Page 68 of Always With You

“Ranveer, I appreciate your concern, but I can handle myself,” I reiterate, as I stare at him.

The expressions that cross on his face depict that he is fighting with the emotions running through him. I know he wants to be the one to take care of me. Nonetheless, he needs to understand that he has to have faith in my strengths. “Next time, I don’t want you to make an entry like a hero. Instead, you will let me fight my own battles.”

He clenches his jaws and glares down at me. “I do not agree to any such thing. In case you have forgotten, you are my wife, and I am going to protect you. You won’t stop me,” he growls, staring into my eyes, his voice deep and warm.

“Nothing has ever happened to me so far, Ranveer,” I mumble.

“But there’s always a first time for everything. And if anything happens to you, I won’t be able to forgive myself or even live, for that matter. It will break me and I will di….”

“Ranveer!” I grab his hands and give them a squeeze. “Nothing will ever happen to me.” Just when I think I can’t love him, he does or says things that make me fall for him even more.

“Alisha…” he begins, but I bring my fingers to his lips.

“Make love to me,” I whisper, my eyes brimming with sentiments.

His throat visibly constricts, and his dark eyes study me intently, but he doesn’t say anything. He continues to stare at me, as I cup his face in my hands. I feel his firm jaw tighten as I stroke the coarse skin. Without breaking eye contact, I lean in a bit closer to him and hear his breathing hitch.

“I love you,” I whisper the words that I have been waiting to say but never found the guts and kept them locked in my heart. “I’m tired of fighting my feelings for you and can’t hide them anymore. I love you… I want you more than my next breath.” My heart is galloping, but I feel as if a heavy weight has lifted from my chest.

Ranveer freezes for a minute before his eyes go wide and hopeful as he regards me earnestly. “You love me?” His voice is gravelly.

Instead of speaking, I nod. My heart continues to hammer in my chest as our eyes don’t let go of each other. A whole sea of emotions flood in my body.

Ranveer’s eyes dazzle, and I feel my heart jump in my chest. He slowly rises to his feet and then kneels down in front of me. My breathing picks up. I am really not sure why I am so tense. No, that’s not true. The very idea of being in this moment with Ranveer is making me out of breath.

“Do you really love me? Because if you say yes, you are sealing your fate. I am never going to let you go.” I can almost hear the plea and hopefulness in his voice, as he affirms once more before letting himself believe.

Words struggle to make their way to my mouth. So, all that I am able to do is nod my head. Lifting his hand, Ranveer cups my face. “God, I wanted to always hear you say those words to me.” He lets out a sigh. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dreamt of this moment, when you confess your love for me.”

My breathing accelerates. I place my shaky hands on his chest. The pounding of his heart under my palms tells me that he is as affected as I am.

Without taking my eyes off him, I say, “Ranveer, I want you to make me your wife in every sense. I want this more than I ever wanted anything in life. Please make me yours.”

His eyes grow darker and desire flashes in them, as he leans in and kisses me. The kiss invades my soul, and I feel myself drown in the sea of lust. My hands automatically grab onto his shirt. We lose ourselves in the kiss, bodies pressed together as we suck and lick each other’s lips vigorously. Our tongues sync together in a wild dance until we run out of breath. Pulling his mouth from mine, he trails soft kisses along my jaw, then down my neck.

“Ranveer,” I heave as one of his hands slips under my shirt and cups my lacy bra.

“I want you, Alisha,” he whispers as he brings his lips to my ears, gently biting my earlobes while squeezing my breasts, making me moan in pleasure.

Rising on his feet, he pulls me with him as he yanks my flushed body against his, and that’s when I feel his hard-on poke into my stomach.

“I want to make love to you on our bed,” he whispers. Without warning, he reaches down and lifts me in his arms in bridal style.

My hands wrap around his neck and I rest my head on his shoulder as a blush forms on my lips. His steps are slow while he gawks at me, as if he is memorising each moment. When we enter the bedroom, he gently places me on my feet, but not before letting my entire body brush against his, sending jolts through my body. He runs one finger along my lips, making them quiver.

“You are so damn responsive to my touch.”

I am done with my mind controlling my heart. And I don’t want to shy away from what I feel for him. “It’s all you. You make me feel things I’ve never felt.”

His eyes don’t hide his emotions. Desire. Lust. And something I always wanted so badly to be true. Love.

“I have never felt this way either, Sweetheart,” he says as he rests his forehead against mine. I could feel him breathing heavily.

Lifting his head, his hands begin to travel down from my head to my cheeks, his feather light touch stirring my insides, while his fingers continue their journey down. My chest starts heaving in expectation, as his fingers inch agonisingly slowly towards my breasts. His eyes glimmer with anticipation as he meets mine. For a second, I see satisfaction in his eyes to see me just as impatient. As if reading my thoughts, he leans in and whispers in my ear, “Now you know how tormenting it was the other day.”

I close my eyes and gulp the lump, deprived of the energy to utter a word in response while his fingers continue to explore, determined to give me a taste of the torture. And before I can anticipate where he would touch me next, his fingers dip in between my neckline. My chest starts heaving visibly, whereas my eyes are glued to him. His finger goes in and out a couple of times, making me grip his arms. I lick my dry lips, and my eyelids droop, intoxicated with passion. His finger moves slightly towards the left and inches towards the protruding nipple, desperately waiting for his attention. The moment his finger touches the tip, I bite my lip hard and throw back my neck, my locks hanging by my hips. My eyes are shut as I breathe through my mouth. I am hanging by a thin thread, close to my release. As if that torment is not enough, I feel him kiss and nibble the soft part of my neck that pulses with excitement. He then lazily descends all the way down to the first button of my shirt. I grip his head and look down just in time to see his mouth hovering over the fabric. Shivers run down my spine as he encases the silky fabric in his mouth. I clutch at his curly hair, unable to bear the sensations. I am not sure how he does that, but before I get the hang of it, he sneaks his hands inside my shirt, towards the back, flips my bra open, and removes it from my arms, leaving the shirt intact. My breasts sag just a touch, which captivates his attention. He extends both his hands towards my shirt and holds them from outside, supporting them and kneading them.

His voice is thick with passion as he murmurs, “That day, I don’t know how I restricted myself from doing exactly this.” I feel weak in my knees as he unbuttons my shirt.

---