Page 8 of Twisted Deceit
“Stay cool, Aadhya. He is super-hot, and he’s coming straight for you.” With those words, Navya leaned away, and Aadhya kept her eyes on the bartender, taking a sip of her drink. She was nervous and hoped the alcohol would calm her.
“Hi,” the familiar baritone was hard to miss, even with the loud music playing in the background. She paused momentarily before turning on the barstool to look at him. Navya was still beside her but turned away like she didn’t even know her. But she knew all her friends were focused on the conversation between her and the stranger who walked up to her.
“Hi,” she managed.
He leaned closer, slightly. “May I buy you a drink?”
She bit back another smile. “Maybe, once you tell me who you are and why you want to buy me a drink.”
One end of his mouth twisted up, and he sat on the barstool beside her. “I’d like to know you better this evening, and I was hoping the drink would help you loosen up.”
“Okay, but who are you?” She didn’t need to look at her friends to know they were cringing at her responses.
He chuckled like he found her act amusing. “I’m Nakul, and you are?”
She smiled at him, glad he was going along so her friends didn’t think she was crazy to make a deal with a stranger. She knew nothing about him but the fact that he was willing to do what it took to convince his grandmother to go through the surgery; she didn’t worry about the man’s character.
“I’m Aadhya. Are you on the Bride’s or Groom’s side?”
“I’m here for my buddy, Nitin.” He pointed to the groom.
“Oh, how do you know him?” she asked, genuinely interested.
“We went to college together. Are you here for Nitin or Maya?”
She shook her head. “Neither. We are just crashing the party.”
His eyes narrowed. “Interesting.” He looked around the club and let out a chuckle. “I’ve never been a party crasher. Is that fun?”
“A ton of fun.” She laughed.
“I’d like to hear more. Would you care to join me at my table?” He pointed to an empty table in the corner. The same one where she had thought she had seen someone looking at her.
Was he checking her out even before they met? That could be an advantage—one more point in her favor for the contract.
Chapter 5
The following morning, she woke again to his voice, which was muffled. She had intentionally left the windows open, yet his voice was distant. She could not figure out what he was saying, but it was him talking. She pulled on the silk robe over her nightshirt and opened the doors to the balcony.
She was surprised when she didn’t hear him clearly even after she stepped outdoors. She looked around, and it was then that she saw him. He was on the sand, bare-chested and in beach shorts, walking up and down the sand as he spoke on the phone. She waved at him but he seemed to be in a deep conversation, so she waited, her eyes on him.
While her gaze lingered on him, she couldn’t help but admire the steel-cut muscles and the strength his build exhibited. Her heart beat rapidly as she took in his masculinity even from afar. He was stunning and incredibly charming from how he engaged her in the previous night's conversation.
That day was her only chance to wipe out the man's doubts about getting into a contract with her. He mentioned he wanted to discuss the contract details if everything went well that day. If they could make his and her friends feel that they were into each other and found the connection from their first meeting, they would make everyone else believe they were married for real.
She felt a tug in her chest when she realized she could put her unsuspecting potential fake husband in danger in Singoor. There was no way to avoid a trip to her birthplace, but she had to ensure it was short.
The Thakvars and their supporting clans would be pissed with her marrying someone outside the region and might attack to scare him away. She had to make sure that didn’t happen. She could not wait to get the charade started, the first stop being to meet Nakul’s grandmother and maybe perform the ritual at their family home.
She looked away from him when she felt guilty about lying to her aunt about the marriage, but she had no choice. Her aunt would follow the rules of the land no matter what. Her chest heaved as she felt anxious about what she was about to embark on, but she reminded herself of the freedom she would have once she separated from her temporary husband.
Aadhya smiled, knowing it would be hard to let such a handsome man go, but she knew she had to move on. The only thing to watch out for is not to believe the marriage is real and fall for her fake husband. Her eyes wandered back to the tall figure on the beach not far from her, and she wondered how he could look so perfect.
What if she had met him at a resort on a holiday and really fell for him?
She smiled, knowing that would make a hell of a love story, but she didn’t have time or headspace. Even if she had both after getting out of everything, she didn’t know if it would be as exciting as it was at that moment.
Her eyes fell on his handsome face, specifically on the deep cleft of his chin, wondering what it would be like to run her finger over the dip. A sizzle passed through her, making her breath come fast. She blinked as if to push away her thoughts before they became wild, only to find him looking right at her.
