Chapter 23
Akash woke to the sharp, insistent ringing of his phone. The sound cut through the unfamiliar heaviness of sleep, dragging him back to awareness. With a groan, he reached for his cellphone, eyes still half-closed, and brought the screen into focus.
Reema. Why was she calling him?
He frowned, then glanced at the time.
He shot upright instantly, running a hand through his hair in disbelief. He’d never slept this late in as long as he could remember. He woke up unfailingly at seven every morning. It had been his routine for years. He never even needed an alarm clock.
He raked a hand through his hair as memories of the previous night came rushing back. Picking up Shauna for their date, going to the new house, seeing his father’s image, going to Janak’s house, and then returning here with her.
God, his father. He’d killed someone. He’d been imprisoned, and now he was out.
All of that had been disturbing. The weight of it had lingered, leaving him tense, restless, and on edge, which usually guaranteed a sleepless night. And yet, for the first time in what felt like forever, he’d slept deeply despite his stress and anxiety.
And it had all been thanks to her. Shauna.
His heart pounded as he remembered how she hadn’t left last night.
She’d seen him distressed and stayed. She’d held him and given herself to him to ease his pain and fear.
And he’d selfishly taken all she had to offer him.
He’d lost control thoroughly with her. He’d been wild and unrestrained, and now he suddenly feared he might have hurt her in the process.
His gaze swept the room, searching for her. But she wasn’t there. The other side of the bed was cool, the faintest trace of her scent still lingering on the sheets. His phone buzzed again in his hand.
Shauna
Hope you’ve woken up feeling good. I’ll see you at work.
I am good. Thank you for staying. I don’t remember the last time I slept so well or fell asleep so quickly.
Well, he was more than good, thanks to her. He stared at the screen for half a second. She sounded okay, right? He had to know. He typed quickly.
Are you okay? Did I hurt you last night?
Her reply came almost instantly.
Shauna
I’m not made of glass, you know.
He exhaled, but it didn’t fully ease the tension in his chest.
I wasn’t in control last night…
Three dots appeared. He stilled, watching them, his heart rate picking up as he waited for her response.
Shauna
Maybe I like you not in control.
Something in his chest shifted at that. A smile tugged at his mouth. He really had met his match with her. He kept rereading her message, his heart racing at the implication in her words. His finger hovered over the screen.
Shauna
Did I really manage to silence you, Akash Karia?
He barked out a laugh as he read her text.
Lifting his phone higher, he angled it slightly and clicked a selfie.
For a second, he studied himself. The image captured him exactly as he was—bare-chested, the morning light cutting across the planes of his shoulders and chest, his hair mussed from sleep, the sheets gathered at his waist. He sent it to her without a second thought.
Three dots appeared and… disappeared.
Did I manage to silence you, Shauna Sehgal?
Shauna
Umm… I’m in a meeting. Next time, please give a girl a little advance notice before sending her a sexy pic. I nearly dropped my phone, you know.
Didn’t realize I had that effect on you.
Shauna
Last night was proof enough that you do affect me.
His gaze lingered on the message. Last night had been incredible.
Not just in its intensity, but in the way she had been there with him and for him.
She’d understood him, steadied him, and unraveled him so completely.
Something was unfurling between them, something he could no longer deny.
Yet, considering their volatile history, he feared it as well.
Another message popped up on his screen.
Shauna
Some of us have to work. I should go. But take the day off if you need to.
A pause… Then…
Shauna
And if you stay exactly like that in bed, I’ll be tempted to ditch work and come to you.
Akash: Why? What will you do if I stay like this?
There was a longer pause this time. He waited, his heart galloping inside his chest. Then—
Shauna
I’d start slow. Take my time… kiss my way across every inch of you… and then…
His breath caught. Heat surged through him. His body hardened painfully. But she didn’t finish her reply. Seconds stretched...
Shauna? Finish that sentence.
He spent long agonizing moments rereading her message and imagining her mouth on his skin, waiting for her reply.
Fuck. He was going crazy.
No, he was crazy about this woman who had always managed to keep him on his toes.
