Page 150 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, and reached for a fruit with shaky fingers.

But when I looked up, my heart skipped several beats, finding him staring right at me. A teasing smirk curved his lips as he sucked on a berry. A drop of its juice slid down his finger, and with deliberate ease, he licked it off—eyes still locked on mine.

I swallowed hard, the knot in my stomach twisting tighter. I quickly glanced around the table. Everyone was busy with their breakfast, utterly oblivious to the silent game he was playing.

I dropped my gaze and spotted a banana in front of me. Determined, I grabbed it and peeled it a little too quickly, and then, without thinking, snapped it in half with both hands.

“Kya kar rahi ho, Nandani?”(What are you doing, Nandani?)

A chill shot through me as Daadisa’s voice sliced through the moment.

I immediately placed the banana on my plate and turned to her, wide-eyed.“Nothing… nothing, Daadisa,” I mumbled, trying to sound casual.

She narrowed her eyes.“Ye kya dhang hai bhojan karne ka?”(Is that how you eat?)

I just wanted to vanish.

“Ahh… uhmm… sorry, Daadisa. I… I haven’t eaten a banana ina long time,” I muttered, feeling utterly foolish. My eyes flicked toward my father, who was smiling slightly.

I timidly lowered my gaze, trying to gather myself, when Agastya suddenly spoke up.“Bhaisa, bhojan to karne dijiye unhein,”(Bhaisa, at least let her eat.)

Everyone turned to look at him, especially Rudra. Rudra shot him a sharp, silent glare and replied in a slow, warning tone,“Who am I stopping from eating, Agastya?”

Agastya gave an awkward smile and quickly looked away—his gaze landing on Ranvijay, who had just finished bringing in the treaty documents and was calmly enjoying his meal.

“Ranvijay, Bhaisa,” he blurted, and Ranvijay looked up with furrowed brows, confused by the sudden address.

Just then, my father spoke up,“Alright, I have something urgent to attend to. I request your leave,” he said, standing up from his place. I kept my gaze lowered, grateful for the brief distraction.

My mother followed right after.“I need to look into your departure preparations, Nandani,” she said softly, and I gave her a small, weak smile as she left. The moment she was gone, I looked back at him, enjoying his grapes again, as if nothing around him had changed.

He lifted his eyes and met mine, and my gaze dropped to his lips, slick with berry juice. Just watching him suck on them stirred thoughts I wasn’t ready for. The image of him sucking me down there flashed in my mind and I instantly lowered my eyes, cheeks burning.

What the hell is happening to me? I shut my eyes, trying to calm my racing mind.

There was another reason why I was so nervous was the fact that I knew our first time together wasn’t going to be… easy. I was only twenty-two. He was twenty-nine. We were different in more ways than just age. When we stood together, my head barely reached his chest. His hand could easily span across most of my waist. And then there was the thought that left me truly breathless—how big was he?

He had been in self-control for nearly a decade. That meant he never even masturbated, which meant it would be intense. Possibly rough. Maybe painful. Definitely unforgettable. And maybe… too pleasurable.

I shivered just thinking about it and quickly shook my head to clear my thoughts.

I found myself chewing the inside of my lip out of nervous habit when my grandmother’s voice suddenly cut through.“Why aren’t you eating, Nandani?”

I immediately lifted my gaze toward her and smiled, trying to appear composed. My throat was dry, but I managed to swallow and quickly began eating.

“I’m eating, Daadisa,” I said, forcing cheer into my voice as I tried to focus on my plate, while my eyes kept flicking toward him. He was still playing his teasing game with those grapes, eyes locked on me more often.

“I’m also done,” Daadisa suddenly declared, making me jolt slightly at the sound of her voice.

She rose from her seat, and a second later, Agastya stood up too.“I’m done as well, Daadisa. Allow me to help you out,” he said with a warm smile, earning a fond nod from her.

I had no idea what was happening. Why was everyone suddenly excusing themselves?

“Bhaisa, I need to discuss the treaty clauses with the official from Mahabaleshagarh. I’ll take your leave too,” Ranvijay added, standing up.

And just like that, within moments, the dining room emptied, leaving only the two of us behind.

My eyes darted to Rudra, who was still seated and smiling faintly, and the moment the last footsteps faded, he slowly stood, his palm cupping a handful of berries, which he plucked and popped into his mouth one by one as he walked toward me.

---