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“Ouch,” she cried, rubbing her forehead.
“What the—” he snapped.
Maya withdrew her hand as they both touched the key at the same time. But soon she realized that they were her keys, so why should she back off? She snatched the keys from him.
“I can go from here,” she barked and started walking towards her room. But soon she stumbled with the side vase kept in the corridor.
“Watch it,” he shouted from behind just as she fell down, hurting her leg. Ranveer shook his head in disappointment and reached her. He stretched his hand for her to hold. She denied using his help and managed to get up on her own, but the moment she put pressure on her right foot, she yelped in pain. She had a sprain, probably. She was about to fall down when he held her, and this time he didn’t let her shrug back. He leaned down and, in an instant, he carried Maya in his arms.
“Put me down,” she cried, swaying her feet in the air but Ranveer didn’t care. He kept walking to her room door.
“Put me down, Ranveer Malhotra,” she shouted again, and this time she started hitting his chest. Ranveer didn’t flinch. The moment he reached the door, he put her down still not leaving her completely on her own. He snatched the keys from Maya and opened the door. But before she could enter, Maya felt dizzy. The effect of alcohol completely kicked in and Maya collapsed on him. Ranveer was stupefied. Was this really happening? The woman he felt a strong pull for was in his arms, drunk and totally under his mercy. Clenching his jaw unable to comprehend how to deal with this situation, he picked her up gently in his arms again and carried her all the way inside, shutting the door behind them.
Chapter 8
Hongkong
The morning light hit her eyes. Maya tossed on the bed, cuddling the pillow. Her head throbbed. Though she was awake, she kept her eyes closed, last night’s moments slowly filling her mind. She had been drinking with her colleagues when Ranveer Malhotra intruded. She slipped off the table to ignore him, but he followed her in the elevator, offering his passive support from a group of men. She dropped the keys in the lobby of her hotel room, their fingers touched, she collided with the vase in the attempt to walk to her room, and once again he offered help in the most uncomfortable and unexpected way. He carried her in his arms, opened her room door, and then… Then what? She didn’t remember anything after that. Probably, she fell unconscious. What happened next? Her eyes darted open as she heard his voice around her. Maya sat on the bed, pushing the duvet and pillow away.
Ranveer Malhotra wrapped in a bathrobe was speaking to someone over his Bluetooth. He sounded annoyed. But what was he doing in her room? He turned around and found her awake. The irritation on his face disappeared as he came forward, locking his gaze on her.
“Laura, could you hold for a moment?”
He pressed some button on his phone, probably the mute button.
“Drink that,” he pointed out at a glass of liquid kept on the bedside table. It was her hangover cure. She badly needed it, but she did not trust this man and anything he did, even in her favor.
“What are you doing in my room?” she scowled.
He didn’t respond; he unmuted the call and continued the phone conversation.
“Laura, you know how to handle him. Don’t let him know I am here. That’s it.”
Maya was annoyed at how he ignored her query. She checked her outfit. She was still wearing the same dress she wore for the dinner last night. She was glad about that, though it hardly covered her legs. She pulled her dress and got down the bed having no idea what happened after she fell unconscious. But for now, she wanted him out of her sight.
“Get out of my room,” she snapped, blocking his way to the balcony. Ranveer clenched his jaw.
“I will call you in a moment, Laura.”
He disconnected the call and then threw his phone and Bluetooth headset on the bed.
“What’s your problem?”
“You are my problem. Leave this room before I call up the reception staff and throw you out.”
Though anger bubbled inside him, he maintained a light smirk on his face. Maya’s phone rang that very instant. She was so disturbed by his presence in her room that she didn’t even bother about her phone. But he did. Ranveer walked to the other end of the room and picked up her phone. He read the caller ID.
“Your Mom,” he exclaimed.
A fear struck in Maya’s heart, knowing it was her mother’s call. She had skipped calling up her mother at night before sleep, which she always did during her onsite visit. Hope her mother wasn’t tensed about it.
“Let me answer,” he faked answering the call, but she snatched the phone.
“Don’t you dare,” she warned him and pressed the green button on her screen. “Mom, I’m sorry, I didn’t call you at night. I was stuck.”
She walked away from him so that he didn’t hear their conversation.
“Maya, you never have been that careless. I was so worried. Pam and I didn’t sleep well last night, thinking about the possibilities because you didn’t call us. You know what it does to me when you don’t respond.”
