Pretend To Be Mine

by P. G. Van

  “What would Inara do without you?” His tone was playful.

  Anjali smiled at him and stepped out of his embrace almost feeling the tingles down her spine. Her body was responding to his touch and proximity, and she had no way to control it but only to ignore it. She couldn’t help but acknowledge the sexual tension between them, and she didn’t want it to go any further. She reminded herself that it was her job to pretend to be his wife and not believe it to be true.

  “I’ll go check on her.” Anjali took a few steps from him before he called out to her.

  Dheeraj walked over to where she stood and looked at her. “We need to go out of town in a few days. Can we go?”

  “Inara’s first travel?” She was excited.

  He smiled. “I was hoping it could be just you and me. I don’t know if I want her to travel.”

  “It will be good for her. She will like it. How far is it?”

  “Less than a half hour in the helicopter.”

  “I don’t think we should fly with her. Can we drive?”

  “We can.”

  “Let’s drive. I’d rather sit in the car than throw up on the chopper.”

  “You don’t like to fly?” He raised a curious eyebrow.

  “I prefer not to. I just have bad memories associated with airplanes.” She shrugged.

  “We can drive. It will take a few hours. I’ll arrange for the travel,” he said looking into her eyes.

  “Sounds good.” Anjali attempted to keep her tone casual, but her treacherous body didn’t care about practicality and yearned for his touch. Dheeraj’s manner and the way he looked at her had changed over the past few weeks, and she had not paid much attention, but after last night, she knew it was only going to get tougher to pretend.

  “When is Lekha getting married?” Dheeraj asked surprising her by switching topics.

  “How do you know about Lekha?” Her best friend had fallen in love—love at first sight, just like theirs— it was for real, though, in her friend’s case.

  “Mrs. Varma, I got the invitation, too, for the party.” He smirked.

  She laughed. “It’s in a week, and I told her we can’t make it.”

  “Why? You should go.”

  She shook her head. “It’s a couples only party, and I don’t want to take Inara with us.”

  “But you want to go?”

  “Of course, I do… but it’s not a place for a baby.”

  Dheeraj was looking at her with a look she couldn’t decipher, and before her mind conjured anything more than what met the eye, she turned and left the bedroom.

  Anjali had a job to do, a promise to keep, and becoming attracted to her employer was a bad idea!

  Chapter 12

  Almost a week later, Anjali was in the nursery waiting for Inara to fall asleep when Dheeraj came in, closing the door softly behind him. He looked at Anjali for a brief moment before walking over to Inara to kiss the baby on her cheek.

  For unexplained reasons, every time she saw Dheeraj hold Inara or look at her tenderly, Anjali’s womb throbbed with a deep longing. What that meant, Anjali had no idea but just looking at the man who looked indestructible with his strong build, hold a baby with utmost care always made her weak in the knees.

  Dheeraj looked at the baby as she fell asleep and gestured to Anjali to follow him out of the room.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go to Lekha’s party?” Dheeraj whispered.

  She shook her head. “I already told Lekha I can’t make it. This is a party for us to know her fiancé better. It’s not like I am missing her wedding.”

  “You do want to meet and know her fiancé, right?”

  Anjali nodded looking up at him.

  “Get dressed. We will swing by the restaurant for thirty minutes. Seema can keep an eye on Inara.”

  “No… Inara…”

  “Geetanjali, stop being an obsessive mom.”

  She smiled feeling pride encompass her. “Thank you for calling me an ‘obsessive mom.’ I like the sound of it… I don’t want to leave Inara.”

  He laughed. “Okay, obsessive mom, don’t go to the party, but will you join my friends and me for dinner at the clubhouse?” The clubhouse was a decent size guest house that was detached from the main house and only a couple of minutes’ walk from the main house.

  “You are having company tonight?”

  “We are. It was a last-minute thing. They are in town and flying back tonight. The baby monitor works in the clubhouse.”

