Page 49 of Driven By Desire
Not wanting to question the wisdom of white wine with biryani and get called stuffy again, Krish just shrugged and opened the bottle as Max placed both orders. He’d just filled the goblets she’d set out when she came up behind him. Wrapping her arms around him, she rested her cheek against his back on a soft sigh.
Reaching up to cover the hand that lay across the front of his chest, he leaned back into her embrace. They stood together in silence in a moment more intimate than anything that had passed between them earlier.
The shrill ringing of the telephone cut through the room and had them drawing apart reluctantly. Max picked it up and gave the delivery man directions. Unable to keep from touching her, Krish ran his fingers through the tousled length of her hair as she spoke. It didn’t take long for her ridiculously mismatched meal to arrive.
“Let’s watch TV in the bedroom and eat.” Gathering up whatever she needed, Max shot off down the corridor.
“Max, you’re going to drop something on the sheets and-“ Ahh shit. He was stuffy! Thankfully, he’d been addressing her rapidly vanishing back. Grabbing what remained of the wine, he followed. They lounged in bed and ate themselves into a food coma. Halfway through a God awful Telugu movie dubbed in Hindi, Krish found himself again playing with the long tresses strewn across his chest. Tugging at one of the controversial highlighted locks, he asked, “Max?”
“Hmm.” Half asleep with her head pillowed on his stomach, Max couldn’t manage more than that.
“Why green?”
Turning her head to look at him, she said, “It’s December.”
Krish’s jaw dropped. “You have colour-of-the-month hair?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
Thank God she realized it was ridiculous. Heaving a sigh of relief, he shut his eyes and settled back against the pillow. Until she said, “It’s my Christmas hair.”
He couldn’t possibly have heard her right. Had he? Opening one eye cautiously, he watched as she sat up cross legged next to him. What was Holi hair? Visions of a multicolored mop of hair had him feeling slightly faint.
“I’m going to wear a red pantsuit and green shoes to match my hair.” Pointing at her head like he didn’t actually get the bizarre statement, she continued to chatter. “You should consider doing something different too. Something special to bring in the New Year. A tattoo would look super sexy on those biceps of yours. Or,” Her eyes started to gleam, “Have you ever considered piercings?”
Horror propelled him into a sitting position, toppling her from where she sat right next to him. Dissolving into laughter at the expression on his face, Max squealed when he made a grab for her. Scrambling back from him, she almost made it to freedom before he caught one ankle and hauled her back. She was still laughing when he claimed her mouth. He let the sheer joy she radiated surround and claim him in return.
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“Has the work crisis been sorted out?”
She was straddling his back and giving him the most insanely relaxing massage as she asked the question. He really didn’t want to talk about work and start stressing again. Even as he felt the tension build at the nape of his neck, Max’s hand came up and started to knead the muscles into putty.
“It’s handled for the moment.” The words escaped him on a groan as her fingers continued to work their magic. He wondered if anyone would judge him if he wept for joy at that moment.
“Do you have plans for Christmas?” Her supple fingers caressed his low back in a move that had him wondering if he could coax her into one of those sexy Santa’s little helper outfits.
“Not particularly.” The words escaped him on a low moan.
“Bring your family and come home. Dad and I host a Christmas party every year and I’d like you all to come.” A sudden burst of insecurity had her fingers stilling on his back. “I’d like you to meet my friends and family.”
Shifting carefully on to his back, Krish watched as she resettled herself on his waist. Tousled hair, flushed cheeks and sexy, wary eyes had him aching in places he’d long since thought had frozen over and reaching up to trace the delicate curve of her jawline.
“I thought we were on a thirty day deadline? Are you sure you want to expose us to everyone?”
“Is that why you were careful to limit your PDA to only Chirag and Adi?”
“Yes.” The frank answer had her wincing and sliding off him even as he continued, “They’ve always known there was something going on between us. Even when we were spitting fire at each other.” Sitting up, he mimicked her cross-legged pose and faced her. “But Pooja is a whole other ballgame.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“I think you do know it.” Hating himself for dimming the sparkle in his eyes but knowing he couldn’t put off the conversation any longer, he added, “I don’t think you fully comprehend it though.”
Hurt shadowing her eyes, she pushed away from him and grabbed the robe she’d tossed on the end of the bed. Shrugging into it, she kept her back to him as she answered, “She’s not just your little sister. She’s your baby.” Turning now, she held his gaze. “You think I don’t get that?”
“I think knowing it and living it are two entirely different things.” Shoving out of the bed, he yanked his trousers back on. “Are you sure you want to be a part of my life?”
“Are you sure you want me to be a part of your life?” she shot back, the doubt in his voice piercing her heart. Apparently her perfect charms were only good enough for bed.
