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“Yes?” he asked, the word a harsh, guttural sound.
“Yes, please,” Veda breathed.
And Agastya slid home.
She shuddered, the pleasure of being filled from within by the man she loved beyond reason, was one that she could never describe.
He curled forward, the hand on her shoulder pulling her up and against him. Her bare back against his shirt covered chest, his rhythmic thrusts driving her up to newer heights, and the soft kisses he pressed to her shoulder and neck all combined to send her spiralling.
She felt the pleasure build inside her until it reached an unbearable crest. The fall when it came felt endless, bottomless, and at the heart of it, limitless. She shuddered as she came apart. He followed soon after with a low, muffled cry against her shoulder.
They stayed like that, his body curled around her, his arm the only thing holding her upright. The silence that enveloped them felt like the eye of the storm, the calm center they’d disrupt if they moved even an inch.
Eventually, Agastya stirred, stepping away from her and letting her skirts fall to the floor again. Before she could blink, he untied the string around her waist and removed the lehenga completely. Scooping her up into his arms, he carried her to the bed, sliding her under the sheet and pulling it up to her chin.
He didn’t say a word. He didn’t meet her eyes. He didn’t touch her a second more than was necessary.
Thin cracks slid through her heart as she watched him stride to the bathroom. Was this going to be her life? This endless push and pull between them?
She heard water running and some splashing sounds before Agastya reappeared, a damp cloth in his hand. He’d finally shed his shirt and was unashamedly, unapologetically naked. Her gaze roved over his naked body. He really had nothing to be ashamed or apologetic about.
Without meeting her eyes, he cleaned her up, wiping her with the cloth. He got up to dispose of the cloth and Veda rose, grabbing his hand and stopping him. The sheet fell to her waist, exposing her breasts. Agastya’s eyes immediately went to them. He swallowed hard and looked away.
“Agastya.” Veda tightened her grip on his wrist. “Can we-“
His phone rang, the sound a shrill bleating in the quiet, darkened room. He pulled his hand out of her grasp, slowly, gently but inexorably.
“You must be tired. Go to sleep.”
“Where are you going?” she asked him.
“I have work,” was all he said as he picked up the phone and answered the call, walking out of the room.
In the blink of an eye, he was gone. And she was alone.
Veda looked at the bed littered with rose petals, the champagne bottle chilling on a side table and the rows of flowers decorating the headboard. All of it blurred in front of her as tears filled her eyes. She blinked them back refusing to let them fall.
“Well,” she whispered. “At least no one can say we didn’t consummate the marriage.”
She lay back on the bed, pulling the covers around her naked body. A single tear dripped down her cheek. She’d been alone all day. Alone yes, but lonely only now and never lonelier than when her husband had taken her in his arms.
Twenty-One
AGASTYA
Agastya sighed as he pushed the file before him to one side. His eyes burned from the strain of the day. And the day was nowhere close to over. He still had a social engagement to go to…one where he was expected to appear with his wife.
The same wife he’d taken pains to avoid since their disastrous if memorable wedding night. The same wife he’d barely spoken to unless forced to in front of the family. The same wife who spent her days at her dance academy and her nights with her nose buried in a book in their room.
Or so he thought. He didn’t truly know what Veda did when she was at home, and he hadn’t made the effort to find out. He did, however, know exactly where she was every minute that she wasn’t in the safety of their home.
Alone in his study now, where he’d sequestered himself, Agastya buried his face in his hands. Shit. What a mess. A mess of his own making.
Someone knocked on his door and he grunted an invitation to enter. Ganesh popped his head around the door, looking as ragged as Agastya felt.
“Sir, we need to leave in half an hour. Veda Madam is ready.”
Agastya nodded curtly. This would be their first public appearance together as husband and wife and he was nervous. Agastya Kodela sat in boardrooms with the most powerful men in the country and outwitted them on most days. He stood in parliament and commanded respect from everyone present with his well thought out policies and proposals.