  “How many people are you expecting that you are hosting them in the clubhouse?”

  “My friends can be noisy, and you don’t want them in the house when Inara is sleeping.” He snorted.

  “What time are you expecting them? You have an early morning flight to catch.”

  “In a half hour. I’ll be fine. Join me in the clubhouse when you’re ready.” Dheeraj smiled and turned away from her and stopped short. “You can call me Dheeru if you like.”

  Anjali blushed remembering the time she had called him that name when she is drunk and the last time she did it when she was sober the meeting with the adoption lawyer and officials in his office. “I will if it feels right.”

  “I like it. No one has ever called me by that name. See you at the clubhouse.” He winked and left without another word, robbing her of her breath with the intensity in his eyes.

  Twenty minutes later, she was in the bedroom putting on some light makeup. Dheeraj walked into the room to stand behind her, their eyes meeting in the mirror.

  “Are they here? I’m almost done.”

  Dheeraj nodded. “You look nice.”

  She turned to look at him. “Are you practicing for dinner with your friends.”

  He chuckled, taking a few steps toward her, his hands resting on her waist. “Baby, you look beautiful.”

  She let out a gasp and looked up at him confused with his tone. “When I said ‘baby’ that was more like practice for the public, what I said about you looking nice was me, Dheeraj, complimenting Geetanjali.”

  Anjali smiled, feeling her cheeks turn crimson. “Thank you! You look good, too.” Dheeraj looked stunning as usual in a white dress shirt and dark wash jeans. During the initial days of her stay, she admired Dheeraj for how well he presented and carried himself, but over time, the casual feeling had morphed into something else, a deeper feeling.

  “Ready to go?”

  Anjali nodded unable to find her words and followed him. The moment they stepped out of the room, he reached for her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. She looked up at him as he slowly raised the back of her hand to his lips, his eyes trained on her face.

  She smiled coyly in response to his sweet gesture. His behavior in public had not changed, but the effect his actions had on her was completely different. A kiss on the back of her hand in the past was part of the job description and what she had signed up for, but lately, it made her want more—the softness of his touch, the possessiveness in his hold, and most of all, the need to be close to him at all times.

  Anjali followed him down the stairs, and when they reached the bottom of the staircase, she boldly hugged his arm and moved closer to him. He tightened his hold on her hand and planted a kiss on her temple. She never thought a simple kiss on her forehead would send waves of thrill through her.

  In Marilyn Monroe’s words, the real lover is the man who can thrill you by just kissing your forehead.

  “You seem nervous.” His voice was a whisper.

  Anjali’s heart was on a rampage as Marilyn Monroe’s words played in her head, and her body came alive to his touch, but she dismissed all her feelings. “Just tired.”

  “You can leave the clubhouse whenever you feel like it.”

  “No, I’ll be fine.”

  They stopped right outside the clubhouse door. “Hope you have fun.”

  Anjali scrunched her nose. “What do…” Her voice was lost in a happy squeal when Dheeraj opened the door. She could not believe her eyes. Al
l her friends were gathered inside the clubhouse —the group of people she was going to miss seeing that night stood in front of her cheering.

  “Enjoy… I didn’t want you to miss your best friend’s party,” Dheeraj whispered from behind, and she turned to look at him laughing.

  “I don’t believe this,” she cried, hugging him, and Dheeraj pulled her into his arms, her feet off the ground.

  He placed her back on the ground, and Anjali hugged her friends. “I still cannot believe you guys are here. You were supposed to be spending the night at the farmhouse.”

  Lekha laughed. “We might still end up there for the after-party, but the real party is here with you!”

  “I am so happy you guys are here. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Anjali asked.

  “It was Dheeraj’s plan. Your husband took care of everything, and he wanted it to be a surprise for you.” Lekha winked.

  Anjali smiled at her friend, and her eyes wandered to Dheeraj as he spoke to her friends. “Hang on, Lekha, I’ll be right back.”

