by Mahi Mistry
“We are here to have a tea party as the ladies put it,” Liam replied. I shook my head at them and helped bring everything to the living room as all of us sat down on the floor around the coffee table with Katherine on the couch.
Anya broke the silence. “Kiara and Ethan, we all know you have been hiding something from us so I would advise you both to spill it.”
Katherine nodded while Liam drank his saké. “I am here for moral support,” he looked at the sushi and added, “And sushi.”
I squeezed Kiara’s hand and let her tell them what had happened. I held onto her hand when she told them about the miscarriage with tears in her eyes and how it almost shattered both of us. She even confessed how she was afraid how I wouldn’t want her if she couldn’t bear any children. I kissed her temple, proud of her for being brave enough to talk to her friends about it.
“Aw, Kia,” Anya patted her hair when she cried on her shoulder, Katherine sniffling into a tissue. “You could have told us earlier.”
Liam patted my shoulders even though he wished I had told him about it. I was glad for all their support as we talked about it and ate. Kiara was smiling and laughing with our friends after lunch. They helped us with the auction, giving us their honest opinions as we made minor changes.
When they left with a threat to call them when we needed them, Kiara smiled up at me.
My cheeks burned with heat at her warm gaze. “What are you staring at, Kiara?”
“I am staring at you,” she said. “I am sorry, Ethan.”
I frowned, “What are you apologizing for?”
She stepped closer to me, her brown eyes gazing up at me. “I was so selfish in my guilt that I never stopped to think it was your child too. I am sorry for not thinking about you. Before you say something else, I want to confess.”
I raised my eyebrows, waiting for her to continue. She licked her lips, “I love you, Ethan. I have been in love with you for so long and I never once forgot about the way you make me feel when we are together or alone. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, even if it is filled with lots of difficulties.”
My heartbeat thundered in my chest when she cupped my jaw. “I am made for your love, Ethan Kane.”
I kissed her. Her lips melted against mine when I caressed them. My arms tightening around her, holding her close when she feathered my hair, pulling me close. My breathing wavered, and I felt lightheaded.
This is real.
I pulled away, my voice husky and breathy, “I have been dying to hear that, Bella. I love you so fucking much it hurts. Every night after telling stories to the baby, I said it to you when you were asleep, but now hearing you say it to me.” I shook my head. “I am crazy for you and I don’t want anyone else but you. God, I love you so much.”
We were grinning as we kissed again, falling on the couch when I made her say it again and again until it was a mantra between us. She moaned those words against my lips when I asked her to, thrusting inside her in a slow, loving caress. Our bodies pressing against each other, too afraid to let go as we kept whispering the words of love until we were satisfied.
I pulled her sleepy body closer to me, snuggling her to my warm chest. Smiling down at her gorgeous face, I kissed her forehead and whispered, “I am made for your love too, Kiara Sharma.”
I fixed my tie for the umpteenth time, my eyes wavering over the people in flashy, luxurious clothes, finding one woman for whom my heart still beat wildly. Where did she go? My eyes searched for her in the crowd. The hall was covered in velvet and satin drapes, giving it a rich feeling, which blended perfectly with the golden lights and the paintings. Kiara was responsible for the display of paintings and their introduction while I worked with the lighting and decoration coordinator. Mr. Stone handed me a flute of champagne, his eyes approving of the suit I was wearing. It was, of course, in black.
“Looking for Ms. Sharma?”
Heat creeped up my cheeks as I scratched my neck, “Is it that obvious?”
Mr. Stone chuckled at me, patting my shoulder. “Take care of her. I am sure Mrs. Damini would be proud of her daughter’s choice.”
I smiled at him when he left to talk with the other guest and looked for my girlfriend. When I found her laughing with Anya and Andrew, my heartbeat came to a halt. She looked stunning in a red saree. The black blouse hugged her curves while the folds of silk fell over her petite frame, golden jhumkhas donning her ears. Kiara looked more beautiful than I have ever seen her donned in a saree.
