Barun’s constant presence shook me, making me jumpy and hyperaware of everything and everyone around me. Four years had made him more handsome, more rugged, and oh-so-delicious. His voice! Oh, my God! It was pure sensuality. I couldrecord it and listen to him every single day without getting bored. Of course, his body matched his magnetic aura. My body tingled whenever I felt his dark eyes following my moves. Which was every so often.
But it wasn’t his looks or his voice that made me melt. It washim. I couldn’t help but notice the way he expected and met my needs in a million ways, as if it was the most natural thing for him to do. Through this month, he’d had my coffee ready first thing in the morning. He’d organized personal workout classes indoors for my safety, and even ordered my favorite meal the day I’d been feeling low. I’d spoken about getting a book in passing, and the next day, it was in my room along with my coffee.
In short, he took care of all my needs. Well, almost all of them. He was just… perfect. A fact that scared the hell out of me.
All these years, he’d been a distant presence, and I fantasized about him, especially while reading my romance novels. But being with him in-person shifted something in me. He was my dream come true, my perfect man. And I knew my brothers wouldn’t think so. There was no one in this world perfect enough for me, according to Rhett.
Frowning, I sensed my brothers were deliberately keeping me in the dark about Barun’s role as my personal bodyguard. They claimed Alia’s kidnapping triggered this additional safety measure for me, but I wasn’t truly convinced. Something was off, and the only person who could confirm whether my intuition was right was Barun. Too bad he chose to remain distant and silent.
Which was baffling and hurtful, to be honest. Closing my laptop with a sigh, I got up and walked to the huge terrace from myroom. I needed some fresh air to get out of my head. After a night of fitful sleep, I’d risen very early.
The moment I stepped onto the terrace, the early morning breeze made me shiver. Hugging myself against the chill, I took a calming breath. Against the rising sun, the mountains were majestic, making me fall in love with this city all over again.
“Here’s your blanket,” Braun murmured. Startled by his voice, I turned around, noting his silent, almost predator-like walk. Just as with the other times, the sight of him, tall and dependable, took my breath away. Dressed in a black t-shirt and sweatpants, he looked devastating, making my mouth go dry. I tried not to let my eyes roam over his muscular body. Barely!
Ignoring the flutters of desire uncoiling in my belly, I murmured a thank you. Pulling the blanket around me, I gazed at him for a moment, noticing the coffee he’d left inside the room. “Thank you for the coffee. You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to check if you wanted me to schedule your workout today. I’m ready to go to the gym whenever you are.”
He didn’t need to do any of this for me. He really didn’t! Yet he chose to. His standoffish behavior contradicted the sweet little things he did for me. After overthinking it for an entire minute, I couldn’t help but ask.
“Why are you here? I know my brothers aren’t telling me everything. But you know you should, right? I deserve to know what’s going on.”
Barun exhaled, looking torn. “Princess…”
“Oh, so now I am ‘Princess’ all of a sudden?” I scoffed, looking away for a brief moment. “The way you’ve been avoiding me thiswhole month, I assumed the man who saved me and who’d been texting me all these years was a figment of my imagination.”
At the back of my mind, I knew my control was slipping, and I wanted to backtrack, but another part of me wanted to confront him, get my hurt out in the open. To know what was going on with him. With us.
“That was different, Katy. You weren’t my charge then.” He ground out, looking away before turning to me.
Smiling without humor, I looked him in the eye. “I never took you for a liar.” My mouth tightened in annoyance. Hurt by his avoidant behavior, I walked back to my room, removing the blanket as soon as I crossed the threshold. I didn’t care I was in my nightgown that probably revealed more than it concealed.
“Princess, please…”
Whirling around, I didn’t bother to hide my wounded expression any longer. “What, Barun? Are you saying that all those years of cheering me and encouraging me to chase my dreams were all an act? What about the times you texted to check if I was doing okay? Was it just… pity?” I whispered, my heart aching.
No sooner had those words left my lips, I watched the indifference melt away in his eyes. Barun came up to me in quick strides, catching my shoulders in a firm grip. “Never! It was never pity, Katy. You don’t need anyone’s pity. You’re a warrior.”
Despite my anger and confusion, a thrill passed through my body at his touch. My pulse fluttered at the dark expression that chased across his handsome face.
“Then why have you been distant all these days? You’ve barely spoken to me. It’s as though our conversations never existed. It’sas though… you want to erase our history.” I murmured, unable to hide the ache in my heart.
Barun didn’t answer immediately; instead, his hand cupped my cheek. Immediately my mouth parted, eliciting a low, answering groan from him. His eyes zoomed in on my lips, heating my blood to a feverish pitch.
Awed, I watched a battle wage within himself before he moved his thumb to caress my lower lip. Gently. Once. As if he couldn’t help touching me. The rough pad of his thumb against my soft lip directly tugged at my center. My breath stilled before a little gasp tore out of my mouth.
Finally, he replied in a gruff voice. “Because I’m afraid if I cross the professional boundary, there will be no coming back.”
Shocked and thrilled at the unexpected raw answer, I held my breath, petrified to break this strange spell. His face inched closer to mine, the dark eyes capturing my gaze. It appeared he was memorizing my face. After a month of indifference, it was a surreal feeling to see the fire blazing in his eyes. To experience his firm, unexpected touch.
“Trust me, Princess, you wouldn’t want that. You’ve been locked away within the Falcone tower, protected and cherished. A bastard like me shouldn’t even look at you. You’re too pure for the likes of me. If I touch you, we’ll ignite, and neither of us will survive the fire.”
“Barun…” I whimpered, turned on and wanting all that he was denying. My nipples tightened into stiff peaks poking against my nightgown. I didn’t even bother to cover myself, scared of making any movement that would shatter this raw version of Barun.
As if my whimper shattered the strange cocoon of sensuality that surrounded us, he stepped back, morphing into the indifferent stranger within seconds. “I’ll wait outside, Princess. Call me when you’re ready to leave for your workout.”
#4
