by P. G. Van
“What would I do if I weren’t with you tonight?” she murmured into his chest.
“I’m the one who exposed you to the allergen.”
“I’m glad you did… I had no idea I had food allergies.”
“Stop talking. Your throat is still inflamed.”
“Yash…”
“Yeah?”
“Will you make me a grilled cheese sandwich when we get home?”
He took a deep breath and held her closer. “You can’t eat anything solid tonight… I’ll make you one tomorrow morning. I promise.”
“Thank you!”
“If it’s tomorrow, I want a grilled cheese sandwich and a cheeseburger.”
“Anything for you.” He chuckled holding her to him, his heart beating against her cheek.
“Will you take me to my favorite spot before you take me home?”
“Sure, where is that?”
“It’s up in the hills, my running spot… take me there,” she slurred, the antihistamine kicking in.
“Anything for you.” His words rolled off slowly as he cupped her cheek with his hand.
Chapter 20
Yash had not met a woman like her in all the years he had been making up for lost time. Graduating from Stanford as the youngest surgeon at eighteen was a huge accomplishment, but he had missed out on life, so when it hit him, he went ballistic with the drinking and sex. Every woman he took to his bed was an experience, and he felt like he was always playing catch-up making him constantly move around.
He had been with older women, younger women, weird women, smart women, but no one like Mantra. He was excited about how bold she was, her dark eyes never showing fear. Her soft ass and her juicy cunt were all he could think of as he lay on the couch.
He had to carry her upstairs the previous night. Her body felt limp as it recovered from the allergic reaction followed by the test and medications. She had a negative result to shellfish, and Yash had no idea what caused the allergic reaction. He told Christy to send him the details of the results for him to look at later when he wasn’t worried sick about her.
Mantra moaned with every swipe of the warm towel that he ran over her body. Her eyes were partially shut as she peered at him through her lashes, a blissful smile playing on her face.
His chest grew warm just with the look on her face. She smiled at him putting her arms around him and pulling him onto her.
“This is not how I imagined our night,” she mumbled.
“Me neither, baby… I need you to close your eyes and sleep.” He brushed his lips against her cheek and pulled the sheets over her.
Mantra was fun and exciting to hang out with, and he smiled to himself every time she mumbled his name. He never thought his name could sound so erotic.
He tucked her in before stepping into the shower with a deep longing to take her, but he knew better—it was time for him to slow down and enjoy more of her.
He decided to crash on the large sectional to one side of the master suite when all his screaming beast wanted was to spend the entire night buried in her warmth. That night he spent listening to her alluring snore playing in his ears and his mind playing future moments he would spend with her.
He was asleep, but his rock-hard rod wanted the warmth from her mouth and her firm yet tender fingers as they extended around her mouth to cover his shaft, her sweet juices coating his hard tip as she swirled her tongue. He was dreaming, and he didn’t want it to stop. He was getting painfully hard and was dangerously close to shooting out.
His eyes flew open to find her long hair tousled on his thigh. Realization hit him, and he growled fisting his palm in her thick, dark hair.
What was more amazing than waking up to a hot woman blowing him, good morning?
“Fuck, baby, you are awesome!”
As if encouraged by his tone, she took him in deeper making him wonder if he could hold it in any longer. His morning wood was no match for the mouth that knew how to devour a steel shaft. His glutes tightened, his abs clenched, and his balls ached in response to the sweet torment her mouth was exercising.
As if she sensed the turmoil, she let go of his throbbing hardness, and her hand wandered deeper toward his sack. He went stiff when he felt her fingers on the lining that held his aching balls. His mind was fried as soon she started tracing along the rounds in the sack carefully caressing them.
A sudden jolt of electricity stabbed through his veins making him breathless. She let go of his sack and brought her fingers to twirl at the base while her tongue did the same to his tip with her eyes riveted on his face.
He felt her tongue swirl torturously as her fingers abused him into submission. He grunted deep below clenching her hair as he sprouted his release down her throat.
He was a dead man, and he knew it when she let him out of her mouth to climb on top of him taking his undying hardness into her burning cavity feeding her nipple to his eager mouth. He held her hips as she rode him like it was nobody’s business, her breasts flailing in the air, her hair tossing with every drive, and the moans escaping her pillowed lips were nothing but criminal.
*****
She moved lazily taking in the warmth of the fabric before her eyes fluttered open. A dimly-lit room with high ceilings greeted her bringing back memories of the ride of a lifetime on the sectional earlier that morning as her body burned with desire.
“You were such a riot,” the deep voice that made her wet resonated from behind. The next moment, she felt the vice-like grip around her waist as her back crashed into his chest.
He sucked in a mouthful of her shoulder making her twitch deep inside. Every little muscle in her body was sore, but she only wanted more of him. He had unleashed her hidden enchantress, and all she wanted to do was lure him in and get lost in his sexual rage.