I knew I would have a hard time keeping my hands off of her tonight. I made my way toward her, greeting Anya and her son but I didn’t miss the way my Bella gazed at me from beneath her lashes.
I couldn’t wait to get her alone tonight.
The auction went well, with billions of dollars going to a children’s charity. Mr. Stone was more than happy with the outcome, congratulating us. I couldn’t keep my hands from her waist when everyone couldn’t stop gawking at her. She was the only one who was wearing a saree and resembled her mother. Her father and brother were proud of the entire event. Even my mothers seemed happy.
“She is truly beautiful. I could see why you love her,” a deep voice said over my shoulder from where I was watching Kiara meet and talk with the people who had placed a bid for the paintings.
I turned with a smile, his sharp face melting into a teasing grin as we hugged. “Nice to see you too, Prince Khalid,” I said. “Stop staring at her, she is taken.”
He smiled down at me, his six-foot-five tall figure looming over me. “Not staring, Ethan, appreciating the efforts of the daughter of Mrs. Damini. She must be proud of her.”
“Yes, she would be,” I whispered, loving the small dimple poking her cheek when her brother and father embraced her in a warm hug.
Sliding my hands in my pockets, I turned to him knowing well enough that people, mostly women of all ages, were eyeing him. “What about you? Dating anyone?” I asked, curious if anyone had captured his heart of steel.
He let out a hearty, deep laugh. “Not at all. You think my rebellious sister will let me relax and have the time to date anyone?”
His voice was deep yet firm when he spoke in English and it made him sound British as he was born and raised in Azmia. His brother was the Sultan of Azmia, and his little sister was a rebel, running away from their country and making him worry. If he loved anything more than his country and the art of painting, it would be his sister.
“I thought you found her in New Zealand last time?”
Khalid Al-Latif shook his head, a small smile curling over his face. His bronze skin glowing. “We did, but she wanted to travel to Australia and then Sri Lanka. She is a wild spirit. I worry about her sometimes.”
“Which brother doesn’t worry about his sister? Let her see the world. She will come back on her own.”
Kiara walked up to me, her eyes wide and mouth agape when she saw who was standing beside me. I frowned at her when she stuttered greeting him, her hand digging in my arm when Khalid congratulated her by kissing her knuckles. I glared at him. He winked at me before he walked away when Mr. Stone called him over to meet other people. He would have joined us for dinner, but he had to leave for San Francisco tonight.
“You never told me how hot he is in person,” Kiara said as soon as he was out of our earshot.
“I will pretend I did not just hear that.”
She grinned up at me, her golden-brown eyes sparkling, “Oh, come on, you know I was just appreciating his beauty. I took a fart on the heart for you, Ethan.”
I smiled, looking down at the woman I loved dearly, “So did I, Bella.”
After the auction and the dinner with our friends and family, we were driving back home. I squeezed her thigh, smiling at her as I recalled my conversation with her father and brother. They had given me their blessings when I had asked them for something, even though Karan, her brother, didn’t fully trust me to keep his sister happy. I could understand his feelings as I have a little sister of my own.
But I loved her and her father could see that, so he had approved of me.
Not Dharmesh from Delhi, ha!
Before I could whisk her away to our bedroom and strip her out of her saree, Kiara led me to the guest room wanting to show something to me. I followed her into the room as she moved to the covered frame and removed the white cloth to reveal the painting. From the start, I knew she did it. She painted us. Together. United. As one. I swallowed the lump in my throat, clearing the memories from that night.
“Why did you paint that?”
“I told you I wanted to paint us. Together.”
I fucking loved it. So much so, I didn’t want anyone else to look at it. It showed us how intimate and vulnerable we both were together. Each stroke of the brush was precise, our skin glinting with a small glow. She sat on my lap, my arm covering her breasts and holding her throat while the other held her hip. I was embracing her from behind, her tumbling waves brushing our naked skin with the rumpled bed sheets in the background. The most detailed part was our faces. I was looking at her, my face tilted and blue-green eyes gleaming with adoration, watching her when she took all of me, our faces showing the throes of our passion.
