Ch37Drenched in His Hue๏ผHoli Special๏ผ #4
Her cheeks flamed, but she gathered her courage, looking up slightly to challenge him. "Yes, and now it's your turn, Ranasa. Fulfill your challenge, or are you scared that you won't be able to do it?"
Rudraksh silently held her gaze for a split second, a profound shift occurring in his expression. Before she could process his thoughts, he swept her entirely into his arms. Startled, Rivanya froze, completely overwhelmed by his strength, her eyes dropping as she clung to him in sheer shyness.
He didn't carry her out of the room. Instead, he gently placed her onto a high, polished wooden chest nearby. In a move that completely shattered all conventional expectations, Rudraksh sank down onto one knee at her feet.
Before Rivanya could even register what he was doing, he picked up a handful of vibrant crimson gulal from a nearby bowl. Gently, with the utmost reverence, he sprinkled the red powder directly over her feet.
The weight of that single gesture shifted the entire world around them.
A profound wave of respect surged within Rivanya's heart, so intense that hot tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
It was an act of pure devotion; any woman in her place would have been moved to tears.
In a society where male pride often dominates relationships, Rudraksh's eyes held nothing but absolute, unadulterated respect and adoration for her.
Her voice trembled, thick with emotion. "Rudraksh... what did you just do?"
Looking up at her from his knee, his eyes shone with a quiet sincerity.
"I fulfilled my challenge... and colored the feet of the Lakshmi of my home first."
Choking back a sob of pure happiness, Rivanya looked down at him, her heart overflowing. "Rudra, how can you be like this? Do men like you even exist in this day and age? Do you not possess that so-called male ego at all?"
Rudraksh didn't offer a grand explanation. He simply gave her a soft, reassuring smile that spoke volumes. Rising gracefully to his feet, he let the silence stretch between them for a lingering moment before his expression shifted into something deeply magnetic.
"So, my Ranisa, your challenge has been fulfilled... now, may I finally drench you in my colours?"
Overwhelmed by a sweet, paralyzing shyness, Rivanya could only offer a breathless nod.
Feeling too vulnerable under his intense gaze, she quickly turned around, presenting her back to him to shield her burning face.
But Rudraksh was far from finished. He coated his palms in a heavy layer of fine, blood-red gulal and deliberately stepped around to face her.
Instinctive nervousness took over. Rivanya began to step backward, her breath hitching with every retreat.
Rudraksh matched her stride for stride, closing the distance seamlessly.
A wicked, playful spark danced in his dark eyes.
Rivanya knew right then that she had teased him far too much earlier, and he was absolutely going to exact his sweet revenge.
With every backward step, the air grew scarcer, thick with an undeniable, intoxicating tension.
Suddenly, the small of her back collided with the solid, unyielding surface of the wall.
She was trapped. Yet, Rudraksh didn't slow his advance.
He stepped entirely into her personal space, his towering frame casting a shadow over her as he leaned in, his chest nearly brushing against hers.
The scent of him mixed with the fragrant powder, creating a dizzying aura that left her completely defenseless.
Rudraksh closed the final step of distance between them, his towering frame completely eclipsing her against the unyielding wall.
The air between them grew thick, saturated with the faint, intoxicating scent of sandalwood and the heavy floral fragrance of the festival.
In his right hand, he held a scattering of fine, blood-red gulal.
With absolute reverence, his touch feather-light, he raised his hand and applied the first stroke of crimson directly into the parting of her hair.
The fine powder settled like a sacred seal.
He leaned down, his deep voice dropping into a breathless, velvet murmur right against her ear, "Grandmother told me that when the time came for me to color you, I must fill your parting first before anywhere else."
Rivanya's heart hammered violently against her ribs.
Overwhelmed by the traditional gravity of his action, she offered a soft, emotional nod, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
Rudraksh paused, his dark, piercing eyes searching hers with a sudden, profound gravity that made the playful atmosphere of the room vanish entirely.
The teasing smirk was gone, replaced by a raw, unadulterated respect that reached into the depths of her soul.
"Even though I won our little challenge, and even though I hold the right to color you, I still need to know your heart," he whispered, his gaze unwavering, stripping away all defenses.
"Rivanya, do you truly accept me coloring you? Do you give me the permission to touch you like this? If you do not wish for it, just say no once, and I swear I will step back immediately."
