Chapter 18
KAVYA
It had been ninety-five minutes since I arrived, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I couldn’t stop smiling. My cheeks ached, my chest felt lighter, and every laugh seemed to peel away the heaviness I’d been carrying.
I counted each second, not because I wanted to leave, but because I didn’t want this moment to end. I didn’t want him to slip back into that other version of himself. I wanted us to stay like this forever.
If it meant spending time with a drunk Saurav Chauhan to see this side of him, maybe it was worth it. Because the man sitting across from me wasn’t cold or distant. He was alive, charming, and infuriatingly funny.
I glanced at the empty wine bottle on the table, then at him. His sleeves were rolled up, his posture loose, and for once, the weight of authority wasn’t pressing down on his shoulders.
He was talking nonstop.
And I was listening like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.
“…and then he slipped,” he continued, laughter bubbling up despite his attempt to hold it back. “Right in front of the instructor. Full confidence, perfect march and then boom.”
I burst out laughing. “You’re lying.”
“I swear I’m not,” he said, raising his hand dramatically. “Saurav Chauhan does not lie.”
“Oh really?” I leaned forward. “And you? You never slipped?”
He scoffed, mock-offended. “I was the best in my batch.”
“Of course you were.”
“I’m serious,” he insisted, though his grin betrayed him. “Top in endurance, drills, even survival training.”
I tilted my head. “Survival training?”
His eyes lit up instantly, like a boy eager to brag. “Three days. No proper food, barely any water, and we had to navigate back using only a map and instincts.” He leaned back, shaking his head. “One guy tried to eat something he thought was edible.”
“And?”
“He spent the next nine hours clutching his stomach and visiting… safe zones. By the end, he’d mapped every bush, tree, and suspicious-looking rock within five miles. Honestly, if survival training was about finding toilets, he’d have been top of the class.”
I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. “That’s terrible.”
“It was hilarious,” he corrected.
He watched me for a moment, and something shifted. I straightened suddenly, smoothing my hair, self-conscious under his gaze.
“Is something wrong?” I asked, clearing my throat.
“You don’t laugh like this,” he said quietly.
My smile faltered. “Maybe I never had a reason to.”
His jaw tightened, as if he wanted to say more but stopped himself. Then, softly: “You look cute when you smile.”
Heat crept into my cheeks. I busied myself with the wine glass, though I hadn’t taken a sip, just nibbled at a few cookies. The garden was beautiful, but the decorations made it feel expensive, almost too polished.
I looked back at Saurav. He had just opened another bottle, pouring himself a glass. Silence settled between us, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
The wind picked up, rustling the leaves. Somewhere in the distance, thunder rolled low and heavy.
I wrapped my arms around myself. “It’s getting cold.”
“Maybe we should find shelter,” he muttered, already looking around for shelter. “Otherwise you’ll fall sick.”
“Yes, we should…”
He glanced upward. “Looks like it’s going to rain.”
Almost on cue, raindrops began to fall slowly at first, and then heavier, until it became a steady downpour.
“Great,” I said, laughing nervously. “Now what? Where do we go?”
He pointed toward a small cottage at the edge of the garden. “There.”
We ran.
I clung to his arm as the rain drenched us, soaking through everything. By the time we reached the cottage, we were breathless, dripping, and laughing like fools.
He pushed the door open, and we stepped inside. It was small, quiet, and almost picturesque. The rain hammered the roof, filling the silence. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Water dripped from my hair, my clothes, his shoulders.
I turned toward him. And that’s when that shift happened again.
His gaze dropped, tracing the way the silk of my dress clung to every curve, betraying the heat blooming beneath the fabric.
I was standing too close. I knew it, but the magnetic pull was impossible to resist. The air between us thickened, heavy and stifling, vibrating with a sudden, electric charge.
My breath hitched in my throat, a ragged sound in the quiet room.
“Saurav…” I whispered. I didn’t know what I was asking for, only that the silence was becoming unbearable.
He looked up, his eyes meeting mine. The usual arrogance and coldness had vanished, replaced by something far more predatory. It was raw hunger, a dark desire that made my knees weak.
“Don’t,” he said. The word was a warning, but his voice lacked the steel to back it up.
“Don’t what?” I asked softly. My heart hammered against my ribs as I looked at him. His T-shirt was plastered to the hard, sculpted lines of his torso, the thin cotton doing nothing to hide the powerful physique beneath. I could see the sharp definition of his abs with every shallow breath he took.
His jaw tightened, a muscle leaping in his cheek, but his eyes betrayed the control he was trying to maintain. They darkened, swirling with a primal need.
“Don’t,” he repeated, the word falling like a plea he knew I would ignore.
I leaned in, the scent of his cologne and warm skin filling my senses. “Don’t what?”
