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Rajiv spun around. Sheena was fast asleep, her head lolling off the headrest. Unclasping his seatbelt, he leaned behind and gently pushed her down against the seat. His jacket fell from her shoulders, revealing her all too enticing cleavage. Bloody hell. He quickly placed his jacket on her, covering her up. Her head fell to the side. He caressed her cheek gently, letting his eyes linger on her beautiful face for a few seconds before he turned back around and once again wore his seatbelt. From the corner of his eye, he saw Aaryan’s keen gaze on him, watching him.
Very softly, so as to not disturb her, Rajiv began to tell him everything that had happened. He only left out the details of the passion that had flared between Sheena and him. He couldn’t bring himself to tell his friend that.
Aaryan studied him in that quiet way of his.
“You’ll have to keep your sisters safe,” Aaryan finally said.
“As if I don’t have enough on my plate already!” Rajiv pinched his forehead. “Now, I have to keep them protected, too. Fuck my life.”
Aaryan’s face fell.
Rajiv grabbed his arm. “Shit. Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. You guys are not a burden on me. You know that.”
Aaryan nodded. “You’re allowed to have your moments and feel pressured. No one can blame you.” He checked the rear-view mirror again and further lowered his voice. “You have been keeping my family and me safe for a long time. You keep fabricating a fake and frivolous image of yourself so no one can even imagine that you’d be protecting us if they even guessed that we were alive. You don’t have friends, again, because of us. And yet you never complain. Of course, I understand how you feel.”
“Aaryan, that is not what I meant. I’m just tired, okay?”
A soft whimper came from the back seat. Rajiv turned. His gaze softened as it fell on Sheena’s sleeping form. She’d turned and was now slumped face down on the back seat. Her one arm hung to the floor, and the other curled above her head. He lifted her arm and tucked it to her side.
When he looked in front again, Aaryan was watching him.
“And then there’s her,” Aaryan tipped his head behind at Sheena, “Stop fighting what you feel about her and just give in. I can see you ache to.”
“Aaryan—”
“It’s plain obvious to me that you care about her.”
“I’m not talking about her.”
“Then why did you agree to lose a fuckload of money to those men if not to keep them away from her? You could have let her stay there and called her brother to negotiate on her behalf. God knows, you didn’t need to bargain with those men at all.”
“This discussion is over, Aaryan.”
“Fucking stubborn asshole,” Aaryan cursed.
He stopped the car in front of Sheena’s building, and Rajiv stepped out. He opened her door and touched her cheek. She jolted up with a start. She frowned when she saw him as if unable to believe he was in front of her.
“Hey, we’re home,” he informed her gently.
She blinked, trying to wipe the cobwebs from her brain. She looked at her building and then at him and twisted in the seat. Taking his jacket, she wrapped it around her shoulders. She put a leg out and then paused. She leaned back in the car and touched Aaryan’s arm. Aaryan turned to her, looking at her in surprise.
“Thank you,” she said, “For being there tonight.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You were the one who drove Navya home, right?” At his nod, she continued, “So, you were there for all of us tonight. It means something.”
Something in Rajiv’s heart flipped. God. Why did she have to be so sweet? How was he to resist her when she said and did things like this? If his situation was different, then he’d have been the one making the introductions. Nothing in the world would have given him more pleasure than to introduce her to his best friend. Unfortunately, that was not his reality. He couldn’t let her in in his reality. She was who she was, and he was bound by the promises he had made and intended to keep, for as long as it took.
Aaryan nodded.
She held a hand out. “I’m Sheena Sehgal.” She angled her head, studying him carefully. “Have we met before?”
“I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you before tonight.” Aaryan took her hand and shook it.
If only Rajiv could tell her that she’d met Aaryan’s twin not so long ago at Club Poseidon. Unfortunately, that was also one of the things that would remain hidden from her.
“Still. You look familiar…” She gave Aaryan a soft smile. “Aren’t you going to tell me your name?”