Rivanya lifted her gaze, looking straight into the honest depths of his eyes. Any lingering inhibition, any trace of hesitation dissolved completely under his sincere vulnerability.
"You have my permission, Rudraksh. In fact, it is your absolute right," she replied, her voice steadying as she bared her own heart to him. "Drench Rivanya completely in the colors of Rudraksh today."
At her raw confession, something inside Rudraksh shifted. A sudden, intense fire flared in his eyes. He spanned her slender waist with one strong, commanding hand, pulling her flush against his chest so tightly that the rhythm of their racing hearts synchronized.
He took a handful of the crimson powder and applied it slowly against the bare skin of her waist. Rivanya gasped, her eyes snapping shut instinctively as a sharp shudder rippled through her entire being at the searing contrast of his warm palm.
Without breaking the spell, Rudraksh raised his other hand, his fingers tracing the sensitive curve of her throat, leaving a trail of vibrant red in their wake.
He leaned down further, his breath fanning across her burning skin, and gently rubbed his cheek against hers.
The rough friction of his jaw transferred the fine gulal from his skin onto her face, a traditional and deeply intimate gesture that left both of them breathless.
Rivanya's chest heaved, her breathing growing ragged as the sheer proximity threatened to consume her.
Driven by a sudden, untamed impulse, Rudraksh gathered more of the vibrant red powder.
Starting from the tips of her fingers, his hand slid upward, tracing the soft skin of her arms all the way to her bare shoulders in one smooth, continuous, lingering motion.
His touch was firm yet incredibly tender.
With every inch his hand traveled, an electric warmth flared beneath her skin, making her tremble.
Rudraksh had completely lost his usual stoic composure.
For the first time in his life, he was touching a woman with such consuming desire, losing himself entirely in the act of marking her as his own.
He mapped every curve of her upper body with the blood-red dust, making sure no part of her remained untouched by his presence.
Stepping back just an inch, his eyes dark with a wild, possessive pride, he looked at the breathtaking sight of her. His voice was a low, rough growl of satisfaction, "There... you are completely drenched in my color now, Sugarplum."
Rivanya smiled shyer than she ever had before, a beautiful, breathless curve of her lips, though her eyelids remained heavily closed, too overwhelmed to face the heat of his gaze.
Rudraksh stepped back in, his hand reaching up. He hooked a single, gentle finger under her chin, tilting her face upward toward his.
"Open your eyes and look at yourself, Sugarplum," he commanded softly, his tone dripping with affection and a quiet authority. "Open your eyes and see how beautifully you belong to my color today."
Rivanya slowly fluttered her eyes open, her vision initially blurred by the moisture of her emotions and the fine red dust hanging in the air.
When her gaze finally cleared, she found herself looking directly into Rudraksh's eyes.
They were dark, intense, and filled with a raw warmth that made her knees feel weak.
The fierce authority she usually saw in him had completely melted away, replaced by an overwhelming tenderness that was reserved for her alone.
She didn't look away this time. Instead, she took a shaky, uneven breath and looked down at herself.
The vibrant crimson gulal adorned her skin like a beautiful, sacred art.
It was on her wrists, tracing up her arms, dusting her shoulders, and warming her cheeks.
Hearing him say that she belonged to his colour sent a profound wave of validation through her entire being.
"I am looking, Rudra," she whispered, her voice barely a breath against the quiet of the room.
A soft, genuine smile broke across Rudraksh's face, softening the sharp, rugged angles of his jawline.
He didn't drop his hand from her chin; instead, his thumb gently caressed the lower curve of her lip, smudging a tiny trace of the red powder there.
The intimacy between them was so heavy, so completely unhurried, that it felt as though the noisy festival outside had completely vanished.
"Do you like what you see, Sugarplum?" he asked, his voice low and teasing, yet laced with a deep sincerity that demanded an honest answer.
Rivanya reached out, her hands trembling slightly as she placed her palms against his chest, feeling the steady, powerful thud of his heartbeat. She looked up at him, a sudden spark of playful courage cutting through her intense shyness.
"It's beautiful," she murmured, her eyes locked onto his. "But it feels a little incomplete, don't you think, Ranasa?"
Before Rudraksh could question her, Rivanya swiftly dipped her hands into the small, leftover residue of the crimson powder on the nearby wooden chest.