Page 26 of Driven By Desire
M ax drove home in silence. Beside her, Krish stared out the window with a forbidding frown.
In those formal pants with the top three buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up to reveal those muscular forearms, he made her mouth water.
Pulling up and parking, she got out of the car and reached into the trunk for her bag.
Slinging it over one shoulder, she lead the way into her house with the Grim Reaper following.
“Wow! Really? I had no idea?” Tossing her bag on to the couch, she beamed her widest smile at him.
When he only raised one enquiring eyebrow and looked down the length of that disgustingly aquiline nose at her, she laughed, “Was just responding to all the scintillating conversation floating around. Such fun!”
Leaning negligently against the wall, Krish continued to give her that supercilious look that managed to convey ‘stop-behaving-like-a-madwoman’ with one barely there sneer.
Fighting the urge to bare her teeth in response, she walked past him to her bedroom.
Pulling out her most comfortable nightshirt, she stormed into the bathroom.
Not bothering to wait for water to heat up, she stripped and ducked under the cold spray of the shower.
She stayed in there for far longer than necessary.
The man didn’t take the hint. If this were a movie or a book, he would have stripped off and joined her in the shower.
They would have made mad, frenzied love and ended the fight in a blaze of glorious abandon and legendary passion.
Disgruntled and fighting an out of proportion disappointment, she towel dried her hair and slipped into her nightshirt.
Walking out in a full blown snit, she tossed her damp hair out of her face and came to an abrupt halt.
Her lover/boyfriend/relationship person, whatever, was sprawled across her bed and fast asleep.
Shirtless and in formal trousers that rode low on his hips, he set off the mouthwatering again.
Settling down next to him, she grabbed her Kindle from the nightstand and started reading from where she’d stopped the previous night.
Dusk slipped into night and Krish showed no sign of waking.
Reaching over, Max covered him with the comforter and settled him in as comfortably as possible before returning to her book.
The peace and quiet of the unexpectedly intimate moment had her feeling mellow and relaxed.
Propping her kindle against his motionless bare shoulder, she shifted on to her side and continued to read.
Somewhere in the middle of the intense climax, pun intended, scene, she looked up to find a pair of steady eyes fixed on her.
“You’re awake.” Throat dry even as she stated the obvious, she sat up and shut her kindle. “Dinner? I can have some biryani delivered.”
“Why did you think I was embarrassed by you?”
So now he was in the mood to talk. Flopping back against the pillow next to him, Max stared up at the ceiling. It was easier than meeting his eyes. “I’m not exactly the ideal woman.”
“Who would be the ideal woman?” Supporting himself on one bent arm, he loomed over her making it impossible to avoid eye contact.
“Someone who cooks like a dream and dishes out homely advice with every serving of food,” she mumbled.
“Are you trying to set me up with your father?”
That managed to startle a laugh out of her. “You know what I mean.” With a low groan she buried her face in the pillow. “I’m not exactly the total package.”
“And someone nine years older than you with a readymade family and a job that takes over every spare minute of his life is?”
“So you’re a convert huh?”
Tugging at a loose lock of her hair that had slipped across one shoulder, he repeated, “A convert?”
“You were the one against anything happening between us and now suddenly you’re an advocate?”
“That was before I got to sample your charms.” Hauling her giggling body over to lie on top of him, he tucked the long strands of hair behind her ears so he could look at that pixie face.
“I notice you didn’t say my ample charms.”
Blessing whoever came up with the concept of nightshirts, he whipped it up and over her head in a second leaving her splendidly naked in his arms.
Cupping her breasts, he drew her into a soft, tender kiss before murmuring, “Who needs ample when I have perfect?”
Max had always snorted disdainfully at those romance novel heroines who melted into the hero’s arms. Now that she was a helpless, gooey puddle in Krish’s arms, she found herself rapidly revising her opinion of them.
Rolling her on to her back, Krish leaned over her and kissed her while running his hands down her body in long, lazy strokes.
The delicious friction of his trousers against her bare legs had her gasping even as she strained to hold him closer.
The next several moments passed in soft gasps and breathy moans, both of which Max happily claimed ownership off.
He played her body with a skill and finesse that had her giving those romance heroines a run for their money. Much later, cuddled up under the comforter with him stroking one slow finger down her spine, she mumbled again, “Biryani?”
“Are you always hungry?”
“Most of the time.” Scrambling out of bed, she slipped back into the nightshirt much to his regret. “Or Pizza? Oooh or maybe a bucket of chicken wings from KFC?” Still talking to herself, she walked out leaving him to pull on his pants and follow.
---***---
“A bucket of chicken wings and mutton biryani?” Krish stared. “That combination makes no sense.”
“Uff. Everything doesn’t have to make sense. Don’t be so stuffy.” Rummaging in the fridge for something to drink, Max missed Krish’s pained wince. Emerging victorious with a bottle of wine, she handed it to him to open.
Not wanting to question the wisdom of white wine with biryani and get called stuffy again, Krish just shrugged and opened the bottle as Max placed both orders.
He’d just filled the goblets she’d set out when she came up behind him.
Wrapping her arms around him, she rested her cheek against his back on a soft sigh.
Reaching up to cover the hand that lay across the front of his chest, he leaned back into her embrace. They stood together in silence in a moment more intimate than anything that had passed between them earlier.
The shrill ringing of the telephone cut through the room and had them drawing apart reluctantly.
Max picked it up and gave the delivery man directions.
Unable to keep from touching her, Krish ran his fingers through the tousled length of her hair as she spoke.
