Priya in Heels (Entangled Embrace)

by Ayesha Patel

  “Any news on the wedding front?”

  “Raj and I picked a date.”

  “When?”

  “This summer.”

  “That’s wonderful, but a few months away? Is that enough time?”

  “Sure. We already have our clothes. The mandir and the priest are booked. We checked there first before making any announcements. Thanks to one huge donation, the mandir will take care of everything from catering to decorations. Our family is already in Texas, so no waiting for people to buy airline tickets.”

  “I’m so happy for you! Have you told the girls?”

  “Not yet. Speaking of the girls, they’ve been hounding me about you.”

  “I should’ve told them before I left. I texted them earlier today that I’m back.”

  Vicki watched me as I dumped box after box of small notecards onto the dining table. “What’s that?”

  “I’m getting Ty back.”

  She grinned. “How?”

  I arched a brow. “First, I need you to help me bring some stuff up from the car, and then I need you to help me with these. In fact, let’s call Tulsi and Jeeta over to help, too.”

  While I unpacked, Vicki called the girls. They didn’t hesitate to rush over, and by the time we had unloaded the car, Tulsi and Jeeta were at the door.

  Tulsi planted her hands on her hips and looked around at the boxes and boxes of red and white streaked carnations. “Looks like a floral shop barfed all over your place.”

  “Hey!” I jumped up and hugged her.

  “What, hey?” she snapped but hugged me back. “Where the hell have you been? Why am I just now getting your text?”

  “I just had so much to take care of since I got back. Sorry I didn’t text you as soon as I landed.”

  “How did it go?”

  “Great…for what it was. Mummie is back in her place of birth, and I think Papa and I are okay.”

  “I’m happy for that.”

  “We were so worried!” Jeeta scolded.

  “I’m sorry. I had to,” I replied.

  “So what happened there?”

  “We had prayer and spread Mummie’s ashes in the river in her village. Other than that, I had a good time with her side of the family. Two weeks was too short.”

  They gave sympathetic nods.

  “Don’t be like that, guys. We found peace and closure. Papa and I are reunited and stronger.”

  “We’re happy for you. You took it really hard. You scared all of us, especially at the ceremony,” Tulsi said. “We wanted to talk to you, but Vicki said you needed time alone.”

  “I did. I needed to think, be alone, and figure out how to break the news to Manuk.”

  “What happened?”

  “I took him to the park by the house and told him the truth.”

  “Which is…” Tulsi and the girls leaned in.

  “You know already.”

  “We want to hear you admit it.”

  I sighed but smiled. “I can’t marry him because I’m in love with Ty.”

  They ahh’d in unison, even Jeeta. I looked at her. “I thought you wanted me to marry the righteous Indian man chosen for me.”

  She batted her eyelashes and dreamily looked off into the distance. “Where would I find a friend living a Bollywood movie? It’s so romantic, yaar, and tragic. I bet you could sell your story to Bollywood.”

  “Well, they might have to readjust the ending to make it a happy one.”

  “Don’t fret!” Tulsi encouraged. “He’ll come around. Did you tell him?”

  “I haven’t talked to him yet. I wanted to wait to see him in person, but he’s not home.”

  “Don’t wait!”

  “You’re right. I’ll call now.”

  “I’m so proud of you, Priya. You stood up for love, for yourself, for your parents, for everything that means the world to you. And you did it against society. People better watch out, because Priyanka Patel is not taking any of its crap.”

  I looked each one of my best friends in the eye. They all possessed qualities I wished I could cultivate better within myself. Vicki had wisdom, independence, and knew how to maneuver around traditions to gain happiness and be with the man she loved. Jeeta had conviction and didn’t cower under peer pressure. Tulsi—well—Tulsi was in her own world where she didn’t care about anyone else’s opinion. They were all amazingly strong women in their own rights.

  “I’m going to get Ty back,” I declared.

  The girls grinned and squealed.

