Despite everything, he found himself almost-smiling. "Best in Bandra."
"You're ridiculous."
"I know."
He carried her inside, up the stairs. She was lighter than expected. Or maybe adrenaline made it feel that way.
In their bedroom, he lowered her carefully onto the bed. She released his neck reluctantly, already seeking her pillow, curling onto her side.
The wig needed to come off. The makeup removed. But she looked so peaceful he couldn't bring himself to wake her fully.
Tomorrow. She could deal with it tomorrow.
He moved to the bathroom, changed quickly, removed his own disguise. When he returned, Divya hadn't moved. Still sleeping soundly.
He slid into bed on his side. The mattress shifted under his weight.
And unlike every night for the past week, she responded, unconscious but instinctive. Her body turned toward the dip he created, seeking warmth.
Maybe it was the evening they'd shared. Maybe it was exhaustion lowering her defenses completely. Maybe it was nothing more than chance.
But she didn't just turn toward him. She moved closer. Her arm stretched across the space between them, fingers finding his shirt, resting there. Claiming space against him in her sleep.
Her head settled near his shoulder, not quite touching, but close enough that he could feel her breath against his neck. Closeenough that if he moved even slightly, she'd be tucked right against him.
He didn't move. Didn't want to break whatever this was. Didn't want her to wake and pull away.
So he just lay there, feeling the weight of her hand on his chest, the whisper of her breathing against his skin.
This woman, he realised, was his everything.
And someday, someday soon, her conscious mind would catch up to what her unconscious already knew.
He let his eyes close, hyperaware of every point where she touched him. Her hand. Her breath. Tomorrow, she'd wake and pull away. Would rebuild the walls. Would go back to calling him Boss like it didn't carve something out of him every time.
But tonight, she was here. Close. Trusting. His.
And that was enough.
For now.
Chapter 26
Divya woke to warmth. Not the diffuse heat of sunlight through curtains, but the specific, solid warmth of another person.
Her eyes opened slowly, consciousness surfacing in fragments.
She was draped across Vikram. Completely. Shamelessly. Her cheek rested against his chest, her arm sprawled over his torso, her knee bent across his legs. She could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear. Could feel the rise and fall of his breathing. Could feel the heat of his skin through the thin fabric of his t-shirt.
The realization hit like cold water.
She went rigid. Every muscle tensing against the awareness of how thoroughly she'd plastered herself against him during sleep.
She tried to extract herself, slowly, carefully, hoping he was still asleep. Hoping she could slip away before he woke and realized how she'd been clinging to him.
His arm moved. Tightened. His hand splayed across her back, fingers pressing gently but firmly, keeping her exactly where she was.
Her gaze shot to his face.