“You’re like no woman I’ve ever met. And you can be like no other artist that’s out there. You don’t have to be like Tina Roy. You don’t even have to tour if you don’t want to. This right here—” he waved at the studio and the musicians packing up “—this is what making music is all about.” He handed her a card and it took her several minutes to recognize it as the one that the man at Café Underground had given them. “The record label is small, but it’s legitimate. I had them checked out.” He pressed the card into her hand.
She hugged him, unable to find the words to say thank-you. How did he know what she needed when she herself didn’t? How was she possibly falling even further in love with him?
They spent the night at his condo. Her family was camped at Arjun’s hotel. Vegas was a quick flight, and they would leave in the morning. Ethan offered to take her out to dinner, but she wanted room service. They ordered hamburgers with fries and milkshakes and demolished their plates. She took a shower and wrapped herself in a hotel robe. When she emerged from the bathroom, Ethan whistled.
“Now, this is exactly how I want to see you dressed.” He stood and kissed her, then untied the flimsy belt holding the robe together. He slipped his arms around her waist, and she savored the feel of his warm hands across her cool, damp back as he kissed the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder. He moved his right hand down her back and across her stomach, then reached to touch her between the legs. “You’re already wet.”
Oh yes I am. “I started without you,” she whispered into his ear, kissing him just underneath the earlobe, knowing it drove him crazy. “I want you inside me now.” Even through his jeans, she could feel how hard he was.
“Divya,” he murmured, moving his hands to her back. She unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down along with his boxers. He took off his shirt. She pushed him toward the bed then slipped off her robe and straddled him. She rubbed her sensitive nub against him and he moaned, but she didn’t hear it. Her slickness against his hardness was driving her mad. Her heart thundered in her chest and her body quivered, desperate for him.
She adjusted her position so he could sheath himself. Then she reached between her legs and pushed him inside her with a roughness that surprised them both. He tensed and stopped, his eyes checking with her to make sure she was okay. Even in the height of passion, he wanted to make sure he wasn’t hurting her. Her heart burst inside her chest. For this night with him, she didn’t want a parachute. She wanted to free fall for as long as they could. She moved on top of him, up and down, up and down, until she couldn’t take it anymore and exploded, screaming his name as she did. She collapsed on top of him, totally spent physically and emotionally.
“Ethan...”
He put his finger on her lips, slipped an arm underneath her and pulled her close. The feel of his breath made her exhale whatever she had pent up inside her.
She’d needed the release to prepare for what was coming tomorrow.
“Ethan, meeting my parents is not like it was for me to come to your house. It’ll change my life forever. It’ll change my family. It will irreparably fracture the relationship I have with them. If we do this tomorrow, there’s no turning back. You understand that, right?”
She couldn’t remember his reply because she was so exhausted and comfortable that she fell asleep listening to the beat of his heart.
When she woke the next morning, he was gone.
Sixteen
He nearly dropped the breakfast tray he was carrying when he walked into the bedroom and saw Divya sitting on the bed with her knees pulled into her chest and her head down. She looked up when she heard him, her face streaked with tears. He set the tray on the bed and went to her. She wrapped her arms around him hard, nearly choking him.
“What’s going on?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Did you think I left?” The way she tightened her hold told him she had. He pulled her naked body onto his lap, trying to suppress his instant reaction. He rubbed her back. “How could you think I’d leave you like that?”
She kept her face buried in his shoulder, but he pushed her back so he could look at her. “You think I’ll run away, like I did from Pooja?” She didn’t answer, but the fear in her eyes told him that was exactly what she was thinking. He cupped her face. “We’re going to meet your parents, and I’m going to convince them that I’m the best catch they can ever hope to get for their wayward daughter, and if they don’t agree, I’m going to grab your hand like I did at your wedding and fly you away to a place where they’ll never find you.”
She cracked a smile. “You’re not really going to do that.”
He lifted his brows. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Divya. I don’t have any doubts. I’m not afraid. I love you and I’m going to be there for you.”
They ate breakfast and dressed quickly. Divya wore black pants and a blue silk blouse. Her hair was styled and her face painted with almost as much makeup as the day they’d first met. She looked stunningly beautiful but not at all like his Divya.
It was early in the morning, but it took them nearly two hours to get to the airport in rush hour traffic. Once they were seated on the plane, Divya texted him a number.
“What’s this?”
“It’s my father’s number. You’re going to call him and tell him that you’re bringing me back.”
“Like you’re a runaway teen?”
“Like you’re the hero who finally talked some sense into his rebellious daughter.”
“I don’t need to lie to your parents to win their approval.”
“Oh yes, you do. Things with my family have to be done the proper way. Right now, you are the asshole who crashed the wrong wedding and fled with the bride. My family will say that you’re the kind of man who changes women like he changes clothes.”
His stomach turned at the way she said this.
“Step one is to reverse your bad image. Our story is that you were helping me get away from what you thought was a forced marriage, because I lied to you. Once you understood that I just wanted to run away, you felt duty bound to return me.”
“Have you considered writing screenplays for Bollywood movies?”
