Page 5 of The Rules of Playing with Fire

A gentle laugh. “Can’t blame you for that. That’s how I felt when I came back home after college. The north is picturesque, but Texas has its own charm.”

“If you say so,” I said, stifling an embarrassing yawn.

“We’ll take a while to reach Tara’s. Why don’t you try and catch a nap?” he offered, and I sat upright instantly.

“No, I’m alright,” I lied to alleviate my embarrassment.

“You said you’d been up for a while. How long, exactly?”

I glanced at my phone. “Going on thirty-one hours now.”

“That’s a long time. Why were you up?”

“I had a revision deadline, and I had to design quizzes for my classes and finish grading. I didn’t want to bring work here.”

This time when I looked at his face, my brain erupted in sparks. I may have possibly damaged some neural connections in the process. Those dark eyes were brilliant and full of wisdom. His lashes were not too dark or too long, just enough to add allure and enigma to the eyes. The thick mane on his head was shiny, black, and luxurious. The lips framed by his trimmed, full beard were shapely, plush, and the color of a pink rose. I suspected he was hiding chiseled cheekbones and a sharp jawline underneath that facial hair. I had never seen anyone so good-looking, so intimidatingly flawless, up close. Tiny beads of sweat began forming on my forehead, and I felt heat creeping up my neck. I could’ve blamed it on the October heat, but I was in a car that was cooled to perfection.

He lowered the center console between our seats and slid it open.

“The recline setting is in here.”

My gaze landed on his hands when he pointed to the digital display. My tired body silently thanked him for the mercy. Then, as I reclined my seat, my vulgar eyes checked out his thighs. Thick, but firm and strong. That was my last thought before I slipped into slumber under a magic spell.

When my eyes opened again, Mihir and I were alone in the car. We were parked in a multilevel garage, engine running, cool air blowing from the vents. My head was nestled in the hollow of Mihir’s neck. I registered briefly that his tailor had not needed any padding in the shoulders before bolting upright.

He casually lowered his arm, reading on the phone with his free hand.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” he said as he swiped at his phone with his thumb.

“How long have we been sitting here?”

He looked at his watch. “About fifteen minutes. How do you feel?”

“Much better. Thank you for letting me finish my nap.”

“I have great faith in the power of naps,” he said and handed me a bottle of water. “Here, this will help you stay hydrated.”

As I cracked open the bottle and sipped, my body turned warm again. I was getting intensely hot about this annoyingly handsome man, who was also turning out to be rather considerate. And it bothered me.

“Are you ready to go inside?” he asked.

I nodded, and while he retrieved my bag from the trunk, I quickly and discreetly popped a mint into my mouth.

“You talk in your sleep,” he said as we approached the elevators.

“No, I don’t,” I responded with conviction as we stepped onto one.

He looked at me with a tiny tug at the corners of his mouth, then looked at the numbers counting up. “You drool too.”

“I don’t think so, or your sleeve would be wet and stained right now.” I outwitted his needling with confidence.

When the elevator dinged for the 23rd floor, he rolled my bag, despite my protests, into Tara and Sameer’s condo. It was in uptown Dallas, she’d told me. I hadn’t yet familiarized myself with the geography of the city. It was ironic, considering I’m a geographer.

“And you snore,” he added as he punched a code on the numeric keypad.

“I most definitely do not.”

He clenched his jaw to prevent himself from reacting. Leading me into the condo, he walked to the anterior and opened a door.

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