by P. G. Van
Dheeraj moved slowly toward her and stopped inches from her, flattening his palm to her sides on the counter, caging her. “It’s scary how much you know about me.”
Anjali smiled, but he did not. His eyes held the decipherable expression that she had seen before. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“You can only have so many fake marriages,” she whispered, leaning closer, eliminating the inches between them.
He moved, his arms circling her waist pulling her to him. “Nothing about this feels fake… not anymore.”
“Dheeraj,” she gasped.
“You are not drunk anymore. Do you remember what we talked about earlier today?”
Anjali blinked fully aware of his rock-hard muscles against her trembling body.
“Do you remember?” he demanded, and she nodded.
“Did you mean it?”
Anjali was conflicted. Her heart wanted to give in, and her mind reminded her of the consequences and the unknown, but she knew nothing good would come out of where they were at that moment.
“Yes,” she blurted out, her heart and body winning over her pragmatic side.
Dheeraj let out a sound that was a low growl. “Yes, to what? I want to hear it.”
Anjali looked at him for a long moment, an internal conflict flaring up, but when she looked into his eyes, she was lost in the longing they held for her. Without another word, she slowly reached up to kiss his cheek. “I want what you want but…”
Dheeraj didn’t let her finish. His lips crashed over hers, and she moaned into his mouth, her fingertips digging into the flesh on his arms.
“Kiss me,” she murmured against his lips.
“I’m going to kiss you till you ask me to stop,” he growled as he planted hungry kisses all over her exposed skin, her cheeks, jawline, trailing down her neck following the neckline of her soft cotton nightshirt.
Anjali arched her back as his lips trailed to the center of her chest, his lips alternating between sucking and kissing her skin. He buried his face in her chest, blowing hot air on her skin. She took the opportunity to catch her breath and ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair.
“Dheeraj, I don’t know what this means, but I like it when you hold me like this… when you kiss me.” Her voice was strained.
Dheeraj pulled back looking at her as he lifted her off the floor to sit her on the granite counter, his lips slowly devouring hers. His hands roamed her thighs, his palm taking in the softness of her skin. She wound her legs around him as he continued to suck on her lips while worshiping her body with his hands. His hands slipped under her nightshirt to caress her curves.
“I want to taste you.” His voice was hoarse sending seismic tremors through her body.
She moaned deep inside, and as if that was his cue, he pulled her off the counter to walk her to the island and placed her on the wider counter in a hurry. She clung to him, not breaking their kiss, her legs wrapped around his waist.
They were both out of breath when Dheeraj pulled back to nip on the delicate skin over her collarbone making her twitch deep inside.
His hands ran up her waist under her nightshirt bundling it over her chest revealing her breasts that yearned for his touch. She threw her head back rolling her eyes shut as he pushed the fabric aside to hold her flesh possessively.
Anjali’s nails dug into his neck as he tweaked her pebbled nipple between his thumb and finger. She arched her back pulling his head to her chest and let out a cry of pleasure when his warm mouth closed in on her pebbled nipple.
Dheeraj switched from kneading her breasts to sucking in a mouthful, transporting Anjali to a land of bliss. Her every cell felt alive, and she became aware of an impending need to be filled, the only way for that dull, delectable ache to go away and be rewarded with something coveted by every woman.
“Dheeraj… touch me,” she pleaded taking his hand to the apex of her thighs.
Dheeraj growled, squeezing her soft core gently making her squirm. “Not here, let’s go up.”
He pulled her off the island, her legs wrapping around him automatically as he walked them up the stairs, all along kissing, nipping, and exploring her curves.
Dheeraj walked them into the master bedroom, shutting the door behind him with his foot. “Can I make you mine, tonight?”
“Yes,” she hissed as her back hit the mattress, their kiss finally broke.
Dheeraj was having a hard time containing himself. He had only dreamed about seeing her lay on his bed, the way she did at that moment with deep desire in her eyes. His need to pleasure her was growing more than his need to bury himself deep inside her. He kissed her breasts one last time before going south. She clenched her belly in anticipation as he trailed his lips, kissing every inch in his path to her core that called out to him.
“Are you going to ask me to stop kissing you?”
“No,” she moaned, her head tossing to the side.
Dheeraj smiled before nuzzling her folds over the thin material of her panties feeling the heat. He nipped on her mound in search of her sunken clit and sucked it in between his teeth, the fabric serving as a barrier. She called out his name in sheer pleasure. He reached down to his steely shaft that throbbed for her and soothed it with his hand as he shot up with his own pleasure from her cries of bliss.
“Dheeraj, please.”
Dheeraj knew from her tone that she was on the edge, and it wouldn’t take a lot to give her the release she yearned for. He longed to see the look in her eyes when she embraced her release while he feasted on her. He planted a kiss over the small damp patch on her panties before yanking them down to her ankles, and she kicked them away impatiently.
“Anjali… keep your eyes on me.” It was an order, and she nodded, her depths clenching for impending pleasure.