I met her amber eyes. “It’s fucking beautiful, Kiara. I love it,” I whispered as I awed at the painting once again.
“Really?”
“Let me show you how much I love it.”
Closing the distance between us, I pressed my lips against hers. She sighed in relief, melting in my arms when I pulled her closer, my hands digging in the bare skin of her waist. Our lips met in a heated kiss. Neither of us complained when we fell on the soft rug, which had dried paint streaks all over it. We both said the words of love again and again. Kiara moaned those sweet words against my lips when I asked her to, thrusting inside her in a slow caress and making love with our painting staring back at us.
It had been a month since the auction. We were living together, in the same room and sleeping in the same bed. We had talked to each other about conceiving and decided that both of us wanted to wait till marriage to have a baby. Her ob-gyn was positive that we both could have children again if we wanted. We were using protection and talked to each other after each intimate moment.
We were closer than ever. It seemed like our relationship was finally on the right path and we were growing together.
I called Rio. “Please tell me everything is ready. I can’t mess this up.”
He chuckled, and I heard Liam and Volt yelling in the background with a loud crash.
I sighed when he replied, “Haha . . . ha, funny, Ethan. Everything is going as planned, don’t worry. Katherine, Anya, and even Becky will be there in an hour. Oh and have some yogurt if you can or else Kat will start crying. I swear, man, pregnancy changes a woman.”
I remembered Katherine was nine months in and her due date was in a week. I checked the fridge, “Yeah, we have yogurt, but please take care of Liam and Volt. I will be there as soon as I can.”
“Where?”
I almost jumped out of my skin when I turned and saw Kiara. She was leaning on the island, her arms crossed. I stuttered, “I . . . uh, I. To the restaurant, Bella. Remember, we are having dinner tonight?”
She frowned. “Yes, I remember. Katherine said she will be here to get me ready, why?”
“How would I know? Maybe she wants to talk to you or something.” I checked the time and stepping closer, I pecked her lips. “Listen, I have to leave right now. I am taking the clothes with me so I will change there. Anya will come here and pick you, Becky, and Katherine, alright?”
When she nodded, I smiled and kissed her once again. Squeezing her ass, I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Don’t wear underwear.”
Her soft gasp made my dick twitch with excitement. Her eyes widened with mischief when I pulled away, “And what if I wear it?”
“Then I have to punish my bad girl.”
Kia chuckled and tipped on her toes, kissing me. “I love you.”
Like every time, my heart melted hearing those words. “Love you more, Bella. See you soon.”
My plan was ruined.
Volt and Liam started fighting with each other as soon as they got there, crashing the decorations around the room I had booked for the surprise. Rio had tried to stop them, but he tripped on a wire, wrecking the music system.
“Well, no one is dead,” Liam grinned, wiping blood from his split lip. “Yet.”
Rio glared at him and mimicked him in a small voice, rolling his eyes at the man in a grey suit who stood beside me. We were all wearing suits today, but even though we looked grown-up, two of us were still acting like children, bickering.
I closed my eyes and shook my head. “You guys had one fucking job, and you ruined it!”
“We are sorry, Ethan.” They all mumbled in unison.
“Damn right you are!” I exclaimed, running a hand through my hair.
“Whose kid is this?” Liam asked, raising Volt’s three-year-old son, who was chewing a plant.
Volt did a double-take, “Does he have an ‘I am Ken and Touka’s son’?”
“Yes, he does. And just so you know, this is not how parenting works. But you do you, man.” He handed the crying Joshua to his dad, who promised to give him chocolate if he stopped crying.
I shook my head and asked the restaurant employees to clean up the mess my immature friends had made and gave them a hefty tip for helping me out. I could feel the tie tightening around my neck and removed it, unbuttoning the top two buttons. Walking out of the sliding doors, I stood on the roof’s balcony, watching the sunset as I leaned against the railing.