  Anjali walked over to where Dheeraj stood instructing one of the men for setting up the food. She took his hand and led him out of the clubhouse through the side door.

  Dheeraj laughed following her. “The party is that way.”

  “Thank you, thank you. This is such a good surprise.” She smiled, pressing her lips into the rough stubble on his cheek.

  “I’m glad to hear you like your surprise.” His breath was warm in her ear as she hugged him.

  “I do. I was actually sad I couldn’t go,” she confessed, pulling back to look at him.

  He smiled framing her face with his hands, the pad of his thumb gently running along her cheekbones. “I want you to live your life, too. Just because you are taking care of Inara, you don’t have to be chained to her crib.”

  Anjali smiled, her heart making a flip in her chest. “I want to kiss you.”

  A spark appeared in his eyes before his face lit up with a smile. She went up on her toes running her arm around his neck as his lips came down on hers in a slow, sensual sweep. She moaned into his mouth when he pulled her closer deepening the kiss. Hers arms tightened around him as he kissed her with a hunger she could not match.

  Dheeraj turned her around to press her back into the wall, his body plastering into her soft flesh. The urge she had to touch him to feel the pressure from his hands on her flesh was undying as she fervently kissed him back as they surged to a new level.

  “Okay, break it up, you two.” A voice giggled interrupting the intense moment, and she pulled back suddenly and felt weak in her knees.

  “In a minute,” Dheeraj said, out of breath, and Sonia left them alone, laughing.

  Anjali was thankful for Dheeraj’s hold around her waist as she turned to look at her friend, Sonia.

  Dheeraj nuzzled her ear. “We’ll pick this up later tonight.”

  His words sent shudders through her entirety, and she looked up at him. “Thank you!”

  Dheeraj smiled and gently pecked his lips on hers. “Why are you fighting it?”

  Anjali bit her lip and took his hand in hers. “I just wanted to kiss you… nothing more. Let’s go.”

  Dheeraj was about to say something, and the side door flew open again, and this time it was both Sonia and Lekha. “Are you guys having your own party?”

  Anjali laughed and let go of Dheeraj’s hand and followed her friends indoors, laughing. She knew Dheeraj was right about her denying the feelings she had for him, but she had her own reasons. She had a mess to clean up, and until then, she needed to stay clear of anything that would take her mind off her goal.

  Anjali had the best time with her friends and was surprised how much Dheeraj knew about her. They won the best couple game they played which took her by surprise not just because Dheeraj knew so much about her but also how much she had learned about him in the past few months. She realized there were a few things that Dheeraj had observed about her that even her best friends never noticed.

  Anjali’s breath got trapped in her throat every time their eyes met as they conversed with everyone, and she had a hard time holding his gaze. They played all kinds of games, all of which included consuming large amounts of alcohol. She had vowed to herself not to consume alcohol until the contract was up, just so she wouldn’t end up having any mishaps, but that night she wanted to test the limits—both hers and his.

  She was buzzed by the time everyone was ready to head to the farmhouse to crash. There was no after-party as the party at the clubhouse went on well into the morning hours. She was swaying so much at one point, Dheeraj held her to him as she giggled like a small girl enjoying her time with her friends.

  Dheeraj pulled her back to him every time she wanted to check on Inara. “Stay with me. Seema is watching Inara.”

  “Dheeraj, I’m having so much fun… you are the best.” She brushed her lips over his making him smile.

  “I love it when you talk like this.” His voice was barely a whisper.

  “Talk how?” she purred.

  Dheeraj leaned closer, his lips barely brushing her cheek. “Like you have nothing to worry about. I like it when you sound so happy.”

  She blushed placing her hand on his cheek. “You made me so happy tonight.”

  Dheeraj chuckled. “I can’t take full credit for you being happy… it’s that clear liquid talking.”

  “Dheeru, I didn’t drink that much.”

