“No. Let the police handle him.”
“He tried to hurt you,” he snarls, “and worse, he tried to make you doubt me.”
“And that still doesn’t give you the right to dirty your hands!” I yell, and for a moment, neither of us moves. His chest rises and falls heavily. My pulse thunders in my ears.
Then, needing him to hear me out, I lift my hand and place it over his heart.
“Dev…” My voice falters. “I feel something for you. More than I should.” My thumb brushes the centre of his chest, and I feel his heart pounding rapidly beneath my palm.
His breath catches, his eyes fixed on mine. “You… do?”
“I do… and I hate it,” I whisper, my hand sliding up to cup his face. “I hate how much power you have over my emotions. I hate how much you affect me. But what I hate even more ishow terrified I am of losing… whatever this is becoming.” Pulling in a shaky breath, I continue. “Please don’t do something that’ll break whatever I am beginning to feel for you… before I even get a chance to admit it.”
He closes his eyes, exhaling a long breath. When he opens them, something in him has calmed.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear that, Meera,” He swallows, his voice softening. “I know it’s not a full confession, but it gives me hope. Hope that you’re feeling even a fraction of what I feel, and that one day… you’ll finally confess your love to me.”
My chest caves in. I don’t realise I am shaking until he gently takes my wrist, lowers my hand from his face and then brings it to his lips. His eyes remain locked on mine as his mouth brushes against my skin.
A swarm of butterflies erupts in my stomach, my whole body responding to a truth I’ve tried so hard to ignore. That my husband owns every fragment of my heart, even if I can’t say it out loud just yet.
Chapter 24
Dev
I won’t lie, her filing that FIR hurt me. It wasn’t the legal mess that bothered me, but it was the fact that Meera didn’t come to me, didn’t trust me enough to hear her first. That… stung like hell.
But she undid every last knot in my chest with that half-confession of hers. Not anI love you, but enough to tell me she feels the same pull, the one that’s been driving me insane from the minute she walked into my life.
It’s been almost twenty days since things shifted between us. Of her looking at me differently, of her edges softening. Of those small moments where she reminds me just how much she’s starting to trust me.
And those soft kisses we’ve begun to share… Damn. They turn me into some lovesick teenager, waiting for the next one… replaying the last one like an idiot.
But we’ve kept it at that. Just kisses, nothing more. We don’t share a bed yet, but I am not complaining. Not when she’s actually trying to make this marriage work. She hasn’t said it out loud, but I see it in everything she does. And for now, that’s enough.
To say everything between us is perfect would be true, except for the part where that annoying jerk Samarth is still living under my roof. Still getting on my nerves with his exaggerated ‘concern’ for my wife.
Meera insisted he’s just overprotective, that he’ll leave once he finds whatever ‘peace of mind’ he’s looking for. Also, she didn’t want him pushed out before he was ready, so I let him stay. Even if every second he’s here grates on my nerves.
God, what I wouldn’t do for this woman. She has no idea how far she makes me bend.
It’s only because of her that I didn’t put my hands on the bastard who attacked her. I let the police handle it, making sure they knew he didn’t deserve to walk out of jail anytime soon.
At the sound of her clearing her throat, I look up and forget how to breathe when I see her standing in the bathroom doorway.
“You’re wearingthat?” I choke out, my throat working as she walks towards me.
She’s in a black dress that’s too damn sexy. The front of the dress hooks around her neck, a choker-style strap made of gold, the fabric falling from there and skimming over her breasts like it was designed to test my self-control. A matching belt cinches her waist, drawing every bit of attention to curves that are already driving me insane. Her sides are completely bare, smooth skin on full display, and the dress ends just above her knee. She looks like temptation wrapped in silk.
“You don’t like it,” she says, looking down at her dress.
God, I fucking love it. That’s the problem. It’s our first date, and I want it to be perfect for her. Not ruined because I end up punching the first idiot who checks her out, which is definitely going to happen. Every damn man is going to have his eyes glued to her.
“You look perfect.” I step closer and let my finger trail slowly down her cheek. “I have no idea how I am supposed to get through dinner without breaking the jaw of every man who even thinks about checking you out.” Damn, even I am having a tough time taking my eyes off her. Her hair falls loosely around her shoulders, her makeup soft enough to make her look effortlessly stunning. “Every man will envy me the moment they see you by my side.”
She bites her lip, her cheeks flushing. “You really know how to make me dizzy with your words.”
I brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “They’re not just words meant to flatter you. You’re gorgeous, and for the rest of our lives, I’ll make damn sure every word I say… reminds you of exactly that.”
