by Nisha Sharma
When was the last time Mina had felt this kind of desire that burned her from the inside out? She’d had affairs before, flings that were shorter than a train ride into Jersey. No one had ever captivated her, entranced her like Hemdeep Singh. He lifted a hand to remove her braid, and the glint of silver from his kara caught the light.
“You’re perfect, too,” she whispered. She stepped forward, running her fingers through his chest hair and over the muscles of his pecs and ridged abdomen. His arms came around her and he quickly unclasped her bra.
“Kiss me.” The words weren’t even out of her mouth before his mouth took hers. She felt consumed, and she was drowning with him, while all she could think was finally.
He pulled her bra straps down and over her shoulders until the lingerie was only held in place by the pressure of their bodies pressed together.
She wanted more of Hem, more skin, more everything. She reached for his belt and tugged it free. He sipped at her mouth, sucking at her lower lip as he made quick work of his clothes while she fumbled.
Then there was silky skin and his thick, hard cock. She pulled away, breathing heavy as she touched him for the first time. Her fingers wrapped around the base of his erection and stroked up the long length of him. A drop of precum beaded the head and Hem shuddered when she brushed her fingertip over it.
“My turn,” he said, his voice raw with the same need Mina knew was in her own. He pulled back and yanked her bra away before kneeling to rid her of her jeans and panties. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her sex, dipping his tongue delicately into her wet heat.
“Hem,” she sighed.
“Let’s get comfortable,” he said and stood. He ran his hands over her, touching her with barely restrained need. This was so much more intimate, so much more than she ever expected with Hem.
She gasped when he walked her backward and gently pushed her onto the bed. She bounced against the soft mattress and comforter before Hem stepped between her legs, grabbed her hips and moved her farther toward the headboard. She complied until he was kneeling between her spread thighs.
There was heat in his eyes, and something more, something she hoped would be there when he saw her like this. “Your tits,” he said, running his hands over them and squeezing liberally. “Your tits are the most perfect shade of delicious brown that I have ever seen, and I want to taste them again.”
“Yes,” Mina gasped, lifting her chest for him.
She felt her pussy clench at the first hard suck. The feeling was so good that she raked her nails against Hem’s back and pulled at his hair for all that he could give her.
Just when she was on the verge of climaxing from only the attention he’d paid to her breasts, he pulled away and ran two blunt fingers reached between her lips and dipped into her core. She shuddered at the intrusion of his fingers and the firm pressure he used to locate and rub her clit.
“You’re wet,” he said.
“Yes. Hem . . .”
“Tell me what you want.”
“You know.”
“Tell me, otherwise I’ll stop.”
“No! Hem . . . fuck me. Goddammit, fuck me.”
“You want it hard and fast?” he asked, his voice as soft and smooth as the touch of his fingertips. Mina strained against him. “Or do you want it slow?”
She screamed when Hem pulled his fingers away. “No! Hem, more.”
“Yes.” Hem gripped Mina’s hips and flipped her over onto her stomach. He yanked her onto her knees and held her steady even though her knees quivered.
She heard a foil wrapper tear, and she wondered for a brief moment if he’d kept more than one in his nightstand drawer. Then he was sliding his cock against her, and all rational thought flew out the window.
“Now!” she panted.
“Now,” Hem repeated and slid into her, stretching her muscles until she shook and sobbed from the pleasure-pain of it. He was so much thicker than she’d ever taken before. She clenched around him and heard his roar as he pulled out and pushed into her again, a little deeper this time. Mina pressed her face into the comforter, gasping with the sheer joy as she tilted her hips back so that she could take more of him.
Hem thrust again and this time seated himself all the way inside her. He filled her until she felt like he was part of her. The rightness, the overwhelming sensation of it, was frightening even as Mina rocked against him.
“Tell me you’re mine,” he said, panting just as hard as Mina.
She shook her head, thrashing against the pillow. He gripped her hips harder and pulled her against his cock, thrusting in earnest now until she screamed with pleasure and became delirious with it. She chanted his name, for him to fuck her harder, for him to take her. She gripped the sheets and writhed against him, until there was only Hem and the sounds of their bodies thrusting.
“You ever feel this before?” Hem asked, his words broken and barely audible. He changed his pace until he was able to say more clearly, “I’m yours. You’re mine, Mina. We belong to each other.”
“Hem,” she gasped. “I’m going to come.” Her hair hung over her face and she pushed back against him, harder and faster.
“Not until you tell me that you’re mine.”
“I’m—I’m yours!” The word came out as the orgasm rushed through her, tightening every muscle, exploding every pleasure point, until she was suspended in the moment. She thrust back against Hem, and he reached around her and brushed against her sensitive clit.
“Hem!” she screamed again as the pleasure continued to pulse through her, and then with two quick thrusts, he joined her. His chest pressed against her back, a cry erupting from his throat. They fell against the bed together, still connected.
She lay heavy and limp, her breathing harsh and her skin damp with a sweat. She hadn’t known she could feel this way. It was obvious she wasn’t having sex with the right people.
