ch 52 Belong to me
https://youtu.be/IX7h0-7wC_0
Ashiana peeked into his cabin, muttering under her breath.
"oh, how dare he... just leaves like that after teasing me? ugh, mr. malhotra, you won't get away with this!"
but the room was empty.
she huffed, crossing my arms. "ha! dekha, mere darr se chale gaye."
wandering behind his desk, she brushed her fingers over the polished wood and the back of his chair. his coat hung there. she hesitated... then slipped it over her shoulders.
the faint scent of his cologne wrapped around her warm, clean, unmistakably him.
"great," she whispered, flustered, "now even his smell makes me dizzy."
trying to shake off the blush, she plopped into his chair, spun it once, and deepened her voice in imitation.
"Ii'm the Aarav malhotra... king of the underworld. the world doesn't rule me I rule the world."
she picked up his empty whiskey glass, swirling it dramatically before striking his usual serious pose.
"look at me," she said to the empty room, grinning, "bossing the world already."
Just as she spun the chair again, pretending to look all serious and intimidating, the door clicked open.
"Ahem."
The sound froze me mid-twirl.
The chair turned slowly, and there he was Aarav Malhotra himself, leaning against the doorframe, one eyebrow raised, that unreadable half-smile tugging at his lips.
"Enjoying... my throne, Ms. Sharma?" he asked, voice low, calm the kind of calm that makes her heartbeat trip over itself.
she jumped up instantly, fumbling with his coat. "I—uh—it was just— I was, um, testing the comfort level, sir."
"Comfort level," he repeated, stepping closer. "And?"
"Very comfortable," she admitted before her brain could stop her mouth.
He smirked, taking another step until the desk separated us by only inches. "Good to know you approve. Though, for future reference..."
He leaned in just enough that his breath brushed her ear. "...this seat tends to feel different when it's actually mine."
her cheeks burned her tongue tangled. "I-I was just pretending."
"Oh, I could see that," he said, glancing at the glass still in her hand. "Even the whisky?"
she gulped. "Empty glass, sir."
He chuckled softly, took the glass from her, and set it down. "Keep pretending, Ms. Sharma. You wear command better than you think."
He straightened, that teasing flicker still in his eyes, and walked around to his side of the desk, sitting back down as if nothing had happened.
she exhaled, heart pounding, and muttered under her breath, "I'm never pretending again."
He caught her wrist before she could step away, and spun her.
made her sit on his lap.
her heart skipped, caught off gaurd.
"where you think you are going?," he said quietly, but there was no anger only that cool authority that made her pulse stutter.
Ashiana blinked. "Sir?"
Aarav's gaze locked on hers, dark, unflinching. "I don't like seeing you close to Vihaan."
Her breath hitched. "He's a colleague. It was just—"
"I know what it was." His voice dropped lower. "But I also know what it looked like."
She held his stare, the space between them charged with things neither of them dared say.
After a long pause, he exhaled, tension softening just a little, circling lazily on her hips.
"You don't need to prove anything to anyone, Ashiana. Just... stay careful. Some people don't deserve to stand that close to you."
The silence that followed wasn't cold it was heavy, warm, filled with something that both steadied and unsettled her.
Ashiana leaned closer, mischief glinting in her eyes. "So my boyfriend is jealous now?"
she teased, brushing her nose against his in a mock challenge.
Aarav's brows lifted. "Boyfriend?"
She smirked. "Well, for the world I'm still single... anyone could propose, you know."
He gave a low chuckle the kind that rumbled more than laughed. "Anyone, hmm?" His tone carried both amusement and warning.
Ashiana grinned wider, flicking her hair back . "Don't look at me like that. I'm just saying facts."
Aarav leaned forward to make her catch her breath, their lips touched.
"Then let the world try," he said softly. "They'll learn facts too."
his hands, which had been resting loosely on her waist, tightened.
Not painfully, but with an unmistakable possessiveness.
Ashiana's teasing grin faltered.
Before she could respond, before she could even process the sudden shift in atmosphere, his mouth descended on hers.
It wasn't the lingering, sweet kiss they often shared in stolen moments.
This was a claiming.
His lips were hungry, a little bruising, demanding a response.
He kissed her like he was trying to erase every other touch, every other thought, every other name from her mind.
Her hands instinctively went to his shoulders, gripping them as if to steady herself against him.
She felt the fierce press of his body against hers, a silent declaration that she belonged to him, and him alone.
His kiss deepened, becoming a wordless interrogation, a desperate plea for reassurance that only she could provide.
In that moment, the entire world outside their embrace faded, leaving only the raw, undeniable heat of his possessive love.
he pulled back slightly both breathless.
His hand stayed at her jaw, thumb grazing her cheecks and jawline as if memorizing it.
The teasing in his eyes was gone now replaced by something darker, something that claimed space between them.
"You don't get it, do you?" he said quietly, his voice roughened by restraint. "You can laugh with anyone, talk with anyone..."
He leaned closer, his breath brushing her cheek. "...but you are mine, Ashiana. Only mine."
The words weren't loud but they carried the weight of a promise, a warning, and something dangerously close to a confession.
She looked up at him, heartbeat trembling in her chest. "Aarav..."
He didn't answer. Just watched her, his hand still steady at her face, as if daring her to deny it.
then she smirks'' and what if... I say... no'' she said while brushing fake dust from his coat.
Aarav's eyes darkened instantly, the air between them shifting charged, dangerous, thick with tension.
He tilted his head slightly, that half-smile of his gone, replaced by something colder.
He leaned in, voice low enough that it brushed against her ear.
"Then I'd have to remind you why you don't get to say no to me, Ms Sharma,"
he said, every word measured, his tone more a vow than a threat.
His gaze dropped briefly to where her fingers still dusted his coat, then back to her eyes.
"Careful what game you start," he murmured. "You might not be ready for how I finish it."
His hand shot up, abandoning the dangerous path of her waist to cup the back of her head,
his fingers threading into her hair with a surprising, non-negotiable grip.
He dragged her forward, closing the last few inches between them with a sudden, devastating force.
His mouth seized hers.
His lips were a demanding pressure, moving against hers with a hard, relentless rhythm that gave her no room to think, only to feel.
his other hand swept down, bypassing the delicate curve of her waist
to settle low on her hip,
pressing her flush against the solid heat of his body.
His touch was an uncompromising claim, moving on the fabric of her clothing,
a restless, searching exploration that left a trail of goosebumps in its wake.
She felt herself melt into him,
her pulse racing,
her fingers curling into his shirt as if she could hold the moment still.
When he finally drew back, his forehead rested against hers.
"Now do you understand?" he said, his voice low, roughened by emotion. "You belong with me.
She was still catching her breath when their foreheads touched, the world narrowing to just the space between them.
Her lips tingled where his had been.
"Yours," she murmured softly, almost like a promise. "My Aarav... only yours."
He gave a small, satisfied smile that reached his eyes for the first time that day.
She let out a tiny laugh, brushing her fingers over her lips.
"Offo, Aarav... look at what you've done. Now how am I supposed to go outside like this? Everyone will think something's up."
He chuckled under his breath, tracing his thumb lightly along her lips. "that you are mine," he said. " and You know the truth."