With a quick glance at Ajay, I walked back to Remo. His hand gripping the back of my head, he captured my mouth in a deep kiss, stealing what little etiquette I’d managed to salvage before releasing me with a softer peck of my brow. So far, the man had been nothing but crude, possessive and arrogant yet the way he looked at me now, stripped me of the renewed hatred I’d felt for him.
Those blue eyes gentled, his smile slight, his head tilted at an angle, pure affection radiated from him leaving stumped by his uncharacteristic warmth. “I’m just a phone call away,” he whispered. I frowned, not understanding the implication of his statement until he added, “if you need me,” with a quick glance at Ajay.
“I thought you didn’t care,” I mocked, my voice equally low even though I understood his meaning now.
He leaned in. “Getting rough with you twists me up in all the right ways. But getting protective? That’s the part that scares me. Because when that switch flips, there isn’t a line I wouldn’t cross.”
“Scares you?” My fingers curled into his shirt, gripping the fabric tight. “Good. Don’t tame it. If someone comes for me, I don’t want mercy.”
His hand slid to my throat, not tight, just possessive, his thumb resting on my pulse. “Not even Death would keep us apart,” he murmured, his mouth close to my cheek before he nodded to the door.
Clearing my throat, I walked toward a now furious Ajay and followed him out of the restaurant to the car. Normally, I would’ve made small talk just to keep the peace, but his stoic expression gave me very little room to breathe. It wasn’t that I feared the man, I just hoped he’d refrain from telling my uncle and aunt of the forced indiscretions I had to endure in his presence.
My logical side scoffed. Remo might’ve overpowered me the first time, what happened today though, was quite frankly a craving I couldn’t fathom. Somewhere between all the testosterone Remo and Ajay exerted, I’d developed an appetite for Remo’s brand of possession. He might not be the relationship type of man; he’d probably ensnare the heart of every woman he fucked. Strangely, that notion didn’t sit right with me. While I was open to sharing him with Dia, the thought of him touching another woman jolted my body with a shiver I recognized as jealousy.
“You could’ve stopped him,” Ajay snapped, pulling me out of my thoughts.
My laugh was unintended, sharp in the quiet car. “That’s Remo Rossi you’re talking about, underboss of New York, so many other states I can’t even name and Italy. I’m sure you know that means.”
He glared at me. “Why does it sound like you’ve placed the bastard on a pedestal.”
“I haven’t.” I shrugged, looking out the window to avoid that intense gaze. “But it’s a little hard to stop a man like him. I’ve tried.” My indifference only seemed to further irk Ajay; his eyes narrowed. “You don’t have to marry me, Ajay,” I began, knowing the words were futile.
“Shut the fuck up, Ishika, you know this is bigger than the two of us.” His eyes shifted back to the road, frustration clenched his jaw. “And you know my father will kill us both if he finds out you allowed Remo to fuck you.”
His whining irritated me, and I was about to tell him to go jump when I remembered the reason I was doing this. My brother. The idea of asking Remo for help crept up and immediately I shoved it down, realizing that was a war I should avoid. Besides, I was just Remo’s fuck buddy, nothing more.
“I didn’t allow him.” I sighed. “Remo is a man you can’t say no to. He might be younger than your father, but he’d stand up to your father and Veer’s entire Indian mafia if he was shoved into that corner.”
Ajay snorted, shaking his head. “I couldn’t even get a kiss out of you.” His dark eyes flicked to me. “Yet he fucked you. How?” I felt the rage bouncing off him, thick and suffocating. This wasn’t about his father, rather another case of whose balls were bigger between him and Remo.
Regardless, I relayed my initial meeting with Remo at the hospital and how my actions led to me paying a price I eventually accepted.
“So that gives him the right to fuck you whenever he wants?”
I rolled my eyes, staring out the window before pulling in a deep breath to look at him. “Our marriage is arranged, so if you want to be a dick about the man who screwed me before I met you then by all means, go find yourself a little sugar bunny to sweeten your cock.” God, could the man just grow up already.
Ajay growled his disgust, his eyes flitting between me and the road. “I want you,” he replied, not mincing his words, yet his possessiveness was nowhere close to Remo’s arrogance.
“Are you prepared to accept me as is?”
He chewed his bottom lip for a bit, his expression contemplative. “Are you saying Remo will still be around after we marry?”
“He won’t,” I said, lying to the both of us.
How the hell would I stop Remo? The man was sexy as sin even if he were all kinds of aggressive, possessive and took without asking. My resistance would last a mere few seconds after the way he kissed, let alone touched me. And honestly, every inch of me cried when he walked away, would I really be able to stay away?
I was so doomed.
Avoiding Ajay’s gaze, I stared at the passing scenery, reminding myself to not stray from my goal. Inwardly I might be strong and outwardly able to kick some butt, but right now I wished for Dia’s calm, controlled and indifferent willpower. She never second-guessed herself, nor did she rethink a decision once made.
fifty-five
. . .
Ishika– 32 years old
The air in the room felt thick, cloying, like the scent of jasmine and hairspray was suffocating me. I fanned my face, the motion frantic, useless. “Why is it so freaking hot in here?”
