Page 34 of Bad At Love

In the blink of an eye, she had seen such a wealth of longing that her chest felt tight. “I can’t switch with you, Kash,” she said, without breaking away from his hypnotic pull. Even as fear stuttered and whispered that she wasn’t good enough to be wanted like that. That when he delved deeper, he might find her…unworthy.

There was that damned word again.

“Oh please, please babe,” Kash begged, as if she were asking to swap dresses for prom. “I came prepared to sex him up and maybe even take him home -”

“No, Kash, listen -”

“Men like DP are thin on the ground, Char. You can’t just friend-zone him and decide that none of us can have him. It’s not like-”

“You can’t have him,” Chaaru said, raising her voice to be heard above the din surrounding them, “because DP’s mine.” Her possessive declaration came through loud and clear since all the noise and music cut out at the exact moment. “At least, for the week.” The last bit, she whispered to herself.

Mona’s ‘OMG, it’s finally fucking happening’ broke the silence, followed by Dom’s drunk cheer. And then came Kash’s rancor-free,‘Way to lock that prime piece of beef down, bae!’

A soft, slow, pure-sunshine smile kicked up one corner of DP’s mouth. Chaaru’s heart gave a fierce, hard kick in her chest. As if his smile had jumpstarted it back to life after being dead for years.

14

DP’s mine.

DP woke up to those words flitting through his sleep-heavy brain, butterfly-wing-like fingers trailing down his chest and hovering over the band of his pajama bottoms. Then scuttling upwards like a skier afraid of a new curve.

Somehow, he settled his breathing and kept his eyes closed. An impossible task with Chaaru’s gaze traversing the length of him with leisurely warmth.

He didn’t work out in the gym six days a week like his brother TJ, but he had always been bulky. Thanks to his rock-climbing and mountain hiking activities, he had kept most of his muscle even as he passed forty. As Chaaru’s fingers coasted up his abdomen and played with his chest hair, pleasure curled into his muscles.

A soft hum emerged from the back of her throat as her fingers began the downward descent on his chest again and this time, went a hairsbreadth towards his morning wood.

He licked inside his mouth, registering the dry feel. Damn, but he hadn’t meant to drink so much last night.

What with it being his fault that Mona had been angry with Dom, he’d kept Dom company. By the time she’d let him into their suite, DP himself had been way too drunk. He’d stayed away until he could be sure Chaaru was asleep and then crawled into their bed closer to dawn.

He cursed himself now.

Being able to touch Chaaru the way he wanted was the stuff of his deepest fantasies. But holding her in bed, watching her sleep, sharing mundane stuff with her…that was an intimacy he craved beyond the physical. Maybe because he knew her rules of never staying over with a lover and he was desperate to be different.

“Where did you go away all evening?”

Propped up on her elbow, her thick, silky hair cascading around her shoulders in pretty waves, she was a sight to behold. Pink shimmery eyeshadow and thick eyeliner made her brown eyes pop like rare gems. And her mouth was a lush dark pink that he wanted all over his flesh.

Frowning, he checked the clock on the nightstand. It was only ten past eight and she was fully ready. “You look…gorgeous,” he said, sounding husky from sleep and growing arousal. “Either I’m still drunk or dreaming.”

She smiled, and the movement made her robe slip, giving him a glimpse of blush pink lace. He swallowed audibly.

“Photoshoot at eight thirty.”

“Ahhh…” he said, throwing his arm beneath his head and sliding up on the bed. A near delirious buzz spread from his neck to the tips of his toes. Waking up to the sight of this woman, waking up to her gaze on him was a pleasure he’d never known he needed.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

He shrugged, and the duvet slid lower. And with it, her gaze. “Dom and I had some errands to run.”

“Why didn’t you come in after dinner?”

“I was too drunk. This absolutely sexy woman claimed me for the week. It was one of the best moments of my life and I had to celebrate.”

Something like shyness danced in her eyes before she smoothed it away. It was out of habit, self-preservation even, but DP wished she didn’t do that with him, didn’t hide away the tender, soft parts of her. He wanted all of her, not just her strength.

The thought drifted away as her finger traced the line of hair from his abdomen to the seam of his pajama bottoms. “I waited up for a while, wanting to do some private claiming too.”

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