Aditi had no idea what to do with that information.
Why was Rian here? Did he hear her say that she can’t remember sex?
MOTHER EARTH SWALLOW ME WHOLE!
Rian stared at Aditi for a second, and then, as though having made up his mind, walked into her bedroom instead of walking away. Without a word, he reached for the shoe.
“May I?” he asked, his voice low.
Aditi nodded mutely.
Rian bent down on one knee and wrapped his long fingers about her ankle, lifting it to slide her naked foot into her sandal. Bracing her hand on his shoulder automatically for support, Aditi felt a strange shiver pass through her at the feel of his roughened fingers against the delicate arch of her foot. It was a gentle graze, and suddenly, instead of the gurgle of embarrassment, there was an uncomfortable clench of desire swirling at the pit of her belly.
It was no great effort for her to accept that Rian was a prime specimen of masculine beauty. Tall, broad shouldered, and handsome beyond measure with equal parts charm and broodiness. He was like a character who’d escaped the pages of the romantic novels she devoured in her free time.
This was before they’d even made peace.
Now that he’d stopped avoiding her existence altogether, she’d begun to see flashes of his dimpled grin and it never failed to spark a flutter within her gut, like a butterfly had been let loose.
They’d developed an oddly teasing relationship over the last couple weeks since their truce. Not a friendship quite yet, but no longer the awkward tension of before. They shared meals if they were both around with Nanamma, spoke about random things, and often found themselves watching TV together late at night to wind down.
She’d thought the initial spark she had experienced with him—primarily physical—would fade. He was a nice man, but obviously not interested in her.
It took just this light touch, this unexpected moment, for attraction to come knocking at her door again. When did wearing shoes start feeling so intimate? She wondered dazedly, trying to recollect her wits. She gaped at his dark head as he delicately wrapped the flimsy strap around her ankle and straightened the tassels.
A man like Rian, at her feet, worshipping her. Like she’d just been wishing.
The butterfly turned into a swarm and her stomach lurched.
Rian glanced up, and it was all Aditi could do to remain standing. From this viewpoint, he was easily imaginable as a fallen angel, waiting for her to command his services.
Aditi’s chest grew tight as he held her gaze, slowly unfolding to his full height, and she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. Fuck, the height difference made him hotter.
Yep, she was definitely starved for sex if the simple touch of a very good-looking man made her hormones go on a rampage. Either that, or she was getting close to her cycle. Her sexual cravings usually ramped up in the days leading to her periods.
Breath stuck, she waited, wondering what he was thinking.
Probably not about periods, the imp in her head chimed.
“Let’s go,” he said after a moment, breaking into her silent spiral.
Demurely, she followed him out of the apartment and into the elevator, hating the fact that she felt so tongue tied.
The entire way down to the parking lot, Aditi kept sneaking glances at Rian, wanting to ask him but also dreading his response. Annoyed by the impossibility of her position, she whipped towards him as they neared his car.
“You heard me, didn’t you?” she accused, knowing she was right when his nostrils flared. One edge of his mouth trembled, as if itching to laugh openly.
“It’s like riding a bike, Doc,” he said instead. Light-grey eyes stared down at her, brimming with ill-concealed mirth, the slightest smirk on his lips.
Confused by the seemingly unrelated comment, she scrunched her nose. “What is?”
“Sex,” he answered simply, opening the car door for her.
5
The Temple Visit
Rian