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Nine. Enjoying the view, superstar?

Elias

S tanding outside Vera’s hotel room, I twirl the keycard between my fingers. When she sent me the text, I thought it was my imagination. I pinched myself to make sure she wanted me, just like I wanted her.

My reaction to her didn’t go unnoticed. Samar and Bash watched her walk away too, their attention on me once she was out of sight. They even insisted I ditch the celebration for her. But I need Mr. Jaishankar and the rest of the senior management to know I’m serious about my recovery. I miss the rush of walking out onto the pitch, the screaming fans and the buzz that follows as I’m facing down the bowler.

I want it again.

I want Vera just as much.

In order to have both, I need to play it cool. Which is why it took me a little over an hour to finish making the rounds before I ventured downstairs.

Behind those inches of thick wood is the woman that’s filled my every thought. The woman I yearn for in ways I can’t put into words. Don’t chicken out now . With a deep breath, I tap the card against the reader. The red light turns green and I push the door open.

I’m instantly enveloped in her mouthwatering scent—vanilla, shea butter and peaches. The room is bathed in dim lights, the bed rumpled and unmade. The balcony doors are open, letting in the sounds of the city and the cool ocean breeze. I inhale deeply and soak up being wrapped in Vera. She’s a drug I never want to quit.

“Took you long enough.” She walks out of the bathroom and my heart gives up on its one and only job.

This is not the same woman I spent the night with a week ago or from the rooftop earlier. She’s better . Dressed in a large baggy T-shirt that falls to her knees, she looks relaxed and sexy as hell. Much like the picture I saved from her Instagram, her dark hair is piled on top of her head, a few tendrils hang down the sides. Her face is clear of makeup and her brown skin glows. She’s not very tall—maybe about five feet five to my six feet—but her bare legs look endless. When I finish checking her out, she’s smiling. Not the guarded one I saw with my boss, or naughty like I’ve seen before. This one is soft and genuine, it’s startling how different Vera looks in the privacy of a hotel room.

“Hi.”

“Hi yourself,” she says and pulls open the mini fridge. She grabs a bottle of red wine. “Afterparty for two?”

“Sure.”

“I’ve also got this.” She rummages around in her bag and pulls out a tightly rolled joint.

“As much as I’d love to, I can’t.”

“Boo.” She pouts, but grabs a lighter and heads to the balcony. The view from the hotel is pretty incredible, but seeing her against the city lights might be even better. I’m also glad that while all the rooms have balconies, you can’t see into the other open spaces. Especially since I don’t trust either of us to stay fully clothed much longer.

She sets the wine down and I frown at the missing items. “Glasses?”

“Something tells me you’re a rule follower. Just for tonight, let loose.”

“The last time I let loose, you didn’t call me back.”

“Is this the hill you choose to die on?”

I shake my head. I should let it go, she invited me back to her room, after all. Vera sits and lights up. She stretches her legs out, resting them against the parapet and inhales deeply. It’s been impossible to look anywhere at her; I’ve been trying all evening. She’s distractingly captivating, especially with all that skin on display and puffs of smoke slipping through her lips. During the off season, I sometimes indulge in forbidden substances. Right now, I’d be an idiot to get caught. I’m already in enough trouble as it is, I don’t need to add ‘drugs’ to my list of offences.

Instead, I drink the wine and the sweet alcohol soothes my throat. It provides a temporary distraction since I can feel Vera watching me and I don’t want to come off more eager than I already am.

“Did little Elias dream of being a cricket player?”

I nod and glance at her; her expression is soft and curious. “My grandfather and father played for their school teams. They raised me with an intense love for the sport.”

“So you were always working towards playing professionally.”

“I’d like to say yes, but it really only became a dream when I was in college.” I hand her the wine and she takes a big sip, some of it spilling out the sides of her mouth. “What about little Vera, what was her dream?”

“Be a fashion designer. I realised pretty quickly that I didn’t really care about fashion. As long as I was comfortable, nothing else mattered.”

“You could start a fashion line of large, baggy T-shirts and I think it’d do well.”

She toys with the hem of her shirt. “You’d rather see me out of this, though.”

“Absolutely,” I reply quickly. Why lie? I want her naked, on top and under me.

“Why are you benched?”

My shoulder twinges at the question and I flex it gently. “My rotator cuff had enough of me. Went through the surgery and recovery process. It’s…taking longer than I hoped.”

“What’s the usual timeline for recuperation?”

“A year, give or take. I thought if I did it as soon as the season ended, I’d be able to play this year. Apparently not.”

“Why are you here if you’re not playing?” she asks, watching me like I’m some kind of puzzle she wants to solve. I’m not that complicated. I drink more wine and balance the bottle on my thigh, gaze fixed on the dark sky.

“The management didn’t like me partying with a hot woman when I was supposed to be resting, so they’re punishing me.”

“You’re welcome,” she replies and I smirk.

