Chapter 4
He shouldn’t have cared. That was the part irritating him the most. Akash walked along the wooden jetty toward the far end of the lagoon, sunglasses shielding his eyes from the glare bouncing off the water from the midmorning sun.
He barely registered the beauty around him.
Her words from last night replayed instead.
Living off your sister’s money.
Most people didn’t know his truth. Perhaps a lot of them thought the same thing. Usually, he didn’t care. He knew his time was coming. But hearing those words from her? They had landed differently. Wounded him, as she knew they would.
Hence, he didn’t understand why she’d stayed by his side this morning to play with the kids. Why she had tried to behave as though nothing was wrong. Why she had tried to make small talk with him. If she truly thought so little of him, why even bother?
He exhaled sharply and forced his attention forward, finally allowing himself to take in the view.
The ocean stretched endlessly before him, shades of aqua bleeding into deep blue where the reef dropped away.
The Maldives was breathtaking as always, and the Sehgal Coral Bay resort, with its overwater villas, beach suites and quiet luxury, only amplified the illusion of perfection.
He paused at the edge of the jetty, his hands resting lightly on the railing, and stared out at the water. For a moment, the vastness of it steadied him.
He smiled, thinking of the activity he’d planned for himself. He loved snorkeling and indulged in it as and when the opportunity arose. And today, it felt perfect. An hour underwater. An hour of silence. No thoughts and no conversations. Bliss.
At the end of the jetty, a resort staff member waited beside a sleek white speedboat idling gently in the water. The young woman smiled as Akash stepped aboard, welcoming him warmly.
He paused when he noticed a woman standing near the edge of the boat, her back to him, facing the open water. A wide sun hat shielded her face, and the breeze lifted the hem of the strappy beige linen dress she wore, making it ripple against her bare legs.
She turned, and his breath stalled.
Shauna.
Her lips parted in visible shock as she recognized him.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he muttered under his breath.
She was the reason he wanted solitude, just some time off not to think about her. And now, she was here, doing the exact same excursion he had planned.
Unbelievable. The gods truly had a twisted sense of humor.
She walked forward slowly, every step measured.
“You requested snorkeling too?” she asked, stopping a few feet away from him.
“Obviously.”
Her lips tightened at his cold response.
Ignoring her, he addressed the staff member. “I requested a private speedboat?”
The woman lowered her head. “Apologies, Sir. Since the hotel has just launched, we are a bit short on speedboats. This was the only one available. However, it’s just the two of you today.”
“Fucking unbelievable,” Akash muttered.
Shauna’s eyes flashed. “What is your problem? We’re just sharing a boat. It’s not the end of the world.”
“This was supposed to be a stress-free activity.” He let out a sharp breath. “Doing anything with you isn’t exactly peaceful.”
Her glare sharpened. “Trust me, the feeling is mutual.”
He shot her an angry look. She didn’t flinch. She just met his glare, refusing to yield as the familiar battle sparked between them once more.
Akash dragged a hand through his hair and exhaled. “Fine. Let’s just get on with it.”
He moved to one side of the boat and sat down. Shauna perched on the opposite end, her back straight, chin lifted.
The engine roared loudly as the boat pulled away from the jetty, cutting cleanly through the water.
Within seconds, the resort began shrinking behind them.
Spray kicked up along the sides, cool droplets misting his arms and face.
The wind rushed past, tugging at his shirt, carrying the sharp, clean scent of salt through the air.
His nerves had coiled tight the moment he’d seen her. But as the boat gained speed and the vastness of the ocean stretched around him, something inside him began to loosen. It was a beautiful day, and he wasn’t going to let Shauna ruin it for him.
Soon, the boat began to slow, the low hum of the engine fading as it drifted toward the snorkeling point. Akash tossed his sunglasses onto the seat and tugged his shirt over his head. The breeze hit his bare skin as he stepped out of his slippers.
He turned and froze as Shauna slipped her dress up and over her head in one smooth motion.
His breath caught. The bright green fabric clung to her skin, vivid against the blue around them. His gaze moved before he could stop it, down the elegant line of her shoulders, over the soft curves of her breasts, down the dip of her waist and the sweep of her hips.
Fuck. Shauna was gorgeous as always. But dressed like this in a two-piece bikini, she was… stunning. Sexy without even trying. So damn dangerous.
