She flinched instantly, worry flashing across her face. “Karan… your arm—”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh. It’s exactly where it should be.” Then he closed his eyes.
Mishti watched his face for a few seconds longer. Slowly, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Karan too opened his eyes, knowing she was admiring him and murmured, “I’m glad this happened.”
She frowned, but he continued.
“If I hadn’t been shot, I wouldn’t have gotten these few more days to live with you again.”
Anger flashed through her. She swatted his chest gently. “Don’t you dare say something like that again. Do you even knowwhat I went through, watching you get shot right in front of my eyes?”
Her eyes filled instantly as she went on. “I thought I lost you, Karan. Forever. I—” She broke off as more tears spilt.
Feeling guilty, he pulled her closer. “I thought I lost you, too.” He wiped her tears. “For those first few seconds… the thought of never seeing you again made me die a thousand times more than the gunshot itself.”
She listened silently as he went on. “For the first time,” he said, his thumb unconsciously stroking the curve of her cheek, “I… Karan Wadhwa, who has never been scared of anything, felt afraid of dying.” His hand slid to her back, holding her there. “All I asked God for was a few more moments with you. Just… us. After that, he can decide whatever he wants.”
Mishti’s fingers fisted the fabric of his shirt instantly. “Don’t,” she scolded him, shaken. “Don’t say that…Not even as a thought,” she warned. “Talk about death again and see how patient I am. I won’t tolerate this morbid nonsense from you.”
Karan’s brow arched, mischief flickering back into his eyes as his thumb traced her lower lip deliberately. “Andyouscold me like that again,” he said slowly, “for something as harmless as opening my heart to you… and be prepared to get spanked.” A faint smile curved his mouth. “I mean it.”
She froze. Speechless for a few seconds. Her grip on his shirt tightened, breath catching, because she knew exactly whatspankingmeant.
Swallowing, she finally lifted her chin and said softly, challengingly, “You think I can’t spank you back?”
Karan grinned. The kind of grin that was sweetly romantic, teasing, and dangerous all at once. His hand slid down her spine again, pulling her closer.
“Women don’t spank men,” he said lightly, holding that smile. “At least… not like that.”
Her cheeks warmed instantly. “They don’t?” She murmured, hesitant yet curious.
He shook his head slowly, eyes never leaving hers. “They just swat their men’s arse,” he corrected, his voice dipping lower as his fingers brushed her waist. “If they really want to get their man to obey.”
Mishti swallowed, and her teasing side slipped back into place. She let her fingers curl into his shirt again. “Then I’ll swat too.” Her lips twitched. “Because you definitely need it almost every day, for the kind of tantrums you throw.”
Karan burst out laughing. He laughed so hard, so freely, that it startled even him. He had never laughed like this before. The image of Mishti swatting his very solid arse whenever he tried to dominate, or sulk, flashed vividly in his mind, and it only made it worse.
Mishti watched him laugh, completely taken in. She had never seen him like this either. So genuinely happy. For a moment, he looked like a man who had everything…no pain, no regret. Just peace.
And she knew why.
It was her.
His wife.
Right here. Beside him. He didn’t need to say it aloud. She could read it all in his eyes, and that was enough.
When his laughter finally faded, he pulled her back into his arms and murmured, “Crazy woman. Close your eyes now. We should sleep.”
She nodded, finally settling against him, careful not to touch his injured arm, mindful of every breath he took. Karan leaned in and pecked her lips gently, almost too soft, before closing his eyes, too. Soon, their breathing slowed, syncing naturally, as they drifted into sleep…together.
****************
Next Morning
Mishti stirred awake, feeling something wet against her upper arm. Still half-asleep, she didn’t register it at first. Karan and her had slept wrapped around each other all night. Her back was still pressed firmly to his chest, his body moulded to hers, his morning wood unmistakably nudging between her arse. In her drowsy haze, her instinct was to move back, to cuddle into him more, to rub against his hardness the way her body was already craving to.
