Chapter 11 #3
Her mouth went dry as she reminded him, ‘We’ve kissed once before.’
Swayam let out a low sigh as he brushed his thumb against her trembling lower lip. ‘We were friends then. Now, I want to kiss my wife.’
His words made her pulse roar, and she couldn’t stop the soft moan that escaped when she whispered his name.
Swayam pulled her against him with enough force to steal the air from her lungs. She clutched at his shoulder as the world seemed to tilt.
The careful composure he had been holding onto dissolved as his eyes darkened with need. ‘God, Kashvi…’ he murmured in a reverent sigh before his lips met hers.
Swayam curled his fingers firmly around the nape of her neck as his other hand wrapped around her waist, digging into her back. Her lips parted beneath his, and that was all the invitation he needed as he deepened the kiss, like he wanted to commit every second of it to memory.
When he gently bit down on her lower lip, a moan slipped from her mouth, and he swallowed it with a groan of his own. The sound sent heat rushing through her, lighting every nerve alive and leaving her breathless.
Her mind tried to catch up, to make sense of what was happening, but it was futile because all she could feel was the way his mouth moved against hers possessively, making everything inside her unravel.
She had thought about their earlier kiss far more than she cared to admit, but this was nothing like what she remembered.
This was overwhelmingly, sensationally real.
His hand slid higher along her back, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them. She could feel the steady pounding of his heart against hers, matching the frantic rhythm of her own.
‘I’ve been dying to do that again,’ he whispered, almost strained, before pulling her back into the kiss.
The world around them blurred as his lips moved against hers, until there was nothing left but the way his breath mingled with hers and the scrape of his stubble against her skin. He kissed her with the same urgency that had taken over her, and Kashvi realised just how much she needed this.
When the quiet, insistent ache inside her sharpened into something more demanding, he drew back with a groan. His absence felt startling, leaving her struggling to catch her breath.
Swayam brushed his thumb over her lower lip, sending a shiver down her spine. ‘The memory of you in my arms, all flushed and your lips swollen from my kiss, is a gift I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you.’
‘Uh-huh,’ was the best she could do, heat creeping up her neck.
Swayam chuckled, leaning forward to press a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead. Kashvi closed her eyes briefly at the comfort of his touch, and finally her heartbeat began to settle.
‘You should try to get some sleep. We have the trustee meeting in six hours,’ Swayam urged gently.
The reminder sent a sudden chill through her, enough for reality to seep back in. ‘I don’t think that’s possible, but I’ll give it a shot,’ Kashvi said, dragging a hand down her face.
Swayam reached for their empty cups, gathering them as they got up and walked into the kitchen.
‘Nervous?’ Swayam asked as he placed the cups in the sink. He watched her carefully, noticing the tension that had crept back into her shoulders.
‘I’m always nervous when it comes to my father,’ she admitted, rubbing her palm against her chest.
‘I would ask how bad he could be, but I have a feeling that would be a dumb question.’
A hollow, humourless laugh escaped her as they walked towards her bedroom door. ‘I know, right? There isn’t a line he won’t cross to get what he wants, and he wants this money. I can only imagine what’s going to happen tomorrow.’
Kashvi opened the door, but Swayam caught her hand to stop her. ‘No matter what he’s capable of, we’ll deal with him.’
She quickly shook her head. ‘You don’t have to be there. I mean it, I can handle him,’ she said, repeating what she had told him all day.
His expression softened. ‘I know you can handle him. You’ve been doing it for years, but that doesn’t mean you still have to do it alone. I’m right here with you, Kash.’
It should have irritated her. Instead, his words settled somewhere deep and comforting, because she did want him there. She just didn’t need to want it.
‘Okay,’ she said softly.
With a faint smile, she bid him goodnight before he could see the panic rising inside her.
Kashvi closed the door behind her and walked towards the leather file resting on her dresser. She flipped it open, and her attention caught on Swayam’s signature next to hers.
He was the kind of man who would do anything for the people he cared about, and he cared about her enough to marry her to help her. It felt natural to rely on him, and it freaked her out how easily she could get addicted to it, because this wouldn’t last forever.
She couldn’t afford to forget it, or she would be left exposed and empty when this inevitably ended. Every nerve inside her drew back, guarding itself with a quiet, stubborn resolve.
Kashvi would not let herself forget that.