“You told me to trust you,” she said.
He swallowed, trying to remember what they were talking about. “Don’t worry. I’ll be with you.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back into her seat. He couldn’t have her so close to him.
“You want to tell me what’s going on between us?”
“Excuse me?”
“You kiss me like you’re going to swallow me whole, and then you pull away. What’s going on?”
He sighed, not sure if he loved or hated Divya’s straight talk.
“I’m attracted to you, Divya, but just a few days ago I broke up your wedding. What kind of man runs away with the wrong bride, then gets involved with her? I don’t want to get into something messy and make you feel uncomfortable.”
“How chivalrous of you. First of all, I decide what’s comfortable for me, and second, why do you assume it’ll be messy? I’m an adult and so are you. I enjoy sex. I hope you do too. Why can’t we enjoy it together?”
Damn. When she put it that way, he had a hard time coming up with a coherent answer. How did he explain to her that he felt a connection to her? Perhaps it was real, or maybe it was his traditional pattern of falling for women who were unavailable. He knew their chemistry was real, and he was afraid to find out just how explosive it could be.
He stared at her, and the fire in her eyes ignited something deep and powerful in his core. For the first time in his life, he wanted to fight his impulses. A loud warning blared in his head, but he was having a hard time hearing it. Divya’s glossy pink lips were calling out to him.
“Look, there are no expectations between us. I don’t think you’re taking advantage of me, we’ve clearly got chemistry. Why not enjoy ourselves for the short time we have together?”
Because I may not just want you for a short time.
* * *
Of all the men she’d been with, none got her as hot and bothered as Ethan. Maybe because for the first time in her life, she wasn’t looking at someone through her family’s eyes. He wasn’t a man to be evaluated for marriage. He was a man she could just be with. No expectations, no boundaries. Total freedom.
It wasn’t a question of attraction. She’d felt his attraction hard and clear when they kissed. Does he think I’m too inexperienced to understand what sex means?
She left her seat, leaned over and pressed her lips to his. His eyes darkened and she knew she had him.
“I’d like to add the mile-high club to my bucket list.”
She gave him her most sultry smile, then turned her back to him, took her shirt off and let it drop to the floor. His eyes were glued to her, but he sat frozen in his seat. She took off her lacy bra and flung it at him, then crossed her arms over her chest. She stood for a second and looked over her shoulder at him. The sharp intake of his breath made her smile. She walked to the bedroom at the back of the plane.
As expected, he wasn’t far behind. She’d barely stepped into the tiny bedroom when she felt his arms around her, his chest to her bare back. The bed took up most of the space in the room. There was a mirror opposite the door. She saw their reflection as his hands crisscrossed her waist. He kissed the spot where her neck met her shoulder, and a delicious quiver coursed through her body.
He met her eyes in the mirror. “You’re a dangerous woman, Divya, but I’m no slouch in the seduction department.” He ran his hands over her narrow waist and flat belly, then worked upward and cupped her breasts, running his thumbs over her sensitive, taut nipples. Her core melted and she moaned. She reached back and weaved her fingers into his hair, tugging at it to let him know he was driving her crazy as his lips worked their way up her neck to nibble on her ears.
She moved her hands down and found him hard and ready. She caressed him through his jeans and smiled as he groaned. He loosened his arm and she turned around and tugged his shirt off. His chest and hard abs had a sexy smattering of hair that was just right. She ran her hands over him, noticing the darkness of her skin against his paleness. “Wow, you are really white.”
He chuckled. “I’ll work on my tan.”
She ran her hands down his pecs, over his belly, following the trail of sandy-brown hair from his washboard abs to the top of his jeans. She popped the button, and he shook off his shoes while she tugged his jeans off.
“Hmm, I like a boxers man.”
She touched his velvety hard-on, tentatively at first, but then she took it firmly in her hand.
“Divya!” He breathed her name in a begging moan. She moved her hand up and down until he placed his own hand on hers, stilling her. She looked at him questioningly, but he moved her hands to her own waistband. He undid the button on her jeans and she slid them down. She was wearing one of her new purchases, the red lace panties. His appreciative moan told her it had been a worthwhile purchase. He touched her core through the soft fabric and she melted. She was hot and swollen and wet and she wanted him hard and fast.
She hooked her fingers in the waistband of her panties to take them off, but he stopped her.
“Not so fast.” He worked his fingers over the outside of her panties, circling her tight bud, pushing his finger slightly inside.
They felt the plane gain speed as it began to taxi down the runway.
Enough. If he was going to drive her mad, she was doing the same to him. The bed was behind him. As the plane rose in the air, she gave him a hard push and he stumbled backward. She pushed him again until he was sitting on the bed. She straddled him. Her panties were wet and she ground against him, enjoying his moan of pleasure. His mouth found her breast, and his tongue licked and teased while he cupped the other in his hand, his fingers rubbing her nipple until she felt intense pressure in her core.
It was tempting to give in to her release, but she knew it would be so much better with him inside her. When he came up for air, she got up, reached into her jeans for a condom and tore off the outside packaging. She’d been prepared for this moment. She took off her panties while he watched, his sky-blue eyes as dark as hers. Then she touched herself.
