Page 76 of Sumanika

And then I pulled back. I stood frozen, looking at him. The words hung in my throat as I lowered my gaze, and heat rose to my cheeks from the pit of my stomach. My eyes fell on his hand, which held his dagger. It didn’t make me feel any better.

I couldn’t help but chew and swallow the fruit. His lips brushed against me for a moment, but I couldn’t even register it properly. It was too quick.

"So, you wondered if this would fit in my hands?” he muttered in his slow, deep voice. He pulled me closer to him, hooking his twin finger in the lower hem of my blouse. My eyes met his, and I could feel how mad he was.

I tried to shake my head slowly.

His fingers felt rough, hard, and cold against my skin. He was holding the dagger with this hand of his, too. The chill of the metal made me feel winter, even under the sun’s rays. I gulped nervously, unable to meet his intense, penetrating gaze. I tried to tighten my fist on the back of my blouse and attempted to say something.

"How did... you come inside?" My voice grew lazy and intimidated by his presence, not to mention his deep green eyes, gritted teeth, and the strength of his two fingers, which kept me pulled closer to him.

“Wrong thing to say,” he said, and I felt him set the bunch of grapes on the table while bringing his other hand closer to my neck. My lashes felt heavy with the comfort of his hand on my cheek and neck and his thumb on the side of my lips, brushing gently and pulling my face closer. The faded mark of the sword cut on his thumb reminded me of the moment he filled my hair partition with his thick, warm blood.

I tilted my neck slightly backward to meet his gaze as he muttered against my lips,“Try again.”

My throat felt dry and I was out of words. My brain was so busy registering all the sensations this closeness was sending into my body that it forgot to create something sensible. "What ar... are you doing here?" I managed to ask slowly, and he pulled me closer, making me shift on my feet. My fists behind my back hurt to keep the blouse's ends together as his knuckle between us pulled the front end of it.

He blinked, chewing the inside of his lower lip before muttering,“Wrong question. Try again.”

I felt even weaker in my knees. My body ached from being so close to him, precisely. It was too much to handle. People waited outside for me, and I had no idea what was going on in his head.

I lowered my gaze to steady my racing heart and attempted to ask,“What do you want?”

He angrily pulled my face closer, forcing me to lift my gaze as my eyes widened in shock. My heart raced wildly, and I bit my lips, unsure of what to do.

I needed to ask a sensible question, but I didn’t know how to do it since I had never seen him angry. I gulped nervously and blinked silently while looking into his eyes, then asked slowly,“Are you angry?”

His face stiffened slightly, and he nodded, briefly lowering his gaze.

“Why?” I asked.

He lifted his furious gaze and looked into my eyes while speaking slowly.“My wife is considering marrying someone else without my knowledge,” His words didn’t make me feel any better. I was already feeling bad, and now it felt like sparkling salt on my open wounds.

"Yes, because Daadisa does not know that I am your wife.” I tried to intone, and he spun me against the table and hovered over me. I felt his legs beside mine, caging me between them. My fists felt numb, and he lowered his hand from my blouse's hem to keep the dagger on the table with a soft clanking sound.

“But you know it, right?” he asked, placing his palm on the small of my back. I felt tightness in my core. Inhaling an invisible sharp breath, I flickered my gaze, warmed by the touch of his hand on my skin. It reminded me of my first release. My mind recreated that shudder in my core as my thighs pressed together, trying not to make it noticeable to him.

“It doesn’t matter,” I managed to say, as he drew his lips closer to mine, causing me to lean back slightly in anticipation.

“Well, in that case, your cheeks should be hardly flushed, your eyes should be filled with hunger, and your lips should be deep red to make quite an impression on your new husband,” his slow, deep voice words hurt me a little, but the proposal behind them was pretty evident, making me gulp silently.

“I’m just doing this to avoid hurting Daadisa,” I tried to say in my slow voice as he leaned in closer to my neck. I closed my eyes, feeling his cheek against mine. Their warmth felt hotter than the sunlight falling on us.

“You shouldn’t be here, Kunwar Agastya,” I managed to say, bringing my hands up to push him away from me. However, the slow, gentle movement of his palm against my back, moving upward, along my spine until it reached my nape, made me feel like giving in so easily.

I didn’t know what power his touch held that it could melt me at any time of day, in any condition. Maybe I had craved such a touch my whole life, which made me aware of its significance.

“I know exactly where I should be,” he whispered softly in my ear, and I couldn’t help but inhale deeply, burying my face in the base of his neck. His cologne, a blend of sweat, sunlight, sandalwood, lilies, and spice, enveloped me and made me feel alive. I still remember the sensation of his hardness against me, and at the moment his lips pressed against my neck, I anticipated where it would lead.

The memory of sensations rose to my brain, blurring the existence of everyone except him for me. His lips felt soft. I felt him inhaling against my skin, and suddenly, a gentle pain sparkled from my skin, making me hiss slowly. His fingers moved roughly into my messy bun, leaving my half-dried hair open in defeat.

My buds ached with intensity, and my back was straight as I anticipated his movements. A shiver ran down my spine when he muttered slowly in my ear.

“I want to feel you,” his voice was lazy yet attractive. I opened my eyes, blinking in confusion. But his sinful gaze was quite clear. People were waiting outside for me, but the gentle cage of his hands felt so pleasant that I pushed that thought aside.

His gaze dropped to my lips, leaving my stomach feeling emptier. The memory of his brief touch lingered, curling my lips in and hiding between my teeth.

He inhaled deeply, lifted his gaze, and drew his lips closer to mine. My breaths caught, nearly stopping; my fist clenched on his chest, lashes pressed tight, and he whispered in a slow, painful tone,“I bet you want that too.”

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