Page 84 of Entangled Vows

Vikram wasn’t smiling anymore.

He stood across the courtyard, his gaze locked on her, one brow lifted ever so slightly. He knew she’d been staring at him. From the moment she walked in, draped in that strapless, deep-violet gown, her curves all soft and unapologetic, he’d been floored. He was not just stunned. He wasclaimedby her beauty.She looked decadent. Real. And entirely too tempting.

His gaze swept down her body in a slow, knowing perusal. He took in her bare shoulders, the way her hair spilled in soft waves, and the uneven rise and fall of her chest. He could practically feel the warmth of her skin, the way that silk would slide down her body if he—

And then, their eyes met. And everything else fell away.

The chatter dulled. The music faded. Even the women clinging to his every word disappeared. All that remained washer….and the tension crackling in the air between them. Hot and primal. Charged with everything unspoken.

And then he walked towards her.

His legs covered the distance between them as if they had a mind of their own. But just as he was about to reach her, he noticed a man walking straight towards Mahika. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw him, and then, to Vikram’s surprise, she fucking smiled. And before he could even processit, that man pulled her in and hugged her. And she... his wife… hugged him right back.

The sight burned through him like fire, consuming him with pure, seething jealousy. He wanted nothing more than to throw that man out of the venue if he didn’t immediately take his hands off his wife.

He quickened his pace, his fists balling at his sides to reach them. But before he could, another figure appeared. His eyes narrowed when a woman stepped up beside the man, her arm looping around that man’s elbow.

“Hi, darling. Won’t you introduce me?” Vikram’s voice was smooth but edged with jealousy.

Instinctively, his hand came to rest firmly on Mahika’s waist, as though silently declaring she belonged to him. She looked up at him, their eyes locking a moment longer than necessary before she turned back with a polite smile.

“Of course,” she said, carefully trying to control her irritation. “These are my friends. This is Karan, and this is Priya, his girlfriend. We were in college together. And this,” she added, “is my husband, Vikram.”

Karan offered a polite smile. “Nice to meet you, Vikram.”

“Likewise,” Vikram replied coolly.

Karan held his gaze for a moment longer, but Priya broke the moment with a cheery grin.

“Hi, Vikram. Nice to meet you,” Priya grinned.

“Nice to meet you too,” Vikram greeted back.

“You both look lovely together. Congratulations,” Priya added warmly as she linked her arm through Karan’s.

“Indeed, they do,” Karan agreed, twisting his lips. “Thank God it never worked out with Ronit. I never liked himanyway.” Karan winked at Mahika, oblivious to the possessive fire burning in Vikram’s eyes.

Priya quickly nudged Karan and narrowed her eyes at him. Mahika froze, while Vikram exerted every ounce of control to avoid any confrontation.

Who the fuck was Ronit? Why was he only hearing about him now?

And why the hell was this douchebag even bringing him up?

Vikram didn’t care about the answers anymore. All he knew was that, for the past fifteen minutes, he was consumed by nothing but pure, seething jealousy burning through his blood like wildfire.

“It was nothing. Karan was just joking…” Priya jumped in quickly, glancing at Vikram and Mahika before adding, “By the way, this reception is absolutely amazing. We’re having such a lovely time, aren’t we, Karan?”

“Of course,” Karan replied, smiling.

“Mahika, it’s been such a long time since we caught up. We should definitely meet soon.”

Mahika opened her mouth to answer, but Vikram beat her to it. “Mahika is busy. She won’t be meeting you, or anyone else, for that matter,” Vikram said, his tone calm but absolute. “Not when we’re on our home honeymoon.”

Mahika’s head snapped toward Vikram in surprise, but thankfully, she remained silent.

“What?” Priya frowned.

“Home honeymoon?” Karan asked, raising an eyebrow.