“Shut up. We don’t have a lot of time to get our story right.” She took a sip of the coffee she’d ordered from the flight attendant. “My family will thank you profusely and expect you to be on your way. Next, you’re going to say that you have business in Vegas and ask my brother for a hotel recommendation.”
“Doesn’t he own the Vegas hotel?”
She slapped her hand on her forehead. “Of course he does. That’s why he’s going to feel obliged to offer you a room. He has an apartment there, where he stays and where my parents and siblings are also staying. This will give you an excuse to stay close to me, and their Indian hospitality will require them to offer to take care of you while you’re in Vegas, as a thank-you for returning me safe and sound.”
“But I haven’t returned you safe and sound. I’m pretty sure I’ve marked my territory.” He wiggled his eyebrows and reached for her, but she slapped him away.
“Pay attention. You’re going to spend time with my family and get them to like you. Then I’m going to tell them that I’ve fallen in love with you. They are going to freak out and try to convince me that you are totally unsuitable. They will spend all their time trying to prove that you are a player, and they’ll bring up the whole Pooja situation. It’ll get ugly. Under no circumstances will you be rude to them. If you are, there’s no turning back.”
“Yes, ma’am!” He gave her a mock salute. “So how do I convince them I’m not just some ass taking advantage of their daughter?”
“You are going to go and buy the biggest, most outrageous engagement ring you can find in Vegas.” She put the black American Express card he’d given her on the table. “Use this if you have to,
” she winked at him. “Money should be no object.”
“I get it. This is a con, isn’t it? You’ve been with me to get me to buy you an expensive ring that you’ll hawk later. I bet your family isn’t even rich. I bet they’re drowning in debt, and you’re going to sell the ring and save the family business.”
“Ethan!” She was trying to give him the stern look again, but he noticed her lips twitching. He had absolutely no doubt in his mind that even if he followed her plan to a T, it was all going to go to hell.
“Are you really ready to get married?” He tried to keep his voice light. He wasn’t sure which part of her plan was real versus a joke.
“It’s not a serious proposal! In my family, showing up with an engagement ring is like asking permission to date me. You need to show my parents that I’m not just some hot piece of ass that you’re after. The ring shows how serious you are.”
“And this is the part where they’ll tell me that I’m not worthy of their daughter and to go back to the trailer park I came from.”
She shook her head. “My parents would not know the trailer-park reference.”
It was his turn to roll his eyes. “I’ve seen this movie, Divya, and it’s not going to end well. This is where the parents drug the daughter and fly her back to India, where they lock her in the house and marry her off to a bald guy who is twenty years older than her.”
Divya laughed. “First of all, I’m quite a catch. My parents would not have to stoop to getting a guy twenty years older than me. Second, if my parents tried doing that, my brothers and sisters would make sure I escaped and reunited with you. Bollywood romances always have a happy ending.”
“Do they also have hot sex in the heroine’s brother’s hotel?” he asked hopefully.
She crossed her arms. “No sex anywhere near my parents. They find out we’ve been sleeping together and they’ll lose all respect for you and me.”
He reached out and touched her hand. “We need to play this straight, Divya, tell them outright how we feel about each other and convince them of our love.”
She shook her head. “In my family, you don’t date unless there’s a prospect of marriage. At least, the women don’t. The boys are allowed to do whatever the hell they want.” The bitterness in her voice was palpable. “But one problem at a time. I don’t want them to see our relationship as frivolous. I need them to respect you and understand that we are both serious about continuing our relationship.”
“Are they really going to be okay with you being with me?”
“I’ll tell them I’m doing it anyway. But this is where you’re going to make sure that you charm and disarm them. That’s the key to this whole thing.”
“And how do you propose I do that? Do you have a ten-point plan for that? Maybe some tips from a Bollywood film?”
She shook her head. “Be yourself. I fell in love with you. They will too.”
She pointed to his phone. He took a breath and dialed the number she’d texted him. “It’s going to voice mail.”
She cursed under her breath. “Hang up.”
She held out her hand and he gave her the phone. She punched in another number. “That’s my brother Arjun.”
This time someone answered, and Ethan recognized the distinct voice of Brother Number One from the wedding. “Mr. Singh? This is Ethan Connors.” There was silence on the line. “As you know, your sister and I have been traveling together.”
“Where is she?” The voice on the other end was so quietly cold that Ethan shivered.
“She’s on my jet and we’re inbound to Las Vegas. I’ll bring her directly to the Mahal Hotel. I expect we will be there in about one hour.” Arjun was silent. “Look, Mr. Singh, as you know, me crashing the wedding was a big misunderstanding. I was under the mistaken impression that Divya was being forced into the marriage and just wanted to help her. Now that I realize she has to work out her family issues, I’m bringing her back, safe and sound.”
Divya raised her thumbs.
Silence on the phone. “You’re an idiot. We’ll be waiting for you in the lobby.” Arjun hung up.
“Well, that went well.” He told Divya what Arjun had said and she frowned.
“Maybe we should’ve left a voice mail for my father. Arjun is a tough nut to crack.”
