Page 52 of Entangled Vows
Vikram let the silence linger just long enough to drive the point home.
“Ourbedroom,” he corrected, his eyes glinting. “I can make space for him. He’s your pet, after all. And what’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine now, isn’t it?”
She narrowed her eyes at him, suspicion sharpening her expression. “Seriously? Is this your twisted way of making me sleep in your room?”
“No. It’s my very straightforward way of reminding you it’sourroom,” he replied smoothly, stepping closer, the smugness practically radiating off him.
“Bungee is a rabbit, Grizzly.”
“Bungee isyourpet, Momo,” he shot back without missing a beat.
“A pet rabbit. You don’t even like him!”
He leaned in, his smirk lazy and lethal. “True. I’m not particularly fond of the idea of a tiny furball chewing on my charging cables. But if keeping him here meansyoustay where you’re supposed to, I’m willing to make the sacrifice.”
Mahika’s mouth opened, then closed. “You’re being manipulative.”
“No,” he murmured, his voice dipping lower. “I’m being accommodating.”
She scowled and turned sharply, pretending to busy herself with Bungee’s carrier. “You’re going to regret it. He sheds his hair.”
“I’ve handled worse.”
“He... he’s aggressive.”
Vikram stepped closer, amused. “If Bungee’s aggressive, then we’re in trouble. Two alpha males under one roof.”
Vikram saw Mahika’s eyes widen in unmistakable surprise, as if she was seeing a side of him she’d never dared to imagine. He saw the tinge of reluctant admiration on her face.
“Did you... did you just crack a joke?” she sputtered, still staring at him.
“Maybe.”
Her lips twitched. “This is the second time you’ve joked, Grizz.”
“You’ve been keeping tabs on me, Momo.”
“Hard not to, when you’re basically the walking cliché of a moody, control-obsessed hero of billionaire stories.”
Vikram chuckled. “So you do read those kinds of books.”
Her face heated instantly. “That’s not the point.”
“It kind of is.” He glanced at her sideways. “You just compared me to your fantasy hero. I’ll take it.”
She rolled her eyes and turned away, her attention already back on the cage. “Don’t flatter yourself. Now, I’d like to take Bungee inside. He’s feeling cold.”
He sighed in exasperation. “Fine. Let’s take him to our room.”
Mahika sing-songed. “Can he sleep in the bedwith me?”
“Don’t push it.”
She breezed past him, practically bouncing with the cage in hand, completely ignoring the warning in his voice. The damn rabbit twitched its nose at him, as if he knew exactly who had won this round.
Vikram followed behind, his jaw tight, shaking his head in the kind of exasperation only she could stir. He’d closed billion-dollar deals, stood toe-to-toe with ruthless businessmen, and managed a successful business without breaking into a sweat. But here he was… negotiating living arrangements with a rabbit and a wife who called himGrizzlylike it was a royal title.
His tired sigh broke the silence. For once, he couldn’t talk his way out of this one, or bulldoze through it like he usually did. This was Mahika. Chaotic, emotional, unpredictable, and stubborn as hell.
