Page 109 of One Hellish Wedlock
After weaving through the crowd, her eyes finally landed on the man. He sat at the bar, his back to her, perched on a high stool like a king surveying his kingdom. The tailored shirt clung to his defined shoulders and back. His thick, dark hair was perfectly styled. He turned slightly, revealing a profile that was almost too good to be true. His smirk. His lips.
Hot wasn’t the word. He was pure sin.
She approached him.
“Hi,” she greeted, breathless.
Reyansh Chopra turned. There was a slightest hint of irritation in his expression, as if he didn’t like to be disturbed.
“Yes?” he asked, his tone clipped.
“I... I want to...” she tried to explain, but her alcohol-fogged brain refused to cooperate. “You know what? Forget it.”
Before he could say another word, she wrapped her arm around his neck and rose on her toes, then kissed him. Hard.
It wasn’t just a drunken dare or a foolish whim. Her body moulded to his instinctively, and though her thoughts were blurred, one thing rang through clear as crystal—this kiss felt like the best damn thing she had ever done.
On the other hand, the kiss caught Reyansh completely off guard. His entire body tensed, his brows drew together, but he didn’t push her away. Not immediately. Something about her scent, her softness, the desperate way her hand fisted the collar of his shirt, held him in place.
Aanya kissed like she didn’t care what would happen next. Like she had nothing to lose. And maybe that’s what shook him most.
It only lasted a few seconds, but when she pulled back, both of them were equally breathless.
She blinked at him, the weight of her own boldness catching up now. His eyes glinted with restrained fire. She’d barely noticed the two guards who had taken a step forward, waiting for their cue, but paused only because Reyansh gestured for them to stop.
“You have guards?” she blinked. “Of course you do. A man that hot needs protection.” She giggled.
He didn’t say a word. He just stared, stone cold and infuriatingly handsome.
“I... I should go...” she mumbled. “And, thank you,” she added, touching her own lips. They still tingled from the kiss. “And... sorry.”
His expression remained steady as she staggered, losing her balance.
“I…I think I’m going to fall.” Saying that, her eyes shut and she was about to collapse, when Reyansh caught her in his arms.
He glanced around, scanning the crowd to see if anyone who knew her stepped forward. No one did.
“Take her to the security,” he told the female bouncers who rushed to him. “She fainted. Someone should come looking.”
As they took her from his arms, he pulled out a business card and handed it over.
“If no one comes... call me.”
The women nodded and led Aanya away. Just before they could disappear, a group of college students appeared, frantic and apologetic, explaining to them that she was their friend. Once confirmed, the bouncers handed her over to her friends who then left hurriedly from the pub.
Reyansh finally turned to his guards.
“I want the CCTV footage deleted. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
While one guard disappeared to follow instructions, the other escorted him out of the pub. He had come here for a break after a frustrating work day, hoping for some peace.
Instead, that one kiss from a stranger, the madness of the moment, was unlike anything he’d expected.
And for reasons he couldn’t explain, it was now seared into his memory.
Forever!
