open just the way he liked it.
Ever since he’d kissed her again in the stables, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. Their every encounter was etched in his mind, especially the last one at the stables earlier today—the sounds she’d made as she’d come apart in his arms, the way her eyes had rolled shut, and the way she’d held on to him as if she didn’t want to let go of him. He wanted to see and hear all of that again. He exhaled. Jiya Deewan was a siren who’d taken over his mind.
A burst of giggles from his right caught his attention. He swept his glance over the
group of socialites, some married and some not, who had their eyes on him. They whispered and giggled amongst themselves, talking about him. A few of them gave him coy looks. He didn’t even give them a second glance. To most of them, he was an enigma, one they wanted to decipher. And the easiest way they assumed they could do that was to bed him. Married or not, sleeping with him would put them a notch higher than the others, and he refused every single one of them, always.
Married women were off limits, and women who considered sleeping with him with the hope of getting a ring on their finger, or to better their own social standing, repulsed him. He’d always been honest in his affairs, rather one-night stands. They were only for one night, and they would never become more, and hence, he’d always sought out women more intellectually inclined, those who would understand his terms and respect them. And so far, everything had been going fine… Untilher.
Shewas changing the landscape of his thoughts and reshaping them. For her, he’d agreed to give in a little more. For her, he was willing to try for more than one night. It was a first for him. Today, in fact, had been a set of many firsts. He’d never taken any of the women he’d dated in the past to see his horses. They were the one thing sacred to him, and yet, he hadn’t hesitated even the tiniest bit to introduce Jiya to Xerxes. In fact, he’d enjoyed seeing her get acquainted with his favorite horse and cheer him on during the race.
He rubbed his lips, tracking the beautiful woman he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off.
They hadn’t met one another yet, and he’d deliberately kept a distance from her. His father had invited the Home Minister to this event, and Rohan needed to be fully in control of himself when the man arrived—something that was becoming more and more difficult once he was in contact with Jiya. Strangely, around her, he was this whole different man—one who only wanted to steal her away and keep her to himself so he could touch her, kiss her, and claim her. Fuck. He really was behaving like a caveman when it came to her.
Even now, from afar, he was observing her reactions, watching her interactions as if unable to help himself. This fixation with a woman was foreign to him. As if sensing his attention, Jiya paused her conversation mid-way and looked around as if searching for him. He was hidden in the shadows of the pillar he was leaning against, and so, of course, she couldn’t see him. She shook her head and continued with her conversation.
He pulled his phone out and texted her.“You’re looking beautiful tonight. Is that for me?”
She pulled her phone out from her purse, and on looking at the screen, she excused herself. She looked around before she began to type, a smile on her face.
“Maybe. Why don’t you come and ask me in person?”
She scanned the crowd again and scowled when she couldn’t find him again.
“I can’t wait to peel that dress off you…”
Her mouth fell open.
She texted back,“Come meet me.”
“Not so soon. I want you to spend the next hour anticipating all that I’m going to do to you tonight.”
Her chest rose and fell. It delighted him to see her so affected. She licked her lips and held her phone aloft as she posed. A picture came through to him, along with a text.
Now, his jaw dropped. It was a close-up selfie of her pink lips curled into a sexy pout. Her text read,“Imagine these lips on your skin.”
Fuck. Now he wanted those lips on his skin, right now. She sent him a laughing emoji, followed by the message,“Now, each time you chat with someone, think of my mouth dragging across your body, going lower...”
Bloody hell.“Fuck, Jiya. Now I can’t wait for this night to end.”
