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“You don’t have to understand, Diya. You just have to agree to marry me. I promise you will never have to worry about Ayush again if you do.”
“I still don’t see what you’re getting out of this.”
I blew out a heavy breath and smiled at her bleakly.
“Redemption. I’m getting a chance at redemption, Diya. I know I broke your heart nine years ago, and that nothing I do can ever make up for that. But I also destroyed a lot more that day. I destroyed the alliance between our families, and I destroyed my friendship with Veer. I’d like to build all of that back someday. And this seems like a good place to start.”
“Fine. You save my life and we’re quits for the pain you caused nine years ago. But how long will this charade last?”
“Excuse me?”
“Since you’re as unwilling to go through this as I am, I’m assuming this marriage will come with an expiry date. I’d like to specify the duration of our fake marriage in a contract,” she said firmly.
For the first time in my life, words failed me. I gaped at her in shock.
“Fake?”
“Of course. This will be a marriage in name only. I’ll help you repair your relationship with my family, and you keep me safe until all this blows over. Then we both walk away from the marriage amicably.”
A wave of fury washed over me as the meaning of her words sank in.
She wanted a temporary marriage with no sex. Temporary. Which would leave her free to marry someone else afterwards.
Over my dead body.
I backed her up against the fence and caged her with my arms while I glowered down at her.
“This will be a real marriage, Diya. Real in every way. Once you’re married to me, you will always be mine. Mind, body and soul. Is that clear?” I roared.
“No! I will never be yours, Your Highness. Never. And I don’t know why you’re so grumpy about it because you didn’t want to marry me in the first place. Not now and not nine years ago,” she accused.
I grabbed her chin and raised her face while she glared at me helplessly.
“Let’s leave the past where it belongs. Forget about what I did nine years ago. I will marry you now, and you will stay married to me until I die in your arms at a ripe old age,” I whispered.
I moved my hands to her waist and held her in place as I bent and captured her lush lips in a bruising, punishing kiss.
CHAPTER 11
DIYA
Islapped a hand against Dheer’s chest, intending to push him away. Instead, quite against my will, my hands wound themselves around his neck and I pulled him even closer. One kiss blended into another until I lost count. His tongue traced the seam of my lips and coaxed them to open for him. The sweetness of his breath invaded my mouth as his silky tongue played with mine, bossing it around. I sucked on it with a soft moan.
The sound brought me to my senses, and I wondered if I had lost my mind. Maybe this was some weird form of PTSD and I was in a fugue state where I didn’t know what I was doing. Why else would I be kissing Dheer of all people? He could say what he liked, but there was no way I could forget the past. As for being his in mind, body and soul, he was going to find himself in a world of pain if he even tried to get close to me. This was a marriage of convenience, and I was going to walk out on it as soon as I could, whether he liked it or not. There was no way I was going to tie myself to a man I hated for life, even if his kisses made me forget why I was mad at him in the first place.
I dragged my mouth from his and pushed Dheer away angrily.
“I’ll punch you in the throat the next time you do that, ” I warned, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
My words might have been more convincing if I hadn’t wrapped one leg around his hip while he kissed me. Dheer looked very amused as I unwound myself from his body and stepped away from him. Bastard.
“Be my guest because I love a good fight,” he drawled.
I bet he did, the beast, I fumed as I tried to slow my breathing. How could I have allowed him to kiss me within full view of his staff? My mother would skin me alive if she ever found out, and I shuddered at his grandmother’s reaction. She would make snide comments about my sluttiness until the day she died.
It was all Dheer’s fault. I would never have done such a thing if he hadn’t distracted me with his bare chest. I wished it was illegal for him to go about without a shirt. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if his female staff walked into walls when he passed by them in his bare-chested glory.
“Fuck off,” I muttered as I pushed past him and walked away with as much dignity as I could muster.
