Flaming Sun Collection 2: Marriages Made in India (Box Set with 5 novellas)

by Sundari Venkatraman

  Dia took a picture of the write up and sent it to her husband who had gone to the green room for a change. He was drinking from a bottle of water when his phone pinged. Seeing it was a message from his wife, he opened it eagerly. Reading it swiftly, he spat the water, startling his make-up man. “What the fuck!” Bharat started laughing uncontrollably, making the other man wonder if the model had suddenly taken leave of his senses.

  THE END

  “I missed you, sweetheart. Melbourne stopped being fun without you in it.”

  Avantika stared into his obsidian eyes, her bathrobe sliding off her shoulders as she caressed his strong features with her hands. She held his face, saying, “That’s some admission, coming from you.”

  “It’s the simple truth.” He kissed her throat, his tongue licking a trail towards her left shoulder. “You smell awesome. Did you just have a bath?”

  “Hmm,” she said, removing the buttons on his shirt in a hurry. “Have you had dinner?”

  “Yep, and now I want my dessert,” he said, pushing the robe off her shoulders to expose her breasts to his avid gaze.

  Avantika’s answering laugh got stuck in her throat when she felt his lips against her right breast, his tongue stroking the skin above her nipple. “Shatru…” she whispered, hungry with need for him.

  She couldn’t recall how they managed to reach the bed in the other room when Shatru placed her on the bed, removing his t-shirt and Bermuda shorts in a hurry, even as he pulled his shoes off with his toes. He lay down on the bed next to her, making an effort to calm down his racing heart, while he traced a finger down the side on her face.

  HER BOHEMIAN HUSBAND

  (Marriages Made in India: Book #5)

  A romance novella by

  Sundari Venkatraman

  1

  “Shatru,” called Avantika, “wait for me.”

  He turned around with a scowl on his face, impatience in every line of his taut body. He stood there, not uttering a word. And that brooding presence was what made him so attractive to Avantika. Men usually swooned over her, putting her off even before she got to know them. But this man didn’t seem to give a damn, a devil-may-care expression in his obsidian eyes. When she reached him, he continued to walk towards the garage, saying nothing.

  “I’m a dancer. I head my own troupe. Now that Bharat has given me a couple of contacts, I’ve got a chance to choreograph for a Bollywood film.” Avantika continued to talk about herself, even if he didn’t respond.

  What she didn’t know was that Shatrughan was listening to every word. Yeah, he was attracted to her, big time. But then, he was a loner, a globetrotter. He got restless if he stayed back home for longer than a month, as he had done this time, because of Bharat’s wedding. The faraway shores called out to him, not letting him be. What would he do with a girl who was grounded in Mumbai, that too with a rocking career?

  He opened the passenger door for her, before moving to the driver’s end, impressing her more than ever. She continued to talk to him about her life in Mumbai, as he reversed the car out of the garage to where Dia and Bharat were waiting.

  Their cottage—yeah, Bharat had wanted one and had planned it from scratch—was the furthest building in the compound. While it would have taken a good ten-minute walk to reach it, they arrived there in half a minute by car. Leaving the couple at the door, Shatru turned to ask his uninvited companion, “Would you like to go for a drive?”

  “Oh, yes,” said Avantika, a wide smile on her face. Wouldn’t she just love to?

  Shatrughan drove the car out of the compound of Nakshatra, picking up speed as they reached the main road. He let Avantika talk, without interrupting her even once as she filled him up on the details of her life. He drove aimlessly, just enjoying the drive itself, the thrum of the powerful car engine and the melody of his companion’s voice, not that he would have admitted it to even himself.

  Avantika stopped talking after a while, not because she was worried that the man with her didn’t care. She was just enamoured with the peace that stole over her as they rode through the silent roads, what with Shatru driving through the parts of Jaipur where the traffic was at its minimum. She leaned back against her seat to simply soak in his company.

