Priya in Heels (Entangled Embrace)

by Ayesha Patel

  “Ty!”

  I locked the door with her in my arms and tossed her onto the bed. “Quiet down, babe.”

  I crawled over her body and rested some of my weight above her, defying the need to lower myself all the way. The look in her eyes said maybe she wouldn’t mind if I did, and God knew that I was dying to slip in between her legs again.

  Kissing her forehead, I slid to her side, enjoying the friction along the way and how her curves brushed against me. I wrapped an arm around her chest and nibbled her neck.

  “I’m not going to do anything in my parents’ house. They hear everything.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “Don’t you wanna change? Thought you were concerned about getting your blouse wrinkled.”

  “Do you have a shirt for me?”

  “The one I just took off. Here, let me help you.” I undid her top button and she gasped, snatching her shirt closed.

  I chuckled.

  “No, thank you.”

  “Okay. Suit yourself.”

  Pree remained stiff but cushioned into my side, and I tried not to laugh. Her comforting scent of lavender lured me toward sleep. After another minute, she relaxed. Every time she moved, I held her tighter until she fell asleep.

  This felt right. Here, like this, nearly sound asleep with Pree safe in my arms…this was how I wanted to spend the rest of my life.

  Chapter Twenty

  Priya

  I had willed myself to wake up early, before Ty, so I could brush my teeth and pee, and pray that I hadn’t farted in bed. Well, if I had, then that would fix my problem because no man wanted to have sex with a woman who farted against their crotch.

  “Where you going?” Ty asked in his irresistible, drowsy morning voice.

  Damn it. I wanted to snuggle closer, but I was determined to get out of there while I had the chance.

  I pried open his fingers, removing his tempting grip around my waist, and ran to the bathroom, making it even before Miranda. But like a ninja in hiding, as soon as I re-emerged, Miranda appeared out of nowhere and bum rushed me the second I opened the door. Holy crap! So this was a taste of what it would’ve been like to have a sister.

  “Morning, Priya!” she said before taking the bathroom hostage.

  Dishes clanked downstairs. The clock on the hallway wall, above a half-circular table with flowers, showed seven-thirty.

  I debated—the thrill of returning to the sexy, half-naked, sleepy Irishman in bed, or helping his mother with breakfast?

  Poking my head back into Ty’s room, I caught him watching me. His arm was under his head, the covers pushed down to his waist and exposing his bare, steamy torso. He winked. “Coming back to bed?”

  Oh, shoot. The kitchen it was.

  Downstairs I went. Mrs. O’Connor shooed me away and forced me to sit idly by as she chitchatted about the anxieties and exhilarations of having yet another wedding in the family.

  She ended with, “Oh, how nice it would be to be the one planning, say, for a child of mine.”

  Our eyes met. Awkward.

  Ty walked in, fully dressed. “Morning,” he greeted with a drawl.

  “I was just saying, Tyler,” his mom said, “that wouldn’t it be nice to plan a wedding for one’s own child?”

  “Sure would, Mama.”

  We had breakfast together, as a family in the same seating arrangement as last night. Growing up, my family hadn’t really eaten breakfast together, and when we had, it was quiet. Papa had read the paper, Mummie had been busy doing whatever she had to do, and I always had to cram for a test or working on homework.

  This was nice. It was loud, but nice.

  Miranda leaned over me to get another biscuit as Ty asked, “Sleep okay?”

  “Yes, when I wasn’t terrified of you.”

  He grinned and popped a piece of bacon into his mouth.

  “I’m just so embarrassed that my blouse is wrinkled.”

  “You should’ve slept like I did.”

  I glanced around the table to make sure no one could hear us when I taunted, “Topless?”

  “Yep.”

  “The gentlemanly thing to do was to offer me a shirt.”

  “I did offer.”

  “To undress me,” I muttered.

  He laughed. His family looked at us, wanting to share in the joke. I felt my face turning red, but thankfully Ty shook his head and the conversation jumped back into wedding talk.