“Take off your boxers.”
He complied immediately, then reached over and took the condom from her. He quickly sheathed himself, and she stepped back toward the bed, spread her legs on either side of his knees and straddled him as she took him inside her in one slick motion.
He filled her just right, and the feeling was so intense, so perfect that she clutched him with her muscles, dug her fingers into his shoulders. She rocked and shuddered and shattered violently against his arousal, her climax so powerful that she screamed. He vibrated inside her and that brought a new wave of heat and pleasure coursing through her.
She rested her head on his chest, too blown away to speak. He circled his arms around her as she slid off him, pulling her close. She wrapped her arms around his chest and inhaled the scent of his soap and sweat and felt her core twitch with desire.
The plane shook as they hit a rough patch of air. She moved involuntarily and felt him harden.
Whoa. She’d had sex before. She liked sex. But what she’d had before was the kind of run-of-the-mill orgasm that her vibrator could accomplish. Ethan... Ethan was the master of finding all the right spots.
As she slid off him, he caught her wrist and she looked at him. His eyes smoldered with the same emotions that raged through her: unsatiated desire, surprise at how good it was between them, fear because of how good it was between them and perhaps a little anger that she’d brought them to this point. She gave him a half smile. Who knew what the future held for her, but at the moment, she had all the freedom in the world. She wouldn’t have to wonder what it would’ve felt like to be with Ethan. The longing would’ve consumed her. Now she could get it out of her system, just like she had with her dreams of being a singer.
He let go of her wrist, stood and went to the attached bathroom to get rid of the condom. D
ivya stood uncertainly, wondering whether she should get dressed. Should they sit and have a naked chat? What she really wanted was to go for round two. Make sure she hadn’t imagined round one.
He returned from the bathroom, tossed himself onto the bed, got under the covers and patted the space beside him. She crawled into bed and he pulled her against him, her back to his chest. He curled himself around her and she felt him getting hard, which made her own core tighten with anticipation.
“You had to do that, didn’t you,” he whispered in her ear, sending hot shivers down her spine.
“Would you rather I hadn’t?”
“It’s hard to answer that now, when the reality was better than my fantasy.”
“It’s better than wondering what could’ve been,” she said.
“Aren’t you the one who advised me not to go for women who are unavailable?”
She had, hadn’t she? And she definitely wasn’t available. Had she been so selfish in her desire for him that she hadn’t noticed him developing real feelings for her? She eased herself from his arms and sat up on the bed so she could look at him. “You’re not falling for me, are you?”
“Don’t you have a high opinion of yourself.”
“Well, I am pretty lovable.”
“And hot, don’t forget hot.” He reached for her and pulled her onto him so that their naked bodies molded together. She ground against him, getting him harder, then leaned toward him so her breasts tantalized his chest. He sucked on one hard nipple, then the other. She was already slick. He rolled her over so she was underneath him. From there, he went on an exploration of her body with his mouth that left her writhing with pleasure. He worked his way down from her breasts to her belly and finally to her core, where he teased her with his tongue and sucked her with his lips. When she couldn’t take it anymore, he reached into the bedside table, pulled out a condom and put it on, then entered her slowly. She cried out and pushed her hips up to meet him, taking him deeper inside her.
He moaned and she increased the tempo. It didn’t take long for both of them to shatter, the world exploding even more powerfully this time than it had before.
Divya gasped for breath as she finished. She lay there as Ethan took care of the condom, then returned. He slid into the bed and she turned to face him, tucking her leg between his. She wanted to stay with him for as long as possible and soak in the feeling of pure bliss. She placed a hand on his chest and traced the hair across his ribs. The men she had been with all had dark hair and dark brown nipples, like she did. Ethan’s were pink and rosy and she ran her fingers over them. “There is such a difference in our skin color.”
“Does that bother you?”
“It’s just... I don’t know.”
“You know, our differences are only skin deep. We have more in common than you think.” He took her hand and weaved his fingers through hers. “Family means everything to me, just like it does to you. And I know what it’s like to want something so badly that it scares you to admit how much you need it.”
Her heart slammed against her chest. Ethan stilled. She withdrew her hand from his and turned her back to him. “I think the day is catching up with me.”
“I’m not going to let you go that easy, Divya.” Ethan muttered. He put his arm around her and pulled her close.
His warmth felt so good, so comforting, that it wasn’t long before she fell asleep dreaming of singing onstage like Tina Roy, with Ethan cheering her from the audience.
Ten
“Where are we exactly?” The first rays of sunlight were barely visible in the sky when they deplaned. They’d made a fueling stop somewhere, but Divya hardly remembered. She’d been so exhausted that the final descent had barely registered.
The air was hot and humid. An attendant waited with the keys to a Porsche Carrera, the convertible’s top already down. Divya was wearing jeans, a long-sleeved blouse and a sweater and felt very overdressed for the weather.
