Oh!
“I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “Did you suffer from a learning disability?”
He laughed, a loud burst of sound. “No,” he chuckled. “I did not. I suffered from laziness, carelessness, and a profound love of women. I suppose, girls at that point.”
“You didn’t study for your exams because you had a girlfriend?” Shock coursed through her.
“No,” he looked over at her, still grinning that reckless, irreverent grin. “I didn’t study because I had many girlfriends. I went to school but I didn’t spend much time in the classrooms.”
A choked laugh escaped her though she was still a little scandalised. At fifteen, she’d topped her board exams, ranking second in the state. At seventeen, she’d topped the state in the twelfth board exams and was in the top three in the country. She didn’t think she’d even looked at the boys, forget bunking class for them.
Her hair blew into her face and she pulled it back, starting to loosely braid it.
“Don’t,” he said, his voice rough. “Don’t tie it back.”
Her hands froze in her hair, that shiver working its way through her again. She held his dark, intense gaze for a long moment before dropping her hands, letting the heavy mass of her hair fall to her waist.
“Your hair is…” He cleared his throat and looked away. “You shouldn’t restrain it. You shouldn’t restrain any part of you.”
“I don’t think I’ve been very restrained with you,” she said wryly.
Daksh smiled, a slow, sexy smile that had her stomach flipping again. Damn that prawn!
“I tend to bring out the worst in people.” He flopped back on the sand, his gaze on the night sky, his body sprawled with a careless elegance she could never hope to match.
“I think we bring out the worst in each other,” she said, lying down beside him, trying to see what he saw.
“Do we?” he mused, a dimple winking into sight as he smiled. “I think we just bring each other out.”
Her phone rang, breaking the moment, but for the first time, Vedika felt no compulsion to answer, to find out who needed her and for what.
She flipped over on to her stomach, tossing her hair out of the way and looking at him. She didn’t miss the way his gaze followed the movement. “I bring out an arrogant ass?”
“It takes one to know one,” he retorted blandly.
She punched his arm in retaliation.
“Ow!” he said mildly. “You’re a violent sort.”
“That’s what you bring out,” she giggled, then stopped short in amazement. Giggled! She wasnota giggler, never had been.
A long, bony finger poked her in her side and she squeaked.
“Do that again,” he murmured.
“What? Punch you?” She balled her fist in preparation. “It will be my pleasure.”
“Laugh,” he said, looking over at her. “You don’t do it enough.”
She felt hot and cold all over, every part of her seeming to flood with sensation. For a long moment, she did nothing but stare, holding that intense gaze. And in that moment, there was nothing but him. Nothing but the two of them, the carpet of stars in the sky, and the crashing surf feet away from where they lay.
Her phone rang again, breaking the moment and Vedika blinked, looking away from him. She pushed herself up, fruitlessly trying to dust the sand off herself. Her phone stopped for a second and then rang again.
This time, she answered. “Pa?”
“Hey Vedu.” Her father’s deep voice flooded through the phone, grounding her and focusing her scattered emotions. “Ma and I wanted to check in and see how you’re doing.”
“I’m good, Pa,” she murmured, standing and walking a little away from Daksh. “Hopefully, I can be home tomorrow. I’ve got the Banlay thing under control, I promise.” A twinge of discomfort made itself felt as she remembered her last conversation with Ashish. But it was under control, she reminded herself. It was getting done.
