“I could stay like this forever.” Priya curled deeper into the warmth of his body.
“Good.” Ethan’s hand slipped to her waist, pulling her closer. “Because I’m not letting you get out of bed.”
“Lucky for you, it’s a comfortable bed.” Priya smiled, her cheek pressed to his chest. The steady rhythm of his breath, the rise and fall of his chest…everything about this moment felt perfect. “I thought I’d be wired after everything that happened last night, but nope. I barely remember closing my eyes.”
“That tired, huh?” Ethan brushed a strand of hair away from her face. His fingers stilled for a moment, and he shifted slightly, like something had just clicked in his mind. “Wait…didn’t you say you wanted to tell me something last night?”
Priya’s heart lurched.
Now? He wants to have this conversation now?
She could barely wrap her head around the fact that she was lying next to him after the most mind-melting experience of her life. Shewantedto come clean—but seriously, who in their right mind would risk ruining things with Ethan Knight? And for what? It wasn’t like he was sticking around forever, so why ruin the time they had left together? The fire had given her the perfectout. She could have let Moksha burn, and she hadn’t. Her parents were keeping it, and she’d finally come to terms with it. She didn’t have to like it, but she’d made her peace.
So, what was the point in telling him? Why drag them both into a conversation that could tear apart the one perfect thing in her life right now?
“I wanted to tell you that I’m a horrible person because, well…I can be sneaky.” Priya’s hand slipped under the covers, her fingers closing around him.
“Interesting.” Ethan’s lips curved as if weighing her confession. “I think we need to explore this side of you a little more.”
Priya chuckled, then disappeared under the covers. Her mouth opened, warm and inviting, her tongue swirling over him in slow, tantalizing strokes.
Ethan exhaled slowly, his head falling back against the pillows. Everything was momentarily perfect—the soft white sheets, the beams of light playing through the curtains, the distant hum of the world awakening to a new day. Around the bed, Priya’s circle of salt marked the fraying edges of their newfound bliss.
Eighteen
It was early afternoonby the time Priya managed to pull herself away from Ethan. After showering and getting herself ready, she sat at the small dining table in the coach house and made the call she had been dreading. As her father’s voice came through the line, Priya took a steadying breath.
“Okay…don’t freak out,” she said. “Everything’s under control, but…there was a fire in the basement last night.” She braced herself, instinctively pulling the phone away from her ear just in time to hear her father’s startled outburst.
“Su?” he exclaimed. “Aag?” What? A fire?
Priya winced as the panic on the other end escalated.
“Aag?” her mother screeched in the background. “Kya? Kyare? Kevi ritey?” Where? When? How?
“Su?” Deepa chimed in over the speaker.
Priya took a deep breath and tried again. “There’s some damage, but it’s just the office. I was getting Puppa’s address book when the outlet sparked and—”
“Suuu?” A collective gasp echoed.
“You were inside the building when it happened?” her mother cried.
“I tried to stop it, but it spread quickly. If Ethan hadn’t shown up in time, neither Moksha nor I would have made it.”
There was a brief pause before a barrage of questions hit.
“Mr. Ethan saved you?”
“And Moksha?”
“Are you both okay?”
“How bad is the damage?”
“We’re fine,” Priya replied, switching her phone to speakerphone. “It was an electrical issue. I’ve shut off the main power and taken photos. I wanted to check in with you before reporting—”
“We are on our way,” her father declared. “We’ll be there by this evening.”