  “This is a start.” I opened my arms and looked at the boxes around us. “Can you guys help?”

  “Of course!” Jeeta exclaimed.

  Vicki gave them directions while I ran to my room and called Ty. I couldn’t wait.

  “Hey.” Ty’s throaty voice echoed in my ear, and my gut clenched in a very good, longing way.

  “Hey,” I replied out of breath, because hearing his voice after so long left me breathless.

  “You feeling better?”

  “Yes. I texted you earlier.”

  “I know. It took you that long to return my text?”

  “I was in India.”

  “I know. What the hell? You left the country without saying anything to me?”

  A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “You care?”

  He groaned. “I shouldn’t, right?”

  “I need to see you, Ty.”

  “I’m busy at work.”

  I swallowed at the sound of his disinterest. “Tonight?”

  “Maybe.”

  “I really need to see you.”

  “Tell me why.”

  “Because you’re right.”

  “About what?” he asked, his voice deeper.

  “That I love you. I messed up, and I’m sorry.”

  There was a pause. I half expected him to laugh and shoot back, “Life’s a bitch, right?” I also half expected him to come flying through the door, swoop me into his arms, and make sweet love to me. Neither happened.

  “Ty?”

  “We’ll talk later. I gotta go.”

  “Wait,” I pushed out the word.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’ll be waiting. For as long as you need.”

  He sighed on the other end. “I’ll see you tonight. I’m glad you’re home safe.”

  We hung up and I held the phone close to my heart. My hands shook. I thought Ty would be excited to hear from me, to know that I wanted to see him, but maybe he truly had given up on me. I worried, but then again, I had expected to fight to win him back.

  “Showing up wearing nothing but heels and a trench coat works,” Vicki suggested from the doorway.

  “Shut up!”

  She grinned.

  “Did you listen to that private conversation?”

  “Sort of. Anyway, we’re done with the flowers.” She waved a handful of pens. “What to write? What to write?”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Tyler

  I had wanted to talk to Pree when she called, but damn it, I was swamped at work. Which meant I had to work late again while my thoughts kept derailing because of her. Maybe I’d been dreaming, but had she finally come to her senses?

  I released a ragged breath and hurried up the steps at the apartment complex. I knocked on her door. Vicki answered.

  “Where’s Pree?” I asked in a rush, ready to barge in. “I’ve been calling her and she hasn’t answered.”

  Vicki gave a sympathetic smile. “It’s fine. She went out.”

  “I’ve been dying to talk to her, I just didn’t have time when she called.” I shoved my fingers through my hair.

  “It was bad timing. She understands.”

  “Does she think I don’t want her back?”

  “She doesn’t know what to think. You’ve been MIA for a while. Why haven’t you called me or Raj back?” Vicki crossed her arms and tapped a foot, a deep scowl on her face.

  “I didn’t know what was going to happen. Sorry. But Pree is my world. No m
atter what we did, as long as she gives us a chance, there will always be an ‘us.’”

  “And did you say that to her over the phone?”

  “I wasn’t expecting her call. I was stunned, especially with the timing and being at work—immersed in my deadline.”

  “I think Priya left something for you in your apartment.”

  “Did she trash my place? I don’t care unless that means she hates me.”

  Vicki shook her head, but her lips trembled as she hid a smile. My heart raced. What had Pree done that made Vicki keep quiet when she obviously wanted to blurt something out?

  I raced down the hall. Tentatively pushing the door open, I stepped over the threshold. The completely unexpected scene floored me. Every manly, leather, granite, wood surface was covered with carnations and little envelopes.

  I walked inside. The place smelled like fresh-cut flowers. I opened an envelope and unfolded the note inside. It said:

  Reason: I love that you care so much.

  My chest tingled with warmth.

  I opened another.

  Reason: I love that you never give up.

  And another.

  Reason: I love that your eyes sparkle when you smile.

  One after another as I went from the living room, the dining room, the kitchen—picking a few here and there.

