Page 49 of A Royal Deception

“What did I do?” he yelped.

“You stared at my hair, and now it refuses to stay put,” I said, knowing I sounded like an irrational two-year-old.

“How can I not stare? It’s glorious,” he breathed.

The scrunchie slipped out of my fingers and rolled to the floor. I wanted to scramble after it, but I couldn’t move becausehis burning gaze pinned me in place. That’s when it hit me. This man, who was so out of my league, wanted me. Me!

He wanted me as much as I wanted him.

CHAPTER 19

RANVIJAY

Shivina stared at me with those luminous eyes, and I lost track of what I was saying. How the fuck was I supposed to keep my distance from her when she stared at me like that?

At least she’d lost that hair tie thing. I decided to ban all hair tie things from my palace. Then she’d have no choice but to wear her hair down all the time. It was a crime to tie up those glorious curls.

“Say that again?” she breathed.

Umm, I would if I could remember what I was saying… oh, right. About her hair.

“I love your hair. It’s very distracting,” I said gruffly.

Her misty smile turned into a frown.

“Distracting?”

“In a good way,” I explained hastily. “It’s a welcome distraction.”

She took a deep breath and went up on her knees.

“I want to try something,” she whispered.

I nodded warily, wondering where this was going.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips against mine softly. I held my breath, wanting to pull her into my arms but not wanting to scare her away. I had to admit… being a gentleman was fucking hard work. I swear I did my best. Until her tongue traced the seam of my lips. That’s when I lost control.

I opened my mouth and invited her to explore while I slid my arms around her and pulled her close. And she fought to get even closer. I smiled and rolled her onto her back as I took control of the kiss.

Shivina wound her arms around my neck and moaned into my mouth, and I could have sworn that little sound went straight to my groin. I pulled away to catch my breath, and as we stared into each other’s eyes, I wondered how the situation had turned so quickly from an experiment to an explosion.

She reached up to kiss me again, but just as our lips met, there was a loud knock at the door. With a groan, I raised my head and stared at the door in disbelief. Who the hell was disturbing us in the middle of the night?

The knock came again.

“Hukum, Rani Sa needs to prepare for the early morning puja,” called Sannata.

“So come back in the morning,” I growled.

“Haye haye, look at the time, Hukum. Itismorning,” she insisted. “The priest is already here. You’re both expected downstairs in thirty minutes.”

“Welcome to palace life, Rani Sa,” I grumbled as I threw myself onto the bed next to her. “Where pujas take priority over pyaar.”

Shivina started laughing uncontrollably, and I forced myself to stay still. This was the first time I’d heard her laugh since I’d met her. I forced myself to hold space and let her havethe moment, even though I wanted to see her eyes sparkle with laughter. Even though I wanted to feel her body shaking against mine. Because more than anything, I wanted her to feel comfortable enough to laugh in my palace.

She sat up and shot me an awkward glance.

“I guess I’m needed downstairs,” she said, biting her lip.

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