Page 58 of Cruise in Love

She didn’t know how long she lay shuddering and gasping for air. When she came to her senses, he was panting into her hair, his heavy body keeping her pinned underneath him.

She felt hot and sticky, and her body was too sore and exhausted.

“I can’t move,” she whined.

She felt the jerk smiling against her shoulder. “Good. At least that will keep you safe until the cruise ends.”

“It’s not funny, you jerk! I’m quite sore and tired.” She had barely caught two or three hours of sleep each night in the past two days. He was relentless, and she was like an addict, craving it even though she knew too much of it might be bad for her.

He rolled away from her, but dragged her close to his hard body. She let out a sound of protest, but he didn’t let her go. He threw his heavy, muscled leg over both her legs and his muscled arm held her tightly against him.

Even though she was hot, sticky and sore and his leg was heavy, her body began to relax.

A small sigh escaped her and her eyes drooped as she stared at the star-lit night sky above the ocean outside.

She had always enjoyed being held in his arms.

Even during the past, when they had the bitterest of fights, she used to calm down when he held her struggling body close. In his arms, she would feel safe and all her fears and worries would disappear.

Over the past seven years, more than sex or any other intimacy, she desperately missed being held by him. She sometimes hugged herself asleep imagining it to be his arms holding her.

“Did you think of me in the past seven years?” she asked.

Her mind felt too relaxed and her barriers went down. She felt brave enough to bring up their past.

His body tensed momentarily before relaxing again. She thought she imagined it because his reply was in a casual tone. “Occasionally,” he said.

He didn’t elaborate any further.

“I thought of you a lot,” she said sleepily. “I didn’t want to, but you were a ghost who haunted me day and night.”

She stared at the starlit sky, reliving those memories where she missed him so much that she thought she might die with heartbreak.

“It affected my marriage,” she said. “I should have just left you and stayed single.”

His arm tightened around her. “Did he mistreat you?”

“No,” she said softly. “Dheeraj was always kind and generous to me. But because of me, he had to lead a lonely life. I feel guilty that he died never having experienced true love.”

There was heavy silence at her confession.

“Why did you marry him?” he asked.

“I married Dheeraj because I knew you’d come after me otherwise. And once again, we’d get back together. I didn’t want that to happen. I couldn’t be with you anymore.”

They had broken up so many times, only for him to woo her back. She had loved him so much that she allowed him to be talked back into being with him. But after she found out the shocking truth, she couldn’t be with him anymore.

But protecting herself from a terrible heartbreak had led to an even worse heartbreak of being apart from him.

A sigh escaped her. Life wasn’t fair. But she somehow accepted it.

Soon, her eyes drooped to the gentle lull of the ocean while her mind gave in to the exhaustion.

CHAPTER 15

Aarav couldn’t sleep.

With nearly two days of continuous sex, his body should have been either exhausted or relaxed enough to sleep. But he felt neither. All he felt was an endless burning hunger that grew in its terrifying intensity.

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