It was even harder to exercise the necessary restraint with Darcy’s outfit. In the end, she put the dog in a simple fall shearling coat. Darcy looked better in bold colors, but that would just clash with Kamila’s look. She swiped both her and Darcy’s bangs to the side to complete the professional chic look. Perfect.
Kamila hated driving downtown, but she drove to Rohan’s since she didn’t want to navigate the subway with the rather large and awkward gift, plus a hyper dog. After parking in the visitor parking outside the building, she walked up the stairs to the condo entrance.
Although she’d never actually been to Rohan’s place, she’d seen the exterior before. It was an old redbrick building that had been completely gutted and modernized with a glass extension taking it from six stories to twenty. Kamila took Darcy’s leash in one hand and her purse plus the large paper shopping bag in the other and headed straight up the elevator to the penthouse party room as instructed. She wasn’t exactly fashionably late but hardly perfectly punctual, either. She intended to make an entrance.
The elevator opened to a short hallway. At the end of the hallway on the right was a small indoor lounge with black leather couches, a bar, and huge windows. She could see straight to the outdoor space, and it was also perfectly presentable. Actually, quite striking—upscale black-and-gray patio furniture, large potted palm trees, and another bar where the food was laid out. Kamila reluctantly agreed to herself that the orange haze from the setting sun hitting the abundance of green plants more than made up for any lack of colorful decor out. No tzhujing required—it was already quite atmospheric. And very elegant. Almost magical.
Her friends were gathered in the seating area, including Asha and Nicole, Tim and Jerome, Maricel, Dane, and Anil, as well as Asha’s and Tim’s dogs. And Jana, of course. Always Jana.
Darcy was eager to run out and see her dog friends and was pulling on her leash, so Kamila lifted the dog in her hand. Not knowing where to leave her bag and Rohan’s gift, she headed back down the small hallway, hoping there was a coatroom past the elevator. But instead of finding a coatroom, she walked right into a hard wall.
Wait, not a wall. A person.Rohan. When did he become so solid? Strong. She wavered, losing balance.
“Kam!” he yelped, putting his hands out to steady her. One hand landed on her upper arm and the other on her waist. He held her firmly until the risk of falling on her butt passed. Darcy took advantage of Kamila’s wobbles and hopped to the floor, jumping up and down at Rohan’s feet, probably assuming he had a samosa or a pakora in his pocket for her.
Once steady, Kamila laughed and stepped back out of Rohan’s grip. She looked at him. Actually, she did a double take. He looked so…different. Not his clothes—although he was dressed a bit more casual than normal. His slim black pants were a touch shorter than ones he normally wore, showing off naked ankles and casual loafers. His fitted plum-colored dress shirt had two buttons open and no tie to be seen, and the sleeves were rolled up his forearms. But really, a dress shirt with dark pants was what he always wore, so why would this look so different today? Maybe his hair? Nope. Trimmed tight and close to his head on the sides and back, with more length highlighting his natural wave on top. Plus, of course, that appealing graying at the temples and on his beard. She grinned when she realized what was different. He was smiling hugely, all the way to his eyes. He had a lightness to his posture. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him this relaxed.
“Whoops. Thanks, Rohan,” Kamila said, flipping her ponytail behind her shoulder and standing straight.
He gave her a kiss on each cheek. Very fancy.
“Mm…” she said, smiling. “You smell good.” She pointed outside. “It looks fabulous out there.”
“It’s no Kamila Hussain party. But I do what I can.” He frowned at her. “What are you wearing? Didn’t I say no theme?”
She looked down at herself. “I don’t look good?”
“You look great. It’s just…out of character. I was just getting some drinks. What would you like?” He headed behind the bar.
“What do you have?”
“Italian sodas, juice, beer. Red and white wine.”
She wasn’t hosting, so why not? “Red wine, please.”
He pulled out a bottle and came around to the front of the bar to pour it into a large red-wine glass. And just like when they’d made momos together, she found herself entranced by his forearms. For a slim man, they looked so solid. Must be all that rock climbing he did. The skin there was paler brown than his hands, and soft, probably because they were usually hidden behind layers of silk and fine wool. Would the skin on his chest be that soft, too?
Also, what the heck was going on with her? Why was she reacting to Rohan this way? Maybe it was because she usually saw him in a suit jacket? This felt like an intoxicating peek into the taboo. She shivered.
“What?” he asked, putting the bottle down. “Is something wrong with the wine?”
She shook her head. “No. Looks good.”
“You’re staring at my hands.”
She squeezed her lips together, eyes wide. “Oh…um, sorry. Um, it was actually your forearms I was staring at.”
He raised one brow. “My forearms?”
She put on her teasing smile. “Putting them on full display like that…You’re giving me the vapors. Not to mention those ankles. What’s next—thigh-revealing short shorts?”
He shook his head, laughing. “Kam, I don’t know what to do with that.” He handed her the glass.
She took a sip. It was delicious wine—full-bodied and rich. Expensive. “Keep feeding me this and you can do whatever you want with me. Oh! I forgot. I brought you a present! Like a hostess gift to thank you for having me. A host gift. Here.” She held out the bag.
He chuckled. “I’m touched, Kam.” He took it and removed the tissue paper–wrapped gift.
“Pillows?” he asked, eyes narrowed. “With tassels?”