Shauna
Patience is a virtue, Mr. Karia. And good boys get rewarded ;)
Good boys don’t dream of doing bad things to their future wife, and I want to do very bad things to you.
Shauna
I’ll finish my sentence and allow you to do what you want to me, provided you catch me first…
Alright, Miss Sehgal. I will catch you. Wait and watch.
Shauna
I’ll be waiting, Mr. Karia.
He shot out of bed and headed to the shower. There was no way he could sit at home after that. He needed to see her immediately.
His relationship with Shauna was changing. It was alive, growing, and impossible to ignore. This new version of them was electric. It was filled with easy flirtation and an acknowledgment of just how drawn they were to each other. He loved it.
He reached work nearly an hour later, but the moment he stepped inside his office, he was inundated with people waiting for him and decisions that couldn’t be delayed. His phone buzzed relentlessly, and his emails piled up faster than he could clear them.
The moment he finished one thing, he was pulled into the next, giving him barely any time to find Shauna or even text her.
It wasn’t until several hours later that he finally paused.
He lifted his head from his laptop and exhaled.
He pushed to his feet and, out of habit, turned toward the glass wall of his office overlooking the newsroom below.
The space was alive as always, with cameramen, producers, and all the crew needed to film a show. He scanned the people below, his eyes finally landing on her. Shauna stood off to the side, watching the set with quiet focus. As if sensing him, she lifted her head, and her eyes met his.
She gave him a naughty smile that tugged somewhere deep inside his chest. The urge to go to her, to hold her in his arms again, and to keep her near thrummed through him. Reaching into her pocket, she began to type furiously. His phone beeped. Lifting it, he saw a message from her.
Shauna
Game on. You have 15 minutes to catch me…
A rush of adrenaline kicked in. She wanted to play, and he was all for it. Turning away from the glass, he grabbed his jacket and headed for the newsroom below. But when he got there, she was gone.
Of course. He asked one of the staff there, who told him she’d gone to the production department. He hurried there next, only to miss her again. The team there told him she’d gone to meet Chitra and the news team.
He checked his watch. He had seven minutes remaining. He quickly headed down to the newsroom, only to be told he’d just missed her. Fuck.
He growled low in his throat. It was as if she was always one step ahead of him, leaving crumbs for him to follow and catch her. He went down to the accounts team, where he finally caught sight of her.
She was standing with the accounts team mid-conversation, her posture composed, but her attention shifted the moment she sensed him. Her eyes flicked to his, just for a second. And then her lips curved in a knowing smile. She knew exactly what she was doing.
Before he could reach her, she turned and slipped away, heading toward the elevator. He quickened his pace, intent on catching her, but the same person she’d been talking to stepped into his path, asking him a question and mentioning that Shauna had asked for his approval on a decision.
He told the man to send him an email and rushed to the elevator bank. Shauna glanced at him from inside and gave him a quick, wicked wink just before the doors slid shut.
Fuck, that woman. She was infuriating and irresistible and had turned his day into a chase, one he was enjoying very much. He was going to enjoy himself even more once he caught her.
He tracked the ascent on the elevator panel, finding that it had finally stopped on the top floor.
His floor.
He took the stairs up, and when he reached his floor, he didn’t step out immediately. He stayed to the side, just out of view, watching her.
Shauna stood a little distance away, talking to his assistant, Reema, but her focus wasn’t fully there. Her eyes kept flicking toward the elevator, as if waiting. For him.
A smile crossed his mouth as he stayed where he was. She had started this game of cat and mouse, and now he was going to finish it.
Minutes ticked by. Shauna’s gaze kept drifting to the elevator bank.
She pushed a hand through her hair, her teeth catching her lower lip.
Finally, she moved away from Reema and began walking toward the elevator bank.
He caught her arm and swung her inside the stairwell, shutting the door behind him.
She gasped as he pushed her toward the wall and slammed his mouth against hers.
The moment her lips parted beneath his, something in him snapped.
He deepened the kiss, claiming her mouth with a hunger he couldn’t hold back, tasting her, losing himself in her.
She responded instantly, her arms tightening around his neck, pulling him closer as if she couldn’t get enough either.