  Reason: I love your laugh.

  Reason: I love how you sound first thing in the morning.

  Reason: I love that you wear plaid.

  I chuckled at that one because I was wearing plaid right now.

  Reason: I love how smart you are.

  Reason: I love how you feel against me.

  Reason: I love how your hair curls when it gets too long.

  Reason: I love how you love your family.

  Reason: I love your nobility.

  Reason: I love that you know me well enough to get me in with BSG. And that you’re not threatened that I might fall for Apollo.

  I laughed out loud and peeked into the bedroom to see if she had desecrated more of my manliness with flowers, though I hoped to see more notes.

  I paused at the door. What I saw was more precious, worth a million reasons to live.

  Pree sat on the edge of the bed in a short plaid skirt and green top. Her long hair was down and billowed around her in loose curls. She crossed her legs, exposing a lot of caramel thigh, and wiggled a foot covered in a sexy, strappy heel. She looked up at me with those gorgeous hazel eyes and hinted a cautious half-smile, as if she doubted my reaction.

  I glided toward her as she stood. She didn’t even have to take a step before I was a few inches from her, towering over her.

  “Reason: I love how you’re almost a head shorter than me,” I said.

  “I should’ve told you before I left. I’m sorry. I called off the engagement when I got home from the hospital. I should’ve done so many things differently. I didn’t know how to handle everything—the expectations and consequences.”

  “It’s in the past.”

  She looked around. “This is kind of cheesy, right?”

  My eyes never left her. “Cheesy is good. No one’s ever done anything like this for me.”

  “It was your idea.”

  “No girl has even given me flowers, and now my entire apartment is filled with them.”

  “I couldn’t get a thousand and one flowers.”

  “That would’ve been something to see.” I plucked a carnation from the bed, a smirk on my lips as I caressed her cheek with the petals.

  Her lashes fluttered and I dragged the flower down her lips, her neck, her chest. Her breath hitched.

  “Do you forgive me?” she whispered.

  I leaned into her. My lips brushed hers when I replied, “Is my bachelor pad covered in flowers and love notes?”

  Her full lips, glistening with pink gloss, spread into a wide smile. She gripped my shirt and said, “I love you, Ty. I want to be with you forever, no matter what.”

  “I don’t think I heard you.”

  “I. Love. You. Forever.”

  I brushed my lips against hers, my free hand pressing her hip. “Again.”

  She draped her arms around my neck and pulled me into her. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, babe.”

  “And you forgive me?”

  “You should forgive me.”

  “What?”

  “I doubted you.”

  “You had every reason to.”

  “It was my mistake to have ever doubted you, and I’ll never make that mistake again.”

  “Just say you forgive me,” she begged. “I need to hear you say it, to know you mean it.”

  “I’ll always forgive you. Just don’t let this happen again,” I teased.

  She closed her eyes in relief. When she reopened them, she replied in a serious tone, “Then you better not leave me alone with Apollo when we go to Comic-Con.”

  I laughed, and she smiled. I looked at the bed covered with flowers and notes. “I’ve never slept on a bed of flowers.”

  Pree turned me and gently pushed me onto the bed. She straddled my hips and picked up an envelope.

  I laid back and stroked the silky skin of her thighs and watched her as she opened one note after another and read aloud a few of the thousand and one reasons why she loved me. When she couldn’t reach any notes near her knees, she reached over my head and picked a few more.

  She fiddled with the straps to her shoes. I stopped her. “What are you doing?” I asked in a daze.

  “Taking my shoes off so I can get the notes from across the bed.”

  “Leave them on.”

  “I’ll get germs in your bed.”

  I slid my hands from her ankles, up her bent legs, as I raised myself and kissed her. “Reason: I love how insanely sexy you look in heels.”

  I shifted her onto her side and draped her leg over my thigh. I savored how she felt, so smooth and soft. I tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered, “Hum tane prem karu chu.”

  Pree stared at me. “What?”

