Page 11

Startled, she recalled there wasn’t any wall behind her. Then?

Everyone’s eyes widened. Priya frantically gestured for her to turn around. Nandini, still fuelled by righteous rage, huffed and turned around, only to nearly choke on her own breath.

Because standing right behind her, dripping wet and wearing nothing but a towel slung dangerously low around his hips was her sexy neighbour, Shaurya Ahuja.

What the actual f*ck!

His hair was damp, rivulets of water trickling down his sculpted chest. And his arms?Good Lord!His arms were now crossed over his broad chest as he stared at her with an amused yet utterly unimpressed expression.

“So,” he drawled, “youare Raichand’s granddaughter?”

“I—you—I—” she stammered, her eyes locked on his face, refusing to look further down south.

“What were you saying just now?” he probed. “Something about dropping thick branches into my pool?”

Nandini swallowed nervously, but she didn’t miss the way his gaze dipped to her throat, catching the reaction before returning to her face.

“Please go ahead. Don’t stop on my account. I’d love to hear what otherindecentthings you have planned for me here on.”

The room erupted into silent giggles and awkward coughs as Nandini gawked at him, her brain short-circuiting.

“Indecent?” she scoffed. “You strutting around in a towel in front of a room full of women isn’t indecent?” she huffed, crossing her arms.

He took a step towards her, making her instinctively step back, feeling intimidated. Yet, Shaurya’s eyes never flickered from her face.

“I wouldn’t have been parading myself in a towel hadyourgrandfather agreed on cutting down that tree. You can’t expect me to take a dip in that dirty water every day, can you?”

Nandini folded her arms, her irritation mounting.

“Just because a few leaves and fruits drop into your pool doesn’t make the water dirty.”

“It definitely makes it unfit for swimming.”

“That’s completely untrue,” she countered, her voice firm, her academic background kicking in. “Mango leaves and fruit are completely organic. They don’t release toxic chemicals or anything remotely harmful to human skin.”

Shaurya arched a brow, clearly unimpressed. “So you’re saying I should just enjoy swimming in a pool full of floating leaves and fruit chunks?”

Nandini rolled her eyes. “No, I’m saying the presence of mango leaves or fruit in water doesn’t make it unsafe for swimming. If anything, mango leaves are known for their antibacterial and antifungal properties. In fact—” she took a step forward, tilting her chin defiantly, “mango leaf extracts are used in several organic skincare products for their detoxifying benefits. So technically, if a few leaves fall into your pool, you should be thanking nature for giving you a free spa treatment.”

A muffled snicker came from Priya and the others, but Nandini wasn’t done. “And don’t even get me started on chlorine,” she added, narrowing her eyes at him. “That chemical-laden water you swim in is more harmful for your skin than a couple of harmless leaves. But sure, go ahead and blame the tree for all your problems.”

Shaurya’s jaw ticked, his stormy gaze locking onto hers. “Fascinating,” he murmured, taking another step toward her, closing the distance between them. “So by your logic, I should be grateful that your family’s sacred tree is blessing me with its divine skincare properties?”

Nandini refused to back down, even though his proximity was making her pulse skitter.

“Glad you finally understand,” she shot back sweetly.

Shaurya let out a low chuckle, his gaze dropping to her lips for the briefest of a second before flicking back up.

“Stop being impossible, Miss Raichand.”

“And you, Mr. Ahuja, stop being so dramatic.”

Shaurya gave her one last glance, then turned and marched out of the room with an infuriating amount of confidence for a man wearing nothing but a towel.

As soon as Shaurya disappeared from the room, a collective sigh rippled through the women gathered in the clubhouse. Their excitement had nothing to do with the New Year’s party and everything to do with the nearly naked man who had just walked out in nothing but a towel.

“Oh. My. God.” Priya whisper-screamed, grabbing Nandini’s arm. “That was—”