  It was 2 am when Shatru parked the car in the garage. Only the portico light was on as everyone had obviously gone to sleep. He got out to see that Avantika had already let herself out from the passenger’s side.

  “Thank you,” he said, his voice hoarse as he stared at the lovely vision in front of him. She was still in the wedding finery that she had worn to attend her best friend Dia’s wedding to his twin, Bharat. The rose pink palazzo pants and matching kurta made her dusky skin glow. Her amber coloured eyes were smudged with lack of sleep, the dark kohl lining adding more beauty to their almond shape. He would have easily given an arm and a leg to a hot affair with her just now! But then, Avantika was his brother’s wife’s best friend. He couldn’t very well hit on her, especially as she was a guest in his parents’ home.

  Avantika stared right back at him, not missing the smouldering look in his obsidian eyes. He so obviously desired her, if not as much as she wanted him. She walked up to him as Shatru leaned against the side of the car, his hot eyes running from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

  “Shatru…” She leaned on his broad chest, laying her head against his shoulder, her arms sliding around his waist. Avantika was exactly where she had wanted to be since the past two days, from the moment she had set eyes on Bharat’s twin. Her throbbing breasts rejoiced as they fit snugly against his iron-hard chest.

  Shatrughan’s body shuddered in response to her tempting proximity, but no, he needed to place a restraint on his clamouring body. He couldn’t just ‘love her and leave her’ as he generally did with some of the women passing through his life. That most of them lived on foreign shores had always been an advantage. Moreover, they knew the score that he wasn’t looking for a permanent relationship, while they were also keen only on a temporary partner in bed.

  But Avantika was different!

  He controlled the tremor in his arms as he held them by his sides, refusing to give in to the urge to place them around her. He clenched his hands into tight fists, taking deep breaths to control himself, before placing his hands on her shoulders to move her away from him.

  Feeling the tug of his fingers on her shoulders, Avantika raised her head to look up at him. “Shatru…”

  He shook his head at her. “No, Avantika.”

  “My friends call me Avi,” she said, going on tiptoe to press her lips against his rough cheek, in an open-mouthed kiss.

  Shatrughan shook her hard. “I’m no friend of yours,” he said, his voice hoarse with the control he was placing on himself. She was too hard to resist, her soft body pressed against his, making him crave for more.

  “I’d rather have you for my lover than a friend,” she laughed softly, nibbling his jaw, as she traced a path with her lips down to the corner of his lips. She threw her arms around his shoulders, her hands locking at the back of his neck, pulling his head down to hers.

  “Listen, Avantika…” Shatru’s voice was a groan.

  “You talk too much,” said the lady who had been doing all the talking through the evening, before pressing her lips against his. Her wet tongue ran over his dry lips, making him gasp, before pushing its way into his mouth, tangling with his own.

  Shatrughan groaned again, gathering her close in his arms, his marauding mouth plundering her rosy red lips.

  Avantika sighed, sagging into his arms, grateful for the support as her legs turned nerveless. She refused to let him go when he tried to get out of their embrace one more time.

  Shatru gave up fighting a lost cause, burying his face in her scented neck, his arms crushing her against his aroused body. After a few minutes and some very deep breaths, he lifted his head to look down at the woman in his arms. Her eyes were inviting, making her irresistible. He moved away with difficulty, removin
g her arms from around his neck and placing them at her sides. He turned away from her before saying, “It’s almost three. I think we should go to bed.”

  “I’m game,” came the soft and mischievous whisper, as Avantika grinned at him.

  Shatru frowned at her, his heated black gaze raking her from head to foot. Yeah, he was tempted, too much. “No,” he said.

  Avantika pouted at him. “Okay, have it your way. But don’t think you’re going to escape me forever,” she challenged. She didn’t know what was stopping him. It was obvious that he was attracted to her. She had felt his erection against her stomach when they kissed.

  Shatru shook his head at her. “Come now, I’ll let you into the main house. I…”

  “Aren’t you coming in?” she asked, her eyes running over his features avidly. He was an absolute hunk, with the beginning of a fuzz on his lean cheeks, the curls on his head mussed up, his charcoal eyes looking a bit desperate.

