Page 90 of Lawfully Yours

She scowled, realising with horror that he was right. Her need to one-up him had played right into his hands. Again.

“Thanks for the heads-up,” she snapped. “I’ll remember that the next time you try to outsmart me.”

“Looking forward to it,” he said, hands in his pockets, watching her storm ahead.

As she disappeared around the corridor, Kushal’s phone buzzed.

“Any update on those call logs from Noyonika’s number last month?” he asked his source, who was digging some information related to Noyonika’s connection with Sadhna.

“The call records of Noyonika would be in your inbox by morning,” the source replied.

“Good,” he said. “I’m convinced Sadhna got in touch with her, and maybe even paid her for that media interview. I just need one thread to pull, some evidence to prove this.”

“On it, Sir,” the source replied. “Will call you once I email.”

Kushal ended the call.

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

Late Afternoon – Outdoor swimming pool

Arundhati sat on the edge of the pool, her legs dipped into the still water as she tried reading a book that rested in her lap. But her thoughts weren’t on the page. She needed silence and space, away from the cosy warmth of the indoor pool where honeymooning couples giggled and posed for pictures, and away from the man who was lately everywhere.

Kushal was in the room, on a work call, and hence she hadn’t bothered to tell him where she was heading. This outdoor pool was deserted and perfect for Arundhati to get her time alone to think over everything that had been happening in her life.

Something was changing between them, and far too fast.

A sudden gust of breeze brushed across her cheeks, stirring the strands of hair loose around her face. It was a sign she had recently realised she felt whenever he was around.

She looked up only to find Kushal walking toward the pool like the sun had shifted to spotlight only him. Black swim shorts rode low on his hips, water bottle swinging carelessly in one hand, ruffled hair that looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. And although he offered her only the briefest glance, it scorched her skin. But she knew his eyes had mapped every inch of her in that single second.

She shifted slightly, her book forgotten in her lap. The soft wool-blend wrap dress she wore clung to her thighs, the hem riding up just enough to bare her long legs above the knees. She hadn’t realised how high it had slid when she dipped her feet in. Or maybe, subconsciously, she had. The fabric was cosy,but light enough to catch the breeze, leaving her arms and legs kissed by the sun.

Her heart gave an infuriating little flutter when he reached the lounger.Without a word, Kushal tossed his towel and then peeled his T-shirt off in one fluid motion. The kind of motion that made time stall. Her gaze, despite every ounce of resistance, followed the stretch of his muscles, and she swallowed hard before he dove into the water.

“Are you mad?” she yelled at him, a bit startled. “The water’s freezing!”

He surfaced, swimming straight toward her, then stopped, floating right in front of her.

“Withyourlegs in it,” he murmured, “how can it be cold anymore?”

His eyes dropped briefly to her exposed thighs, the soft hem of her wrap dress clinging to damp skin, “I’m not used to seeing you like this.”

Arundhati was speechless again.

“Back in Delhi, you’re always in power suits and dresses. All covered. But this?” His gaze lingered, unapologetically slow. “You’ve clearly packed a hotter collection than I imagined. Enough to make a man forget how to breathe.”

Goosebumps rose not from the breeze but from his words, his voice, and the way hesawher.

“Get your breathing in check,” she muttered. “Your flirting won’t fix what’s broken, and it sure as hell won’t win me back.”

He smirked. “I don’t flirt to win, Aru. I flirt because you still respond.”

Then he was gone…swimming through the water again, leaving her flustered and furious all at once.

For the next few minutes, Arundhati sat motionless, her book open but unread. Because her eyes, had a mind of their own. They tracked him. Every glide. Every ripple. Every slow, twistof his torso as he floated effortlessly in the water in front of her, bare-chested, his arms extended slightly to stay afloat, the glistening droplets trailing down his shoulders and disappearing into the water.

He looked so content. Damp hair pushed back, and that infuriatingly relaxed grin curving his lips, like he knew exactly what he was doing to her pulse.