Page 63 of Lawfully Yours
“There’s only one piece left,” she muttered, trying to mask the tremor in her voice. “I got here first. Back off, Nair.”
He cocked a brow, stepping closer. “Exactly. Back off, Nair.”
She blinked. That name. That surname. For a beat, her heart stuttered. He’d said it so smoothly, as if reminding her they weren’t divorced yet.She was still Arundhati Nair.And somewhere deep inside her, that truth landed hard.
She narrowed her eyes and reached for the plate again, remembering how much he loved chocolate truffles. How he’d once fought her tooth and nail over the last slice during their first month of marriage, claiming he could cross legal boundaries for it. If anything, she knew Kushal Nair wouldn’t let a single piece go without a battle.
“That’s not how it works,” she argued.
Before he could counter, she grabbed the plate and, with a triumphant grin, scooped the last bite and popped it into her mouth. Deliberately, slowly, she let the rich chocolate melt on her tongue, licking the edge of her lower lip where a tiny crumb clung, throwing him a goading smile.
Kushal’s eyes darkened immediately as he watched her. “You think you’ve won?” he murmured, stepping closer.
She gave him a sugary smile. “Obviously.”
He stepped closer. “You know I never lose, Arundhati.”
Before she could roll her eyes, before she could summon another retort, he reached out.
His thumb brushed the corner of her mouth, wiping away the lingering chocolate crumb with a touch so achingly gentle it stole the breath from her lungs. And then, without warning, he lowered his head.
She froze as his mouth brushed against hers. Once. Light. Testing. Then again, firmer, deeper. Her breath hitched, body leaning back instinctively as his hands slid around her waist, guiding her to the marble counter.
She gripped the edge behind her, heart hammering, as his fingers came up to cradle her face.
She wanted to push him away, to shove him back and remind him that this wasn’t allowed, that they were at war, not at love.
But her body betrayed her.
God, she hadn’t expected him to kiss her.
But maybe she had.
Ever since the incident earlier tonight, ever since he had draped her saree with that maddening care, that simmering restraint, there had been something dangerous crackling between them.
She should have known it would come to this.
Push him away, a voice in her head ordered.Tell him he has no right. Tell him it’s over.
But then there was another voice, softer but far more persuasive, whispering inside her:
It’s been months since these rough, familiar lips touched yours.
Months since you felt this heat.
This ache.
This need.
Don’t let it go.
When his fingers rose to cradle her face, everything inside her cracked.
The gentleness, the longing in his touch, it wrecked her.
His kiss deepened, drawing a soft, helpless sound from her throat she hadn’t meant to give. Within seconds, the friction of his body against hers knocked her pallu off her shoulder, the soft silk sliding down to her elbow, baring more of her bare skin to the heated air between them.
Although she hesitated, she wanted to pull him closer, harder, and lose herself in the kiss she had missed far more than she dared to admit.