  He smiled running his fingers through her hair. “I love it when you call me Dheeru.”

  “I love it when you call me Geetanjali.” She looked into his eyes like they were all alone in the noisy clubhouse.

  “I know. How do you know so much about me?” he asked surprised with every question she answered about him during the ‘How well do you know your partner’ game.

  “We’ve been living under one roof for so many months… how would I not know?”

  He looked into her eyes shaking his head. “Not something someone would know just because they spend time with me or live with me.”

  “Like what?”

  “How would you know I wanted to be a race car driver?” he whispered, leaning closer to her.

  Anjali giggled. “The only shows you have recorded are the races, and you listen to the commentary after the race even if you don’t have time to watch the races.”

  Something clicked in his eyes, and he smiled. “I want to kiss you… kiss you until you ask me to stop.”

  “I won’t ask you to stop,” she rasped.

  “When I kiss the way I want to, you will beg me to stop.” He narrowed his eyes.

  “I challenge you to kiss me like that,” she retorted.

  Dheeraj shook his head. “Not like this… not when you are drunk.”

  “Dheeru, I know what I am saying. I’m not drunk,” she teased.

  “You just called me Dheeru. You are drunk.”

  “Sober me and then kiss me.” She laughed.

  “Geetanjali.” His tone held endearment and a warning, and she blinked away some of the buzz she was wrapped in.

  “Fine, don’t kiss me. I’ll never know how it is to be kissed,” she pouted.

  “Geetanjali… have you ever been kissed?”

  “Yes… by you.”

  “And?”

  “No one else… only you,” she slurred, and something stirred deep inside him.

  Chapter 13

  Later that night well in to the morning hours, Anjali rolled in bed unable to sleep. It was almost three in the morning by the time their friends left. The staff who served the group was tired by the time the party was a wrap and disappeared right after the guests left, not in a position to clean up the clubhouse.

  Dheeraj had helped her to bed and tucked her in, but she barely slept for fifteen minutes. She heard his steady breathing and remembered every word of the flirtatious yet bold conversation she had with Dheeraj. She had no idea what had gotten into her, but she couldn’t stop herself from challenging him to k
iss her. Her every inch longed for him.

  Moments of wild thoughts about him circled her mind until she finally slid out of bed and went downstairs to the kitchen. She needed a distraction, and the only thing that would help was food. She opened the fridge in a hunt for something sweet, and her eyes bugged out when she saw one last serving of the chef’s special dessert—a tasty, traditional dessert made with almonds, apricots, and cream making it a rich delicacy. She took the glass bowl out of the fridge and leaned against the counter and started relishing on the dessert.

  “This is heaven,” Anjali said to herself licking the spoon clean of the last bite. She had scooped everything out of the bowl, but she wanted more, so she dipped her finger into the bowl to clean out the creamy dessert, still not getting enough of the sweetness. She looked at the clean bowl and wondered if she would get a bit more taste if she were to lick the bowl. She held the bowl up and looked at the light through the glass and almost dropped it when she saw Dheeraj walk toward her.

  “Did you lick that bowl clean?” He laughed.

  Anjali felt the blood rush through her as her heart picked up the pace. Dheeraj filled a glass of water and stood a few feet from her leaning against the center island in the kitchen, his eyes scanning her lazily.

  Anjali bit her lip but placed the bowl she had fully intended to lick on the counter. She raised her eyes from the almost-empty bowl to his, and the look in his eyes made her weak to the core. She smiled slowly holding his gaze hoping to alleviate the tension that was building between them.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Her voice wobbled.

  “For no reason.” His tone was casual, but it sent waves of anticipation through her. She couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if they weren’t interrupted by her friends at the back of the clubhouse.

  “Why are you up so early? You should get some sleep before you head to the airport.”

  “I’ll sleep on the plane.”

  “You say that every time, but I know you work because you can’t fall asleep on the plane,” she said playfully, and something flickered in his eyes.