“You know, she would have never liked it anyway,” I heard Liam say as he stepped beside me, handing me a glass of whiskey.
I gladly took it, clinking it with his glass, and took a huge gulp. The warm clench of the liquid made me relax as I asked, “What do you mean?”
“Kiara is a complex person, but she always loves simplicity when it comes to everything. She would love it if you proposed to her in there with her friends, but it would make it special if you two were alone so she could be more herself.”
I was dumbfounded. I didn’t know if she wanted to marry me after what had happened a month ago or wanted to wait. But knowing our past together, a little part of me hoped she would say yes. Her family had agreed and given me permission. Even my mothers had given me blessings, but Kiara would be the one to accept or reject me.
“Thank you for the advice, man. I will ask her here.”
Kiara looked stunning in the dark maroon dress and not just because it hugged her body in all the right places, accentuating her curves. It was the way she grinned and laughed with everyone, playing with Joshua and his baby brother.
Man, I was whipped.
“Stop eye-pussying her.” My head snapped at Ryan, who was sipping his wine. “It’s uncomfortable.”
I frowned, “Don’t tell me Katherine tells you everything they both talk about.”
He shrugged, his green eyes averting to his pregnant wife who was chatting with Kiara, Anya, and Becky. “Not everything, but enough to learn the weird vocabulary they use.” He looked back at me and said. “Take her out on the roof and ask it. If you keep thinking about it, you will never propose. Heck, I almost bailed on the marriage, yet here I am.”
“You did?”
His cheeks reddened, “Don’t tell her that, but I had my doubts that I would let her down and I was not good enough for her. But it doesn’t matter anymore. She has stayed with me for more years than I can count. I still can’t believe I am going to have a family with that woman.”
I nodded, gazing at Kiara because that was exactly how I felt with Kiara and more. We have been together since we were born, sharing our cribs and colors. Even now, she wore my clothes, shared my bed and our home. I knew I wanted to marry her and I would ask her with a proper ring this time.
Buttoning the suit, I walked toward the women as they laughed at something they were whi
spering about when I squeezed Kiara’s shoulder. “Excuse me, ladies, do you mind if I take my girlfriend away for a while?”
Kiara frowned, but Katherine looked so excited that she nodded hurriedly, “Sure, sure, go ahead. Take her away!”
I gave her a look, and she zipped her lips shut when Kiara raised an eyebrow. Anya smiled at me and raised her wineglass at me.
Becky smirked, wiping the drool from her newborn son’s lips as she said, “Don’t take too much time, desserts are on the way.”
“I won’t,” I promised.
Holding Kiara’s hand, I walked out of the sliding doors into the cold air of the night. Her fingers tightened on my hand as I pulled her against me. She chuckled, her hand holding the lapels of my suit when I nuzzled my face in the crook of her exposed neck.
“You smell so fucking good, Bella,” I said, my voice lowering an octave as I kissed her neck. Her coconut and black vanilla scent surrounded me, and I felt dizzy, wanting to push her against a wall and claim her like a wild animal.
I almost did that.
“Ethan! What are you doing?” Kiara shrieked when I trapped her petite body against a wall. I pressed myself against her and sank to my knees, her eyes widening.
Bunching the hem of her dress over her legs, I pushed it past her navel, exposing her in the cold air. The music of the restaurant muffled in our ears. I growled at the scent of her feminine arousal numbing my senses when I saw how wet she was.
“No underwear, hmm? God, look how wet and ready you are,” I teased, her hands tightening around the dress she was clutching when I parted her thighs.
“You asked me not to wear it, and I didn’t want to disappoint you,” Kiara said, her brown eyes wild and sexy with lust as she gazed down at me, her voice sultry.
My hands trailed over her bare legs. “You can never disappoint me, Bella.” My eyes zeroed in on her dripping pussy as I pulled her against my mouth, holding her ass and whispered, “I would like to have my dessert.”