“When have I ever listened to you, Pops?” Daksh mocked, giving his father his cockiest grin, the one designed to infuriate.
Down below, in the bowels of this mansion his family called home, a doorbell chimed.
“They’re here,” Ashish said, straightening his shirt and taking a deep breath.
Daksh’s heart galloped in his chest, almost threatening to break free from his rib cage and run amok. He was surprised his family hadn’t heard his erratic heartbeat, given it was pounding in his ears like war drums.
“Let’s go,” Prasun strode out of the room, following by Ashish. Neither of them glanced back to see if Daksh was following.
He stepped out of the room, walking to the balustrade and looking down at the foyer where people were gathering. A large horde of well-dressed people were milling around, greeting his family and exchanging hugs and introductions.
He noticed none of them. His gaze was drawn immediately to where she stood, on the periphery of a crowd that had gathered for the explicit reason to celebrate her. She wore a simple, white chikankari salwar kameez that fell around her in voluminous folds. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, tendrils framing her pale, set face. Her hands were twined together, fingers twisting nervously.
His idiot brother stood beside her, completely oblivious to her anxiety. Daksh’s own hands twitched on the balustrade, gripping hard to fight the urge to run down and take her hands in his own.
What the fuck was he doing, he thought angrily. This was nonsense. He should just –
But whatever it was he thought he should do, he forgot all about it in the next second. Because Vedika looked up, her wide, brown eyes meeting his.
And the world as he knew it, fell away.
CHAPTER 23
VEDIKA
“Oh my my,”Tani murmured, beside her, one hand cradling her mini baby bump and the other one fanning her face.
Vedika snorted, a strangled laugh escaped her. From Tani’s other side Kimi took a long slurp of her lemonade. “It is unbearably hot, isn’t it? I think I might be melting.”
Kimi’s cheeks were feverishly flushed, her glittering eyes focused on Daksh’s profile. He stood in the far corner of the room, his back to the wall, a glass of scotch clutched in one hand and the fakest, politest smile pasted on to his face. He looked like he was burning in hell, slow roasting over a pit of his sins.
“What are you girls doing?” Vikram appeared behind them, a bottle of beer in his hand.
“Watching the hottest man in existence,” Kimi replied. “Now go away. You’re interfering with my concentration.”
“How?” Vik asked, moving to stand in front of her so she couldn’t see Daksh.
Kimi glared at him. “Move!” she hissed, shoving at his chest and not budging him an inch.
“Stop ogling Vedu’s brother in law,” Vik told her sternly. “And you,” he said accusingly to Tani, who was still staring at Daksh, goggle eyed. “You should be ashamed of yourself. You’re married! To my brother! Who is an actual rockstar!”
“I’m married not blind,” Tani informed him. “Look at the man. He’s…” Her words seem to fail her.
Yeah, Vedika thought privately…hewasbut it wasn’t his blinding good looks or sexy dialled up to one thousand that she saw when she looked at him. She saw him bringing her food she could eat, irritating her into a good time and-
“Vedu.”
She blinked out of her mental nonsense to see Ashish approaching her with a glass of pineapple juice. Her stomach revolted at the thought of drinking something that acidic but she smiled and took it from his hand. She’d learned, a long time ago, not to call attention to her dietary issues.
“Thank you,” she murmured, clutching the drink she had no intention of taking even a single sip from.
“Ashish,” Kimi said, standing on tiptoe to get a glimpse of Daksh. “You haven’t introduced us to your brother as yet.”
Ashish grinned, clearly used to this reaction from women when they encountered Daksh. “This is why I’m glad I met Vedika before he did,” he grumbled, raising a hand to wave Daksh over from where he was making polite conversation with Vedika’s father.
Vedika’s stomach plummeted, guilt and excitement swirling in a toxic mixture as Daksh slowly sauntered over.
“Close your mouth, darling,” Kabir said in a quiet undertone, coming to wrap his arms around Tani and kiss the top of her curls.