For a split second, memory betrayed him. He remembered his hands tracing that same glowing skin, his mouth following a slow, reverent path down her body. He remembered the sounds she had made. The way she’d melted under him. He’d be lying if he said he wouldn’t repeat it all in a heartbeat.
He exhaled sharply. Fuck. He was a fool for still lusting after her. History had proved time and again that she wasn’t meant for him. Their hostility alone should have been enough to kill whatever this was, yet he couldn’t stop looking at her. Couldn’t stop being drawn to her.
He forced himself to stop ogling her when he realized that she hadn’t moved either. Her eyes were on him too. Fully on him.
He felt that slow, deliberate sweep of her gaze like a caress.
Her eyes roamed from the top of his head, down the slope of his shoulders, across his chest. Then lower.
Over the tight lines of his abdomen and down the length of his legs.
Heat flared beneath his skin. His pulse kicked harder, and his body hardened, betraying him.
A pointed clearing of a throat shattered the moment. He tore his eyes from her as the attendant stepped closer.
“Best to enter from the side,” the woman explained. “Stay within the marked area. If you’re not a strong swimmer, wear the life jacket. Currents can surprise you.”
She held out a snorkeling mask.
Akash shook his head. “I’m good.”
The ocean didn’t scare him. Besides, he was an expert swimmer. Without sparing Shauna another glance—because he knew if he did, he wouldn’t stop—he fitted the mask over his face and dove cleanly off the side of the boat, slicing into the turquoise water below.
The water swallowed him whole. For a few blissful minutes, everything else disappeared.
The world above, the tension, her… everything faded into the hush of the ocean.
Sunlight streamed down in shifting columns, turning the water into liquid gold.
Schools of silver fish darted past him, flashing like scattered coins.
Coral bloomed below in impossible shades of violet, rust, and electric blue.
He let himself drift, breathing slow and steady through the snorkel, the ocean familiar and calming against his skin.
Then he dove deeper. He kicked down toward a sprawling coral formation, wanting a closer look at the intricate ridges and waving anemones nestled between the rocks.
A sudden streak of bright green flashed at the edge of his vision. He turned.
Shauna.
She moved through the water like she belonged there, her movements sleek, controlled, and powerful. Her hair floated around her like dark ink as she angled toward another coral cluster. Without thinking, he followed.
He saw her stop near a wide fan of coral, her hand fluttering as she leaned in to examine something. And that’s when he saw it. A translucent bell drifted through the water; it’s delicate venomous tendrils pulsing just inches from her arm. Jellyfish.
His heart slammed against his ribs. He surged forward, grabbing her wrist and yanking her sideways just as the creature drifted past where her hand had been.
Her eyes flew to his, wide behind the mask. He shook his head once, then pointed at the jellyfish that simply floated on. For a second, they simply hovered there, her hand still wrapped in his. Even underwater, he could feel his pulse pounding.
She didn’t pull her hand away. Not immediately. Her eyes searched his through the glass of their masks, something softer replacing the earlier fire. Then slowly, deliberately, she loosened her hold. Kicking her legs, she rose up. He followed.
Breaking through the surface, she pushed her mask up at the same time as him. Water slicked her hair back from her face as she blinked at him.
“Thank you for that,” she said quietly.
He nodded once. “You’re welcome.”
A beat passed. The boat floated a short distance away, the world strangely distant around them. Without another word, she adjusted her mask and tipped backward into the water again. He followed. This time, she stayed beside him.
A cluster of clownfish swam past him. He reached for her arm and pointed.
She turned, her eyes wide behind the mask, her shoulders brushing his in the current.
The ocean wrapped around him, cool and endless as he explored the beauty with her by his side.
Each time he dove deeper, she followed, unafraid. Bold and curious as ever.
A long time later, he surfaced, his limbs pleasantly tired. Shauna followed him.
Pushing her mask onto her head, she said, “That was amazing, wasn’t it? So beautiful.”
He pulled his own mask off, dragging a hand through his wet hair. He studied her. Eyes bright, cheeks flushed, and skin glowing under the sun.
“So beautiful,” he replied, unable to pull his gaze away from her.
Her eyes met his, and something hot flickered there. She floated closer to him, circling him slowly, studying him with the same intensity he was watching her.