Page 87 of Reckless Dare

She was stunned. “What?”

He watched her face closely while he spoke. “Our fathers were very good friends and they went to Simha together. They unfortunately had a fall out many years ago and parted ways. My dad tried to reach out to your father, but his calls were ignored. When I found out who you were, I was pissed.”

Her father had shared many stories about his childhood, but never mentioned his friendship with the Simhas. She recalled seeing the picture in the library, her father with Simhas after a game.

Suddenly she remembered her tormentor’s comment when he left her at the beach. ‘Go back to your father.’

“I…I didn't know,” she managed to say.

He nodded. “I should have dealt with the information better. I was drawn to you when I saw you and spoke to you the first time. But when you told me who you were, I just…” his words trailed off.

He didn’t have to complete his sentence. She already knew how he felt—he was furious and wanted her gone from the university.

She knew he felt that way because she was the daughter of the man who hurt his father.

But I’m still my father’s daughter. Nothing has changed.

But something about how Abhiram Simha looked at her did change. He no longer looked at her like he hated her or as though her touch disgusted him.

What she saw in his eyes made her heart race in excited anticipation.

They ate the rest of the meal in a charged awareness. And then, after they were done, she got up to help him clear up, but he stopped her.

“No, it’s okay. The housekeeping services will drop by tomorrow,” he said. “Let’s take a walk on the beach.”

She nodded, feeling excited. She loved the beaches. She and her sister spent most of their weekends on the beaches along with their parents.

Opening the sliding door, they stepped out to the porch area and then to the vast expanse of the sandy beach. The weather was slightly cool, but thanks to the guy next to her, her body felt flushed.

“How long ago did you come to California?” she asked.

“A long time ago. Maybe seven or eight years ago. I went to L.A. and S.F. with my parents when they attended pharmaceutical conferences.”

“Oh.”

She wanted to ask more about his family, but she hesitated. It was just a onetime date. She didn’t want to seem too eager. He was still her tormentor. He was still the guy who had made her life hard for the first few weeks at Simha.

Even though she found out about their father’s rivalry and understood his reasons, she couldn’t give out her trust easily.

They stopped at a point where the waves crashed barely a couple of feet away from them. She turned to tell how beautiful it was but she froze.

He wasn’t watching the ocean. He was looking at her.

Her heart thumped harder. She realized that even though she didn’t completely trust him, the searing awareness she felt towards him was not gone.

She controlled a gasp when he stepped closer and then held her face between his palms. Her breathing came out heavily as she felt the slightly rough texture of his skin rubbing against her cheek.

Her lips tingled as he watched her mouth. And then when he bent his head and kissed her, her eyes fell shut. Passion roared as his lips met hers again and again, turning the buzzing sound in her ears louder than that of the ocean.

Her knees turned weak and she was just about to wobble when he raised his head. He watched her face as they both tried to catch their breaths.

And then, slowly his mouth twisted into a small smile.

“Let’s go, Harvard,” he said. “I don’t want your roommates to send SOS signals that I kidnapped you.”

Her cheeks flared. Although her roommates didn’t know she was going on a date with him, she did think of sending emergency help requests in case he left her on a deserted beach.

They went back to the beach house and he closed the sliding doors before stepping out and going to his bike.

---