Anjali let out a yelp of pure joy when she felt his lips on her folds that were soaked in her arousal. She clenched the sheets on either side in her hands as he slowly traced her folds. She felt an uncontrollable need for him to be in her, fill her to the brim, and as he kissed her as he had promised, she embraced the waves of pleasure that triggered from her epicenter.
The blood coursed through her veins making her heart pump so hard, she was breathless. Her body came alive like no other time as waves of sheer bliss rippled through her, and she felt herself soar through the skies like a shooting star.
Anjali cried out his name and came undone as he drunk in her release. His name played on her lips as he came back to kiss her making her taste her need for him and making her come again with dark pleasure. She enjoyed the feel of his lips on her mouth and the steely shaft rubbing over her mound making another peak build up.
Anjali pulled her lips away from his to hug him, burying her face into his chest, bracing herself and enjoying the softness of his t-shirt.
“Baby, look at me.” Dheeraj cupped her face with his hands, forcing her eyes to meet his, but she kept her eyes closed. He slowly placed tender kisses on both her eyelids making them flutter open.
“Dheeraj, this was not what we planned as part of the contract,” she whispered.
“I didn’t either, but I have no regrets. I want…” His words were lost in her gasp as she flew out of bed looking around for something.
Anjali finally slipped on her nightshirt that lay on the floor and left the bedroom making him wonder what happened, and a moment later he heard Inara crying. He lay back in bed listening to Inara whine and Anjali soothe the baby back to sleep—the sounds were like music to his ears. He realized at that moment how much he had changed, how much Inara had changed his life, and she did for the good. The best part of the change was Anjali.
“Geetanjali Varma… you are mine,” he murmured to himself, smiling as he left the bedroom to join Anjali in the nursery.
*****
Anjali felt miserable, and there was no denying it was because Dheeraj was away. She missed him and felt like he took a part of her with him when he left after kissing her like she was ma
de for him. Dheeraj called her as soon he landed in London.
“Miss me, already?” he teased.
“I do… but Dheeraj, is this a good idea?”
“What’s wrong? Are you unsure?”
“Dheeraj, I’m not unsure about what I feel, just the way we started. We should take it slow.”
“If that’s what you want.” He chuckled.
“I miss you, already.” She confessed.
“Talk to you later.”
Anjali smiled to herself enjoying the warmth that built in her heart in hopes of something she had only dreamed of—true love.
Later that day, Anjali put Inara down for a nap and decided to call Surya and check on the funds she had asked him to handle. Surya answered on the first ring. “Someone has been busy. You haven’t called me in a while.” His tone was sarcastic as usual, but she closed her eyes and swallowed the need to snap at him.
“I didn’t want to bug you too many times. I am sure you are working on arranging the funds,” she said, hoping he would not pick up on the passive-aggressive undertone.
“Yes, I am, but I have a question for you.” Surya’s tone was casual.
“What?”
“What happens after I give you the money?” She picked up mockery in his tone.
“Surya, you know why I want the money. Once I get the money, I will start the construction.” Her tone was flat.
“Oh, what about me? What about my family’s reputation if you don’t come back to Devarakonda?”
Anjali felt the ground under her shake. “Why should I come back, Surya?”
“Don’t you think that’s the right thing to do?”
“What are you suggesting?” She was done beating around the bush.
“Look, you left for an education. That’s fine, but now you need to come back to Devarakonda if you want the money.” Surya’s words spilled acid.
“No, I will not. Why should I come back?”
“You will. If not, kiss your construction plan goodbye, and I will not return the money you paid me.” He chuckled making her livid.
“Surya, you will pay for this, dearly,” she barked.
“Oh, finally some fire in your voice. Where is that coming from?”
“Go to hell.” Anjali was angry, and she had no control of her words for the first time in her life. Tears of anger and sadness rolled down her cheek as she thought about the implication behind his words.
Anjali’s body shivered at the thought of leaving Dheeraj and Inara to keep her promise to her grandmother—a children’s hospital in her grandma’s name. A promise her father did not keep, and she took it upon herself when her grandmother asked as her dying wish.
Geetanjali Children’s Hospital.
Chapter 14
Days passed, and Anjali made every effort to avoid being too close to Dheeraj after he returned from his business trip. She felt very unsure of her future after talking to Surya. What if she had to go back to Devarakonda just so that she could do what she promised her grandmother. Her pragmatic brain told her it would be stupid for her to play to Surya’s tune, but she knew she wasn’t left with much of a choice.
She considered sharing everything with Dheeraj but decided against it. He had already paid up for the contract, and she felt she couldn’t impose any more on him. She decided to keep some distance from him, although her mind and body begged for his touch and presence.
The way Dheeraj looked at her made her wonder if he had noticed the shift in her behavior. She made sure she put a long body pillow on the bed under the pretense of needing support for her back, avoided going to the gym room when he was working out, and even in public, she made sure she was the one to hold Inara, so there was always a distance between them.
There was no denying the attraction she had developed for him over the past few months, and it came to a head the night of her friend’s party. All she’d wanted was to do her job and take the money. She couldn’t put her finger on what had triggered those feelings and gave up trying.