It didn’t take long for her ridiculously mismatched meal to arrive.
“Let’s watch TV in the bedroom and eat.” Gathering up whatever she needed, Max shot off down the corridor.
“Max, you’re going to drop something on the sheets and-“ Ahh shit. He was stuffy! Thankfully, he’d been addressing her rapidly vanishing back.
Grabbing what remained of the wine, he followed.
They lounged in bed and ate themselves into a food coma.
Halfway through a God awful Telugu movie dubbed in Hindi, Krish found himself again playing with the long tresses strewn across his chest. Tugging at one of the controversial highlighted locks, he asked, “Max?”
“Hmm.” Half asleep with her head pillowed on his stomach, Max couldn’t manage more than that.
“Why green?”
Turning her head to look at him, she said, “It’s December.”
Krish’s jaw dropped. “You have colour-of-the-month hair?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
Thank God she realized it was ridiculous. Heaving a sigh of relief, he shut his eyes and settled back against the pillow. Until she said, “It’s my Christmas hair.”
He couldn’t possibly have heard her right. Had he? Opening one eye cautiously, he watched as she sat up cross legged next to him. What was Holi hair? Visions of a multicolored mop of hair had him feeling slightly faint.
“I’m going to wear a red pantsuit and green shoes to match my hair.
” Pointing at her head like he didn’t actually get the bizarre statement, she continued to chatter.
“You should consider doing something different too. Something special to bring in the New Year. A tattoo would look super sexy on those biceps of yours. Or,” Her eyes started to gleam, “Have you ever considered piercings?”
Horror propelled him into a sitting position, toppling her from where she sat right next to him.
Dissolving into laughter at the expression on his face, Max squealed when he made a grab for her.
Scrambling back from him, she almost made it to freedom before he caught one ankle and hauled her back.
She was still laughing when he claimed her mouth.
He let the sheer joy she radiated surround and claim him in return.
---***---
“Has the work crisis been sorted out?”
She was straddling his back and giving him the most insanely relaxing massage as she asked the question. He really didn’t want to talk about work and start stressing again. Even as he felt the tension build at the nape of his neck, Max’s hand came up and started to knead the muscles into putty.
“It’s handled for the moment.” The words escaped him on a groan as her fingers continued to work their magic. He wondered if anyone would judge him if he wept for joy at that moment.
“Do you have plans for Christmas?” Her supple fingers caressed his low back in a move that had him wondering if he could coax her into one of those sexy Santa’s little helper outfits.
“Not particularly.” The words escaped him on a low moan.
“Bring your family and come home. Dad and I host a Christmas party every year and I’d like you all to come.” A sudden burst of insecurity had her fingers stilling on his back. “I’d like you to meet my friends and family.”
Shifting carefully on to his back, Krish watched as she resettled herself on his waist. Tousled hair, flushed cheeks and sexy, wary eyes had him aching in places he’d long since thought had frozen over and reaching up to trace the delicate curve of her jawline.
“I thought we were on a thirty day deadline? Are you sure you want to expose us to everyone?”
“Is that why you were careful to limit your PDA to only Chirag and Adi?”
“Yes.” The frank answer had her wincing and sliding off him even as he continued, “They’ve always known there was something going on between us. Even when we were spitting fire at each other.” Sitting up, he mimicked her cross-legged pose and faced her. “But Pooja is a whole other ballgame.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“I think you do know it.” Hating himself for dimming the sparkle in his eyes but knowing he couldn’t put off the conversation any longer, he added, “I don’t think you fully comprehend it though.”
Hurt shadowing her eyes, she pushed away from him and grabbed the robe she’d tossed on the end of the bed. Shrugging into it, she kept her back to him as she answered, “She’s not just your little sister. She’s your baby.” Turning now, she held his gaze. “You think I don’t get that?”
“I think knowing it and living it are two entirely different things.” Shoving out of the bed, he yanked his trousers back on. “Are you sure you want to be a part of my life?”
“Are you sure you want me to be a part of your life?” she shot back, the doubt in his voice piercing her heart. Apparently her perfect charms were only good enough for bed.
“Max, I need you to take this more seriously. Take my responsibilities more seriously.” He saw the pain flash in her eyes.
Gripping her chin and forcing her to meet his eyes, he said, “Listen to me, please. Just listen. Chirag and Adi are adults today. What I do in my personal life now doesn’t impact them as much as it would have five to ten years back.
But Pooja is still young and impressionable. She’s – “
“She needs a better role model than me,” Max finished for him. “So I’m good enough for your bed but not for the rest of your life? All that talk about everyone making mistakes was just you sweet talking me back into bed?”
“Stop it.” The controlled fury in his voice stopped her rant more effectively than if he’d slapped her. “Don’t you dare demean what we’ve shared like that! You’re better than that. We’re better than that.”
“Are we?” Tying her hair into a loose knot at the base of her neck, Max said, “Are you trying to convince yourself or me?”
When he didn’t answer immediately, she felt the hurt punch through like a blow to her heart.
Reeling from it, she turned away from him only to find herself hauled back and against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, Krish buried his face in the curve of her neck.
Mentally steeling herself against melting into his embrace, Max held out as long as she could before her traitorous heart gave in.
Softening, she let one hand curl around the forearm wrapped around her waist. When he tightened his arms around her in response, she turned and curved into him.
“So you’ll bring the family for Christmas?”
“Yes.” Stepping back with a soft exhale, he forced himself to let go of her. Knowing they’d reached no resolution but unwilling to ruin the moment, he just said, “We’ll come.”