  “Nope. My home’s further down,” he said, pointing in the direction they had taken to reach Bharat’s cottage.

  “Oh, you brothers have your own homes.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, is anyone else staying with you?” she asked, an innocent expression on her face.

  “Just me,” said Shatru, before biting his tongue. “No, Avantika, you can’t come with me there.”

  “A woman has to try, right?” she said, shrugging.

  He let her into the main house and walked away, refusing to turn and look at her, even as she stood at the entrance, watching his tall figure till he disappeared.

  Neither of them slept a wink that night.

  2

  Avantika twisted and turned on her comfortable bed. Luckily, despite the number of guests who had come from out of town, she had got a room to herself in the Maheshwari parents’ palatial home. She was well aware of the cause of her disturbance. She was terribly attracted, if not in love, with the youngest Maheshwari scion.

  Two days ago, she had stepped out of Arrivals at the Jaipur international airport to see one of the Maheshwari brothers waiting to pick up some of the wedding guests. She could see the family resemblance to Bharat and had walked up to introduce herself to Lakshman.

  “Hi, you must be Bharat’s brother,” she smiled, putting her hand out to shake his. “I’m Avantika, Dia’s friend.”

  “Hello, Avantika, welcome to Jaipur,” said Lakshman, with a smile. “Hope you had a comfortable journey.” When she nodded, he continued, “Would you mind waiting for a short while as some more guests are expected to arrive in about fifteen minutes or so?”

  “Not at all,” said Avantika. She caught a movement in her peripheral as someone walked towards them. It was a wonder that her jaw was holding up as she stared, not really caring if she seemed rude. The man walking towards them had to be Bharat’s twin. Her heartbeat soared. Well, Dia’s fiancé was handsome. And that was all. She’d never, but never, reacted to him the way she was responding to this hunk.

  When he was close enough, Lakshman introduced the two. “Avantika, meet Shatrughan. He’s the youngest brother and Bharat’s twin.” He turned to the other man and said, “Shatru, this is Avantika, Dia’s friend from Mumbai.”

  Avantika found her hand enfolded in a huge palm, her pulse beating like a drum by now. She seemed to have lost her voice as she looked into his bottomless black eyes, her own sherry coloured ones unblinking. She didn’t hear Lakshman excusing himself to go meet another batch of guests. She forgot to even greet the man who held her hand. She just stared, her lips slightly parted as her breath came out in gasps from her heaving chest.

  “Hello, Avantika,” said Shatrughan, in the sexiest voice she’d ever heard.

  Avantika shook herself out of her reverie as colour rushed up her cheeks. “Hello,” she croaked, her throat parched, her gaze lowering as her eyelids grew heavy. What the hell was happening to her? She was normally so confident around people of both sexes.

  She took a couple of deep breaths and with a determined lift to her chin, looked up at Shatrughan again to say, “Hello. Sorry about that. I’m thirsty.” With a small smile, she took a water bottle from her handbag and drank from it, doing her best not to choke.

  He smiled before nodding, making her heart go banging in her chest again. Well, it looked like she was attracted to a man for the very first time in her life. No, she wasn’t counting her teenage crushes. They were too juvenile. This was a powerful feeling of desire a woman felt for a hot-blooded, fully grown male and it truly shook her up with its intensity and unexpectedness.

  Providence insisted on playing its role too. Lakshman took the other guests in his car and it was left to Shatrughan to escort his lone guest home and that’s how Avantika found herself in the passenger seat of his car. They didn’t talk, the music blaring loudly even as Shatrughan drove the car as if his tail was on fire.

  Well, she couldn’t even call him the man of her dreams since she had stopped sleeping after setting eyes on him.

