Page 21 of My Sinner

Her words tripped over the end of her query, and his lips twitched.

“You know the answer to the first question. And I don’t have a woman—or a harem full of them—waiting for me anywhere.”

“Why? You’ve got everything going for you—looks, money, status. Hasn’t Shimla’s most eligible bachelor become Dubai’s most eligible bachelor now?”

He smiled. “Shimla’s most eligible bachelor? I’m glad you remember that night at the ice rink too. That was the night you and I—"

“—you could have anyone you want,” she cut him off. “Why is being with me and talking to me so important to you?”

“When you’re ready to discuss the past, I will answer that question.”

Now it was her turn to look annoyed. She clamped her lips shut and sipped her drink, looking away from him. Fuck! This constant rage and resentment swirling between them were taxing. He breathed out, letting his anger go. He needed to talk to her, to build a rapport with her, without the past constantly getting in their way.

He signaled to the waitress and consulted Avantika as they ordered their food.

“So, before on the jet…all those boyfriends you claimed you had… Was Rajiv ever one of them?” he asked, keeping his tone light.

A part of him had been curious about her relationship with his nemesis ever since he’d seen them together. And this was something he really needed to know.

Her finger played around the rim of her glass. “No. But he was the only man who asked me to marry him.”

“What the actual fuck?” Even though his tone remained even, his rage, which had barely subsided, rose like a thundering storm.

She gave him a coy smile, well aware that her words had annoyed him. She truly knew how to tick him off, and she did it so brazenly and valiantly.

“What?” She flipped a careless hand through her hair. “You wanted honesty… I’m giving it to you.”

He took a sip of his drink. “What was your answer to his question?”

“Nothing you need to worry yourself with,” she said sweetly.

He felt like acid was being poured on his skin. “Are you having a sordid affair with him even though he’s married? Is that why he’s so protective of you?”

She remained silent, watching him without a single worry, while he was boiling in a simmering cauldron of rage.

“I am this close to losing it, Avantika,” he said quietly. “So, you better answer my fucking question.”

She leaned forward and tilted her head to the side. “When we agreed to your rules, I agreed to speak honestly with you, and I’m doing that. I never agreed to answerallyour questions. Therefore, you can go to hell,Mr. Luthra.”

The fact that she vehemently refused to take his name snapped whatever little handle he had on his self-control.

“That’s it. That fucker dies tonight,” he said calmly, his smooth words belying the tempest in his blood.

He was about to rise when Avantika caught his hand, stopping him.

Her shocked eyes met his. “What is wrong with you? You’re behaving mental. Take a sip of water, and cool it.”

Her gaze never left his as she continued to hold his hand. His skin warmed where she touched him. Soon, every cold inch of him was warming up. It was like she was breathing life into his inert body. His temper evaporated, and he stared at her hand that was touching his. A different kind of emotion lashed through him. He accepted it, welcomed it even. He recognized the desire he felt for this woman. Only for her. Years had passed, and she only had to touch him to wake his body up. Need began to thunder inside him. A craving began…

Seeing where his attention was, her eyes fell on her hand atop his. She gasped, remembering the implications of what she’d done.

She’d touched him of her own accord. A slow smile curved his mouth. She tried to move her hand, but he trapped it under his.

“No, this doesn’t count,” she rejected. “You were losing it. That’s why I touched you. To calm you down.”

His smile widened.

She tugged her hand from under his, but he refused to let go. He lifted it to his mouth and bit the back of her hand. Her breath escaped in a shudder. It excited him to know that she wasn’t unaffected by him. Their history and their mutual past hadn’t been able to erase what they each felt in the other’s presence.

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