Page 33 of Love Locked
What was he thinking? Did she even want to know?
NO. She didn’t.
He wasn’t supposed to read everything on that list. She yanked at her hair and screamed into the pillow. What would he think of her? She was now locked with him and couldn’t even avoid him.
God, why did this happen?
ELEVEN
After hiding in the bedroom all day, Kyra came down late in the evening to find Kabir lounging in an uncomfortable position on the couch. The tricky thing about being a jerk was that you didn’t realise it until you were one, and she conceded that she was one for not even thinking about where he would have slept last night.
Even with all the fire lit inside the cabin, it was freezing cold. She had behaved like a spoiled brat. The room upstairs had a cosy double bed, so they could easily share it. They were both adults, and she was sure they could sleep together without making the situation awkward.
“Kabir, I’m sorry you spent the night on the couch yesterday. I didn’t realise it until now. I was fast asleep last night when you—” Kyra looked guilty.
“It’s okay, princess. Don’t worry,” Kabir told her as he got up. “Since I work late in the office, I often end up crashing on a couch, and I’ve had much worse sleep than this.”
Swallowing down the guilt, she turned around and faced the glass-walled part of the cabin. This was the best part of the cabin. They could see the beauty of the surroundings. At this moment, it looked like an arctic blast out there.
Kyra shivered. “The storm feels like...like a devil swallowing us whole.”
His eyes were intensely fixed on her as he tilted his head. “You okay, princess?”
She was partly okay as she carefully rubbed her hands along her upper arms. “Well, yes… I thought the worst part of the trip was the drive, but being trapped in a random house for who knows how long while simply praying we don’t, well…die from freezing or anything is incredibly disconcerting.”
Kabir cautiously walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders as if he expected her to start crying at any moment. “We won’t freeze to death. The fireplace has lots of wood, and it gets rather toasty in here. We have a generator that can run for a day and plenty of other supplies too.”
Her bright eyes were incredibly wide and full of trust. They had faith that he would help them get through this. Her level of trust and confidence touched his heart rather than making him want to run away. She continued to pique his interest the same way she had last night. He gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze, and her stiff muscles relaxed.
Kyra nodded. “We have enough food?”
He squeezed her shoulder in reassurance. “We do. Shyamlal kaka is very thorough with his job as a caretaker. Despite knowing, I never stay at this outhouse, he keeps his pantry stocked with everything whenever I’m here. My assistant sends him a list of things I like to eat.” He then went into the kitchen.
Kabir opened the pantry with a triumphant smile on his face. “See?” Pulling out a packet of marshmallows, he assured her. “We might set a record for knocking items off your wish list quickly,” he said, scrutinising her serious face. “I mean… Not everything on your list,” he clarified. “But at least—”
“I got it.” Kyra saved him the trouble of explaining. “Even if I had to nearly coerce you, I’m just glad you’re helping me. I don’t know how I’ll repay this favour.”
“You don’t have to, princess. We are practically family.”
And there it was. The sentence dimmed her smile as she had forgotten that he would help her because she was Mira’s sister and not for her awesome personality.
“The least I can do is offer you the bed. Please don’t sleep on the couch, Kabir. I don’t want you to sleep uncomfortably. Let’s sleep together. I mean—” She fumbled as he stopped rummaging through the pantry to give her an unreadable look. “I mean... We can sleep on the same bed. It’s not a big deal. It’s freaking cold here. We’ll build a pillow fort in between. I don’t even snore—”
“Princess, I understand. We can sleep on the same bed.” Kabir smiled tightly, relieving her discomfort. Her words sparked a bolt of lust in his body. He yearned to kiss her luscious mouth but resisted himself.
He was going to be kind even though his mind was racing. He was going to make an effort to be a decent human being, not the horny man he had became. This was not the time to make a move on her or gawk at her like a pervert. This was Kyra and not some random floozy. After leaving this gloomy, snow-covered town, he really needed to get laid.
“Cool.” She blinked.
“Now, up you go with all these things.” He handed her a pack of marshmallows and stuff. “As you said, it’s cold. We need something to drink. I’ll be there with some booze I have in the car.”
“Sounds good.” She let out a sigh of relief.
After a short while, he walked to the car and got the booze. He stopped when he noticed Kyra’s hair scarf lying on the ground, close to the staircase. He grabbed it and felt its silky softness in his palm. He stared at it for a full second before doing the unthinkable and tucked it against his face to smell her shampoo.
He inhaled it like an elixir, and his oxygen supply depended on it. The scent was exquisite, with fruity perfume and lovely strawberries and mint undertones. It was as potent as a hit of a drug. His need for her doubled, and it made him dizzy. He pushed his glasses on his nose and cleared his mind of ridiculous ideas.He was acting crazy.
When Kabir got upstairs inside the room, Kyra was standing near the bed, putting up her laptop for charging. She’d tucked her phone into the waistband of her pink leggings that accentuated her slim legs and waist. Her grey off-shoulder top wrapped her curves enticingly, making her look hotter than sin. She brought his fantasy to life.