“It’s all your fault.”
“Really?” He swirled his lips around her delicate skin making her hot all over.
She rolled over in bed to face him, and he dug his fingers into her flesh to bring his heated shaft to rub against her bare skin. She moaned enjoying the feel of him against her skin and nuzzled his chest.
“I’m hungry.” She kissed the warm skin on his chest.
“Me too, hungry for you,” he growled.
“I want my cheeseburger and grilled cheese for breakfast.”
“You got it… do you want the bursts of chili you ate last night.”
“Oh my God, it was so good… I was in food heaven until the itching started.”
“I should have told you what was in the food before you ate it.”
“How would it have mattered? I’ve never had a food allergy before, and I’ve eaten shrimp and every single shellfish out there like a million times.” She pulled away slightly to look at him. He was looking at her, but she could tell he was thinking.
“Yash.”
“Baby, I know why you had that reaction.”
“Why? I’m allergic to chilies now?” She laughed.
“Have you ever eaten wild shrimp?”
“Umm… how would I know?”
“That’s it, it’s the shrimp… fuck… I can’t… that’s terrible…” She kissed him before he started another round of apologies like the previous night.
He groaned against her mouth taking in her sweetness.
She pulled her lips away slightly. “Do you know what the best part of the night was… not this morning but last night”?”
“What?” His word was a whisper on her lips.
“The letter… it means a lot to me, and I would love to be part of your work.”
“You will?” He crashed his lips to hers.
“Yes… Yes…” she mumbled between kisses.
“Baby, you’re making me so hot right now. I want to take you… take you so hard it scares me.” He bit down on her ear.
She yelped digging her fingers into his arms. “This can be an addiction for me.”
“What?”
“This… lying with you… these w
arm sheets…” She lost her words when she saw the look in his eyes. At that moment, something told her what Yash and she had was way more than it appeared.
It hit her in the face that she was falling for him and falling fast and hard.
“I like it, too.” He kissed her tenderly on her cheek.
“Can we talk about the book because I’m nervous and excited at the same time?”
“What do you want to know?”
“What is it about? How can I help?”
“Can I give my girlfriend her breakfast and then tell you?”
She smiled. “Are we officially boyfriend-girlfriend?”
“You are mine, and it’s not because I want to fuck you every possible second… I want you to be my girl… you good with that?”
“Yes, and I want my cheeseburger and grilled cheese sandwich now, and I like the asshole I met at the bar more than this sweet guy in bed with me.”
He chuckled sucking on her lips. “Asshole, coming right up.”
Almost two hours later, she sat on the stool holding the cheeseburger in both hands. “This is so good. I want to kiss you.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I want one more after I eat my grilled cheese,” she stated with her mouth full.
“I’ll make however many you want.” She was enjoying the food, and it made him warm in his chest every time she moaned as she licked her fingers.
“Why are you writing books? You should be opening a burger joint.”
“I probably will do that, too.” He chuckled.
“Vedh would have loved this burger. He and I had similar taste in food… so similar it’s weird.”
“Vedh?”
“My brother… older brother.”
“I didn’t know you have a brother. Is he in the area?”
She slowly placed her burger on the plate in front of her.”
“I… I had a brother… he passed away a few years ago.” She looked up at the ceiling fighting her tears.
Yash dropped the ladle, turned off the grill, and walked over to her side to put his arms around her.
“I’m sorry, baby.”
She buried her face into the softness of his t-shirt and let the tears roll down endlessly. Her brother’s death came as a shock to her a few years ago, but she was too angry to grieve at that time. She felt the sadness rule her heart as Yash soothed her in his arms.
“I miss him so much, Yash.” She sobbed.
“Mantra… baby…” He tried to console her as she wept loudly.
“If only I could have talked to him… if only he had let me talk to him before he…”
Yash had no idea what she was saying and what made her so sad, but her tears burned him on the inside. He held her to him like she would crumble if he let her go on weeping.
Yash gave her a few moments before pulling away to look at her. Her eyes were puffy from her sleep and the crying as he held her by her chin to force her to look at him.
“Talk to me.” His voice was soft as he wiped the moisture from her cheeks.
“My brother… he passed away a few years ago because… he… decided to step in front of a commuter train.” Her voice was shaky, and her words sent waves of shock through him.
“I’m sorry, do you want to talk about it?”
“Yes.” She didn’t know why she had the sudden urge to talk about her brother when for years she wasn’t able to talk to anyone about it, not even Sloka or Samar.
Chapter 21
Mantra sat on the plush couch where Yash carried her from the kitchen. She had a meltdown a few minutes ago that she couldn’t explain. Yash sat next to her, his arm around her so she could rest her head on his shoulder.
“Were you close to… Vedh?” His voice was soft as his hand caressed her.
“Yes… he was my best friend… well him and Samar.” She sniffled.
