Page 64 of The Rules of Playing with Fire

“I mean, it’s what boyfriends do, not playmates.”

A soft laugh escaped my lips. “Well, it’s also what lovers do.” I pushed a pillow under her head before pulling my arm out.

“Oh, so we’re lovers now?” she teased, adjusting the pillow.

I took her feet in my hands and began to gently massage the sore points with my thumbs—the balls of her feet, the heels, and the points below the toes.

She moaned with relief as her eyes dropped shut. “That feels so good, Mihir. Why are you so good?”

“Just try and sleep, babe. I’ll arrange for massage sessions tomorrow.”

“Thank you for everything. You’re phenomenal.” She let out a deep, satisfied sigh. “You make me feel wanted and desired in a meaningful way, and I want you to know—I really appreciate that.”

“I do desire you in a meaningful way, Sona.”

She opened her eyes with a naughty smile on her lips. “I bet you say that to all your lovers, don’t you, player?”

“I’ve not had a lover before. Only playmates.”

She studied me for a moment, the look in my eyes, the expression on my face. Then, sitting up, she asked, “What are you saying, Mihir?”

This is precisely why I was falling for her. She was smart, intuitive, and could read me like an open book.

Her feet were still in my hands, and I massaged them as I replied, “I’m saying, let’s try meaningful for a while. If it gets unwieldy or messy, we can always go back to being playmates. No hard feelings.”

A heavy silence.

“Do you realize what you’re suggesting?” she asked quietly.

Of course I did.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “And you’re sure you’re ready for meaningful?”

“That’s a question for you, not me.”

Another hesitant pause. “Being with you feels good, Mihir. It feels right. But if you ever want to break up with me, I want you to do it the right way. Respect my heart and me. I just bared my life to you because you wanted me to trust you, and I do. I don’t want to end up feeling like a fool again.”

“I will guard it with my heart. That’s my promise to you.”

As I slid up to her side and cozied myself against her soft, warm body, she brought her lips to my ear and whispered, “Thank you.”

RULE #6

Keep fire away from people.

SONA

Things had certainly changed when I saw Mihir in December. It had been only three weeks since Montréal, but we had talked over the phone almost every night.

On the first night, I had erroneously mentioned that the massages he had arranged for us in Montréal had helped relax me immensely. The next thing I knew, he had located an exclusive spa close to my apartment and booked massage sessions for me every other weekend. I had always been a gift giver, and receiving gifts, apart from my parents, had always been weird for me. I tried telling him that, but his approach was straightforward.

“You work too hard. I can’t be there to care for you personally, so this is what I’m going to do,” he had said when I objected.

Two sessions in, I wasn’t complaining. It relaxed me more than I had expected, and it helped with my overall mental health.

During this visit to Dallas, despite Tara’s strenuous objections, I checked into a hotel. I didn’t want to cramp Tara’s space with everything going on during her wedding, but I also wanted to steal some alone time with Mihir. Having a hotel room all to ourselves seemed like the safe solution that wouldn’t raise eyebrows.

The wedding venue was a ranch in Parker, but the Mehndi and Haldi ceremonies were planned at Sameer’s parents' home. Late morning on the day of the Mehndi, I carried my luggage over, and Riya set me up in one of the rooms on the second floor of their palatial home.

---