Page 158 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

He spoke while his fingers feathered lightly against the curve of my neck, making my breath catch.

“Rudra…” I exhaled, barely able to find my voice.

“I want to give away everything I’ve earned all these years,” he said, his voice low.“I want to bear the consequences of my own choices. I don’t want to seek anything beyond what’s truly meant for me. I just want to be content with what I already have. If I lose the great war, then so be it. You are my strength now, Nandani. I want to fight by your side. I want to win, not by fate’s mercy, but through my efforts,”

His words settled heavily in the air between us. I gently held his hand, the surrounding silence echoing with the weight of everything he had said.

My mind began spinning, a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts crashing into each other. He was right; he deserved to claim only what was truly his. But to abandon a decade of penance,a sacrifice so deep… just for me?

No.

“No, Rudra,” I whispered. Inhaling deeply, I lifted my gaze to meet his.“Ten years of sacrifices and struggles… it shouldn’t go in vain,”

Before I could say anything more, his lips were suddenly on mine, pulling the breath from my lungs, making my lashes flutter shut. My stomach twisted, and a wave of need washed over me.

He broke the kiss and murmured against my lips,“You are not a waste, Nandani. You are the reward for my celibacy.”

My lips parted with a shaky breath, and I slowly pulled back, blinking up at him. His gaze was soft, glowing with something deeper than love, something eternal.

He looked at me like I was the only thing that existed. Like the world had melted away, and all that remained was me.

“But, Ru—”

He placed a finger over my lips, his voice quiet and certain.“Don’t worry, little wife. I’ll never force you. But in my heart, I’ve already broken my celibacy of years. And still… your consent will always be the most beautiful thing I’ll ever receive,”

I could only stare into his deep, dark eyes. His lashes, his brows, the sharp line of his nose, everything about him was so charming and pleasing.

The tanned shade of his skin whispered silent stories of his struggles, his sacrifices. But his eyes held me captive, deep and searching, longing for an end… a shore for the ever-floating boat.

He blinked once, and my heart stumbled in its rhythm.

The warmth between us wasn’t just of the body. It was rather deeper, more emotional. We were being drawn together not by desire alone, but by the comfort of understanding. He was scarred, but somehow, he had already found healing. His gaze carried the glisten of someone who had stopped chasing and started living.

He reached up, his fingers brushing my cheek, my shoulder, the curve of my neck, and it sent sparks racing under my skin.

“There is no hurry, little bird,” he murmured, voice hushed, heavy with patience and care. And yet, I couldn’t hold back anymore.

My lips found his, and what started as a tender kiss quickly grew intense, into something urgent and consuming. I shifted, turning toward him fully, my legs wrapping around his lap as Iheld onto him tighter. My fingers threaded through his hair, while his arms wrapped around me, strong and secure.

Our breaths grew wild, tangled together through the kiss. His lips dominated mine with a hunger I matched with equal passion. I pushed him against the wall of the pool, tilting my face, and kissed him deeper, more recklessly.

“Ahh…” I breathed between kisses, just as his mouth began trailing down to my neck.

His lips were velvety against my skin, yet filled with a powerful urgency that made my head tip back with a soft gasp. My lashes fluttered closed, and I lost myself in the sensation of his mouth claiming every inch of my neck. My body responded profoundly to his touches as I shifted in his lap.

His hand cupped the small of my back, holding me to him. And he kissed a path to my ear, whispering in a slow and low voice, sending a ripple down my spine,“I want to spend the night with you, Nandani. I want to feel you. Smell you. Breathe you. I want you… for the rest of my life. Nothing else matters to me but this distance between us. I want to erase it. All of it,” He gently tugged at my earlobe with his lips, and I shivered in his arms.

He pulled back, just slightly, enough to let our eyes meet.

“Will you?” he asked, his voice steady, yet raw.

The softness in his touch melted me utterly, sending a deep, shivering sensation down my spine. I couldn’t stop myself and nodded.

“Words,” he whispered, feathering his finger over my chin.

“Yes,” I breathed, barely audible.

I then saw how he silently smiled, one that bloomed in his eyes, not his lips. And in that moment, another shiver coursed through me.

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