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A thrill went through me at the very thought. But I had spent so many years denying the fact that Diya was mine. Nine years ago, I had a very strong reason for walking away from her and that hadn’t changed. How could I turn around and ask her to marry me now?
I punched the wooden slatted wall in front of me because this wasn’t the life I’d envisioned for her. She was an international model. The world was her oyster. The last thing she needed was for me to drag her down into the darkness that was my life. Well, now she was well and truly ensconced in this life, and it wasn’t my fault at all. Funny how life comes a full circle, I mused.
There was no other choice left. I had to marry Diya. And worst of all, I had to be the one to break the news to her.
I picked up a bucket of water and emptied it over my head, hoping it would cool me off. After all, one of us had to be cool and rational during the conversation, and considering how much Diya hated me, it wasn’t going to be her.
I stepped out of the stables and looked around. She was still standing by the fence, admiring the horses. I’d felt her gaze burning into me when I was exercising Pasha, and it had taken a lot of effort to keep my focus on what I was doing. After all, she wouldn’t be very impressed if I slid out of the saddle and fell on my ass.
To my surprise, Pasha unseated the groom who had been stupid enough to try and ride him, and trotted over to Diya. The bad-tempered horse who terrorised my staff if they so much as looked at him allowed her to pet him like a puppy. I was worried he might try to bite her, but he just tilted his head and allowed her to scratch his neck.
Hmph.
It was absurd to be jealous of a horse, but I’d give anything to have her run those soft fingers over my body. I took a few deep breaths and willed down the erection that sprang up at the thought of her hands on my body before I walked over to her.
I had known that it wasn’t going to be easy to convince her to marry me, but I had underestimated her reaction.
“No. And if that wasn’t clear enough… hell, no!”
“Diya…”
“I don’t want to hear it. I don’t know why you guys are trying to trick me with all these torturous claims, but I will not marry you.”
Took a deep breath and tried to hold onto my temper.
“What torturous claims?”
“This… whole narrative that you’ve created. We’re in twenty-first-century India, not in tenth-century Marwar. All this talk of war is so weird. I think you’re making it all up.”
“And why would I do that?” I demanded.
“I… I don’t know! For some reason, you’ve suddenly decided to marry me and you’re making up all these stories to get me to agree,” she stammered, flushing deeply.
“I don’t want to marry you any more than you want to marry me, Diya,” I bit out. “But I do want to keep you safe.”
“How kind of you,” she sniped.
I took another step closer and wrapped a hand around her jaw, holding her still so I could stare into her eyes. I needed her to know this was serious.
“Look, princess, you can make like an ostrich and bury your head in the sand all you like, but if you step out of my palace without my protection, you’re not just putting your life at risk. You’re risking the lives of your whole family. Until now, there have been two attempts on your life. There will be a third one very soon if we don’t act fast, and this time, maybe they’ll blow up your whole palace and attribute it to a gas leak. Or maybe your mother might get bitten by a snake in her sleep. That’s how the Goels got rid of the teacher who accused Ayush of sending her dick pics.”
I could feel her chest brushing mine as her breath came out in rapid, shallow puffs.
“Are you serious?” she whispered.
“Dead serious,” I whispered back.
Her eyelashes fluttered as my breath feathered her lips, and her lips parted involuntarily.
She brought her hands up between us and placed them against my chest. But instead of pulling me closer, she shoved hard until I took a step back.
“I still don’t see what marrying you will achieve,” she said, breathing hard. “What’s to stop Ayush from blowing up your palace instead of my father’s?”
“We have an understanding. He leaves me alone and I leave him alone. He won’t dare to come after me or mine because he knows I’ll make him sorry if he does.”
Her gorgeous brown eyes clouded with confusion.
“I don’t understand.”
