by M. V. Kasi
As she stood under the hot, soothing shower, her mind wandered.
Although it had only been six months since they flew to London, her mother was adjusting well. Miss Kathy thankfully agreed to the offer Naina had made and moved to London with them.
Naina’s mother still asked for Narayan Bhasin, the man who had tricked her into thinking he would take her back. Naina didn’t tell her mother that those were lies spoken to kidnap his own daughter for the sake of money and power.
The former Home Minister was now rotting in prison. He counted himself lucky that unlike his second wife who died in a brutal manner, he was still alive.
With the death of Shiv Jaipal, the entire network of illegal weapons unraveled. Big players from across the world were captured and killed. And people who were otherwise considered as respectable businessmen became exposed as the ones funding terrorist organizations by proving their links to terror attacks across the world.
It was complete chaos. It had not been easy for her either. She recalled the dark days that followed after she was rescued from the ship which eventually blew up. Had it not been for the support of Aditi and her husband and Sitaram, she would have completely shattered.
She would be forever indebted to them.
A new beginning.
She reminded herself of that over the last six months.
Letting out a sigh, she stepped out of the shower. The change in temperature made the entire bathroom fill up with steam. Wrapping a thick towel around her body, she stood in front of the large mirror.
Suddenly, her skin broke into goosebumps. With anticipation beating in her heart, she leaned towards the mirror and wiped away the steam fogging it. She saw the reflection of the man who held her heart. He had a sexy smirk on his handsome face as he watched her.
“How did you know I was behind you?” he asked, stepping closer to nuzzle her neck. He was naked and aroused.
She laughed breathlessly. “The air conditioning. This devil prefers the freezing cold.”
He grinned, flashing his dimples. The small burn scar on his cheek didn’t take away from his attractiveness. In fact, it reminded her of what she had almost lost.
“Stay while I shave,” he said, picking her up and placing her on the countertop.
He looked devastatingly handsome. She could see the muscles moving on his broad, tanned chest while he prepared to shave. She couldn’t stop staring or touching him. She did that most of the time, even when they were outside in public.
Even though there was no longer any threat to either of their lives, she was still clingy and wanted to remind herself that he was alive and safe.
She had earned that right. Six months ago, when the ship full of explosives blasted with him onboard, she thought she had lost him for good. She had suffered a shock big enough that it took almost two days for her to regain consciousness. At that time, Sameera Vasisht had taken her to a secret location. And when she woke up, she recalled what had happened and almost lost the will to live. But much to her shock and utter happiness, she was told that Shiv had survived the blast. Just barely.
With burns and broken bones and also severe smoke inhalation, he was hospitalized and bedridden for nearly a month. She hadn’t left his side, praying each day and nursing him back to health. She was more than grateful for having him back.
But the infuriating man didn’t feel that way. He tested her patience from the moment he could get up and walk normally. He acted as though he hadn’t nearly died and was back to playing dangerous games with the remaining criminals who were yet to be taken down.
It took her a while to come to terms that he wanted to finish the game he and his two friends began nearly a decade ago. It was hard, but she finally accepted it.
“How was your day?” he asked, washing the razor and carefully shaving under his chin.
“Good.” She gave him details.
He laughed listening to Miss. Kathy’s remark about the devils. “By the way, Anirudh called asking if we are meeting them at the club event tonight. Are you feeling better?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.” For the past three days, she had barely felt any nausea during the evenings. But her mornings were a different story, which was why she woke up late most of the time.
Soon, he was done with his shaving and cleaned his face with a washcloth. She reached out and touched his cheeks, loving the feel of his freshly shaven skin against her palms.
He smiled at her wickedly. “You won’t end up with stubble burns when I taste you all over tonight.”
She blushed. The man still managed to somehow make her blush by saying outrageous things.
Tugging her towel, he pulled it away, baring her completely to his gaze. Then moving in between her legs, he bent his head, placing his nose on her neck and inhaling deeply. “I love your smell. It smells like home.”
She laughed breathlessly, running her fingers in his hair. “Home smells like my gardenia flowers soap.”
“That combined with the unique fragrance of my wife when she wants me.”
He cupped her breasts, making her moan softly. Her breasts felt extra sensitive due to the hormonal changes.
“Have I told you lately that you look even more beautiful?” His voice was deep and husky.
“Yes, about a million times,” she said breathlessly as her heart thumped with anticipation.
She felt his smile against her neck. “Good, but I still feel you need more convincing.”
His mouth wandered to her cheek, and then to her ear while his hands gripped her hips. “When I’m done with you, there will be no doubt in your mind.”
Soon, there was no more talking.
He might be the devil. But giving in to his desires always took her to the heaven.
***
“If you both are going to keep staring at your wives all night, I guess we can talk about this later.”
