Page 46 of Entangled Vows (Destined Diaries #2)

The morning light spilled into Vikram’s study, casting everything in a soft golden haze.

He leaned back in the armchair, his eyes focused on the chessboard in front of him.

Across from him, Mahika sat perched on the ottoman, one brow raised in thought, her fingers resting against her cheek as she considered her next move.

The game had started as a joke, a casual suggestion over breakfast. She had spotted the chessboard tucked beside the console and bookshelf and had challenged him with a smirk.

“I bet I can beat you at chess,” she’d said, her eyes sparkling.

He had smirked, drawn in by her confidence. “You think you can win against me?”

“You’ve never played against me.”

And just like that, the chessboard was on the table.

Now, an hour into the game, he was realising that she wasn’t bluffing. Mahika was ruthless, methodical, and a little too pleased with herself every time she took one of his pieces.

“Are you trying to distract me?” she asked, tilting her head. “You’ve been staring for the last five minutes.”

Vikram’s mouth curved lazily. “Maybe I’m just enjoying the view.”

Her eyes narrowed, but the corners of her mouth twitched as she moved her knight and captured his rook. She looked up at him in triumph.

“Check.”

He leaned forward, studying the board with a frown that quickly morphed into reluctant admiration. “You’re dangerous, you know that?”

Mahika smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear. “You’re just saying that because you’re losing.”

“No, I’m saying that because every time I think I’ve figured you out, you do something like this.” He gestured towards the board, then let his gaze drop to her legs, bare and tempting beneath the hem of her short, silky nightdress.

Her toes were painted a cheerful yellow, and for a split second, he had the overwhelming urge to pull her feet into his lap and massage it, just to see if he could make her squirm.

Shit. This woman was driving him nuts. It was barely nine in the morning, and he was already hard.

She saw it too. Her gaze dropped, then flicked back to his with a slow smile. “Did the queen’s sacrifice get you all worked up, or is it something else?”

“You’re sitting there in that little thing, licking your lips like you don’t know what you’re doing. And you ask what’s working me up?”

She gave a self-satisfied grin. “Stop flirting. And just play.”

And he did. Only, this time, when she leaned in to adjust a piece, her fingers brushed his on purpose.

Then she smirked. And just like that, the game shifted.

The chessboard lay forgotten between them, the pieces scattered, their playful rivalry consumed by something far more urgent.

Vikram barely remembered tipping the board aside as he pulled Mahika into his lap.

In a flash, she straddled him, her knees bracketing his thighs, her silky nightdress slipping higher with every shift of her hips.

Their mouths collided in a kiss that was messy and desperate.

Her fingers threaded into his hair, tugging hard, while his hands slid beneath the hem of her panties, pulling them down to grip her bare thighs, aching to touch her soft skin.

“You really suck at chess,” she moaned breathlessly, breaking the kiss for half a second.

He growled against her lips. “I just got distracted.”

“Hmm. Sounds like your problem.”

“Yeah?” He nipped at her jaw. “Then fucking solve it.”

He stood in one swift motion, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. She gasped, gripping his shoulders, the friction between them already unbearable.

He crossed the room and set her down on the desk behind him, her back arching slightly as the cool wood met her spine.

He kissed her, then pulled back just enough to meet her eyes.

“Wait, wait. I don’t have any protection with me. Let me get it.”

Mahika hesitated for a beat, her breath quick and shallow.

“No,” she said softly. “I’m on the pill.

” Her voice faltered for a second before steadying.

“I… I was going to tell you that we can skip protection. I haven’t had sex in three years.

I’m clean, and I trust you. Only if you’re okay with it. ..”

Vikram stilled, his scorching gaze locking onto hers. And then that fire in his eyes doubled, like she’d flipped a switch inside him. “You trust me.”

“I trust you.”

“Fuck, Momo,” he muttered, his forehead resting against hers. “You have no idea what those words just did to me.”

His hand slid possessively to her waist, anchoring her to him.

“Are you sure?” he asked softly. “Because if we do this… there’s no going back.”

“I want this. I want you.”

He drew in a sharp breath, his fingers tightening around her hip. “For the record, I’m clean too. I’ve always used protection, and I got tested after my last relationship. I haven’t been with anyone in like, a year and a half.” He looked her straight in the eye. “It’s only been you, Momo.”

She melted under his gaze, her lips parting slightly, and he exhaled in relief, like he’d been holding his breath for days.

