Page 28 of Right Where I Belong
“What is this music?” Sabrina asked, leaning closer.
“It’s EDM, Electronic Dance Music…” He pointed to the DJ in the booth, telling her his name. “That guy is one of the most popular DJs in the world.”
She blinked, her eyes wide with a mix of surprise and awe. “I think I’ve been living under a rock. I can’t believe I’ve missed out on an entire genre of music. This is so…”
She paused, searching for the right word, when the beat dropped and the crowd erupted around them.
“…alive,” she finished, her eyes lighting up. “It’s like the music movesthroughyou.”
Aditya smiled. “Yeah. That’s kind of the point.”
The beats of a popular track played, and within seconds, the dance floor was packed to the brim. Bodies swayed, lights flashed, and the air buzzed with electric energy. Someone bumped into Sabrina from behind, and she stumbled forward, straight into Aditya’s chest.
His heart stuttered.
His hands instinctively found her waist, steadying her. She looked up at him, wide-eyed, her breath catching in her throat. Electricity crackled down his spine, and his body hardened, coming to life. Fuck. What was happening to him?
He stilled, watching her. Her hands had landed on his chest, but she didn’t move them. Didn’t look away either.
His grip on her waist tightened. Her scent, soft and floral, with a hint of something stronger, curled around him, igniting his body and mind. A loose curl slipped free, falling across her cheek. His fingers twitched with the urge to reach out, to tuck it behind her ear, to feel the softness of it between his fingertips. He didn’t move, but the thought lingered, tempting him.
Around them, the crowd moved, the lights shifted, but he still didn’t move. He couldn’t, even if he wanted to. Sabrina too stayed where she was. Close. So close that her breath mingled with his. His gaze dropped to her mouth, his body hardening further. He looked back up, and she was still watching him. Her teeth caught her lower lip, and the urge to taste her mouth slammed into him. Hard.
If he leaned in, just a little more…
She blinked, inhaled sharply, and then stepped back.
“Are we allowed to go on the Ferris wheel?” she asked, her voice low, breathless.
He let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding and nodded. “Yes. Come on.”
Fucking hell. He’d been a second away from kissing her, from tasting that mouth, from thrusting his hands into her hair. Bloody hell, why was he suddenly so fascinated by Sabrina’s mouth and her hair, and her body? No. It wasallof her. He was fascinated byher.
Taking her elbow, he led her through the throng toward the Ferris Wheel. He spoke to the attendant in charge and waited for the current ride to finish. From beside him, Sabrina stood still, her hands knotted in front of her, looking everywhere but at him.
A slow smile tugged at his lips. Was she feeling it too? That charge that had sparked between them had been undeniable. Had it hit her as hard as it had hit him? Not that it mattered. Not really. Even if she had felt it, it wasn’t like he could do anything about it. Rithwik would lose his mind if he so much asthoughtabout her that way. Sabrina was off-limits.
And yet… back there on the dance floor, in the heat of that moment, she hadn’t feltforbidden—she’d felt like a possibility. Like he only had to reach out, and his world would change.
His gaze flicked to her again, wondering what she was feeling. Was all this simply his imagination? Or was she just as drawn to him as he was to her?
And what if she was feeling this too? Then what?
He didn’t know the answers. But God, he wanted to find out.
8
Her heart was running wild. What was it about this man that made her body and mind fall into such perfect, dangerous sync the moment he was near? Every inch of her had ached to surrender and to lose herself in him completely. Her heart rate had always quickened when Aditya had been nearby. But tonight, it wasn’t just her heart. It was her whole being, reminding her that she was a woman who hadn’t been with a man in far too long. Her mind was conjuring vivid, delicious images of the kind of pleasure this one man could give her.
Back on the dance floor, when she’d been close enough to feel his breath, her senses had gone haywire. Heat had coiled in her belly, her skin had tingled like it had been set alight, desire had pooled in her core, and she’d been one reckless second away from kissing Aditya. In that moment, she’d felt like she was exactly where she belonged. Thank God for the sliver of sensibility that had returned just in time—before she’d overridden all reason and done exactly that.
The real question she kept asking herself was—why now? Why was her body betraying her now, when she’d managed to keep a tight leash on her control around him for so long?
She sighed. Maybe it was because, here in Singapore, far away from home, far away from familiar faces and watchful eyes, something inside her was beginning to loosen. For the first time in years, she felt untethered. Free. Like she could finally allow herself to feel everything she’d buried deep within. Like she could want what, and who, she wanted, without guilt or fear. And that felt liberating.
But Aditya? God, how would she ever face him again? It made sense that she wanted to kiss him. She’d always been attracted tohim. But he, in all these years, had never, not even once, indicated by word or action that he felt anything other than passing friendship for her.
Fuck, she was such an idiot for putting him in an odd position. What if he’d pushed her away? Kissed her out of pity? Laughed? Ugh. All of it would’ve been so humiliating. She exhaled. Thank God none of that had come to pass.