  I grinned. “Are you surprised?”

  “Yes. I mean, Papa said you’d learned Gujarati and Hindi, but why didn’t you ever say anything to me?”

  “Me knowing those languages doesn’t mean anything to you. It meant a hell of a lot to your parents.”

  “You learned my languages for them?”

  I nodded. “How do I sound?”

  “Perfect,” she said, her eyes glistening.

  “I never just wanted to be with you, Pree, I wanted to be a part of your life, which meant getting your parents’ approval.”

  “No wonder you impressed Papa. Say something else.”

  The corner of my mouth quirked up. I picked another carnation off the bed, letting it glide over parts of her bare flesh. She shivered. I enjoyed watching ripple after ripple of goose bumps change her skin.

  I gently spoke, softly sang a famous Bollywood song that Pree loved…and I did it in perfect Hindi.

  Pree gasped. “Ty!”

  I sang a few more lyrics about traversing obstacles and oppositions to declare true love the winner over all.

  She kissed me. “Mummie would’ve loved you! That was her favorite song. It always made her cry.”

  I wiped away her fallen tear before it slid down her cheek. I cradled her against me and continued to sing about how love made a man strong enough to move celestial bodies and how every feat, no matter how grueling, was worth the goal.

  The last lyric of the hook raised the question, “Darling, is this my first and true love?”

  Pree hugged me tight. “Yes. First that’ll last forever.”

  I kissed the top of her head. “And like the sun, the moon, the rotation of the earth, and all the stars and constellations that remind me of you, my love for you will never stop. No matter what hits us, I promise you. Our love will never. Ever. Stop.”

  Did you love this Embrace? Check out more of our new adult titles here!

  And for excl
usive sneak peeks at our upcoming books, excerpts, contests, chats with our authors and editors, and more…

  Be sure to like us on Facebook

  Follow us on Twitter

  Priya in Heels Glossary:

  Auntie: A term of respect for an Indian woman old enough to be one’s mother.

  Ba: Grandmother or a term of respect for an Indian woman old enough to be one’s grandmother.

  Ben: Suffix added to names to signify “sister.”

  Beta: Son or term of endearment for a boy, as in “darling.”

  Beti: Daughter or term of endearment for a girl, as in “darling.”

  Bhaat: Rice.

  Bhai: Suffix added to names to signify “brother.”

  Bollywood: Indian cinematic movies, usually in Hindi, and normally with several song/dance numbers.

  Cha: Gujarati for chai: a mixture of water, milk, loose Indian black tea, sugar, and sometimes additional herbs or spices.

  Chaniya: An embroidered skirt.

  Choli: An embroidered bodice that typically displays the midriff.

  Chutney: Condiment similar to salsa, with an array of ingredients, flavors, and textures.

  Dada: Grandfather or a term of respect for an Indian man old enough to be one’s grandfather.

  Dabeli: Mashed potatoes mixed with Indian spices sandwiched between a sliced roll with both sweet and spicy chutney. A popular Indian street food.

  Dhal: Lentil soup with spices.

  Desi: Of south Asian origin.

  Diya: Miniature lamp made with twisted cotton as a wick and ghee as oil.

  Dupatta: Shawl used when wearing a salwar kameez or lengha.

  Foi: Father’s sister.

  Fua: Father’s sister’s husband.

  Ghee: Clarified butter.

  Gujarati: The language and people from the northwestern state of Gujarat in India.

  Halwa: An aromatic sweet with nuts.

  Hum tane prem karu chu: Gujarati for “I love you.”

  Kurta: A long tunic worn by men over pajama-like pants.

  Lengha: A formal attire that consists of a bodice, a long, embroidered skirt, and a dupatta.

  Mandir: Hindu temple.

  Mangalsutra: A gold and black necklace worn by married women to indicate their marriage status, similar to a wedding band.

  Mantra: A repetitive hymn of prayer often sung during worship.

  Mathiya: Thin, fried wafers of spicy dough.