I hate the way the public has perceived what was an amazing night. But at the same time, it’s good to be back with the team doctor. While I didn’t expect her to be there, I’m thrilled our paths crossed again. I have no idea what kind of evening it’s going to be, but I’ll take what I can get.

She’s quiet as smoke enfolds her, making her seem ethereal and I take a mental picture. Vera’s the kind of woman people write poetry and love songs about. The kind of woman everyone wishes they had the opportunity to spend some time with.

“You enjoying the view, superstar?”

“Immensely,” I say and she grins. Once she takes a swig of the wine, she hands the bottle back to me.

“You a batter? 1 or bowler? 2 ?”

“For someone who doesn’t like cricket you seem to know the right terms.”

“I used to love it. These days it’s all about the celebrity and fame, it’s about the attention and noise. I preferred it when they played the sport and nothing else.”

I chuckle, because that’s what the boys and I always talk about too. “I don’t like being a celebrity , but it’s the price I pay for playing a sport I love.”

“Isn’t that what the ICL is, though? It’s about boosting the ego of players, making them tons more money and treating them like gods.”

“For me, the ICL is a platform to show the BCCI? 3 they were right to take a chance on me.”

She nods slowly, joint tucked between her lips. “So the end goal is to play for India?”

“I’m already on the team. This is more about proving myself.” I take a large gulp of the wine and find Vera staring at me curiously. “What?”

“How old are you?”

“Thirty-three. You?”

“You never ask a lady how old she is.” She matches my smirk, taking a long pull of her joint. “Forty.”

“I did always have a thing for older women.”

She laughs, head tipped back as smoke floats out of her mouth. God, she’s a feast for the eyes . There’s something so powerful between us when I’m in her presence. It sets my soul on fire and my skin feels hot to the touch. The hairs on my arms stand up and every inch of me aches for her.

“What are you expecting from me, Elias?”

Her question catches me off guard and I choke on the wine, coughing slightly as I swallow. How do you tell a woman you spent one evening with that you want everything ? Because that sounds fucking ridiculous. She’s got a whole life that doesn’t include me, a life I have no right to even encroach on. But I want to be there as much as possible. I want to attach myself to her, be a barnacle and coast along for the rest of her life.

“Whatever you want to give me, Vera.”

“If I said I have nothing to give you, what would you say?”

I sit up and drag a hand through my hair. Now my thoughts are scrambled and I don’t know how to respond.

“Elias.”

“I’d get up right now and walk away if that’s what you want.”

“What if I want something from you too?”

“Whatever you want from me, Vera, I’ll give it to you.”

She arches an eyebrow at my candour. “How do you feel about sex?”

“With you? I feel great about sex with you.”

She laughs and puts out her joint. She stands in front of me, hands on my shoulders, nudging me to lean back. I’m almost afraid to breathe, in case I do or say something wrong. She climbs into my lap and wriggles before she settles. My hands land on her thighs, the tips of my fingers brushing against the bottom of her T-shirt. It takes everything in me not to yank her roughly against my dick.

“Just sex,” she whispers, hands sliding up my neck to tangle in my hair. “You, me and every comfortable surface we can find.”

I love it and hate it in equal measure. Yet, I say, “Okay.”

“Nobody else gets to have you. It’s just you and me.”

“Okay,” I repeat. I’m never going to be able to share her even though I’m most certainly not okay with this arrangement.

“Wanna try that again?” She tugs on my hair, forcing me to meet her eyes.

I scoff and slip my hands under her shirt, fingers tracing the bumps of her skin as I slide around to cup her bare ass. “I want more than just sex, Vera. I want you .”

“I can’t give you that.”

“I know,” I mumble and brush my hands further up her body, the T-shirt bunching up at my wrists as it rises. “If sex is all this can be, I’ll take it.”

She trembles, fingers toying with my hair. “All of the benefits.”

“What does that entail, exactly?” Even though the bottom half of her is exposed to me, I don’t look away from her face. She shudders as I slide a hand between her breasts, her heart racing against my palm.

“Friends with benefits, Elias,” she breathes out and wets her lips. “Whenever we’re in the same city, we fuck. For hours.”

“What else?” The fact that I’m speaking is a surprise, because I can barely think straight with how warm and naked she is.

“What else do you want?”

“We probably need to eat between all the fucking, yeah?”

“Sure, we can eat.”

I drop my hands to her thighs. “Friends with benefits while eating together.”

“I expect a lot of you eating.”

“You can count on that,” I reply and she snorts.

“We should fuck on it.”

I kiss her jaw. “Do you mean shake on it?”

“Why shake when we can fuck?”

“I love how your mind works.”

She hums, cupping my jaw with one hand and leans in to brush her mouth over mine. “I love how your cock works.”

And then she’s kissing me, tongue sweeping into my mouth as I open for her. Her hips slide forward and she presses against my hardening dick. I know I made it seem like I was okay with whatever she wanted, and I am, but I will always want more. I know better than to expect something I might never get. I can do sex. It’s good with Vera and it’s almost easy. But feelings are going to be far more difficult to ignore and we both know that.