She nodded, her breathing became more even and she turned to look at the house. Sam released her hands, and she tucked a flyaway piece of hair behind her ear, revealing her jawline and neck. She bit her bottom lip. He couldn’t help himself. With a low groan, he leaned over and kissed the corner of her jaw, just below her ear.
He heard her gasp and felt her smile as she tilted her face close to his.
“You do deal with Deepak-mama every time you come over.”
He grinned into her cheek as he kissed her again. “Mmm-hmm. I do.” He felt more than saw her goose bumps, so he kissed her again, moving closer to her mouth.
“Sam...” Her breathless giggle only encouraged him to continue. He could feel her words on his mouth. “We’re sitting in front of your parents’ house!”
“So?” He held her gaze with his.
“So...” Her hands were soft and cool when she took his face in her hands and kissed his lips. Sam leaned over the gearshift to her side of the car and deepened their kiss, like a man starving for her. Which he was. Maybe they could skip the game...
Maya pulled away, leaving him wanting more. She closed her eyes as if summoning strength. “Okay, if you can do it, so can I.”
“Great.” He leaned over to continue their kiss.
She pulled back and rested her forehead on his. “Sam.”
“Mmm?”
“We really should go in.”
He really needed to be closer to her. He brought his mouth to hers and spoke against her lips. “I really do love you, you know.” He reached around to grab her by the waist and pull her to his side of the car, but she pulled away from him.
Maya bit her bottom lip again, putting him at arm’s length. Her eyes filled with mischief. “Well, good.”
Sam’s eyes widened as he shook his head back and forth. “Maya...”
She laughed and pushed him away. “Your parents are waiting.”
Sam groaned as he got out of the car and came around to open her door. He laced their fingers together and led her to the house. His father stood in the doorway just as they approached.
“Sammy!” His father greeted him with a jovial slap on the back and then turned his attention to Maya. “You must be Maya. Come in, please!” He stepped aside and proffered his arm. “Take my arm, young lady, I will introduce you to my lovely wife.” His father’s grin lit up his face as he turned to wink at Sam.
Maya took his arm and smiled. “Thank you,” she said, and she sounded calm. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”
Sam breathed easy at how relaxed she was. His dad really did have a way with women. His mother would be another story. He lagged behind as his father led Maya to the kitchen where the scents of sizzling garlic and onion told him that his mother was making dinner.
“So nice to meet you, Auntie.” Maya offered a warm smile and stepped toward his mother as if to give her a hug.
Sam’s mother offered her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Maya recovered smoothly and shook his mother’s hand. Sam glared at his mother from behind Maya. What was she doing? Having her over here was in part her idea.
“We have heard so much about you, but Sam seemed reluctant to bring you to see us.”
Maya turned amused but accusing eyes on Sam.
Sam’s mouth gaped open. “No, I was...”
“Oh, Sammy was probably afraid we would try to scare you off,” Hema whispered loudly to Maya. “That’s what he thinks we did to his other girlfriends. It is a new one each month—”
“Mom!” Sam popped his eyes at her, trying to figure out if she was teasing him or serious. “Why would you say that? So not true.”
His mother shrugged. “Well, maybe noteverymonth. In any case, we’re not trying to scare anyone off. Why would we do that? All we want is for Sam to find the right girl.” She granted Maya a huge saccharine smile before turning to her husband. The smile never really reached her eyes, making Sam wonder what was up. “Isn’t that right, John?”
His father had his hand over his mouth, his expression held a hint of alarm, but he quickly rallied. “Well, I suppose that’s true.” He turned a twinkling blue eye on Maya. “Youare special.”
