Chapter 17 #3
That question was haunting Siya as well, and she couldn’t come up with an answer she wanted to believe.
‘Maybe you should ask yourself that, because either Kartik doesn’t know what’s going on, or he does, and both answers should worry you.’
The colour drained from Dhruv’s face, then burned red with rage. ‘Are you suggesting he’d deliberately screw up the brand he so painstakingly built?’
‘No, I’m calling for transparency, and this incident proves that’s asking for too much from both of you, but we do owe it to every person who trusts our brand. Or maybe you aren’t bothered, because you are in on it.’ Abhay stood his ground.
‘Excuse me?!’ His voice cracked, the accusation laced with wounded pride.
‘You heard me,’ Abhay retorted back. She could feel the tension unravelling in him. ‘You seemed hell-bent on approving Shyamlal under the guise of protecting the deadline.’
Dhruv stood up abruptly, his chair falling to the floor behind him. ‘I’ve worked for this company my entire life. I’ve given everything to it. How could you think I’d risk the reputation of my family for a backdoor deal?’
‘Careful,’ Siya warned. ‘You’re letting your insecurities show.’
He directed his anger at her. ‘Oh please, you want to change everything in Dad’s business because you think your methods are better. You think you can just show up with your fancy presentations and your marriage certificate and take over everything?’
‘I’m not trying to take over. I’m trying to fix what’s broken, and if that includes questioning people Dad brought in, so be it. And if you think it’s smart to insult the man who just saved this company from investing in counterfeit gemstones, I gave you more credit than you deserve.’
‘You can’t reason with him, Siya. He’s too blinded by daddy’s love to see what’s happening right under his nose.’
The sharp jab rolled off his tongue easily, and Dhruv sneered at him. ‘I wouldn’t expect a silver-spooned generational heir like you to understand just what it takes to succeed in a cut-throat business world. Like seriously, who the fuck do you think you are?’
Abhay didn’t take the bait, but Siya could no longer bear Dhruv reducing them to a couple too busy playing house to run a legacy.
A burst of rage unravelled in her belly and her chair moved back with a harsh scrape against the polished floor as she rose.
She walked up to them, until she came to stand in front of Abhay.
She met Dhruv's narrowed gaze head on. She could practically taste the metallic tang of fury in her mouth as she said, ‘You know what, Dhruv? I’ve tolerated your obnoxious personality, your attitude, and a lot more, but what I will not—what I will never—tolerate is you disrespecting my husband to make up for your own incompetence.’
‘Oh, come on. Now you’re painting me as the villain because I refuse to question whether our father is corrupt? I thought you’d be done with your dirty games.’
‘No, you’re the problem because you treat any question on Dad as a personal attack on you.
You can go against your morals but I can assure you it won’t win you his love or acceptance.
Besides, if I truly want to play dirty, dear brother, you’d be gone by the end of the day, and we both know Daddy wouldn’t care enough to stop it. ’
‘Dad has never cared. I accepted it a long time ago. But do you really truly believe I’d do anything to harm our family?’ Dhruv whispered.
Under the glare of the overhead light, Siya caught the flicker of pain flash across his face, before it was masked quickly by the familiar shadow of rage. And suddenly, she didn’t want to win this fight by wounding him.
She sighed. ‘I think you’re more loyal to Dad than you are to the truth. You’ve known me for a long time, and although you’ve hated me for just as long, you know that I am just as dedicated as you to uphold the integrity of our family name. Just once, trust me, Dhruv.’
He held her gaze for a long minute, and then his shoulder slumped and his harsh features softened. And for a moment, she wondered if he would apologise, but without another word, he turned and walked out of the room.
***
She didn’t even turn halfway before she felt his hand grip her waist as Abhay pulled her into his arms. When her chest collided with his, the impact knocked the air out of her lungs. His eyes searched hers and her pulse thudded in her ears when she felt the flutter of his breath at her temple.
‘Why did you defend me like that?’ he asked in such a raw, vulnerable way it echoed somewhere deep inside her. The heat in his eyes was tempered with awe.
She felt her world tilt off its axis, because suddenly he was so, so close. A heady hint of his aftershave hit her. Caught off guard, she fell back on blissful ignorance. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
There was barely an inch of space between them. She could feel the heat of him through the thin fabric and her breath caught when his gaze dropped to her lips. He rubbed his thumb across her plump lip, smearing the shade of red tinting it.
