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“Shh…” She slapped a palm over his mouth. His eyes widened.
He was standing too close to her. There was no space between them at all, stuck as she was in the corner with him pressed tightly to her. His scent…his delicious scent surrounded her. All her senses went on alert. Her mouth watered, and her heart began to beat harder.
She gulped, lowering her hand, and took a tiny step behind, creating some much-needed distance between them.
“Why are you hiding?” he whispered.
“Those two women will make my life hell if they find me alone.”
“Who? Which women?” He shook his head. “Why the hell am I hiding and whispering?”
“You’re right!” she whispered. “You don’t need to hide. I’ll just leave from this door. You go right back out.”
Just as her hand touched the glass door, the door to the study opened, and they heard two pairs of footsteps. Instantly, she moved closer to him. The voices from outside filtered through the door.
“I swear, Mom,” a woman said. “I am pretty sure I spotted Sheena Sehgal coming this way.”
“Well, she’s clearly not here, as you can see,” an older voice responded. “Let’s go.”
Oh, thank God, they were leaving. Sheena just about exhaled a sigh of relief when she heard the younger woman say, “Wait, whose shoes are those on the desk?”
The footsteps came closer and halted. Shit! How could she have been so careless to leave her shoes on his desk? On his desk?! God! What was she thinking?
“Gold Valentino’s,” the younger woman murmured. “Nice.”
Rajiv’s amused gaze dropped to her bare feet, then traversed right back up to her face. His mouth opened, and she slapped her palm on his mouth again, shaking her head. He tilted his head to study her. The moonlight cast shadows on his face, making the angles of his cheeks appear sharper. And each second that his burning gaze remained on her, it made her skin heat a fraction more. He held her hand, the one she’d put on his mouth and lowered it gently, keeping it trapped in his. Tingles erupted from where he held her hand, skidding up her arm, radiating to every inch of her.
“Leave them,” the older woman’s voice came through to them. “Rajiv must have had a rendezvous with some woman here before we arrived. They must have left to go somewhere private in a hurry.”
His eyes sparkled in amusement. He caressed the back of her hand and pulled her toward him. Her hands fell on his shoulders. His own curled on her waist—this situation so familiar now. She was losing count of the number of times she’d been close to him exactly like this. He cupped her cheek, raising her gaze to meet his swirling one.
A hot and heavy sensation settled in her belly. Her clothes felt too tight, her skin felt too stretched, and the urge to kiss him and finally stop fantasizing about him became a reckless need. She lifted her head to do exactly just that.
The younger girl giggled, pulling Sheena out of her thoughts, which were just about to be turned into action.
“Stop laughing, you silly girl,” the older woman scolded. “You should be the one trying to entice Rajiv. He’s one of Dubai’s most eligible bachelors, and till date, you haven’t even managed to speak more than a few words with him. Absolutely useless you are. Now, let’s go outside and find Sheena Sehgal first, and then you need to set your target back on Rajiv.”
Sheena’s heart sank. They just wouldn’t let her be. God. Just let them leave. She didn’t want Rajiv to hear about her past, biased as it would be, coming from the lips of these women. But God wasn’t listening to her tonight.
“That girl is nothing but trouble,” the older woman said.
“I overheard Mina Sehgal mention to someone that Sheena has moved to Dubai for a few months,” the younger woman said.
“How dare she show her face here?” the older woman said angrily. “We finally managed to build our lives here, and now she’s back to ruin it. Thanks to her, we had to leave Mumbai. Our family can never show our faces there. Our house has been locked for years. We can’t even sell our home because no one wants to live in that building any more. People have begun to speculate that ghosts haunt our house. So stupid. And it’s all thanks to her.”
“At least our family and friends have ensured that they still tell people of her true colors,” the younger woman said. “And now, I’m going to teach her a lesson here. I will ruin her name in Dubai’s society. So much so that she will become an outcast here. She may have her family’s name protecting her in India, but here, there is no one to protect her. She deserves the worst for what she put my brother through. It’s been a decade, and he still suffers because of her.”
God. This was like her worst nightmare come true. Shubha and Karina Sachdeva, Karan’s mom and sister—two women she’d hoped never to meet again in her life—were trying to ruin her name once again.
She’d hoped that once they found the room empty, they would leave. And they probably would have if, like a fool, she hadn’t left her heels on his desk. But she had, and now Rajiv was an audience to their bitching spree. He may not have understood exactly what had transpired in the past, but he sure had a hint now. Her face lowered, and she took a shallow, embarrassing breath. Of all the people to have witnessed this humiliation, it had to be him. It was awful. Simply the worst, and she didn’t know how to salvage the situation without coming across as weak.
His hand, which was still cupping her cheek, raised her face to meet his. A lone tear dripped down her cheek. He caught it with a finger, his forehead marred into a frown. He stared at the teardrop, his gaze softening before he caressed her cheek. His touch was soothing and managed to calm her spiralling mind. She took a deep breath. His scent invaded her lungs. She looked up at him, at the deepening gold in his irises, at the way his mouth had parted and his head had tipped lower. Desire in its rarest, purest form was etched on his face, clearly visible for her to see.
She moved closer to him the same moment he neared her. Their mouths crashed, and fireworks erupted under her skin. His lips were hot, searching, demanding, as if he couldn’t get enough. And she, God. She was quickly losing control. His mouth on hers, he pushed her a step back, trapping her against the glass door, moving into her, deepening the kiss, sucking her lower lip, and running his tongue against her teeth. She trembled. He smiled against her mouth, knowing exactly what he was doing to her. Her heart began to pound. He sucked her lower lip between his teeth, nipping it sharply. A bolt of lust slammed through her, taking away every single thought. There was only him and the way his mouth was playing with hers.
Her mouth dropped open under his onslaught, and he used that to curl his tongue around hers. Fire licked on her skin, heating every nerve and cell as she leaned into him, demanding more. Her arms tightened around him. She leaned further up on her toes, craving access to him. She slanted her mouth over his, her tongue playing with his, sucking it, licking the insides of his mouth. He tasted of fresh mint and smoky whiskey. His hands rose from her waist, sliding up and up, falling on the bare skin of her chest, caressing, teasing. He moved another step, his body plastered to hers now, and she could feel his hardness poke against her belly. A delicious ache spread through her body, the need for more roaring inside her. She clutched his head, keeping him sealed to her.
Understanding her, his kiss turned harder as he claimed every inch of her mouth, while his hands roamed down her breasts, teasing the mounds through her clothes. Her nipples peaked, and her core melted. She was being consumed by him, but it wasn’t enough. An ache rose, demanding to be assuaged. His hips rocked into hers, and a needy moan escaped her mouth. Yes. That was the friction she needed. Another moan escaped her lips, this time louder.