  Miranda’s parents came to the house after breakfast. As he had promised, Ty didn’t tell on her, and she promised she would never let any boy get in the way of her education. Her parents were as warm and friendly as Ty’s, though they didn’t hug me, and I could live with that.

  The parental generation skittered on upstairs to the messy bedroom to organize samples and stuff. Who was I to question why the wedding items weren’t kept at the bride’s place?

  The bride herself, Jenny, gave a weak handshake. She was beautiful and willowy like Miranda, but tired, stressed, and perhaps on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

  “Can I get you something?” I asked, though I didn’t know where anything was.

  “I got it!” Miranda called from the kitchen. She returned with a giant mug of coffee, which I didn’t see helping. But it did. Maybe Jenny was a caffeine addict. Better that than smoking.

  “Wedding planning is not as fun as I thought it would be,” she said and sipped. “Will you be Tyler’s plus one for the wedding?”

  “Yes, she will!” Miranda answered on my behalf.

  “Okay, great. Everyone else better RSVP by the end of the month. There’s no way extra people are eating there, and those who RSVP better show up. A hundred bucks a person is too much to play around with.”

  Jenny groaned when her mother called her from upstairs, but she went.

  “Don’t worry, she’s actually a happy person,” Miranda assured before running off after her sister.

  “Miranda has a lot of energy,” I commented.

  “Ready to go home?” Ty asked.

  I looked at the clock above the fireplace. “Yeah. Enough time to get dinner later and plenty of sleep tonight.”

  “Great!”

  We said our good-byes upstairs. Ty’s parents invited me to return anytime I wanted.

  “That means they really like you,” he clarified.

  In the car, he placed a hand on my thigh and left it there. Before we reached Houston, we ate at a seafood place just outside of the city.

  “I’ve never had this stuff,” I confessed, watching live lobster in one tank and crab in another.

  “It’s amazing. I love seafood.”

  “How can you eat something with eyes still attached to it?”

  “Easy, dip it in butter.”

  “Cruel and unusual.”

  We played it safe. Ty ordered his seafood galore platter first, and I ate off his plate before ordering.

  I held up a whole shrimp. “Eyes, Ty, eyes!”

  He took it from me, twisted and pulled the head off, then returned it to my plate.

  “You’d behead shrimp for me?”

  “Of course, babe.”

  Okay, headless shrimp tasted pretty good. Ty cracked open crab for me, and that tasted delicious, too. Oysters and clams, not so much.

  “Want your own order of shrimp and crab?”

  “I’m good. I’ll stick with chicken.”

  He laughed and sucked the ends of the shrimp heads. Gross.

  “Don’t do that.”

  He leaned forward and puckered his lips, glossy from butter. “Don’t want to kiss me now?”

  I planted a palm against his face and pushed him away. He laughed and I giggled.

  The waitress came by. “Dessert?”

  Ty wagged his brows at me.

  “No.” I put a hand over my stomach. “Too much food.”

  “Don’t want to split something?” the waitress asked.

  “No, thanks.”

  “No problem. Here’s the che
ck. Pay whenever you’re ready. No hurry. It was great serving you today. By the way, me and all my coworkers think you two are definitely the cutest couple we’ve seen all day.”

  I gave Ty a confused look when the waitress walked away.

  “See, we’re a cute couple.” He winked.

  …

  “You’re going to a wedding with Tyler?” Vicki squealed. “You know what that means!”

  “We will not dance and fall in love,” I warned.

  “I was going to say go shopping for some extra-pretty things. Or are you going to wear a sari and go all traditional?” Vicki joked.

  “No. I’m tired of wearing saris. I want a princess ball gown.”

  “I think only the bride gets to wear that.”

  “Oh, well, let’s go find something close but not as pretty. Can’t stand up the bride.”

  Vicki was delighted. Bless her heart, she loved shopping. I found shopping tedious, but at least I knew exactly what to look for. We headed to the prom section first.

  Maybe fashion had changed a lot more than I had expected, but dresses were not what they used to be. I pulled out a short dress with spaghetti straps and a low neckline. “What do girls wear these days?”