At Vijay’s dry remark, Shiv dragged his eyes away from Naina who was dancing at a distance.
“I was listening, and I think you should keep The Dungeon until the end. It’s too risky to sell it.”
Anirudh nodded. “I agree with Shiv. It’s only for a few more months. You are being watched closely. Selling off The Dungeon will raise suspicion.”
Vijay looked thoughtful. “I’m going to Los Angeles next week to meet the buyer who is interested to buy. I’ll tell him I decided to wait.” Vijay then looked at Shiv. “Did you tell your wife about your latest acquisition?”
“Not yet.” He was yet to tell Naina about having bought the startup company that she worked for. The reason he bought the company was because he wanted to ease her workload which the workaholic woman refused to do. He knew once he told her, there would be fiery arguments about it.
He smiled, looking forward to their passionate argument that night, especially the even more passionate making up that would follow.
The music at the club turned into a slow beat urging the couples to get on the dance floor.
“You guys should go. Your wives are waiting for you.”
“Looks like you won’t be spared either,” Anirudh told Vijay. “They are conspiring to fix you up with someone.”
Shiv grinned seeing the whispers and glances among the small group of women. Naina caught his glance and blushed. He knew she was blushing because of what happened just before they came to the club. But despite the blush, her eyes sparkled in challenge as she slowly came towards him.
In a shiny, short red dress and challenging look, she looked just as beautiful as she did nearly two years ago when he had seen her for the first time. He had wanted her instantly then.
He was glad he lost the fight to keep away from her. Even though his life was wrought with uncertainties and danger, he never regretted the decision to make her his.
He would do anything for her, and he knew she would do anything for him.
She had nursed him back to health when he had almost lost his life during the ship blast. He recalled how next
to impossible it was to wait and make sure that Vicktor had died before jumping off the blazing ship. He had several broken limbs and burns and had almost lost consciousness on and off due to the smoke inhalation. But he somehow dragged himself out. It was the memory of Naina’s beautiful face that looked completely devastated when he had told her he loved her just before picking her up and throwing her into the ocean. That had urged him to stay alive despite the odds.
Every devil needed an angel, and she was his.
With fiery, passionate arguments at times, and sweet and tender moments and times filled with laughter and passion, life with her always seemed like an adventure. And soon, they were going to begin another adventure.
His eyes lowered to her still flat stomach where the life they created together was growing inside. He already felt protective of their child.
“Mr. Samrat Varma,” she said, using his new name with a small smile. “Would you like to dance?”
“Sure, Mrs. Jaipal.”
She blushed again when he deliberately used her legal name. They were to marry in a small ceremony in the coming month with friends and family in attendance. Until then, she was still legally the widow of a dead criminal.
He stood up and held her waist while he led her to the dance floor.
“You remind me of someone,” she said with a small smirk.
“Yeah? Who?” he asked, playing along.
“There was this guy I met at a club two years ago. He was hot but snooty. He refused my offer to dance or have drinks with me.”
He slowly grinned. “I’m sure he couldn’t get you out of his mind and tried to reach you later on. Maybe, he even broke into your room to steal a kiss from you.”
She laughed. “Maybe.”
“What happened? Did you talk to the guy again?”
Her eyes sparkled. “No. I wish I could. I badly wanted to. But there’s this other guy, a powerful criminal known as the devil. He stormed into my life and turned it upside down.”
He pulled her closer and began to move to the slow beat of the music. “I’m sure the devil made every attempt to woo you after storming into your life.”
She shrugged a delicate shoulder. “Maybe. But he didn’t have to be so arrogant and bossy.” She put on an exaggerated pout.
He resisted from kissing her. “So, what happened? Did you give in to the devil?”
She smiled, her eyes sparkling softly. “Yes, I fell in love with him.”
He cupped her cheek and bent his head until barely an inch remained between their lips. “I’m glad you did,” he said. “Because the devil fell in love with you long before.”
With that, he kissed the woman who was his past, present and future. His forever.
The End.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thank you for reading The Devil’s Desire.
In order to keep each of the Devil’s standalone series unique (despite the arranged marriage theme) I have made a conscious effort to give each of the lead characters unique back stories and characterizations.
After the broody devil in the 1st book, in the 2nd one, Shiv Jaipal is the charming devil. Naina is his perfect bold, passionate counterpart. Their story began as a sweet, budding love story in the past and progressed to a blazing, passionate one.
Hope you enjoyed reading Shiv and Naina’s love story as much as I did while writing it! :)
Please do provide me your feedback by rating and reviewing on Amazon and Goodreads.
Thank you and stay safe!
MV Kasi
Email: [email protected]
Author Page URL: www.amazon.com/author/mvkasi
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/mvkasi
Twitter: author_mvkasi
If you haven’t read the 1st book in the Devil series, do check out The Devil’s Kiss.