Dheeraj was the most good-looking man she had ever met, and he was the city’s most eligible bachelor, even if it wasn’t the case in the eyes of the public. The small things he had gotten her used to were now pumping up her attraction to him, making it all the more difficult for her to keep her distance. She respected him for not pushing her for the intimacy they shared the night before he left on his next business trip.
The bouquet of flowers that arrived every day at home from him had meant nothing until the time she had realized that they arrived with a small card with a sweet message. Her knees turned to jelly with every message. He had little surprises for her from time to time, and they were turning out to be harder to ignore with the new feelings brewing inside her.
What was initially part of the contract had become habitual, and she tried hard to break out of the routine. The past few days she skipped eating meals with Dheeraj, she made sure he had fallen asleep before she slid into bed next to him, and tried in every way to avoid his touch—the one thing her body longed for the most—although she mostly missed spending time with him. She knew she would be miserable about leaving Inara when her contract was up, and she didn’t need another complication to be layered on top of it.
That morning, she went to the indoor pool after putting Inara down for a nap. Seema was coming up to speed as a good backup for her, and that meant she could take longer showers and not worry about the baby waking up. She placed her towel on the bench next to the pool and tied her hair into a knot before stepping into the pool. She avoided being in the gym with Dheeraj and had been successful in getting a workout by doing laps in the pool.
Anjali looked out into the backyard, the outdoor pool shining blue, the peaceful sound of water from the fountains, and yet, somewhere deep inside her, she felt apprehension. It was a sense of the unknown, an overwhelming feeling when she thought about how the relationship between Dheeraj and her changed in a matter of months, and she didn’t even realize it.
Anjali took a deep breath before diving into the pool. She tried to take her mind off Dheeraj as she swam lap after lap. When he was away on business, she was surprised how much she missed him in bed, even if it was just to fall asleep with his steady breathing playing in her ears. She felt angry about the situation she was in at that moment, torn between having to go back to Devarakonda and wanting more from Dheeraj, for them to have something meaningful.
She was halfway through her lap when she heard a loud splash making her stop in the middle of the pool looking around for the source of the sound. A moment later, she felt him, his arms circling her waist as Dheeraj pulled her to him.
As if it was the most natural thing to do, he cupped her face with his hands and pulled her into a kiss. His lips were warm and soft as he caressed her trembling lips. She had no power left to object as her heart fluttered with happiness to feel his warmth around her.
“Are you avoiding me?” he teased against her lips, and she shut her eyes and held onto him with no fight left in her. She looked up into his eyes in silence for a long moment before taking her cheek to his shoulder. He gently placed his hands on her back and held her in silence.
“No… but I should finish up before Inara wakes up.” She pulled back and looked at him for a brief moment before swimming away from him. She felt his eyes on her, but she ignored the way her body came alive and how her heart banged away in her chest just to see him.
Anjali stopped at one end of the pool catching her breath and watched Dheeraj swim to the other end and grab the edge of the pool with one hand and wiping the water away from his face with the other. She couldn’t help but admire his chiseled structure, and it wasn’t the first time she was seeing him bare-chested, but at that moment, all she could think about was to touch him, feel the skin that stretched over his rock-hard muscles.
Dheeraj turned to look at her, his body dripping water, his wet hair pushed back, and when their eyes met, her breath hitched, and butterflies took off from the pit of her st
omach. She plastered her back to the pool wall, frozen as he swam toward her. She kept her eyes trained on him as he stopped a foot away in the water wiping the moisture off his face.
On impulse, Anjali closed the gap between them, her lips finding his as her arms wound around his neck. He groaned deep inside as he savored her mouth. His tongue slid over her lower lip before dipping into her mouth to explore her depths.
She moaned into his mouth running her fingers through his wet hair, gripping it in response to the waves of pleasure that threatened to rip through her. The blood coursed through her veins flowing toward her core, making her folds throb.
“Anjali…” he crooned, and the way he said her name sent thrills through her entirety, just like the time he kissed her in the nursery less than a week ago.
“Dheeraj… I…” she muttered against his lips, and he pulled her closer to him.
“Don’t fight it… I know how much you want this.”
Anjali felt the heat emitting from her depths with a longing she never felt before, and when his steely shaft dug into her belly, she shuddered.
“I want you, too…” he said sucking in her lower lip between his teeth making her moan. He let go of her lip to slide his lips down her neck, his hold tightening around her waist.
Anjali felt sensations and a sweet ache she never felt before deep inside her and knew only he could give her what she craved—something she had never experienced. He sunk his teeth into the soft skin on her neck making her groan into his ear.
“Dheeraj, this is a bad idea,” she managed to say, her fingers gripping his damp hair.
“Why?” His voice rumbled against her delicate skin.
“You and I…” she whimpered.
Dheeraj’s lips stopped exploring, and he pulled back to look down at her. “You and I have something between us. Do you not want to find out what that is?”
She shook her head. “We shouldn’t. I technically work for you, and I don’t want to complicate our arrangement.”
“Geetanjali…”
Anjali swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. “Dheeraj, you said we could take this slow… we should.”