“Then hold on to me, wifey,” he rasped. “Because I don’t think I can be gentle this time.”

“Good,” she dragged him closer. “I don’t want gentle, husband.”

Vikram groaned as he sank into her in one deep thrust, a wave of sensation washing over him.

Her head fell back, a soft moan escaping her lips, and he gripped her hips harder, struggling to keep it together.

She wrapped her legs around him as he moved, hard and fast, like he needed to tear down every barrier between them.

Her skin, bare, hot, and slick as a summer day, almost overwhelmed him.

It drove him mad. He clenched his jaw, his breath coming in ragged gasps, fighting to keep his control from shattering too fast.

The desk beneath them creaked and groaned under their weight. Her fingers dragged along his back, her nails leaving a tingling sensation as they grazed his skin. Every soft moan, every sharp hitch in her breath pulled him deeper into the moment.

“You feel so good,” he groaned. “So fucking good.”

She responded with a whimper, pressing her forehead to his. “Yes. Don’t you dare stop.”

There was no more talking after that. Just breath and skin and the heat between them that had finally burst into something undeniable. And as they lost themselves in each other, the game was left behind, along with the rules they’d once tried to play by.

∞∞∞

The entertainment lounge was cast in a soft, amber glow—warm, quiet, and wrapped in a kind of intimacy that didn’t need words.

Vikram barely registered the flicker of the TV in front of them.

Mahika was curled at his side, her back pressed to him as they lounged on the couch, supposedly watching a show on Netflix.

But his focus wasn’t on the screen. It was on her.

The scent of her hair, the way her body fit into his like it had always belonged there.

His hand drifted beneath the thin cotton of her nightdress without thinking, while his mouth found the curve of her neck.

He breathed her in like she was the only air he’d ever needed, holding on far longer than he should.

“We are going to finish this episode,” she warned, her voice already shaky, her fingers threading into his hair as his mouth pressed slow, open-mouthed kisses along her skin.

Vikram smiled against her throat.

“Momo,” he murmured, just before his hand slipped between her thighs, his fingertips brushing the damp heat through the fabric.

“Grizz, no,” she gasped, her hips twitching despite herself. “We haven’t finished even one episode in two days.”

“So what?” he muttered, stroking her lazily. “The show’s not going anywhere.”

She tried to resist. God, she always did. But he felt the way her body softened. She melted into him like she always did. He hadn’t expected this homebound honeymoon to turn into something so… consuming.

He’d braced for awkward dinners and forced civility. Instead, they’d found a comfortable rhythm.

In the past few days, even the staff had kept their distance, following Vikram’s strict instructions.

In the quiet of the house, they’d wrapped themselves in a bubble of stolen moments—late-night movie marathons, early-morning chess games, shared meals, and a slow-burning passion that never seemed to cool.

They’d christened every surface of the house, from the library desk to the hallway wall.

Damn, he hadn’t planned for any of this. And now… he didn’t want it to end.

His hand was still between her thighs, coaxing soft gasps from her lips, when his phone buzzed beside them.

“Fuck,” he muttered, glancing at the screen.

Mohit’s name flashed on the screen.

“Shit. Momo, I need to take this,” he said, brushing a kiss to her temple. She let out a frustrated sigh and slid off the couch.

“Ugh. The timing couldn’t be worse,” she mumbled, heading towards the brightly lit kitchen. “I’ll grab some water.”

Vikram caught her wrist and pulled her in, his lips crashing onto hers in a hard kiss that stole her breath. His voice, a low rumble, was firm as he murmured, “Give me a minute, sweetheart.”

He answered the phone, his other hand giving her butt a playful smack as she walked away. “This better be good.”

“Is that how you answer your best friend now?” Mohit’s amused voice crackled through the phone.

“You called just to ask this trivial question?” Vikram retorted.

“Chill out, man. I’m calling to update you. Our London trip is now scheduled for a week later. The partners need more time to put the finishing touches on the paperwork.”

Vikram was relieved to discover he had another week of solitude with Mahika. “Alright. So, we leave after a week.”

“You sound… calm,” Mohit replied, suspicious. “You do realise that this delays the final agreement with them?”

“I do.”

“And you’re not even yelling. Who are you, and what have you done with the ruthless Vikram Khurana?”

Vikram allowed himself a small smile. “Maybe it gives us more prep time.”