She swallows, “Th-thank you. Now let’s go before you make my legs wobble, and I don’t even make it out of the room.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll carry you, sweetheart, if I have to.”
She laughs softly and loops her arm through mine. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be late for our first date.”
I drop a kiss on her forehead as we step out of the room. Reaching my car, I open the passenger door for her, and she slides in. Jogging around, I settle behind the steering wheel, start the engine, and drive down to the rooftop five-star restaurant I’d booked.
Her voice keeps me grinning as I steer through the traffic. She talks animatedly about all the dishes she’s dying to try tonight. With her, even the smallest things feel like they’re everything. And every laugh, every little detail she shares, reminds me exactly why I’d do anything to see her this happy.
Forty minutes later, I pull up outside the hotel. A guard opens my door while another does the same for her. I step out, walk to her, and offer her my hand. She slips hers into mine as I lead her towards the entrance.
“Dev.”
I hear my name from behind just as we step through the entrance.
I turn to see my college friend Rahul a few feet away. And next to him stands Rashmi, a well-known model, and someone I’d hooked up with a couple of times in the past.
My hand instinctively tightens around Meera’s as they start walking towards us. A part of me wants to turn around and get the hell out of here, to keep every piece of my past far away from my wife. But the other part, the part that belongs entirely to her, stays rooted, wanting to make it damn clear that she’s it for me. No one from my past affects me anymore. No one has any claim on me now.
“Rahul.” I extend my hand towards him.
His family owns the country’s second-largest hotel chain, and he’s been running it for years now. And of course, he has a reputation. Thirty-five, rich, handsome, and one of the city’s most notorious playboys, with women lining up for a shot at his attention.
“Nice to see you, Dev.” He shakes my hand, but his gaze drifts past me to Meera, and heat shoots through my veins.
“Dev, no greeting for me?” Rashmi asks, that coy smile playing on her lips, the one that makes my jaw tighten.
“Hi, Rashmi,” I say flatly, giving her a bored look, not even bothering to offer a handshake. But the woman never did understand boundaries, because the next second, she steps in and hugs me.
Meera stiffens beside me just as Rashmi whispers in my ear, “Now this is how you greet old friends.”
I am a breath away from pushing her off and warning her to stay the hell away from me when Rahul clears his throat.
“Dev, won’t you introduce me to the beautiful woman with you?”
Meera’s fingers tighten around my hand, digging slightly into my skin. That tiny gesture is all it takes for possessiveness to flare hot in my chest.
I grit my teeth. “She is my wife.”
The colour drains from both their faces.
“Mrs. Meera Rathore,” Meera adds smoothly.
I glance down at her. Her eyes are locked on Rashmi, her stunning face marked with jealousy… a look I’ve never seen on her before. And damn if it doesn’t thrill me to my core.
“Nice to meet you, Meera,” Rahul says, taking her hand and leaning in as if to kiss it. Lucky for him, she jerks her hand back just in time, saving his life and keeping me from losing mine.
“Nice to meet you, too,” she smiles, then looks at me. “I think we’d better go get our table. I am starving.”
“Sure, sweetheart.” I press a quick kiss to her forehead, and she narrows her eyes at me, clearly hating every second of this encounter.
My gaze shifts back to Rahul. “We’ll talk soon,” I say, before leading Meera towards the restaurant.
“Who is that woman?” Meera asks the moment we settle into our chairs.
The waiter sets down the water and menus, and I tell him not to disturb us until I call for him.
“An old friend,” I say, flipping through the menu, hoping she won’t press for more. My eyes skim the pages, but I can feel her watching me.