  “How should I know? We wore lenghas to our prom, remember? Ooh, you can wear a lengha, huh?”

  “No. I can’t outdo the bride.”

  We flipped through dozens of dresses and searched through six department stores before I found “the one.” I yanked it off the rack and held it against me to take a gander in the full-length mirror on the wall. Thin straps held up silky material with a sheath of lace. A pleated, fuchsia fabric wrapped around the waist to give the visual of a more slender than possible waistline. The top half was fuchsia with a yellow lace overlay and gold sequins to add bling. The fuchsia blended into bright yellow below the waist with the same yellow lace sheath from the bodice, with glitter on the hem.

  I tried it on. The bust was tight and accentuated my breasts. The dress below the pleated part flowed for easy dancing, and ended just above the knees.

  I stepped out, grinned ear to ear, and jumped up and down. “It’s perfect!”

  “Day-am, you is hawt!” Vicki clapped her hands, then twirled her finger in the air.

  I spun around. The dress fanned out and wisped over my knees when I stopped.

  Vicki nodded, checked me up and down, and said, “I saw the perfect fuchsia heels. Be right back!” She ran off.

  As I waited, I danced in front of the mirror, pretending my handsome, dreamy Ty was carrying me off my feet on the dance floor. The entire audience gleamed with admiration and a twinge of jealousy, and the two of us ran off into a fairy tale ending.

  I stopped and stared at my reflection as if someone had punched me. I blinked. Vicki was right. I had surpassed crush and had fallen head over heels for Ty. Maybe I even loved him, because only love could explain this intense emotion that wrapped so tightly around me. I wasn’t sure if I could breathe if it released me. I wanted him, now and forever, and that was terrifying.

  My heart thumped so hard it hurt. It shoved me back into reality and reminded me that I better make the right decision or it would haunt and hurt me for the rest of my days. I didn’t live in a fairy tale. I certainly didn’t live in a Bollywood movie, either. Love didn’t triumph over all else.

  Vicki returned with a shoebox. I sat down and tried on the fuchsia shoes with peek-a-boo toes, gold beads and black lace down the back of three-inch heels.

  “Stunning. Priya in heels. Tyler is going to fall in love with you all over again!”

  Again? Did Vicki know something I didn’t?

  Vicki played with my hair, lifting it up into a tight do, then a loose one, then down, and folded the hair up front to see how bangs looked.

  All the while, I stood immobile with fear, panic, and a devastating pang in my chest and stomach that was none other than the self-righteous, bloated, elated, mind-blowing deception of love.

  How could I have let this get so far? How could I meet his family and fall in love with them? How could they like me so much? Worst of all, how could I lead Ty down this malicious road with the pretense of romance? He made me happy, without a doubt. He made me feel a lot of other things, too, but we would never work out.

  How could I be such a fool?

  Tyler O’Connor might be in love with me, and I might be in love with him. But he wasn’t the man my mom had planned for me. I hated the thought of breaking his heart, but I couldn’t live with breaking Mummie’s heart. But where did my heart play out in all of this?

  It didn’t matter. I would sacrifice anything to make Mummie happy, even if it meant letting go of the one man who made me feel unconditional happiness.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Priya

  “I’m going out. Are you going to be okay?” Vicki shrugged on a light jacket and slipped into high heels. She wore a sleek, gray dress with a black lace hem.

  “Why are you all dressed up?” I sat up straight.

  “I’m going on a date. Will be out super late.” A look of guilt washed over her as she said the words, “You’re okay, right?”

  “I’m a big girl. Don’t worry. Go! I have a bat.”

  “Maybe Tyler can come over?” she suggested.

  “Maybe not. Go. I’m fine.” I jerked my chin at the book-cluttered table. “I have a ton of work to do.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Say hi to Raj.”

  Vicki grinned and left. I locked the apartment after her and checked all the windows and both doors.

