Page 57 of Since You Stole My Heart

She rested her head against his shoulder, her body softening into his. His warmth and the faint scent of his cologne lingered around her. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath, taking him in.

‘I wish I could have met your grandparents,’ Kashvi said quietly, because from everything she’d heard, she knew she would have liked them.

‘They would have loved you, and I would have been sidelined,’ Swayam chuckled as his fingers brushed the clasp of her mangalsutra at her nape.

A small smile tugged at her lips. ‘You know, you don’t have to steal it anymore. You already won the bet.’

Swayam chuckled, shifting his hand to run through her hair. ‘It’s become a habit, I guess.’

Kashvi played with the ruby heart. ‘This belonged to my Maa, and she wore it often. When it passed down to me, I started wearing it every day to keep her close. I don’t think I could have ever let go of it, so you did a great job.’

Relief softened his voice. ‘I cannot tell you how happy that makes me, because I had this nightmare last night where you punched me right there in the temple when you saw it.’

‘That can still happen,’ Kashvi said, narrowing her eyes playfully as she tilted her head towards him. ‘You did make a very bold decision without talking to me, so I still might punch you.’

‘Is that so?’ Swayam asked, lifting a brow. ‘Hit me. I’ll take it without complaint.’

Kashvi huffed out a quiet laugh. ‘Without complaint? You?’

‘I have my moments,’ he said with a small, almost sheepish smile. ‘And if that doesn’t help, you can think of it as my wedding gift to you. Makes it easier, right?’

She hummed thoughtfully. ‘Alright. I’ll take that excuse, but only on one condition.’

Swayam exhaled in resignation. ‘I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.’

Kashvi rolled her eyes. ‘Let me get you something too.’

‘Already got mine, so I’m all set.’ Swayam lifted his hand, drawing her attention to the platinum wedding band resting on his ring finger. A hint of a grin broke through as he said, ‘I think it suits me, don’t you?’

‘It does,’ Kashvi admitted, her gaze lingering on it a second longer. ‘But that’s different.’

‘How?’

‘Because I didn’t do anything for that. Siya brought it over this morning from the family vault. I just put it on you.’

Kashvi held the ruby heart between her fingers, watching it gleam in the dim light. ‘I want to give you something special, memorable. Something that’s actually from me and makes you feel the way this made me feel.’

‘If that’s the case, then I can think of something.’

‘Anything.’

‘Are you sure?’ he asked, his voice stripped of its earlier playfulness.

A shiver of awareness travelled slowly down her spine as he ran his fingers along her back. ‘Do you know what my favourite moment of the day was?’ he asked.

The shift in conversation caught her off guard, and so did the way he suddenly pulled her flush against his chest. All she could do was curl her fingers into his T-shirt and shake her head.

Swayam tugged lightly at her mangalsutra with the tip of his finger, drawing her closer as he said, ‘It was when I put this on you, because for the first time, I don’t have to imagine what itwould feel like to have you in my arms. You’re here, and you’re mine.’

He traced a finger along the curve of her jaw, unbearably gentle, before resting it beneath her chin and tilting her head back. Her lips parted, her body reacting before her mind could catch up.

His gaze dropped to her mouth, and the need burning in his eyes sent an ache through her. ‘I never thought I’d get this life, where you’re with me like this. But now that I do, I want to cherish it.’

Her heart thudded harder, and Kashvi could barely think. All she felt was desire in the way her skin tingled and her pulse raced. She held his gaze, unable to break the fragile, electric thread of longing binding them together.

Swayam said softly, ‘I don’t want to rush you, so think about it before you decide. And if you say no, I’ll understand. But if there’s even a small part of you that feels as crazy as I do when I’m this close to you, then grant me the gift of our first kiss.’

Her mouth went dry as she reminded him, ‘We’ve kissed once before.’