Page 46 of Fixation

This felt so right. He felt so Goddamn right. His mouth devoured hers, claiming her lips and tongue with hungry swipes. Her breasts crushed against his chest, and her arms pulled him closer, refusing to let go and stop this madness unfurling between them. Vedant was as hungry for her as she was for him. His lips moved across her mouth; they were a promise of moreheat and more passion to come. Her body turned molten and the urge to give in to him thrummed in her blood. She, too, wanted more from him. His hands trailed over her hips, sliding under her shirt, caressing the bare skin of her waist.

She gasped, shifting away from him. He stared at her, his eyes hot and filled with desire for her, his breathing as choppy as hers. He lowered his mouth to hers and she slammed a hand on his lips.

“Please slow down,” she breathed out. “We’ve crossed so many lines already. I hardly know you, and this, you and me, is very overwhelming.”

He kissed her fingers. “At least you accept there is a you and me.” He backed a few steps. She felt his loss immediately. “I’m happy to go as slow as you want, Reina.”

He continued, “Tyrion helped me move back to my room. I knew it would irk you. He was instructed to only tellyouwhere I was, and he did that. And see, it worked. You’re here, standing in my bedroom exactly as I wanted. You even accepted there is something between us.”

Her heart melted. This man was really trying his hardest to woo her, and truth be told, it was working. She could no longer fight this attraction between them, and it was getting harder for her to hide her reaction from him. For the first time in her life, she wanted to throw caution to the wind and simply be herself. But they had this whole truth between them that he wasn’t aware of: the truth that she was Navya’s sister. She was still torn about her decision to tell him that or not. Whether it was important or not for him to know.

“Have dinner with me,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her closer to him once more. “Like a date.”

Wait, what?

Her eyes rounded. “A date?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’m incapable of leaving the house, and I really want to get to know you better.” At her silence, he said, “I can ask the chef to make your favourite food.”

“Your chef already knows my favourite food.”

“Managed to charm Tyrionandmy chef,da?”

“Tyrion is sweet. He’s been very helpful, and your chef was kind enough to ask us about our likes and dislikes.”

“Then tellmewhat your favourite food is. Tell me all your favourites. Let us get to know one another and then take it from there,da?”

She gulped. “You and I having a dinner date is very… It’s very…”

He put a finger on her lips and whispered, “No one needs to know.”

Her heart was soaring and somersaulting. Was she really doing this? And if she was, then what about the fact that she was Navya’s sister? Could she tell him? Did she need to tell him? She silenced the sane voices in her head. Here in London, she was Dr. Reina Singh, a workaholic doctor who was a virgin at the age of twenty-seven. And he was the first man who was beginning to feel right. She wanted to first judge if her instincts about him were correct before revealing any more of herself to him. She also had so many questions about him. Perhaps she could ask them and gain more perspective into the man he was.

Agreeing to this would be a huge step for her.

But for the first time, she wanted to agree, to see how an evening spent with a man, with this man, would feel like.

16

Vedant observed the changing expressions on Reina’s face. She looked so innocent, staring at him transfixed as if having dinner with him was a very foreign concept.

“Come on, Reina, give it a chance,” he pushed. “Givemea chance. I can be a lot of fun once you get to know me.”

“Alright, fine,” she gave in. “But we will sit outside and not here in the bedroom.”

He laughed. “I think I’ve already proved that I don’t need a bed to seduce you, Reina. I can do that anywhere.”

Her cheeks reddened. This woman was so damn expressive. He wanted long hours with her to only study her animated expressions.

“No seductive talk,” she scolded. “And no…”

He once again put a finger on her lips. “No rules for tonight. Let’s explore what we’ve been feeling for one another. Tonight, you’re not my doctor, and I’m not your patient. We are just a man and a woman who find each other very attractive.”

Heat flickered in her eyes. She averted her gaze and walked outside to his sitting area. He followed her, sitting next to heron the sofa. He found her studying his movements and his face carefully, noticing all signs of his discomfort.

“I am fine. Stop going all doctor on me.” He shifted a strand of hair from her face. “You are very beautiful, you know. It’s a crime to hide all this beauty from the world.”

Her lips quivered. Innocence shone in her brown eyes. Her reactions to him were so endearing, so real, and so innocent. But of course, she couldn’t be an innocent. She looked to be in her late twenties. Nonetheless, it pleased him to see her respond so prettily to him. She averted her gaze and looked around the room. She smiled and he liked that she approved.

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