She only calls me that when I’ve got her trembling. And every time she does, something warm and dangerous coils in my chest.
I curl my fingers, press my palm against her clit just right, and her breath stutters.
She clutches me, moaning into my neck as her body tenses, shudders—and then melts.
I keep my arm around her, holding her steady as her head drops to my shoulder.
When I finally ease my fingers out, I bring them to my mouth.
She watches—eyes wide—as I slide my fingers past my lips and taste her.
Then, gently, I fix her panties back into place, my other hand smoothing down her dress. She’s still dazed, her breathing uneven, and the way she’s looking at me—like she sees something in me I haven’t even named yet—nearly brings me to my knees.
It looks a little like conflict wearing the mask of my surrender.
“Rohi...” I whisper, dropping my forehead to hers. I don’t know what the hell to say. I don’t even understand what I’m feeling. The only way to describe it is—it’sterrifying. And thrilling. All-consuming.
I cup her face, brushing my thumb across her cheek as I press a soft kiss to her lips. “Let’s go inside, sweetheart.”
She smiles shyly, then suddenly grins like an absolute fool. “Oh... is Liam adip-in-then-leave-’emtype?”
Groaning, I squeeze her cheeks so her lips pucker like a fish.
“No seriou—”
I kiss her hard, just to shut her up.
“You don’t need to worry about Kashvi,” I mutter against her mouth.
She snorts as we head back inside. “Hah! You’re right. You should be worried about Liam though.”
I laugh—likereally laugh—and it feels like it bubbles out of somewhere deep, somewhere untouched for too long. She laces her fingers through mine and I swear my heart does this stupid little lurch.
The noise of the party floods us as we step back in. Warm lights. Familiar faces. Her hand in mine.
Shame I just didn’t remember this feeling when it counted. That I was only days away from fucking imploding.
FIFTEEN
Aarohi
It’s not easy to forget the exact words looping through my mind since Tim showed up at the café.
The uncomfortable buzz in my chest hasn’t left me since. I could pretend I had no intention of talking to him—ever.
And honestly, I didn’t. My resentment was double-edged: not only had he used me, he also broke the heart of the man I was now, quietly, callingmine.
Tim hadn’t denied that he’d practically stalked Lucian that morning, showing up right outside the café just in time to catch us kissing.
He looked uncomfortable even saying it—“I saw him kissing you.”
But this wasn’t about him. It wasn’t about jealousy, or heartbreak, or old wounds.
At least... not on the surface. I’d shut him down immediately. There was no way I could hold a conversation with someone who had made the conscious choice to cheat. And use me.
Who had walked into my life like a wrecking ball—for his own curiosity. Someone who’d chosen to lie instead of communicate.
But then he said it.
