Ethan’s gaze snapped to her, his eyes narrowing. “Can younotdo the opposite of what I just told you?” He rushed toward her, ready to help her down, and suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“What?” Priya frowned.
Ethan rubbed his eyes, blinked, and looked again. “Priya Solanki, are you standing bare-assed on your father’s desk?”
Priya quickly used the folder to shield her lady parts. “No,” she said. “I’m wearing nude underwear.”
Ethan bent down, plucked her scorched pants off the floor, and held them up between his fingers. “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”
“Ethan,” Priya groaned.
“Relax, I’ve got you.” He ripped down the curtain that was now hanging askew and approached her.
“Don’t even think about coming any closer,” Priya snapped, pointing at him like a scolding teacher. His current trajectory would bring him face-to-face with her nether regions.
“Fine,” he conceded, holding the curtain out for her. “Not that I haven’t seen my fair share of ‘nude underwear.’ ”
“Turn around,” Priya instructed.
“Really?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, but he did as she asked.
Priya hopped off the desk, yanked her sweater down as far as it would go, and tied the curtain around her waist.
Ethan turned around, taking in her makeshift skirt, and his attention quickly turned to her ankle. “Is that a burn?”
“Just a sting.” Priya brushed it off. “It could’ve been much worse if you hadn’t shown up.” She felt like she’d been choking on the smoke forever, though she knew it couldn’t have beenmore than a few minutes. The fire had spread fast, but Ethan had acted faster.
“I heard the smoke alarm and bolted over,” Ethan explained. “I remembered seeing a fire extinguisher by the stairs when your father was showing me around, so I grabbed it on the way in.”
“It started with that outlet.” Priya nodded toward the fried socket.
Ethan nudged the charred box with his boot, making sure no embers remained. “It’s under control, but we need to report it.”
“Let’s wait until I talk to Puppa,” Priya said. “Moksha’s already on thin ice. If they find out, Puppa might lose his license before the reno’s even started.”
“Fine. But we’re cutting the power until the contractors get here.”
“But that will shut down the power in the apartment too.”
“You’re staying with me.” Ethan left no room for debate. “There’s no way you’re entering this place until it’s safe again. Now let’s go turn the power off.”
He followed Priya to the electrical panel, an old box that looked one spark away from falling apart. Inside was a tangled mess of wires. Priya located the main switch and flipped it off. The metallic clack reverberated through the space before everything plunged into darkness.
“Come on.” Ethan took Priya’s hand and led her upstairs. As the light from his phone lit the way, Priya realized if she had succeeded in pushing him away, tonight would’ve been a disaster for both her and Moksha. She owed him her life.
Outside, Priya took a deep breath, welcoming the rush of cool air. As she stood before Moksha with Ethan, it felt less menacing than before. The windows that glowed like ever-watchful eyeswere now extinguished. But the shift wasn’t just in Moksha. Something inside her had changed too. The fire had reframed the way she saw things, and no one was more stunned about it than she was.
“Come on. Let’s get you back to the coach house,” Ethan said, his arm wrapping securely around her.
Priya didn’t resist. She was too drained to argue, but there was something different in the way he held her now—steadier, more protective. His body curved instinctively around hers, like he meant to shield her from everything outside this moment. And his eyes, darker than usual and unreadably intense, made her pulse falter.
Had something changed in him too? Or was it just the fog of exhaustion playing tricks on her? Maybe. But as they walked together toward the coach house, Priya knew one thing for sure—she didn’t want to push Ethan away anymore.
Sixteen
Steam swirled around Priyaas she stood under the shower, letting the water pour over her. This was not how she’d pictured the night going at all. And now, for the second time, she found herself washing ashes away in Ethan’s bathroom. Except this time, when the door swung open and Ethan stepped inside the shower stall with her, it felt completely natural. He took the loofah from her hands and began to wash her back in slow circles.
As Priya’s muscles relaxed and the buzz from the fire faded, her thoughts finally slowed. And that’s when it hit her.God, I’ve been such a hypocrite.
