“Hey, little brother. I hear you have a girlfriend now.”
Fuck. “Arjun, how did you get my phone number?”
“We’rebrothers. Why don’t you want to talk to me?”
“Because you’re a criminal.”
Arjun didn’t acknowledge that comment. “I heard online that you’re dating a movie star in Los Angeles,andI heard from Dad that you moved in with your girlfriend in Toronto. You’ve never been a player—which is it?”
Clearly his brother was keeping tabs on celebrity gossip from prison. “Why do you care? And don’t say it’s because we’re brothers, because you certainly didn’t care about my life until I got this role.”
Arjun sighed. “I’ve got a lot of time on my hands in here. Been rethinking my life, you know? You and I should be closer. It stings that Hollywood gossip pages know more about my own brother than I do.”
Was Arjun being genuine? Hedidhave a lot of time to think. Maybe he was actually remorseful for how he’d treatedNikhil for years. Or maybe this was just because he wanted something.
“If you want money, you can forget about it.”
“Nikhil, don’t be like that,” Arjun said. “I’m trying to make amends here. I know you’ve got this gorgeous new life now, but don’t be a dick to your brother just because you’re famous.”
“I don’t trust you, Arjun. It’s going to take a lot more than one phone call to change that.”
Nikhil’s brother didn’t say anything.
“Look, I’m busy right now,” Nikhil said. “Don’t call me again.” He disconnected the call, which he knew would piss his brother off. But he didn’t care much. Maybe Nikhil should change his phone number again.
Nikhil wasn’t going to let himself worry about Kaelyn or Arjun or anyone else. He was going home to Marley. Who he’d slept next to for the last two nights. Who he was fully able to kiss pretty much whenever he wanted to.
Things were amazing right now. The best they’d been for him in… well, ever. Arjun was right about one thing: Nikhil’s life had never been so gorgeous.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Marley
Marley spent the next few days in a ball of nerves, expecting to hear from the store about losing the studio as a client. She didn’t know for sure if they would call—shewastechnically on sick leave. Maybe Jacqueline would save her dressing down for a couple of weeks from now after she was back at work.
But despite being more anxious and on edge than ever, Marley also felt like a new person. It was strange how much getting those drains out seemed to have flipped a switch in her body. Her pain was less. Her mobility was better. And she seemed more like herself. She’d started the exercises the nurse had shown her to get her range of motion back, and she could already feel some improvement. She hadn’t even burst into tears in the last few days.
But she was pretty sure that most of her exponential improvement was not because of getting her drains out, but because of Nikhil. Pretending to be in a healthy, normal relationship with him was… amazing. He’d slept in her bed every night since he got back from LA. Marley could touch that glorious body of his whenever she wanted to. He gave her another shoulder and neck rub, and even cooked her favorite meal from scratch on the weekend—a Thai curry soup called khao soi thatwas total comfort food. She’d stopped using the recliner, since cozying up to him on the sofa was even more comfortable. He also kissed her a lot. On her neck, her cheeks, her forehead. Her lips… but always very chaste and brief. Clearly, he was letting her take the lead on what she was ready for physically.
Marley’s mind and body weren’t in the same place, though. In fact, her mind didn’t want any of thischastebusiness. She wanted him… in every way. That night at the hotel replayed through her mind so many times. She wanted to turn off the world like she had done then and feel nothing but Nikhil inside her. Wanting someone like this was so strange for Marley. She liked sex fine, but she didn’t ever remember craving someone this much. Needing to be close to them, wanting to be in physical contact with every part of their body.
But her body… she wasterrifiedher body wasn’t ready. Not only because she was still weak and sore, but also, she didn’t look the same as she used to. Didn’t feel the same. True, Marley had been able to look at herself at the doctor’s on Wednesday without screaming or crying, but no one else had seen her new breasts (except for what felt like every doctor, nurse, and medical student in the city).
Her breasts weren’t symmetrical. They were still kind of yellow with bruising. And she had no nipples—just a scar where her areola should be. The silicone implants were sitting high and tight in her chest. She knew her skin would loosen and the implants would drop as her body got used to them—a process the nurse hilariously called “drop and fluff”—but now they looked wrong and plastic and… not real. Not to mention her skin. She also had no sensation at all from about two inches below her collarbones to an inch below her breasts. Marley had no idea when she’d feel physically and emotionally ready for sex again.
On Monday, after Nikhil had left for the gym for training and rehearsals, she finally heard from someone at Reid’s. But surprisingly, it was Erin and not Jacqueline who called her.
“Marley, my dear, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Recovering well.”
“Excellent. You and I need to have a little chat. Preferably in person. Can you come to the store?”
Marley cringed. She didn’t want to step foot into Reid’s like this. People would talk. Tova would take one look at her and know she’d had breast surgery. When Marley didn’t answer right away, maybe Erin realized what Marley was thinking. “Or we could do coffee somewhere. I have a gap in clients at three.”
“Coffee sounds great.”
Erin named a cafe that was thankfully not very close to the store, then disconnected the call. She’d sounded curt and short with Marley, but that didn’t necessarily mean this was bad news. Why was Erin the one to contact her, though? Erin wasn’t Marley’s direct supervisor—Jacqueline was.
