“I love how the waves sound. So peaceful.”
Leon grunted in agreement. They came to the end of the pier and looked out over at the vast bay.
“Don’t you wish could throw your problems into the bay and they’ll never exist again?” A wistful note added a hint of melancholy to her wish. “I’d take my brother’s illness, box it up and chain it down. Then I’d throw it into the waters and watch it sink into oblivion.”
“Life would be so simple if we could all do that, wouldn’t it?”
The bird screeched above, their shrill cry adding a kind of magic to the moment.
“What would you throw into the bay, laal sher?”
The wind tousled her hair, flapping it gently around her hair. He reached out and tucked some of the strands behind her ear.
“Me, I guess I want to throw your brother into the bay.”
“What?” Her voice screeched. “Why would you—”
“Because he keeps coming between us. I don’t mean him as a person but his conviction. You say he’s falsely accused but the evidence suggests something else. If I could, I’d throw the whole trial into the bay. Watch it sink.”
Her eyes deepened in color. “I guess I’d have to throw your mother into the bay. Then there would be nothing to cause friction.” Humor laced her words and he went along with the game.
“Then I guess I’d have to throw your father into the bay.”
She arched a silky eyebrow. “And why is that?”
“Because then, he wouldn’t have to see me do this.”
He cupped her face between his hands and bent down until his lips captured hers.
It was an urge beyond his control. There she stood, looking as beautiful as ever and he thought he’d die, just die, if he couldn’t get a little taste of heaven.
At the touch of his mouth to hers, Gargi jolted. Her hands grasped his wrists in an instinctive motion. But instead of pushing him away, she stepped closer until her tiny body flushed against his. Her soft mouth met the command of his with shy innocence.
He wanted to prolong it but knew he had to stop. Now before he drowned in the sensations threatening to overwhelm him due to the heady potency of satisfying a craving.
With agony, he withdrew from her sweet lips and rested his head on hers.
“Oh Bugsy, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Shouldn’t have,” she agreed, her eyes closed. “Too bad you can’t take it back. Even if you could, I’m not giving your kisses back. They’re mine.” A playful and pleased smile danced over her lips.
“Well, there’s more where that came from,” he assured, drawing her back into his arms.
An unending supply, if she must know!
“Oh no,” she wisped on a tinkling laugh, stepping out of arm’s length of temptation. “As you once told me a small kiss can be a big mistake if it’s not the right time.”
Leon groaned. His own words came back to bite a big chunk out of him. Now that he’d had a taste of her, he only wanted more.
With effort on both their parts, Leon was glad to notice he wasn’t the only fighting the temptation, they talked about other things. Before long they got back in the car and he drove her back to her house.
“Thank you, laal sher. I had a wonderful time.”
“I did, too.”
“Well,” she flicked the zipper on his hoodie, “you should go now.”
“Yeah, I should.” He’d no desire to be anywhere but where he was. But it wasn’t good to stay. He had to keep telling himself that. Stop wanting more of her kisses, he told himself. Turn around, go back the way you came.
Right. If only he could move his feet.
“Do you think perhaps we’ll see each other tomorrow?”
“That depends on you, Bugsy. All you have to do is call me and I’ll be here.”
She moistened her lips in a nervous way and he ground his teeth. It was an exquisite torture of sorts.
“I think your brother’s innocent.”
The words tumbled out before he could recall them.
She froze in dallying with his zipper. Her mouth dropped open. “What?” she breathed out in a barely audible voice.
“I think your brother’s innocent,” he repeated. Saying the phrase for a second time cemented the conclusion in his brain. Though Gargi had insisted time and time again, when he looked over the records for himself, he found he couldn’t continue to let this man, who cared deeply for his sister, still bear the brunt of his wrath.
After all, the man had Lyme disease. He was a convict. He could never work in a financial institution again. He was a pariah in his own community. It was a lot for a guilty man to handle. Much less an innocent.
“Are you just saying that because you want—”
“No.” He placed a finger on her lips to silence her. “I’ve had these last few days with you to think it over. You’re not the type of person to blindly give your trust and loyalty. I trust you Gargi. Your instincts and your judgements.”
He sighed. “And if you say your brother is innocent, then I—”
She jumped him, much as she had the first day he came to her home. But instead of trying to attack, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with vigor more than expertise. Leon held her tight as he allowed her to take the kiss where she wanted to go with it, dying a little as he fought to restrain himself.
When she pulled away and rested her head on his chest, she sighed happily.
“That, laal sher, was the right kiss at the right time.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
GLOSSARY
chhotee bahan – little sister
bhaaii – brother
main mar gaya, aur svarg mein chale gae hain – Have I died and gone to heaven?
Mujhe pata hai, -- I know
Haan – yes
Nahin – no
Chup – quiet
Beti – daughter
Beta – son
main tumase bahut pyaar karata hu (I love you so much) (Man to woman) Mai tumse pyar karta hoon
main tumase bahut pyaar karati hu (I love you so much) (woman to a man)
Shubh raatri -- good night
shubh prabhaat – good morning
Namaste – Hello
laal sher – Red lion
uttam – perfect
Aap Kaise Hain – How are you? (Male)
Mai Theek Hunn – I’m fine
Aap kaisi Hain – How are you? (Female)
Dhanyavaad – Thank you (used for strangers but not for family or friends)
Maida – refined flour
Ghee – clarified butter
Alvida – goodbye
Mere dil par tumhaaraa naam likhaa hai-- Your name is inscribed on my heart-
Mere dil maein tumhaara baseraa hai -- You live in my heart-
Sanguijuela -- bloodsuckers
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Parker J. Cole is an author, speaker, and radio show host with a fanatical obsession with the Lord, Star Trek, K-dramas, anime, romance books, old movies, speculative fiction, and knitting. An off and on recovering Mountain Dew and marshmallow addict, she writes to fill the void the sugar left behind.
Find out more and sign up for the mailing list at www.parkerjcole.com
WORKS BY PARKER J COLE
Edgy Christian Romance Novels
The Sins of the Flesh Series:
Many Strange Women (Book 1)
Solomon Greene wants an ugly wife. Celeste Martin wants a husband. They strike up a deal and get more than they bargained for.
The Other Man (Book 2)
Leah Westwood has to be make a choice between fantasy and fidelity. Easy…right?
Vengeful Vows (Book 3)
Hell has no fury like an ex-lover scorned.
Sweet Inspirational Novels
Michigan Sweet Romance Series:
The Cure
Can two betrayed hearts ever be healed?
Java Cupid Series
Jav
a Blend
Thriller Novel
Dark Cherub
Two friends. Two choices. And the mistake that brings the world to the brink of destruction.
Anthology Works
Birds of Passage Anthology: April and Mr. Grim
Realms of Our Own: Godforsaken
WRITING AS PARKER PAYNE
Ascent of the Gem Bearers Series
The Druid’s Spear (Book One) with Lee Thornton III
Time to Say Goodbye (Michigan Sweet Romance) Page 18