She looked at Ethan, meeting his eyes for the first time since she’d slid out of bed. He walked to the passenger door of the car and held it open for her. “We’re at a private airport in Key Largo. Let’s get on the road. There’s a sunrise view I don’t want you to miss.”
She lowered herself onto the hard leather seat and took off her sweater. “What about our luggage?” she asked as he slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
“We’ll be back on the plane by the evening. I have to be in Minnesota tonight. It’s my parents’ wedding anniversary.”
“Oh,” she said. Was she going with him? Did she even want to go with him? She studied his profile as he steered the car out of the private airport. He was objectively the most handsome man she’d ever been with. His jawline was sharp, his nose perfect, his lips utterly kissable. Warmth pooled deep in her belly as she thought about his mouth on her body and in between her legs. Her entire body still tingled from his touch. He was a considerate and giving lover and she knew without a doubt that she’d always compare any man she ever slept with from this point on to Ethan.
What if he’s the last man I sleep with? She pushed the idea firmly to the back of her mind because it was too pleasant a thought. Had she made a mistake by seducing him? He’d been good to her. She didn’t want to break his heart, but there was no way they could be together long-term. He was wrong about their differences being only skin deep. He knew her only as Divya the woman, not Divya the sister or daughter. Would he understand her commitment to her family? How would he deal with her parents? She’d seen how defensive he’d gotten with Rajiv and Gauri. Her mother didn’t mince words and she didn’t let anyone talk back to her. Why am I even thinking this way? It wasn’t as if she was getting serious about Ethan. It was good sex. Okay, amazing sex. But that’s all it was.
Ethan motored south onto US Route 1 just as the first rays of the sun began to brighten the sky. She gasped as she caught sight of the crystal clear water all around her. It seemed like the road was floating on top of the ocean.
“The Atlantic Ocean is to our left and the Gulf of Mexico to our right. This is called the Overseas Highway,” Ethan said.
“Are we even on land?”
He smiled. “If you’re impressed now, wait until we get on the Seven Mile Bridge in a few minutes. You’ll feel like you’re about to fall into the ocean.”
As the sun burst into the sky, the scene in front of her transformed into hues of orange, red and purple. The water changed from a dark blue green to a lighter blue. There was little traffic on the road, so Ethan drove slowly. “This the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen, I wanted to share it with the most spectacular woman I’ve ever met.”
Her chest constricted at the thickness in his voice. She was glad she couldn’t see his face and he couldn’t see the tears that had suddenly sprung in her eyes. Plenty of men had told her how beautiful she was, but Ethan hadn’t just meant her looks. She knew that in her heart, and that made his compliment sting. He was a good man. Had he been a suitable boy who her parents had set her up with, she would’ve been having a very different conversation with herself. But there was no scenario in which her family would accept a gora. Arjun had almost been disowned for wanting to marry an Indian girl who was divorced. Divya’s sister-in-law, Rani, was an amazing person who spoke their language, understood their culture and traditions. Yet Rani struggled with truly fitting into the family. How could Ethan ever become a part of her world? Gauri’s comments about the impersonal nature of their relationship with her white sister-in-law came to her. Ethan would always be an outsider standing next to her.
She saw the sign for the Seven Mile Bridge, and Divya leaned over as far as she could to look out the window. “Oh my God, I can almost see the fish, the water is so clear.”
“We won’t have time to go swimming today, but you should come back and really explore the Keys.”
He’d said you, not we. Someh
ow, she knew she could never come back here without Ethan. This place, this feeling of pure bliss, would always remind her of him. She lifted her face to the sky and breathed in the warm, salty air. Her home in Rajasthan was a desert, so there was always a grittiness in the atmosphere. She’d been to Miami before with Arjun to check out a potential hotel he was looking to buy, but they’d never taken the time to travel to the Keys. “How did I not know that such a spectacular place existed?”
“You have to get out of your comfort zone to find this kind of paradise.”
This was truly paradise. But it wasn’t real life. It didn’t include the people she loved. It was a momentary escape. She closed her eyes to savor the moment and lock it away in her mind so she wouldn’t forget. She took out her phone and snapped a picture of the sunrise, then reached out her arm and leaned close to Ethan for a selfie.
“Are you going to give our social media fans a honeymoon picture?” he said laughingly.
“I want to remember this moment forever.”
“Why?”
What did he mean, why? “It’s an amazing sunrise.”
“Is that the only reason?”
Her stomach clenched. Why couldn’t things just be easy, uncomplicated and temporary between them? “I enjoy being with you, Ethan. I love our time together and I want to remember it for when...” Her throat suddenly went dry.
“For when it ends, and you go back to your regularly scheduled life.”
“It’s not as if it’ll be goodbye forever. We will keep in touch, stay friends.”
He stayed silent, his lips set in a straight line, and her stomach flipped. He knew it could never be serious between them, didn’t he? She’d been upfront with him that she was not the marrying type, and he wanted someone forever. He was done with jetting around and temporary relationships. She was done sitting at home and letting other people make decisions for her. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to sleep together. And yet as she looked at him, all she could think about was running her hands all over him.
Running Away with the Bride--An opposites attract romance with a twist Page 8
