Page 176 of Lawfully Yours

“No,” she replied sweetly, slipping out from under the duvet. The sheet slid off her body as she sat up, adjusting the thin straps of her spaghetti top before standing.

He propped himself on one elbow, watching her walk to the bathroom…bare feet, messy hair, skin glowing with sleep. Every tiny movement of hers tested his restraint.

From inside, her voice floated out. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“Nothing,” he replied, already throwing the sheet aside and getting up. “I’ve got an early meeting with a client. No time for even coffee.”

She peeked from the bathroom door, arching a brow. “You’re really going to walk out without coffee after a night like that?”

He smiled, heading to the closet to fetch his clothes. “If I stay for coffee, I’ll never make it out that door.”

And with that, he took out an ivory suit with his watch, wallet, and phone, pausing just long enough to glance at her reflection in the mirror. “And stop looking at me like that unless you want me to come in.”

Her lips curved in that lazy smile before she shut the bathroom door again.

***************

Verma and Associates office – Afternoon

Kushal was in the middle of a discussion with Raj Verma, his tone was serious and all business, until he saw her.

Through the glass walls of his cabin, he saw Arundhati draped in an ivory saree with a maroon lace border today. Since they hadn’t come to work together, he had no clue she planned a saree again. For a moment, Kushal forgot his words entirely, his sentence hanging midair as his gaze followed her.

What was it with Arundhati and sarees these days? She’d been wearing them far too often… and always when he was around. She knew exactly what she was doing. If she kept showing up like this, how the hell was he supposed to focus on clients or case discussions?

The Sindoor in her hair partition gleamed under the office lights, reminding the world that she was still his wife and would always be. She stood across the floor, talking to Akash. And then, just as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she fluffed her waves and laughed at something Akash said. The motion was so casual, so devastatingly feminine, that Kushal reached for a sealed bottle of water on his desk. He was almost going to pick it up to quench his thirst, but he stopped recalling something.

That’s when Arundhati looked right at him, through the transparent glass walls of his cabin. That teasing, knowing smile curved her lips, the one that said, I know exactly what I’m doing to you, and you can’t even hide it.

Raj Verma cleared his throat pointedly, yanking Kushal out of his trance.

“So… should I come back later, or do we finish discussing the case?” he asked with a grin.

Kushal blinked and rubbed the back of his neck as he muttered, “Sorry, Sir… but your niece and my wife is really giving me a hard time these days.”

Raj chuckled. “I thought things were settling down between you two.”

“They are,” Kushal admitted, exhaling deeply. “Which reminds me, I wanted to talk to you about that break I mentioned before.”

Now Raj’s brows lifted. “The break? I thought you decided not to take one anymore.”

Kushal smirked. “Not for two years, no. But I’m taking for two months.”

Although Raj was pleased to hear Kushal had trimmed his long sabbatical down to just two months, he couldn’t quite resist asking him what his plan was.

“Two months?” Raj leaned back in his chair, clearly intrigued.

“Yes. I’m taking Arundhati away for a proper honeymoon, something we’d never had the chance to experience before.”

Raj’s face broke into a wide smile at that, clearly delighted by the thought, but his mischievous streak surfaced soon enough.

“Two months? Hmm. I’ve seen people take two weeks for a honeymoon, not two months. Don’t you think that’s a little… extravagant?”

Kushal’s lips curved, his eyes flickering back to the glass wall where Arundhati was now talking to another associate. “Maybe,” he said smoothly, “but our case is exceptional. After what we’ve survived, two weeks won’t even cover cross-examination.”

Raj laughed, shaking his head. “Still arguing your way into everything, huh? Like a true counsellor.”

Kushal grinned. “Always, but this time I plan to win without objections.”