Page 55 of Driven By Desire
They were almost back at the house before she whispered, “I also packed the chocolate sauce.”
---***---
Standing at one end of the makeshift cricket pitch, Krish watched his ‘relationship person’ swagger to the crease. Trash talking with Chirag who’d been nominated wicket keeper for the over, she wiggled her hips and scuffed one foot against the ground. She fit into his life. Into his family. Perfectly.
Letting the last of his misgivings fade, he called out, “Ready to play?”
When she only wiggled her hips in answer and bent at the waist to take her position, Krish fumbled the ball he’d been primed to throw. Aware of his brothers’ amused gazes on him, he picked up the ball and shook his head in a bid to clear the fog of arousal blanketing him.
“Play!” Pooja’s excited screech had him halfheartedly lobbing the ball at Max who smashed it out towards the designated boundary. Adi’s futile attempt to stop the ball ended when it crashed across the line.
Max’s triumphant whoops and hollers had him laughing even as she wiggled her hips again preparatory to facing his next ball. Catching the ball Adi threw to him, he unleashed his own ferocious competitive streak and focused. The next ball whipped past her and into Chirag’s gloves before either of them could blink.
Krish’s taunting grin was met with a ferocious scowl. Tossing her ponytail back, she wiggled and settled in again. This time bat and ball connected with a crack that resounded around them. Adi and Pooja sprinted after it even as Max charged down the crease towards Krish. Positioning himself so he could catch the ball Adi was already scooping up and turning to throw, Krish found himself tackled and slammed into the ground. For the second time since he’d met her, Krish lay winded with Max sprawled in an ungainly heap on top of him.
“Are we playing kabaddi or cricket?” The wry question from under her elbow had Max collapsing in helpless laughter on top of him. They were still lying in the dirt when three faces appeared above them.
“Game over then?” Chirag’s hopeful question had Max scrambling off Krish narrowly missing his head with the bat. Sitting up, he caught his breath before saying, “How about a swim?”
An excited chorus agreement had the mob taking off to change into their swimsuits. Getting to his feet, he followed at a more leisurely pace with Chirag.
---***---
Krish swallowed his tongue. If he’d known that was the swimsuit he was reminding her about, he would have doubled the number of messages. In a one piece black halter with a neckline cut almost to her navel, Max executed a perfect dive into the pool from the board at the deep end. A loud splash of water had him blinking out of the daze and scrambling to retrieve a drowning Pooja from next to him.
“You let go of me!” Her red, furious face spluttered at him. “You promised you wouldn’t.”
“I’m sorry.” Trying desperately not to laugh, he pointed out, “We’re standing in the shallow end and I’m right next to you so it’s not like anything major would have happened.”
“I could have drowned!” Climbing out of the pool, she planted her hands on her hips and looked down at him.
“Problem?” Max swam up beside him. Slicking her hair out of her face, she smiled up at the affronted little face.
“He almost let me drown!” The quivering finger along with the outraged matron pose had both of them grinning.
“She’s going to be an actress someday.” The muttered aside had Pooja frowning suspiciously at him.
“Daily soaps I think,” Max agreed. “The saas bahu dramas.”
“Max, will you teach me how to dive like you?” Sitting down in front of them and dangling her legs in the water, Pooja held her arms out while pointedly ignoring her brother.
Picking her up and settling her on to her waist, Max said, “You need to learn how to swim first.”
“If you are in the deep end, you can catch me when I dive.” The plea had Max glancing over at Krish who shook his head. “No. Not until you’re a good swimmer first.”
“That’s sensible.” Levering Pooja into position, Max tried to diffuse the situation before the two locked horns again. “I’ll help you practice your swimming now.”
Noting the time and the setting sun, Krish pulled himself out of the pool to go see to dinner. Changing into shorts and a comfortable sweatshirt, he had the bonfire and barbecue set up before the rest of them straggled in from the pool. Tossing them towels, he watched as they settled down around the bonfire. Wrapping a sarong around her still damp swimsuit, Max came over to where he stood flipping the meat on the barbecue.
“Can I help?”
“Did you take after your dad in the kitchen?”
“Nope.” Poking at the array of marinated meats lined up on a side table, she picked up a wooden ladle. “I’m an excellent assistant though.”
Backlit by the flames from the bonfire, her hair drying in riotous tangles around her shoulders, she was a vision. A vision he wanted in his life on a permanent basis. Throat tightening as the realization slammed into him, he dropped the ladle he’d been holding. The smell of burning meat had him dragging his gaze back to the dinner he was charring.
Sighing, he dropped it on to a separate platter to see if later he could rescue some of it for the dogs on the property. Grabbing the platter with the chicken on it, he added them to the grill. Handing Max the oil, he left her to the job of brushing them with oil and keeping them moist.
