Page 18 of Tiger's Destiny
Once again, I marveled at the kindness and patience of this good man. I really didn’t deserve him. I pressed my cheek against Kishan’s chest and said with confidence, “I think what I’d like to do is to moveforwardwith our relationship.”
He grinned. “Just how much forward are you talking about?”
I laughed. “Why don’t we just start with a kiss?”
“I think I can manage that.”
Kishan’s kiss was gentle and sweet. I sighed and wrapped my arms around his neck. I felt thoroughly safe and loved and protected in his arms. Kissing him back and loving him was as easy as slipping into a comfortable pair of sneakers. There was no golden fire. There was no powerful jolt of passion. There was no steel tether that connected us. But there was love.
A happy lifetime could be built on that strong foundation. Kishan would cherish me, and I knew that we would form a bond of our own. Over time, my stubborn heart would soften and would let Kishan possess it completely. I didn’t know when, but I hoped it wouldn’t be too long for both our sakes.
We broke apart when I heard another crash upstairs.
“Talk to him, Kells,” Kishan said intuitively.
With a nod, I headed toward Ren’s room. It was time to clear the air. So much had happened since he had regained his memory. I needed him to be at peace with both Kishan and me.
I found Ren sitting at his desk, staring out the window at the pool. Papers and notes were strewn across the floor and a small bookshelf lay in a heap as if it had just folded in on itself. I stooped to gather the pages and realized they were poems.
“What do you want, Kelsey?” he asked in a quiet voice without turning around.
“I’m here to see what all the commotion is about. Were you trying to take down an elk?”
“What I do in my own room is my business.”
I sighed. “You make itourbusiness when you’re that loud.”
“Fine. The next time that my life is destroyed, I’ll try to express my distress in a quieter fashion, far away from your tender sensibilities.”
“You do have a gift for exaggeration.”
Ren spun around and stared at me incredulously. “The only exaggeration is that you are in possession of tender sensibilities. Obviously that is not the case. Atenderwoman would admit she is wrong. Atenderwoman would listen to her heart. Atenderwoman wouldn’t spurn the man she loves. Do you realize I almost lost you forever? Don’t you have any idea how that affected me? The thought of Lokesh hurting you was more than I could bear.
“Did you know that I could feel you? Your fear, your terror became mine. I haven’t slept in a week and my every agonized wakeful thought was spent wondering if you were hurt and suffering. The hope that I might get you back, to hold you, finally, in my arms and know that you were safe was the only thing that kept me sane.”
“Ren—”
He interrupted, “Then you come home and what do you do? You go traipsing back over to Kishan. I’m allowed to offer you comfort but not love.Kelsey, how can you still deny what you feel for me?”
“You always wax poetic when you’re angry.” I picked up a book and ran my hands over the leather cover. “I prayed for you to come. I knew that the two of you would move heaven and earth to find me if you could. I’m not denying that I love you. I’ve admitted as much to you, in fact.”
“Then explain it to me again. How can you love me and choose Kishan?”
“If you don’t think I love Kishan, you’re mistaken.” I sat on Ren’s bed and sighed, tossing the book onto the nightstand. “Do you believe he’s a good man? That he loves me, will watch over me, protect me, and keep me safe?”
“Yes.”
“Then, in your mind, there is nothing wrong with my choice, except that he’s not you.”
“And there’s also the fact that you’re notin lovewith him,” he said dryly.
“Kishan’s good and kind and brave and wonderful, just like his brother. Isn’t it enough that he makes me happy?”
“No.”
“Then there’s nothing more for me to say.” I smoothed the stack of poems and left them in a neat pile on his desk.
Ren’s eyes burned holes in my back as I quietly left the room.
