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Maya bit her inner cheek and got up slowly from the couch. It was hard to talk to his back. She wanted to meet his eyes and make this a face-to-face conversation.
“It won’t happen again,” she added, coming forward. “Our past interactions made me misjudge you.”
Ranveer's jaw flexed. “Don't apologize unless you mean it. You may regret it later.”
“What do you mean?”
Ranveer knew it was high time she was aware of the havoc she was creating inside him every time she was around. He pinned her against his desk, his body a hair's breadth from touching hers.
“You want me to speak clearly?” he asked. “You might not like my language, though.”
Maya swallowed nervously.
“I have these weird thoughts running in my head about us,” he continued. “You linger in my thoughts ceaselessly. Even when you're beyond my sight, you are all I think about. I hallucinate you everywhere, doing things to me which you might not even dare to imagine in your wildest dreams. No other woman could inspire such dangerous obsession in me but you, Maya.”
Maya shrank from his intimate confession, gooseflesh rising at his implications. She had to escape.
“I should leave.” Maya attempted to retreat, but his firm grip on her shoulder redirected her back, pressing her against his desk. Her breath quickened. The profound meaning behind his every word sent shivers down her spine.
“I'm not finished,” he uttered, his jaw clenched.
Her legs turned numb, and an icy chill enveloped her body. The revelation of his relentless thoughts about her, both in and out of his sight, unsettled Maya.
“You wanted my attention, and now you have it—completely, intensely, and passionately,” he declared. “We started with a fake relationship and it has turned out to be the most dangerous possession for me. In my wildest dreams, I never envisioned myself doing the things I contemplate with you. I can’t imagine doing any of this with anyone else in this lifetime.”
Maya yearned to escape. Lingering any longer threatened to unleash a torrent of fearful tears.
“But I’ve drawn a line between us, and it will exist until you decide to erase it and let me in,” he openly presented the proposition. “If you ever crave more, like I do, it will be solely on my terms. I want you Maya Bajaj. I want you as mine.”
The moment he finished, Maya shoved past him and ran, unable to bear further torment or temptation.
“Take me home,” Maya demanded sharply to Aisha upon fleeing Ranveer's office.
As the car descended to Paradise, Maya cracked the window pane to gulp fresh air, still reeling from Ranveer's dark confession. When had his desire awakened? She never imagined a man like Ranveer Malhotra falling for her charms, seemingly forgetting how he had ruined her life years prior. His recent favors could never erase those misdeeds; she could neither forgive nor forget his past actions.
Chapter 28
Paradise
Back at the apartment, Garima objected when Maya abruptly announced they should move back home.
“You are being unreasonable Maya. What happened?”
“Nothing happened,” Maya replied unzipping her bag to pack. “I’m capable now to look after you. We don’t need Ranveer’s help.”
Garima stopped her from stuffing the clothes in the bag.
“Is this because you think he'll cross lines?”
It was beyond line-crossing, but Maya couldn't articulate the real issue to her mother.
“Maya, what’s the matter with you? Why are you behaving so odd? He is your boyfriend, isn’t he?”
“No, he is not,” she stated firmly.
Garima was shocked by her sudden revelation.
“Don’t lie, sweetheart,” Ranveer interjected smoothly, entering at that moment with a mug of coffee.
