Page 122 of The Ex Factor

“I don’t care about the world. But I do care about you. And our families. I don’t want to hurt anyone close to me in this process.”

“Are you scared?”

“No. For once, I’m certain we won’t live in the shadow of Sameer and Tara anymore than they’re living in ours. And I like you with an intensity I’ve never felt before, and I don’t want to give it up without a fight.”

“All right, then.” I heaved a deep sigh of relief. “I want the happiness that you give me, Aarti. But I need you to be absolutely certain about this. You have more to lose in every way than I do. I need you to be sure that this is what you want. I don’t want you to regret us later.”

She scoffed and took two confident steps toward me. Then, without warning, she pressed her mouth firmly against mine. Her fists tightened around the lapels of my jacket and tugged at it as her tongue breached my mouth, rendering me helpless. Before I could remember to breathe again, she retracted.

Taking one step back, she smoothed my lapels and said, “Is that certain enough for you?”

“Good god, Aarti!” I cried and raked a hand over my head. I loosened the tie to release the heat rising up my body.

She cocked her hip and crossed her arms. Her breasts burst upward and out over the silky satin dress.

“I need to make just one call before we do this,” I said and hurriedly touched the second number in my favorites.

“Imran, you can leave.”

I heard his gentle chuckle as I tossed my phone on the couch without disconnecting it.

SUJIT

Stepping toward her, I pinned her to the wall. Everything I had been waiting for in life was within my reach. She was the fire I needed, and I didn’t even know it.

Aarti’s lips parted and her eyes glimmered with desire as I gazed at her intensely. I ran a firm thumb over her lower lip and watched her tremble against me.

Placing my hands on the wall, I caged her between them. “Now, I need to know how far you want to take this tonight,” I said, bringing my hand to her waist. “Because once I start, I’m not inclined to stop—until you ask me to.”

A shuddered gasp met my question, and I ran my hand down from her waist to let it rest on her hip. “Tell me. How far should I go tonight?

She curved her index finger and beckoned me. I drew closer until my nose brushed with hers. “I want you to stop only when you’ve filled me up completely and I’m dripping down my thighs,” she whispered against my lips.

My cock came alive at her words. At the visual. “If you keep saying such things, I’ll have to keep doing it over and over again, my sweet girl,” I threatened.

“I want you to,” came her trembling words. “I want you to fuck me over and over and over again until I can barely walk. I want to be devastated, Sujit. I want to be devastated by you.”

I stepped back. My body was burning up. I ran my fingers through my hair. “Damn, Aarti!”

She leaned in. “You’re not the only one who’s hungry,” she whispered in my ear. “I’ve been starving, and you’re the only thing that can satiate me.”

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for an eternity, Aarti Bhatia.”

I moved closer and breathed on her lips. They parted, and she panted with need. Her hands clasped into fists at her sides. Gently, I placed my mouth on hers. Her plush, warm petals felt perfect between my lips. She tasted like sunshine and happiness on a cold, dreary winter night. I tugged at her lower lip and allowed it to fill my mouth. A moan escaped her, and her patience broke. When she pushed her tongue in, I held her shoulders and let her kiss me with the ferocity of a wild cat. Then I pushed her deeper against the wall and crushed her gently with my weight.

With her hands on my chest, she bought just enough space for me to flick the robe off her shoulders. As the garment dropped to the floor, I pounced on her again.

“You know, I was always a gentle lover,” I said against her cheek.

“Was?” Her lips curved into a smirk.

“Until I met you. You are fire, and I run to you like moth to a candle, knowing full well it means my obliteration. But I can’t help it. I want to burst in your flames.”

“Ah, poetry! It’s prettier in Urdu.”

“Yeah? Tell me.” I gripped the string of her nightie in my teeth and tugged it down her shoulder.

Her breath caught, and she waited with anticipation. Her bare shoulder was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I placed my lips upon it with reverence.

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