Page 102 of Protect my Heart

The sea outside our villa is a shade of blue I didn’t know existed in real life. Like someone painted the horizon with the exact shade of peace I’ve been chasing for the past few months.

And then there’s him.

Aarav. Shirtless, of course, because God forbid this man miss a chance to show off his gym membership. He’s lounging on a sunbed like it’s a magazine shoot, sunglasses pushed into his hair, a book open on his lap that he’s not even pretending to read. I know because I’ve been watching him for ten minutes. He hasn’t turned a single page.

Instead, he’s watchingme.

I step out of the villa, barefoot, wearing the pink kaftan Shivani bhabhi packed for me with a knowing smirk, and he immediately sits up straighter.

“You’re not reading,” I call out as I approach.

He smirks. “Neither are you.”

“I’m not the one pretending to be deep and intellectual.”

“I’m not pretending,” he says, dramatically flipping the book shut. “I was just distracted. Something more beautiful caught my eye.”

I roll my eyes so hard they might fall out. “Aarav.”

“Yes, Mrs. Malhotra?”

The way he says it—smug and sincere in equal parts—makes my stomach flip. It still hasn’t fully settled in that we’re married. That the drama is behind us. That no one is waiting around the corner with a threat or a stupid plan to ruin my life.

It’s just us now.

I sit down beside him on the sunbed, and he instantly reaches for my hand, interlacing our fingers. His thumb brushes across my knuckles gently.

“This place is insane,” I murmur. “You didn’t need to go all out.”

“I did,” he says simply. “You’ve been through hell. You deserve to wake up with ocean air and too many types of pillows.”

“Is that your definition of luxury?”

He leans in, nuzzling his nose against my temple. “No. My definition of luxury is waking up next to you without worrying about someone trying to ruin our day.”

I smile, cheeks heating. This man… “You’re getting smooth in your old age, Aaru.”

He gasps. “Old?! I’m two years older than you.”

“Exactly. Grandpa behavior.”

He tackles me onto the sunbed so suddenly I yelp, laughing as his arms wrap around me. “Say it again. I dare you.”

“Old,” I whisper with a grin.

He narrows his eyes. “You know I could throw you in the pool right now, right?”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“I would.”

“Maa would kill you if I got pneumonia on our honeymoon.”

“True. I would kill myself too. But if youaccidentallyfall in…”

“Don’t even think about it, Aarav.” We’re grinning like idiots now, tangled on a sunbed overlooking the ocean, the wind brushing through my hair, and his breath warm against my skin.

He looks at me then—really looks. The joking fades just a bit.