  I had a ton of reading to do, plus a paper to write and present to clinic at the end of rotation. It was best to start on it early. I stared at the textbook pictures. Pregnancy and labor were a lot like parasitic invasion. A tiny cellular organism entered the body, latched on, grew, absorbed the nutrients of the host, nearly debilitated the host, and pried itself out in a horrific, painful manner.

  Okay, maybe laying off the sci-fi stuff would help.

  I made ramen noodles the way Mummie did: with curry, veggies, and fried mustard seeds. I had just returned to the table after eating when the lights suddenly went out. I jumped and yelped, then clutched the edge of the table as I tried to control hyperventilation.

  Had those alley guys returned? Had they seen where I lived and bided their time to finish what they’d started?

  Terror washed over me. I hadn’t welcomed darkness since the assault. In fact, the only time I had slept without a lit candle was at Ty’s parents’ house when he’d held me all night.

  The laptop battery kicked on. The screen emitted a dull light in comparison to its former self, but enough to illuminate the dining area so I could find the flashlight in the kitchen.

  The circuit breaker didn’t work. Peering out into the street, I saw that the entire neighborhood was dark. After lighting candles in the living room and on the kitchen counter, I logged off the computer to save the battery and my work, and grabbed my cell phone. Thank goodness it was charged.

  Tucking my feet beneath me on the couch, I gripped a mahogany, miniature baseball bat. The thing was small, but the dense wood could crack a few bones.

  I texted Vicki to let her know the situation and that she should stay where she was, if possible, no need to fumble through darkness here when even the outside lights were off.

  The silence was unnerving. I tapped my leg, tempted to text Ty. Uneasiness seeped into my gut. I jerked and followed every sound.

  A sudden knock on the door sent a shockwave through me. I jumped and grabbed the bat. I crept toward the door, prepared to beat off an attacker.

  I peered through the peephole. Stupid, I couldn’t see anything.

  My phone buzzed.

  Ty: You home?

  Priya: Yes. Where are you?

  Ty: Outside your door.

  Priya: Prove it. Knock again and say it’s you.

  Ten seconds later, there was another knock and I heard Ty say, “Pree, you there? It’s
me, Tyler.”

  I opened the door, grabbed his arm, and yanked him inside before locking up again.

  The candlelight cast dancing shadows across his face.

  “What are you doing?” I whispered.

  “Why are you whispering?”

  I shook my head. I had no idea why.

  “Had to make sure you were all right.”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Did you think the dark scared me?”

  “After what happened…”

  My shoulders slumped. “You’re right. Thanks for checking in on me.”

  “Do you want me to stay?”

  I bit my lower lip. Being alone with a man in a blackout was wrong, but it was a better option than going crazy with paranoia. “Yes, please.”

  He followed and sat beside me on the couch. “So, candles, huh?”

  “They come in handy.”

  “You sure do have a lot.”

  “Yeah, Vicki is crazy about them. They’re all scented. They’re pretty and useful, and they’re everywhere: kitchen, bedroom, bathroom.”

  “So you could enjoy a candlelit soak?”

  “I guess. Baths aren’t normally my thing.”

  “Really? First time I’ve heard that from a girl.”

  “Are you kidding me? It may be therapeutic, but soaking in your own body oils and dirt? Gross.”

  “Well, when you put it that way, it is sorta disgusting. What about a candlelit bedroom? Bet that’s nice.” He nudged my leg with his.

  Steering the conversation away from the bedroom, I said, “I think candles are fire hazards.”

  “Logical, brainy Pree.”

  “Flirtatious, cocky Ty.”

  He winced. “I don’t like being called that.”

  “I don’t like being called Pree. How’s it feel to have an unwanted nickname because I’m too lazy to say a couple of syllables?”

  He burst into laughter. “Man, you’re vindictive!” He laced his fingers behind his head and slouched. “So I’ve been getting into those Bollywood movies.”

  “Yeah?” I was excited to hear that, to have something fun to talk about and get my mind off what I really had to tell him.

  “Some are pretty good, although they have their cheesy moments.”