And somebody, please—please—tell her to wipe that caramel off her lips. It’s been stuck there for the past half hour, and if she doesn’t do it soon, I might lose my mind. My thumb is practically twitching, itching to reach over and graze her lips clean.
Focus, Manav. Keep it together.
“You are staring,” She gave me a long look.
“You might want to stop eating any more ice cream for tonight… or I’ll have to carry you out of the club when the sugar crash hits.” I turned the car towards XO, the only club in Beaufort.
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t trouble you.” She shifted a little while reaching for the radio.
The radio hummed with a melodic tune, and the breeze was cool against the night air. It was already 10:30 PM when we pulled into the parking lot. Within minutes, we were stepping inside the bar, the faint buzz of music and laughter filling the space.
Misty, the bartender, spotted me almost immediately, “Mr. Oberoi… today… you have beautiful company,” her grin widened as she eyed Kiara. “What can I get for both of you?”
“Umm… beer would be fine,” I replied, reading the messages Justin had been sending for the last ten minutes.
“I’ll take a lemon water,” Kiara chimed in, settling on the bar stool.
And then, of course, my phone rang again.
“I’ll be back in a minute.”
She nodded, settling in as I stepped away to answer the call.
“Sir… Mr. Patel has news…” Justin’s voice was urgent.
“What?”
“Rocky Mehra is going to meet you today.” Justin sounded as frustrated with the situation as I was.
I clenched my jaw, my mind racing. I disconnected the call with a sigh and stepped back inside.
As I approached the bar counter, my eyes locked on the sight that made my blood boil.
Rocky Mehra.And worse—he was standing there, shakingKiara’s hand.
What the fuck is this bastard doing here?
My fists clenched at my sides as I heard his voice, sickeningly smooth, as he spoke to her.
“Oh my God! Miss Kiara Randhawa… The Queen of Words is here… I’ve been following your work, and the movies you've scripted are my favorites. It’s been a long time since you launched a new one. Please don’t keep your fans waiting…”
He was still holding her hand, smiling as if he wasn’t the same snake I knew him to be.
This man has a death wish tonight.
“You touch her again… and you won’t live to see the morning,” I growled, my voice low but full of menace.
Rocky turned to me with a grin, completely unfazed. “Hey… buddy! What a surprise! I missed you so much. Are you hiding out here?” He laughed, casually taking a sip of his whiskey.
Kiara glanced between the two of us. “You two know each other?”
“Oh, we can’t live without each other, right, Bro?” Rocky smirked, not missing a beat. “And seriously, man, I never imagined you would be datingThe Kiara Randhawaafter what you did with your last girlfriend…” His smile was devilish, and he knew what buttons to push.
“None of your goddamn business,” I growled again, stepping closer.
Before I could say more, Kiara stumbled over her words. “We are… we’re not dating… uhh… he’s my… chef, and we are just…”
“He is your…what?” Rocky’s eyes widened before he burst out laughing, one hand clutching his drink as he leaned back like this was the best joke he'd heard all year. “Holy God!A chef…?”
