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“Wow. All you know is to break things and turn them ugly.”

He ignores my taunt and repeats the same query. “Why did you meet him?”

“Why should I tell you?”

“I think you know why?”

Our gazes deny dropping from each other’s, and it’s at this moment I realize I am unleashing the beast again in the man who married me. I am not afraid of him anymore but whatever I am playing right now, needs me to calm down and act wisely.

“You can’t control my life, Aarav. At least that’s not what I would like, if we are working on this marriage.”

Again, I am giving him false hopes that I’m interested in continuing our relationship, but this is only temporary. I don’t want to, but I have to. Aarav stares at my face as if finding an alternate way to deal with this situation.

“Pack your bags then, Jaan. Warm clothes. We are going out this weekend.”

Out? Where? I don’t want to go anywhere alone with him.

“Uh, I don’t think I can..”

I haven’t even completed that sentence when Aarav reaches me and pins me to the table behind. I literally sit half on it, with Aarav’s hands on either side of the table, securing me in that place. My knees push into his abdomen as he closes the distance between us. This man is all dominance and no matter how much I want to ignore the fact that it scares me, I can’t.

“I am not asking. I am telling you, Jaan. I have some deal to sign in Mussourie and I am taking my wife along to spend that weekend with her parallelly. Our first getaway together. Just us..”

“It’s too soon.” I swallow.

“We have to begin somewhere if we plan to work on our marriage. Let’s not waste a beautiful opportunity. If nothing else, you could get to see a new city.”

Well!! He has answers to all my excuses.

“Unless you don’t want to come with me because this wholewant-to-work-on-our-marriagething is a facade to hide the real motive behind why you are staying with me.”

He is becoming suspicious, and I have to divert him.

“Fine.” I nod. “I am ready to travel but you have to promise me one thing.”

“Which is?”

Aarav’s gaze lowers from my eyes to my lips and then back to my eyes. He does that always but this is the first time we are having a conversation, so close.Part of my pretense. I clarify my subconscious mind.

“You can’t repeat what happened at the reception party.”

“You mean I can’t kiss youpublicly?” His brows knit together.

“You can’t kiss meforcibly,” I correct him. “In fact, you can’t kiss me at all.”

“Done.”

I am about to take a sigh of relief, though it’s complicated if I should trust him to keep his words or not, when suddenly he leans to my ear. What the hell is he doing?

“The next time we kiss, Jaan, it will be you initiating. I promise.”

My heart trips at his comment. He’s living in a dream if he thinks I am ever going to kiss him. But of course, I can’t say that aloud. So tactfully, I place my palms over his chest and push him gently away from me. Distance is all I need from him because now there are butterflies in my stomach. Crazy!! I feel nothing for Aarav Raichand except hatred then why is my body responding differently? Is it because Aman said Aarav is a good man? Or only because Aarav knows what my choices are unlike Mohit who never cared? Or has Aarav drugged me to feel something for him through his forced kiss? I don’t know what that is, but I will not fall for it.

CHAPTER 21

Aarav

As soon as we check in at the luxury hotel suite in Mussourie, Jhanvi was off to see the room.Typical women!!I’m still surprised she agreed to travel with me all alone without her bodyguard friend, Jaya Parekh. Though the latter insisted she could free up some schedule to make it here with us. Jhanvi seemed confident to deny her, which puts me into another puzzle. What is she up to? I know she won’t easily give up meeting the other Raichands, especially Mohit, which is why I wanted her to accompany me for this quick weekend getaway. After our kiss,a forced kiss, I haven’t been able to forgive myself for what I did. I have never been this wild and raw with anyone before, but that moment itself was so tricky that I couldn’t control my anger, especially after seeing Jhanvi coming out of Mohit’s bedroom. But now I had to rectify it and this little getaway had given me that opportunity.

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