  Avantika turned around once again on her bed, thumping her pillow, as the comforter bunched under her yet again. She couldn’t mistake the heat in his charcoal gaze every time he looked in her direction. But it was also obvious that he wasn’t going to do anything about it. At least, not under his parents’ roof. She would have to come up with another way to meet him. No, she wasn’t the type to wait for things to happen. She preferred to grab life with both hands.

  Avantika had no choice but to leave for the airport early the next morning. She didn’t get to meet Shatrughan before leaving, much to her frustration. It was just barely that she refrained from going over to knock on his door.

  She might have changed her mind if she had only known that Shatru was also losing sleep over her.

  But then, life wasn’t always a smooth ride.

  3

  Avantika slid on to a bar stool, her gaze unwavering as she stared at the busy bartender as he mixed drinks. It was obvious that he was too busy to be aware of her presence. But it didn’t matter. She had the whole evening and was in no hurry.

  It was a few weeks since her friend Dia’s wedding. Shatrughan had left for Melbourne immediately after she had rushed back to Mumbai. He had ignored most of her WhatsApp messages, only saying a ‘hi’ at times. Avantika had juggled a lot of shows and wangled an opportunity to perform in Melbourne, for the New Year. Her troupe had left that morning, while she’d stayed back to catch up with Shatru.

  Shatrughan Maheshwari made a performance of mixing the drinks, much to the admiration of the customers. The bar was crowded while orders flew from his capable hands. A couple of waiters took care of the regular drinks while he was left with the job of mixing exclusive cocktails that were his specialty. There was an array of whisky, brandy, vodka, gin, wine—both red and white—and more to his left. To the right were bottles of soda, buckets of ice, bowls of mint, dark red cherries, sliced strawberries, lemons and oranges. In the middle were fruit syrups and colas to add colour and flavour to the cocktails. Shatru’s hands kept flashing as he played around with the many ingredients, making drinks to suit every palate.

  Avantika stared in fascination. Shatru was wearing a black sleeveless muscle shirt that showed off his biceps to advantage. As she was seated on the furthest barstool at the left end of the bar, to his extreme right, she could see a black dragon tattoo on his arm, rippling every time he moved his hand, which was like all the time. He wore gold band earrings that gleamed amidst his black curly hair that he wore longer than before. He was obviously enjoying what he was doing as he chatted with the many clients who were watching him as he mixed their exotic cocktails. It bugged her that more than half the people in his audience belonged to the fairer sex. He didn’t seem to have trouble chatting them up. She couldn’t help remembering how he had been so clammed up in her company. Well, it was time to change all that.

  The bottle he was holding almost slipped from his fingers when Shatru recognised Avantika in the audience. His throat choked for all of ten
seconds as his heart leapt up in joy. She looked gorgeous in a strapless, red tube dress that followed the shape of her torso faithfully. The dusky colour of her exposed shoulders glowed in the strobe lights of the bar and discotheque.

  Shatru had thought a lot about Avantika since his twin’s wedding. But he had refrained himself from getting in touch with her only for one reason—that it might be tough to be in a relationship with the Bohemian life he lived. And giving that up wasn’t an option.

  But was he excited to see her right here in Melbourne! Shatru couldn’t help the smile lighting up his face when he saw her wink at him.

  “And what would you like to have, ma’am?” he called out, a dark eyebrow up in query.

  “What do you recommend?” she asked, her eyes eating him up.

  “Lemme get you the house special,” said Shatru, turning to put together a long island iced tea, mixing the many liquors, fresh lime juice and cola. He added the mixture to a tall glass that was half filled with ice cubes. Garnishing it with a few mint leaves and a slice of lemon, he placed it on a tray that the waiter took over to serve Avantika.

  She took the glass and raised it to him in a silent toast before taking a sip. It was so cool and blissful in the sweltering summer heat and Avantika drank deeply from her glass before nodding at Shatru in appreciation, a sultry smile on her face.

  He smiled at her even as he continued with his bartending, the place busy in spite of being a week night. It was past two when the bar was finally empty. Avantika still sat on her stool, waiting for Shatru to finish his stint.