With Hem.
The shock settled over her as the impact of her orgasm began to fade.
Hem rolled off her back and, with a quick kiss against her shoulder, left the bed to go to the bathroom. She heard the toilet flush and then the sink running. He returned to the room with a damp cloth in his hand. Mina still hadn’t moved, and she felt the faint tinge of embarrassment as he helped clean her. The warm cloth felt good against her tenderness, and she was humming with contentment by the time he finished.
Hem tossed the towel in a laundry basket and slipped back into the bed. Despite her height, he maneuvered her easily and pulled her against his chest until they were spooned together. They linked fingers and tangled limbs.
“It was worth the wait,” she said softly.
Hem chuckled. “That was just the start.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
They lay in a comfortable silence until Hem let out a sigh and kissed the side of Mina’s neck, inciting a trail of goose bumps. “I want to wake up with you like this and see the sunrise,” he said.
“Well, you won’t have to wait long,” she said, looking over at the windows. The bright lights of the skyline began to dim as dawn approached.
They enjoyed the view in silence before Hem spoke.
“What’s going through your mind?”
“Mmm.”
“I want to know,” he whispered against her ear. “What are your secrets?”
“I don’t know if it’s a secret, but I’m thinking that even though it’s terrible how Bharat brought us together, I’m happy it happened.”
“Why is that?”
“Because. Lying here with you, I know that every day can be like the Dosa Hutt.”
She felt the muffled laughter in his chest before she heard it. “I have no idea what you mean, hiriye.”
“Well, the Dosa Hutt represents believing in the impossible. With you, I know that I can believe in the impossible every day.”
“Mina,” he said gruffly. The raw emotion in his voice had her snuggling closer.
She was Mina Kohli, and she was dete
rmined to live her life the way she wanted. If that meant pursuing her mother’s legacy or giving her heart to a Punjabi man, she’d do it.
She closed her eyes as Hem’s breath began to even. She was Mina Kohli, and she was a warrior queen who’d finally found and fallen in love with her Sikh king.
Chapter Sixteen
Mina made love with Hem two more times that night before she succumbed to exhaustion. She woke a few hours later to the feel of sunlight on her face and an empty bed beside her. When she reached out to touch where Hem had been, the sheets felt cool.
The clock read nine thirty, which mean that her lover was probably working. She had to work, too, but she wasn’t sure if she should go to the Kohli and Associates office. It was Friday, and the likelihood that her uncles were remote was high, but Mina couldn’t chance it. She would just have to check in with her legal assistant and paralegal and cancel any appointments.
She hugged Hem’s pillow against her chest and took in a deep breath. Her life had shifted the night before, and she would never be the same again. Not just because of Hem, but because of the new shape of her future. She was going to report her uncles and hopefully secure Bharat from any more takeover attempts, but her goal for honoring her mother’s legacy had to change.
Mina began working through her schedule as she stepped in the shower. She took a few moments to luxuriate in the bath products that Hem kept for her, then applied a little bit of makeup. After raiding his closet for the things he’d purchased for her, she put on a pair of jeans and a sleeveless white button-down shirt with a collar and a black bow at the neck. They were just a few of the items he’d stashed for her next to his white shirts and suit coats that hung in military order.
Half an hour later, she found him in the penthouse’s loft office space, with a headset in one ear. He faced the wall of windows.
“I’ll deal with it on Monday. No, this client is an important one. I’ll be involved. There are a ton of capable people helping with my father’s company that they shouldn’t mind if I spend a few hours a day contributing to my own business needs.”
He motioned for Mina to come forward when she reached the top of the stairs. The move was so utterly male, so dominant that she felt the need to say no at first simply on principle. But she wanted to be with him, to touch him, so she obliged. He pulled her close and she leaned against his side while he wrapped up the call.
“Morning, mera jivana,” he said as he tossed his earpiece on the desk.
My life. She warmed at the sound of that and lifted her mouth for a kiss. “Morning. You have more clothes for me in your closet.”
“Really? I wonder who did that?”
She laughed. “Hem, we talked about this.”
“Do you like them?” he asked.
Mina relented. “Yes. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” His mouth softened as he smiled down at her, “You look beautiful. Are you hungry? We can grab some breakfast.”
“Aren’t you supposed to come up with a clever way to kick me out?”
He nipped at the tip of her nose. “Why would I do that when you’re so fun to have around? You also have a great ass.”
She slapped him on the chest. “Watch it, buddy.”
“It goes both ways, you know. You get me, too.” He took her hand and placed it over the semi that hardened further under her touch.
“And I intend to keep you for a while yet,” she said with a quick stroke. “But I’m not sure about breakfast. I have to figure out what I’m doing today. Pretending everything is normal seems weird to me.”
“Baby, I think that you don’t have a choice for now. Not until the FBI acts on the report you file with them. We still have some time until the next board meeting and shareholders report.”
Hem’s phone buzzed on his desk, and Mina saw Ajay’s name flash across the screen before Hem answered. “What’s up?”
