Sure fingers found her swollen clit within seconds, massaging it, circling it in tiny arcs. The force with which he drove his hips into her had her thrashing and twisting, muffling her sobs into the pillow beneath her head.
He never got a chance to reconsider the roughness of their mating, and eventually, she went lax, giving up all power, letting him drive their desire to a searing completion that left her shaking. She let out a helpless scream at the height of it, a swarm of explosions overwhelming her, leaving her teetering on the edge of consciousness. Rian followed closely behind, groaning into her shoulder, having no ability to hold on as he jerked and pulsated until he was drained, finally coming to a slow and languid stop.
The only thought Aditi had by the time she drifted off to sleep, curled against one solid body, was that Rian Shetty had indelibly etched himself into her heart. And there was no escaping that.
31
An Uninvited Guest
Aditi
Rian would know howto fix this mess, Aditi thought, staring desolately at the roti she’d tried to roll out.
She held it up straight in her line of vision, lips twisted as she mused how to make it better. The oddly distributed weight pulled the flattened dough down, contorting itself to look like the mask from the Scream movies. She tried to replicate the same scary face, grimacing when it plopped onto the counter, leaving her clasping two scraggly pieces in her hands instead of one beautiful flatbread.
Her medical prowess had not extended into the kitchen, much to her consternation.
No matter where they were in the world, every Indian household boasted one thing in common.
The cleaning cloth that once began as someone’s shirt.
Once deemed not nice enough to wear outside, it would become a pyjama top. At the first sign of a hole or a tear, instead of beingthrown out, it would be used for wiping down surfaces around the house.
Finally, after months of abuse, those scruffy pieces would get demoted to cleaning the floor or the toilets.
Her roti, regrettably, looked exactly like a cleaning cloth in its last stage of life.
When the bell to the apartment door rang, Aditi almost cried in relief.
She washed her hands, scraping the drying dough off her fingers before wiping her hands on her apron, too much in a hurry to care about using a towel.
Dinner today was a big deal and she’d already destroyed Rian’s kitchen in an attempt to make a kickass meal that would win Nanamma over when she returned.
The plan, as she’d explained to an amused Rian, was to lull Nanamma into a food-induced stupor, and gently inform her that they were together and wanting to get married. She’d be too happy because of the good meal to have any concerns, she had supposed.
Despite Rian assuring her that Nanamma would be ecstatic with the news, Aditi’s nerves had gotten the best of her. Thirteen failed matrimonial matches had not bothered her quite this much. This date, however, was more important than all of them combined. She needed Chitra Shetty’s unconditional approval. Family was far too important a piece of her personality to take this casually.
Even the tiniest possibility that Nanamma might not want Aditi as her family terrified her.
Which is why, when she’d begun to have a meltdown because they didn’t have enough yoghurt for curd rice (and let’s be honest, the way to a South Indian’s heart is tempered curd rice), Rian had crushed her to him, ordering her to breathe and calm down. At her attempt to argue, he’d given her a smouldering kiss, leading to a frantic interlude on their couch that melted her entire system and rendered her incapable of organised thought. He’d left shortly after,promising to return before their grandmother came home with all the extra yoghurt she’d demanded.
She gulped, trying not to jog to the front door like an overly dramatic heroine from an old Bollywood movie about to be reunited with her saviour hero. He was back, dinner would be fixed. And then, she’d show him how appreciative she really was.
She wrenched the door open. “Bugs, you’re. . .”
She trailed off, the smile on her face dimming to a polite, confused one.
“Sorry, may I help you?” Aditi’s gaze swept over the older lady standing there, who looked very much like she’d come to the wrong side of town.She belongs in one of those fancy country clubs,Aditi thought, taking in the obviously expensive clothing, the branded bag, and the air of wealth that emanated from her. “Are you lost, perhaps?”
Manicured nails curved over the edge of oversized sunglasses as the lady slowly slipped them off.
“I’m not lost. Where is Rian?”
Aditi peered into the unfamiliar face, shocked when the lady shoved past her and into the apartment.
“Excuse me, who are you? How dare you enter without asking?” She ran ahead of the lady and stood in her way, arms outstretched.
“Who am I? I am Leela Shetty, you stupid girl!”