Page 85 of Lawfully Yours

He didn’t know when exactly it happened, but somewhere in between the silence and her quiet breathing, he felt her slip into sleep. Her body no longer trembled. She had melted into him.

Kushal exhaled in relief.

He had told her he would leave once she stopped shivering. But even as he thought of those words, he knew he had no intention of honouring them. He was not some legendary being to honour every word given, who would walk away from the onething he had craved every damn night since she had left their home.

His wife was finally back in his arms.

And the world could burn tomorrow for all he cared.

He shifted ever so slightly, just enough to hold her more securely, and in that movement, something changed. The arms she had stubbornly kept wedged between them for distance slowly loosened. One arm slid behind his back. The other curled softly against his chest. Her body instinctively scooted closer, her leg brushing his under the duvet. There was no tension now. Most importantly, no protest.

It wasn’t consent.

It was trust.Her trust in him.

A smile curved on Kushal’s lips, and he closed his eyes, brushing the gentlest kiss across her forehead without a sound, not wanting to wake her up. The scent of her hair, the feel of her breath against his skin, the heat of her body finally given to him without war, this was everything he hadn’t even let himself admit he missed.

He didn’t care what she would say in the morning.

He didn’t care if she pushed him away again.

Tonight, for the first time in months, she had let him in.

And he wasn’t going to move.

Not until the morning light forced him to.

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

Next Morning

Arundhati stirred awake first, to the light snore grazing her ear. Her lashes fluttered as consciousness returned, and immediately, she froze.

Kushal had spooned her from behind in sleep.

Her back was snug against his warm, muscular chest while his slow, steady breath ghosted over the nape of her neck. His arm was curled firmly around her waist, one hand resting fartoo close to the edge of her nightie’s neckline, his fingers curled slightly, as if they’d shifted in sleep and forgotten their place. His leg was draped over hers, their bodies tangled under layers of duvets and blankets that now felt too intimate.

This position was far too close. Far too... natural. Like their bodies remembered something their egos still refused to admit.

And worse? She had to admit that she hadn’t slept this peacefully in nine months.

She took a slow breath, gathering herself, realising that she didn’t want Kushal to wake up and see them like this.So close.Hence, she carefully lifted his arm from her waist and untangled his leg. One wrong move and he’d wake.

Just when she thought she had made it, her feet touching the floor, she felt it.

His grip on her wrist.

“You know,” came his sleep-laced voice, still hoarse from dreams, “it’s bad manners to sneak out of a man’s bed in the morning without a goodbye. It’s called a‘morning-after escape,’Arundhati. And it’s frowned upon.”

She turned slowly, faking an unimpressed expression, though her heart had already tripped over itself at the sound of his voice.

“Firstly,” she said, coolly, “don’t make it sound like this night was anything more than you functioning as my human heater. And secondly, what the hell are you still doing onmybed? You promised to leave once I was okay.”

He smirked, the kind that always made her want to smack or kiss him, depending on the mood.

Kushal sat up, propping himself against the headboard, sheets pooling around his waist.

“Firstly,” he echoed, “you should be grateful to me for saving you from turning into an icicle last night. And secondly, I was tired. I fell asleep. Deal with it.”