The silence stretched, so thick I could hear nothing but the frantic thrumming of my own pulse. His gaze flickered to my lips, lingering there for a heartbeat before snapping back to mine. The tension finally snapped.
His hand flexed against the armrest, his knuckles white as he fought the urge to reach out. “Don’t make me want what I shouldn’t have.”
The confession hung in the air, intoxicating and dangerous. I swallowed hard, every nerve ending screaming for him to bridge the gap, to shatter the boundary he had just tried to draw.
"I'm your wife," I breathed, my voice trembling as he finally closed the distance. "What is stopping you?"
"Do you really want this... us?" He rasped, his face inches from mine.
"Yes," I whispered, not giving him a chance to finish the doubt.
He didn't let me say another word. His mouth crashed into mine with a desperate, starved energy.
The kiss was deep and urgent, a collision of suppressed longing.
I let out a soft moan as he hooked an arm around my waist, pulling me flush against his hard chest while pinning me back against the wall.
His free hand slammed against the wall beside my head, grounding us as he tilted his face to drink deeper.
His lips weren't gentle; they were the lips of a man who had been wandering a desert and had finally found water.
He pulled back for a fraction of a second, both of us gasping for air, before he surrendered again. He gripped my hair, tilting my head back to expose my throat, his touch a perfect balance of passion and agonizing restraint.
“Oh God, Saurav!” The cry escaped me as his hand slid downward, his touch searing through the thin fabric of my underwear.
“You want this, don't you, babe?” he honeyed-rasped against my skin, trailing his lips down the column of my neck. His kisses were no longer rushed; they were deliberate and worshipful. I gripped his damp hair, closing my eyes as a wave of heat crashed over me.
I had never felt anything like this. I had never been with a man, this was the uncharted territory of my soul.
With a low growl, Saurav swept me into his arms and carried me toward the bedroom. He laid me back against the pillows with surprising tenderness before shedding his clothes. In the dim light, he looked like a statue come to life.
“Turn around,” he commanded softly, his voice dripping with an effortless authority that made my pulse jump.
“I... I…”
“Turn around now,” he repeated, the softness of his tone belying the heat in his eyes.
I obeyed, my skin prickling as I felt his presence behind me. His hands were cool against my heated skin as he deftly untied the fastenings of my dress. He eased the straps down, letting the fabric pool around my waist.
“Wow,” he breathed, his warm breath ghosting over the nape of my neck. “You're more beautiful than I ever imagined, Kav.”
My breath caught as his hands moved forward, palming my breasts with a reverent touch. “So beautiful… ” His hand was rough yet gentle. “Look at yourself, Kav. Look at us.”
I looked into the large mirror across from the bed. The sight made my core ache. Saurav was behind me, his dark silhouette a stark contrast to my pale skin. One of his hands moved to my waist, pulling me back against him until I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
“Tell me what you want,” he whispered into my ear, his hand sliding lower, grazing the edge of my lace panties. “Do you want my hand there?”
I could only nod, my throat too tight for words. He slid his hand inside, and I whimpered as he began a slow, rhythmic torture. When he finally urged a finger inside, my breath left me in a rush.
“Does it hurt?” he asked, his voice thick.
I shook my head, biting my lip to keep from crying out, my hands gripping his forearms to steady my shaking body.
“Do you want more?”
I gasped as I felt his impressive hardness pressing against me. A moment later he added a second finger, the friction sending sparks through my system. His firm chest was a solid wall against my back, reminding me of just how powerful he was.
“Saurav…” I trembled, caught in a storm of pleasure I didn't know how to navigate.
“You want more?” he teased, his lips grazing my shoulder.
”I want you,” I managed to grit out through clenched teeth.
“How?”
“Inside me... please.”
He spun me around, his movements fluid and dark. He moved with a focused intensity, and as he prepared to join our bodies, time seemed to freeze. He moved inside me, his eyes were dark voids of hunger.
“I can't hold back anymore, Kav,” he breathed, his voice a ragged edge. He pushed forward, slowly, giving my body time to accept him. “Is it hurting?”
I nodded slightly, a single tear escaping as the pressure intensified.
“Were you... a virgin?” He stilled, his expression fracturing with a mix of shock and something like protective fury.
I nodded again, the tear sliding down my cheek.
“Damn it,” he hissed softly, pressing his forehead against mine. “I'll go slow. I promise.”
He began to move, a slow, rhythmic tide that eventually pulled the pain away, replacing it with an overwhelming, soul-searing heat. I clung to his muscular arms, shivering under the weight of the moment. He kept kissing me, never once pulling away. It was a night etched into my very bones.
“You're amazing, Kav,” he whispered against my lips as the world finally settled.
“So are you… ”
Later, under the cool spray of the shower, the reality of what we had shared settled over us. We didn't speak; we didn't need to. We simply collapsed into the sheets, drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep, tangled together.
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