Ajay’s voice came through loud and clear. “Brahm is headed toward the estate.”
“What? What the hell is he doing in the US?”
“Apparently he has urgent news. Zail can’t make it but you need to head back to Alpine. I’m already on my way.”
Hem looked down at Mina. “I’ll leave in five. I just have to drop Mina off first.”
Before Mina could motion to him that she’d take a cab, Ajay was already protesting. “Bring her with you. She’s sharp, and she’ll help us fill in the gaps that we can’t see.”
“Bring Mina to Alpine?” The stunned expression on his face, the rejection in his eyes was noticeable. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
Even though their relationship was new, his reaction hurt. There was no question that it was too soon to meet his parents, but Hem made it seem as if it was never a possibility. She tried to suppress the ache in her chest.
“Mina, wait. Ajay, how much work will we be getting done if we’re at the estate?”
“If I have it my way, we’ll finish this. Dad can hopefully help.”
“Okay, if that’s the case, I’ll bring her. We’ll be there soon.” He pocketed his cell this time and stepped toward her. “Don’t look like that. Please.”
“No, it’s completely fine. We definitely don’t need to add family to the mix right now.”
He shook his head. “You’ve never had parents like mine. They’ve . . . they can ruin relationships, and I want you all to myself before they start meddling.”
In the short time she’d come to know Hem, she’d been able to read his moods and reactions. He was thinking that she’d react just like Lisa had when she met the Singhs. It hurt that he wouldn’t trust her, wouldn’t believe in her to stay with him.
“I should go home. You can always fill me in later.”
“If Ajay thinks you should be there, it’s going to be business through and through. I’ll protect you. Unless you want to leave?”
When she didn’t say anything, he cupped her face and tilted her head up to meet his kiss. “I’m sorry. He just took me by surprise. Come with me. I want more time with you. You can use your laptop or cell to answer any emergencies you need to address with your case files.”
She hesitated, but he kissed her again, and how could she say no to that? “Okay, if that’s what you want.”
“Yes,” he said. “This is what I want.”
“Then let’s go.”
They packed work bags with their computers and were on their way out the door within five minutes. Mina decided to focus on her inbox and get some work done to pass the time on the drive. She’d received over eighty new emails since her lunch the day before, but thankfully, her legal assistant flagged her messages in order of importance.
In forty-five minutes, Mina managed to make her way through most of her mail. She shut down her laptop when Hem maneuvered the car through the ornate gates of the Singh estate.
“Holy shit,” she said as she took in the gardens and the home in the distance.
“Yeah.”
“Hem . . . this is Bharat Mahal?”
“Yup. It was Dad’s dream to have a big enough place for all of his brothers and their children to visit once a year for a reunion. What really ended up happening was that he takes a trip back to Punjab. He gets homesick for the smell of mustard fields and sugarcane.”
Hem veered off toward the left and soon they were passing the most enchanting colonial homes. Mina gasped when Hem pulled into the third driveway. “Is this yours?”
“It is. I figured we’d leave the car here and walk to the main house. It’s not that much farther on foot.”
“Can we go to your place first?”
Hem looked puzzled, but he motioned to his front door. “If you want.”
“Yes, I definitely want, Hem.” She walked up the short path to the porch and entered through the front door. She gasped when she opened it. The inside was like something out of a fairy tale. Her parents’ house used to have the same charm, but as she’d grown older, the house grew dull and lacked the life it onc
e had.
“Do . . . do you like it?” Hem asked as he stood in the entrance.
“Like it? I love it.” She traveled from room to room, brushing her fingertips over surfaces and textures. She ended up in the kitchen. “Your penthouse is amazing, but this is so damn beautiful. Why don’t you spend more time here?”
“I used to,” he said. “I even brought an ex here, but she preferred the penthouse.”
“I’m not Lisa. The city is amazing, but this is where I’d be on weekends.”
His shoulders relaxed, as if he’d been waiting for her reaction this whole time. She was about to say something, but Hem’s cell buzzed and he turned to check the readout. “Ajay is getting antsy. Let’s go.”
He led her outside and down the path to the main house. Mina’s astonishment grew as they walked through the double doors, but all her joy faded when they heard shouting from the foyer.
“Shit,” Hem said.
Mina matched his long strides until they were in the biggest kitchen and living space she’d ever seen.
“What is going on?” Hem said. His words fell on deaf ears.
An older woman, a man in a suit with movie star hair, and Ajay shouted at each other in Punjabi and English. The unmistakable Mr. Deepak Singh looked ashen and sat in silence. He wore a white kurta pajama and a beige shawl that wrapped around his shoulders.
Hem tried again to get everyone’s attention but they were too busy yelling at each other to hear. Mina stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out a piercing whistle. The room fell into complete silence from one heartbeat to the next.
“I can’t believe that worked,” she said.
“Thanks. Now. Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on?” Hem repeated. When they all began talking at once, he made a T shape with his arms. “One at a time, damn it. Ajay? What’s happening?”
“Brahm came here to tell us about our dearest uncle Gopal,” he said.
