Page 144 of One Hellish Passion

At night, when Maya and Garima returned home, they heard Ranveer shouting at someone over the phone. It had been a while since they had seen him in this temper.

“What is wrong?” Garima asked Maya, who was equally clueless about it.

“Must be some work issue. Don’t worry, he will manage. You should go and rest.”

“I will rest, but you look after him. Only a woman who loves a man can ease his worries.”

Maya felt her heart flutter at that. Love? It was too far yet, wasn’t it? They had just developed an emotional bond between them. She understood his pain, and he couldn't see her hurt either.

“I will check upon him after he finishes the call,” she assured, retiring Garima to her room.

After a tiring day, Maya showered and walked out in a robe, stopping short at the sight of a pink satin nightgown on her bed, a rose atop it. Did her mother leave this? She touched the beautiful rose, puzzled.

“I hope you like it.” Ranveer's low voice sent a shiver through her. He was at the door, devouring her with his gaze. Maya clutched her robe, suddenly self-conscious for wearing so less before him. When his eyes traced her bare feet, she curled her toes.

“Wipe yourself before you catch cold.” His heated gaze found hers again.

She swallowed, trying to steady her voice. “You should knock before entering a woman's room.”

“Not when she's mine.” Ranveer bit his lip, desire simmering.

Maya suppressed the urge to flee, unsettled by his mood shift from anger to this. Just a few minutes ago, he was insanely mad at someone, and suddenly his mood had turned upside down. How could he be so different with her?

“Wear it tonight,” he urged.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she tried to sound genuine. “It might distract you while we talk about your Exes’?”

A wide smirk appeared on his lips.

“Think of the brighter side. It’ll keep me focused just on you.”

She smiled at his teasing but thought it wise to change topics.

“Why were you so bad-tempered a while ago? Whose call was it?”

His mood shifted.

“Business.”

“All okay now?”

“Hmm. Come out when you're done; I will wait.”

She nodded while he left the room. Tonight, they were going to discuss his Ex-girlfriends. And she had no clue where to begin. It was not going to be an easy conversation. Her motto wasn’t to disturb him with his past again but to understand him better. To know what he had been and how her existence in his life had changed him now.

Maya tucked the gown away, opting for pajamas instead. She could wear it some other time. When she came into Ranveer’s room to begin talks with him about his Ex’s, to her surprise, she found Ranveer asleep. He hadn't even changed his outfit, clearly exhausted. She smiled before getting inside and removing his shoes.

“Maya,” he murmured, cuddling a pillow like a lifeline. Her name on his lips, the raw need in his voice meant he was dreaming of her. Longing flooded her but she tucked him in and slipped out, afraid of her own desires.

Next Day – Evening

“Cops?” Maya dropped her purse onto the couch upon seeing two policemen at Paradise, waiting for her. One of them came ahead and introduced himself.

“Miss Bajaj, I am Atul Mishra,” he shook hands with her, senior police officer of his area.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Mishra?”

“Atul, please call me Atul,” he urged but with no soft expressions in his tone or face. “I’m here to interrogate you.”

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