Ethan shook his head. She wasn’t going to understand, no matter how he explained it to her. They had to face the firing squad and see if there was anyone left standing when the shooting stopped.
The Tesla was waiting for them when they arrived at the airport. He loaded their suitcases and got to the hotel in record time. His pulse quickened as they pulled into the driveway of the Mahal Hotel. He handed his key card to the valet and resisted the urge to tell him to keep the car close.
Ethan thought he was prepared for what greeted them when they arrived, but he was so wrong. Where normal hotel lobbies bustled with people, this one was empty. Divya’s entire family stood in the center of the entrance, in what could only be described as a scene from a mobster movie. Brother One, whom he now knew as Arjun, stood front and center. An older version of Arjun stood beside him with his arms crossed. A woman who looked remarkably like an older version of Divya narrowed her eyes at him. Brother Two, who he assumed was Sameer, stepped from behind Arjun. Behind them stood ten Men in Black–type guys with their hands on their hips as if they were just waiting for the mob boss to give the signal and they’d pepper the place with bullets.
“Divya!” her mother cried and came rushing toward her. She enveloped Divya in a hug and held on to her while letting out a stream of Hindi that Ethan didn’t need a translator to understand. He stepped forward and held out his hand. Arjun took it first and, to his credit, didn’t try to squeeze the living daylights out of it, even though his eyes shot daggers at Ethan.
Divya’s father was next. “Thank you for bringing her back,” he managed with practiced politeness.
Sameer kept his arms crossed, so Ethan retracted his outstretched hand.
“I know we have so much to talk about,” Divya gushed. “I’m sorry I upset you all, but I need you to know that Ethan was just trying to help.”
“I’m sure he was,” Sameer muttered.
Divya powered on. “Ethan, I can’t thank you enough. What are your plans?”
Oh boy, that doesn’t sound like a practiced question at all. He tried to appear nonchalant. “I have some business in Vegas so I’ll be staying a few days.”
“Where are you staying?” Divya asked.
“I’ll ask my assistant to book me into a hotel.”
Silence.
Divya looked pointedly at Arjun. “I can make some recommendations,” he said. Ethan suppressed the urge to laugh, not at all surprised at Arjun’s response. He was seeing right through Divya’s charade.
“Bhaiya, Ethan was very generous in lending me money to buy necessities and the like. Surely we should show him some hospitality.”
“How much do we owe you?” Arjun asked coldly.
Ethan shook his head. “It’s no trouble at all. Divya and I have become friends. I was happy to help.”
Divya glared at him.
Sameer stepped up and whispered something to Arjun. Ethan got the distinct impression it was the Hindi version of “keep your friends close but your enemies closer.”
“Why don’t you stay here a night while we sort it all out.” There was absolutely no warmth or welcome in Arjun’s voice.
“Thank you,” Ethan muttered.
“My staff will show you to a room. Come on, Divya. We have some catching up to do.”
And just like that, her family whisked her away and Ethan was left in the lobby, holding both of their suitcases. He had a sinking feeling that the luggage was all he’d get to keep of Divya.
Seventeen
“Chai for everyone,” her mom ordered as soon as they ent
ered Arjun’s apartment. It had a beautiful two-story great room in the center and a second-story balcony that wrapped around the space. Rani had designed the apartment, and it felt exactly like their home in Rajasthan. When Divya’s parents weren’t here, it was serene and private. But her parents came with her mother’s attendants, who bustled about making sure everyone was constantly fed, whether they were hungry or not.
Rani came down the stairs holding eight-month-old Simmi. Her sister-in-law looked more beautiful than ever. Motherhood agreed with her. Her hair was held up with a clip in a messy ponytail and she wore a shirt with spit-up on the shoulder. Divya automatically held out her hands for her niece, and Simmi gave a little cackle and came to her. She hugged the baby tightly to her chest, enjoying the feel of the warm, squishy body and the smell of milk and diaper cream. They’d spent a lot of time together in the last several weeks while her wedding was being planned. One advantage of dating America-based Vivek was that Divya had gotten a chance to get to know her sister-in-law and niece. For a second, she wondered what her and Ethan’s baby would look like. Would he or she have his beautiful blue eyes?
Karishma and Naina raced down the stairs and enveloped Divya in a hug so tight that the baby protested.
Arjun plucked Simmi from her arms. “You, young lady, have a lot of explaining to do.” He pointed to the center of the room where two grand couches and chairs were set up in a square. No matter where she sat, she’d be in the hot seat.
She straightened her back and chose the couch. As predicted, her parents and Arjun sat across from her so she was sitting alone. All eyes were on her. Then Karishma and Sameer plopped down beside her, and she took each of their hands and squeezed gratefully.
One of her mother’s maids came around with a tray that held tea served in cups with saucers, along with snacks. Divya refused the tea, craving coffee.
She’d thought a lot about how she was going to approach this meeting, but her mouth was completely dry, and her heart thundered so loudly in her ears that she couldn’t hear herself think. She closed her eyes and thought about Ethan, about him holding on to her as they jumped off the plane.
Running Away with the Bride--An opposites attract romance with a twist Page 13