He gently brushed his thumb on her lower lip, making it tremble. ‘Don’t you hate me, Siya? Wouldn’t you love to see me burn in hell? Why not just let Dhruv insult me?’
She bit the inside of her cheek. ‘Abhay, please—’
‘No, I need to know it. Why did you stand between Dhruv and the man you love to hate like you’d go to war for me?’
He was too close and it was doing something dangerous to her heart. The pulse at his neck beat visibly. Siya had to get away before she gave in to the urge to kiss him silly. She tried to sound nonchalant. ‘I just didn’t like what he said. Sue me.’
‘You can’t even imagine the things I want to do to you, but suing you isn’t one of them. Tell me the truth, jaan.’
He had figured out that one word was her weakness, and he hadn’t stopped using it to get his way ever since.
Finally, the fatigue and exhaustion crashed onto her and she snapped. ‘Because I couldn’t!’ her voice cracked, raw and unfiltered. ‘You’re my husband, and I don’t care how complicated we are, no one gets to talk to you like that.’
His breath left him in a sharp exhale. Abhay angled her head back with one hand fisted around her high ponytail, and in an explosion of longing and passion, his lips crashed onto hers, hard and hungry. Her knees jolted as a rush of pleasure burned through her every nerve.
Her body betrayed every ounce of control she’d fought so hard to build, but she didn’t care.
Shutting out every thought that told her not to do it, she let herself sink into the moment and encircled her arms around his neck, responding with just as much fire.
Her nails dug into his shoulders and his grip in her hair tightened.
She’d been replaying their last kiss in her mind over and over, but her fantasies didn’t do justice to the real moment. The taste of his lips was a feral addiction, and every time they kissed, she only got more hooked on.
He spun her around until she was pressed against the glass top table, scattering the documents all around them, and she had to grip his collar to anchor herself. His heart pounded in tandem with hers, and she tugged at his hair as he devoured her mouth.
He slid his hand up her side, dragging the tips of his fingers slowly along the curve of her ribcage, igniting a trail of heat that flooded in her lower belly. Every drag of his lips across hers made her lose grip on her sanity.
The fire between them flared hotter with every passing second. Her body softened against him when he pressed every inch of him against her, his hips grinding into hers with a rhythm that made her core tighten with delicious need.
She caught his raspy grunt when she bit his lip, and it sent a thrill through her, pooling in her core. His breath came in heavy gasps and his words were a growl. ‘My wife is such a ferocious woman, always ready to fight with me and for me.’
He nuzzled her, teasing her with his stubble which raised goosebumps along her arms. He sucked hard enough to leave his mark into the hollow curve of her neck. The sharp sting was followed by searing pleasure, and a shudder rattled through her.
‘Someone might come in,’ she reminded him, but every nerve in her body was screaming at him to never stop.
‘If they do, all they’ll see is a starving man feasting to his heart’s desire,’ Abhay said in a grunt, trailing wet kisses along her collarbone.
When his thumb brushed the underside of her breast through the satin thin fabric of her shirt, she made a strangled sound in the back of her throat.
She saw Abhay smile when he heard it. She shivered with the need for more, and her eyes rolled back into her head when he finally caressed her hard nipple with his thumb.
‘Abhay.’ His name escaped her lips, wrapped in a loud moan.
Abhay hushed her with a hand over her mouth. He gently pinched the hard nub between his fingers, just enough to make her toes curl, and she was grateful to him for muffling her needy sounds.
His hands slid down her body, pulling her flush against him, and his hard erection dug into her lower belly, making her core throb with need. Driven by need, Siya wrapped her leg around his waist, and when he grinded right at her sweet spot, she closed her eyes and whimpered against his palm.
Laughter and chatter echoed out in the hallway, coming closer. The sharp sound broke their cocoon and he reluctantly pulled back. His lips were glistening wet and Siya had an absurd urge to lick it.
She shook her head, snapping herself out of it. ‘I—need to check the certifications,’ she mumbled and pulled out of his grasp.
She didn’t stop until she was in her cabin, and her entire body ached with the need to return to the warmth and safety of his arms.
Her coffee mug was right. Love makes people want reckless, illogical, and ridiculous things.