Page 32 of Empowered

“Hold still. This part will feel strange.”

I shut my eyes tightly to keep from seeing the scissors Dr. Khan was using to remove my stitches.

I could barely feel anything, but I still felt queasy just thinking about someone cutting strings out of my cheek.

“Done,” announced Dr. Khan, before he backed away to pack his instruments into his bag.

Shyam looked at me expectantly. He had barely left my side since he brought me to the house. He argued with his staff when they tried to wait on me. I had asked his butler, Raj, if I could eat dinner downstairs one evening and Shyam nearly had a heart attack when he saw me trying to walk down the stairs to the dining room. I insisted I was fine and that he was being paranoid. Instead, he shoo-ed me back into my room after screaming at the poor man. He made Raj bring up our meals and ate with me in bed. I loved having Shyam to myself, but I wasn’t an invalid. I had been held captive once before, and I didn’t want to be again, even if this time my captor was smoking hot.

I opened my mouth, stretching my jaw around in circles to feel for anything strange. “Feels normal.”

The doctor held up a mirror for me. I could barely see anything except for a faint pink line where I had been wounded. I grinned. “You’re amazing, doctor! My skin looks completely normal.”

Dr. Khan smiled. “Use this salve twice a day on the scar,” he said, handing me a small jar of ointment. “It’ll help minimize its appearance some more. Also, be sure to wear sunscreen when you go out into the sun to help the scar disappear.”

“Will do,” I replied, handing the mirror back.

“Your vital signs all seem normal and your body seems stronger than when I first saw you, so you don’t need bed rest anymore. Just be sure to honor your body if you do feel tired and rest. But you’re free to resume normal activity.”

That was the best news I had heard all day. I smirked at Shyam, hoping he had the same dirty thoughts I did. Shyam had been too afraid to touch me in bed. The chemistry was still there, probably even stronger than before. Our gentle, loving kisses would turn hot and intense quickly, but Shyam would always stop it before it turned into anything more. He treated me like a porcelain doll, afraid I’d break from his touch. It was driving me insane. I hadn’t had him inside of me for far too long and I mourned the loss. I thought about touching myself to relieve some of the edge, but then decided it was stupid to get off on my own when I had a perfectly functioning stud sleeping next to me. I just needed to convince him I wasn’t going to shatter to pieces if he touched me. On second thought, I was quite sure Iwouldshatter in all the right ways if he did.

“Thank you, Dr. Khan.” I shook his hand and then Shyam walked him out of the house.

The bedroom I had been camping out in was more like a small apartment. The suite had a living area and lavish spa-style bathroom. The four-poster bed that I spent most of my time in was more than comfortable.

It wasn’t Shyam’s bedroom, but he slept next to me here every night. He would bring clothes into the room to dress after showering in the morning. I had yet to see his room, since he didn’t allow me to wander through the house.

Large princess windows allowed for plenty of sunlight to shine into the room. Even though the house was fully air-conditioned, I could still feel the heat of the sun through the glass. I opted for lightweight, loose dresses from the clothing that the maids had stocked the closet with.

I was lying back on the bed in a light-blue, gauzy dress when someone knocked at the door. Only the maids or Raj ever knocked, so I assumed it was one of them.

“Come in.”

Jai poked his head inside. “Hey, doll. Up for a visit?”

I sat up, eager for company. “Took you long enough to visit!”

He came over to the bed and kissed my cheek. “I wanted to give you some space. Shyam said you were getting your stitches out today, so I thought I’d come check on you.”

I leaned back against the headboard. “I’m great.”

Taking a seat at the foot of the bed, he inspected my cheek. “Looks good. Doc did a good job.”

“So, what have you been up to?” The last time I had seen him was at the wedding, so I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him in a long time.

“Salvaging the business,” he said.

Jai looked just as tired as Shyam did. I knew Shyam had been working day and night to take care of me and repair the business. He looked tired from taking care of everything and everyone. Hopefully, since Dr. Khan said I was okay to carry on as before, he could focus more of his energy on work. “That big of a mess?”

“You have no idea,” he replied as he let out a big exhale. “Tarun was involved in some deep shit.”

I laughed. “And drug dealers like you and Shyam aren’t involved in deep shit?”

He nodded, a hint of seriousness washing over his usual carefree expression. “He made our business look like child’s play. We basically sell candy compared to the stuff he did.”

I believed it. Tarun was crazy and I was scared to think of the sick things he was involved with, so I didn’t ask for details.

“So, how much longer are you planning to stay in India?” I asked, trying to change the topic.

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