“What did he do?”
“He was a neuroscientist… a prodigy… just like you.” She bit down on her lip and looked up at him.
Yash went stiff. “What happened?”
“He fell in love with a woman who… I can’t talk about it… it’s so painful.”
“Mantra… is he the reason why you want to be a therapist instead of a doctor?”
She pulled back feeling the shock hit her. “How do you know?”
He shrugged. “Intelligent guess, I suppose.”
“But how? I never told you about Vedh before today.” She knew he was good at reading her but not know everything about her.
“I put a few pieces of information together.”
“Yes, he was the reason… he fell in love for the first time, and he decided to end his life because he caught his girlfriend cheating on him… because of that woman.” Her voice shook.
“Easy.” He pulled her closer.
“I don’t know why he did it… did it have something to do with him being a prodigy and how everything in life happens differently?” She stopped and looked at him like he would know the answer.
“Life is different as a prodigy, and it’s not easy.”
“I’ll never find out what he thought when he did what he did. The fact that I will never find out just pains me, and I could not help him with what he was going through… kills me.”
“Mantra, you are already doing what you couldn’t do for your brother, and not everybody can do that.”
“It’ll never bring him back.”
“That is the harsh truth, and I’m okay with you dedicating your contribution to my work to your brother. His name on your work will make him eternal.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” His tone was calm.
Mantra’s heart melted for the man who she thought was an asshole who showed no emotion. She looked at him, her eyes streams of happy tears.
“Yash, I will do what it takes to put my brother’s name on my work. Thank you!” She hugged him digging her chin into his shoulder and feeling the heaviness in her heart lift away. The weight she had carried in her heart since the day her brother disappeared from her life.
“Can I give you a copy of the manuscript to read before we start talking about working on the book together?”
“Yes.” She tightened her hold on him.
Later that night, thunder rumbled outside as she finished the last part of Yash’s manuscript. He had left her to read his work and went to check on the operations at The Red Room.
She was on the last few pages of the manuscript when Yash walked up from behind. He placed his hands on her shoulder before planting a kiss on her cheek.
“Do you want to punch my face in?” he whispered into her ear.
“Let me finish the last few pages.” Her tone was steady.
“Am I in trouble?” He chuckled.
“Yash, I need five more minutes,” she stated without averting her eyes from the screen.
Yash expected this reaction from her. He was just glad she hadn’t broken the screen halfway through the manuscript.
He was at the wet bar fixing her a drink when she walked in from behind and put her arms around his waist.
“Really? I get a hug?” He loosened her grip and turned around to face her and handed her a drink.
“Thanks for letting me read your manuscript.”
“And? You hate it?”
“It’s good in its current form. I don’t understand how I can help with it.”
“I wrote that with a different purpose, almost a guide on…”
She cut him off, rather angrily. “Seducing women and how men could be better pick-up artists?”
He laughed. “Finally, the reaction I expected.”
“I don’t see a reason for me to help.” She crossed her hands in front of her.
“Before you say anything further, let me clarify that I don’t intend to publish it as it is. I may have considered it at some point but not anymore. I want the information presented differently.”
“How?”
He took a step closer t
o her and ran the tip of his finger along her hairline. “I want you to help me re-write the content in such a way that it helps couples overcome their… I want you to add the couples’ therapy aspect to it.”
She gasped when she realized what he wanted to do. The content she had read was excellent and for it to be used as a self-help for couples—a revolutionary approach.
She went up on her toes and kissed him.
“Is that a yes?” he groaned against her lips.
“You are amazing.” She ran her arms around his neck and pulled herself up to wrap her legs around his waist.
“You told me that already.” He sucked her lower lip between his teeth.
“Not just in bed,” she moaned.
He laughed and pulled back to look at her. “I’m excited to work with you.”
“Me, too.” She pecked his lips with hers.
“Can we try the tricks from my work as part of our research?” he growled.
She squeaked in reaction to his sudden movement enjoying the burn from his stubble on her bare skin.
“Like you haven’t tried them on me yet?” She laughed.
“First, I need to give you a full tour of my place.”
He let her off his long, broad torso. He was a delicious sight in his tight-fitting t-shirt and lounge pants.
“Why are you insistent about the tour? Do you have a sex chamber? Oh no, do you have your own red room?” she teased.
He turned slightly to pull her into his arms and kiss her hard. “Is that a deal breaker?”
She looked up at him and smiled, and before she could say something, his arms tightened around her. In a flash, he picked her off the rich wooden floor and toted her over his shoulder.
“Put me down.” She laughed.
He took a bite into her waist as he carried her making her yelp. She managed to reach his ass and grabbed it with her fingers making him laugh.
“Why are you carrying me?”
“Because I want to… I will show you the kind of sex I want to have,” he grunted as he placed her on the large kitchen island.
