Page 177 of One Hellish Desire

“You both should extend your stay then,” Daadi comments.

“Tell Maahi that,” I reply. “I’m more than ready to extend it.”

“No, we are not extending; I have a business to run, and you too.”

I roll my eyes at her excuse, but she is right. So what if I am here in India? I still have work to do, which I’ve been ignoring ever since we arrived in Udaipur. We talk some more with Daadi after which Maahi turns to me.

“Is it written all over our faces?” she asks. “That we made love last night?”

I gaze at her intently.

“You want to know what your face speaks right now?” I ask, and her eyes widen curiously.

“You can read my face, right?” she grins remembering I’d told her that once. “I forgot.”

“I can read even what you haven’t thought about yet.” My finger grazes her cheeks, and she turns red everywhere I touch.

MAAHI

Udaipur

Vikram is in the living room, pacing as he talks on the phone. His tousled hair and barefoot look make him irresistibly handsome, even when he’s barking orders at Ajay about some project. I don’t want to disturb him, so I decide to make us two fresh coffees.

By the time I return, he’s still on the call. I stand there, watching him, until he catches my gaze and gestures for me to come closer. I pass him a coffee mug and start to leave, but he grabs my hand, stopping me.

“Just schedule my call with them for tomorrow, Ajay. Meanwhile, I’ll personally drop an email to them. Let’s see what we can do. Did you speak to Dad?”

I sip my coffee, captivated by his business acumen despite being thousands of miles away.

“Fine, I’ll talk to Dad. Keep me posted. Bye.” He disconnects and exhales audibly.

“All good?” I ask, even though I know it’s not.

He takes a sip of his coffee. “This is good.”

“Vikram, what’s wrong? Is everything okay at work?”

He sighs. “Nothing that concerns you for now. Want to go out for dinner?”

I hit his chest lightly. “I don’t like it when you keep me in the dark.”

“Everything is fine, Maahi. Just some miscommunications with the clients. I’ll handle it.”

“Miscommunication? What kind?”

He knows I won’t relent. He lets go of my hand and moves to the couch. I follow him.

“The clients think I’m settling down in India forever, and that’s making headlines in my business circle. They’re losing trust in Grover Group because of my absence.”

Oh! That’s bad news. I can understand the pressure he’s under.

“Vikram, if you need to return, which you probably should, I’m okay with it.”

He pulls me closer, gazing down at my lips. “One more word about this, and I’m taking you back to bed. But not to sleep.”

A familiar spark ignites in my belly.

“I’m not going anywhere. I didn’t come here to lose you again,” he adds.

---