by Alisha Rai
Dev turned his gaze to the floor, vaguely embarrassed by the praise. “You’ve helped with that, over the past year. I can’t thank you enough.”
“No thanks are necessary. We are family. You are the son I never had.”
They both found it necessary to look away from each other after that. “Do you have any marriage advice for me?” Everyone had some advice for him, he’d found.
“Go slow. These are strange circumstances. You know, it would not even hurt for you to live apart for a time, while you learn about each other. Your aunt and I, we did not live together for a year after our nikah.” His smile was nostalgic. “And then we had thirty perfect years together. There is value in patience.”
Dev nodded, all that making sense to him. He wanted thirty, forty, fifty years with Jia. If that meant he had to go slow and steady in the beginning, that would be fine.
“I believe your bride is calling you.”
His bride. A month ago, he wouldn’t have thought such a word was even applicable to him. Dev made his way over to the table she stood next to, Luna at her side. His family.
“Time to cut the cake.” She reached up, and he stilled, but she was only brushing something off his shoulder. Nonetheless, the wifely gesture pleased him.
He looked down at his niece. “Luna, I’m not sure I told you how pretty you look tonight.”
Luna preened. She was beautiful, in a pale yellow dress Aji had brought for her. “Thank you. Jia taught me how to bring out my curls and minimize frizz.”
It was thanks to his hundreds of hours of watching Jia’s channel that Dev even knew what that meant. “Ah. Interesting.”
His niece edged closer to him. “Did Aji speak to you?”
“Yes.” He turned to his wife—wife! “Luna and Adil Uncle will be staying here for the week.”
“Oh. Nice.”
“I was thinking I’d go get their clothes from the house tonight and come back. You don’t mind, do you? I’ll be back late, so we can see each other in the morning.”
Jia’s brow furrowed for a second. “Um, sure. That’s great.”
“Good.” He lowered his voice as Luna wandered away. “Are you happy?”
Her frown cleared. “Very.”
“HE SEEMS CUTE.”
“Cute? He’s hot.”
“Can you get me Arjun’s autograph? It’s not for me, it’s for a friend.”
Jia smiled at the screen of her tablet. She’d come into the bedroom to plug it in and say goodbye to her sisters. Though it had been her idea, she was sad that they hadn’t been able to be here. “Thank you guys for staying up so late.” They’d dressed up, too, though they were all the way across the country in their own homes.
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Noor said warmly, and then yawned. “But I do have to get to bed.”
“Me too,” Zara said.
She said her goodbyes to the two of them and their screens winked off. Sadia took a sip of her lemonade and studied Jia. “Um, do we need to have a talk tonight?”
“A talk about what?”
Sadia cleared her throat. “You know. Birds and bees.”
Jia’s eyes widened. “For crying out loud. I was in medical school, Sadia. And I’ve had internet access forever. I know about the birds and bees.”
Sadia fiddled with her shirt. “But you’ve never . . .”
“I’ve never wanted to,” Jia pointed out. “Don’t worry. I’m looking forward to this and know what to expect.”
“Okay, but . . . if it’s not that great the first time, that’s okay. Sometimes it takes practice to get in the groove of things. And if he’s not that good, but eager to please, you can work with that, as well. There’s toys! And lots of material about—”
Jia nearly threw her tablet away. “Can we stop, please?”
“You’re happy with this, right?”
Jia smiled softly. Everyone was asking her that tonight. “I know it’s sudden, but yes. I’m happy.”
“I’m not worried about it being sudden for you. You always did make faster decisions than anyone. I used to worry about it, but I don’t any longer. You know what you’re doing.” Sadia gave her a warm grin. “Good night. Sneak away and kiss your handsome husband at least once tonight when Mom and Daddy aren’t looking.”
Her handsome husband was going to leave soon to go get Luna’s things, and Jia probably wouldn’t see him until tomorrow. Actually, she probably wouldn’t have a private meeting with him until tomorrow night, after her parents left for the airport. Which was disappointing as heck.
She wasn’t sure what she’d envisioned for her wedding night, but certainly, she’d hoped for at least a kiss. And more.
But that was far too much to explain to Sadia now. “I’ll try,” Jia said cheekily.
She put her tablet away. It was a little bizarre, actually, how little anxiety she felt. She pulled out her phone and navigated to the voice note she’d recorded during a small window of privacy earlier in the day. “Hi Jia,” came her own voice. “Do you regret anything?”
“Nope,” she said.
“Good. That’s what confidence feels like. Memorize this feeling.” The recording ended.
Are you sure you’re confident? He seemed totally fine about running away from you right after the wedding.
She slammed the lid on that box of insecurities. He was a practical man, and Luna needed her stuff. Sure, could he have taken Jia with him? Could they have had a romantic night drive along the PCH, and at least smooched a little here and there, giddy on being young and married?
Sure. Sure. But again, he was practical. He wasn’t too much, like her. He wasn’t too little, either. He was just right.
Chapter Twenty-Six
JIA GLANCED in her rearview mirror at her mother. “Are you crying?”
“No,” Farzana sobbed. Mohammad put his arm around his wife.
“She is having a delayed reaction to yesterday,” her father said. “She’ll be fine once she’s on the plane.”
Farzana wailed. “Soon all my daughters will be gone.”
“Are we dying or getting married?” Jia whispered to her sister and got a poke in return.
Ayesha twisted in her seat. “Mom, please. You can’t cry all the way through LAX.”
Farzana sniffled. “We should have accepted Shweta’s offer to charter a plane for us.”
“She just became family,” Jia said dryly. “Let’s not go taking advantage of the Dixit fortune right away, hmm?”
Farzana glared at Jia, which was better than crying in her back seat. “What a tacky thing to suggest. I would never.”
Jia inched along in the LAX roundabout. The traffic was, as usual, horrendous, but luckily her family was flying out of the first terminal. “Sorry, Mom.”
“You will bring Dev to our home next month, for at least a full week. That way we can all get to know him, and you can spend time with your sisters and we can plan your real wedding,” Mohammad said. There was no arguing with the stern tone in his voice, and Jia didn’t want to. As far as her father was concerned, yesterday’s ceremony had merely been paperwork.
“Of course.”
“Good.”
They pulled up in front of the terminal and said goodbye in a flurry of hugs and kisses. Jia’s mood depressed a little as she left her family and got back in her car.
She placed her hands on the steering wheel, then frowned. Where was she supposed to go? She hadn’t discussed this with Dev before leaving. The house had been so busy, what with her family packing up and saying their goodbyes. She’d only waved at him.
She called Dev as she worked her way out of the airport’s congestion.
He answered on the first ring. “Hello?”
“I dropped them off. I’m leaving LAX now.” She wiped her palms on her pant legs.
“I’m home. Would you . . . would you like to come to my home for dinner? I mean. Our home? The flat?”
Her heart sped up. There was no need to get too exci
ted. She’d been to his home before, and they’d had dinner together.
Never as a married couple, though.
“Sure.”
“Great. See you soon.”
She hung up and made sure she drove as sedately as possible, though she wanted to speed demon all the way there. She’d be so annoyed if she got delayed by a ticket, though.
Dev opened the door before Jia could knock and then looked sheepish. “The guard rang me that you were coming up.”
“Oh, how nice.” She took a step in and gazed up at him.
She wasn’t sure who moved first, but their mouths fused together. Slowly, his arms came around her waist, pulling her tight to him.
For all the suddenness, it was relatively chaste. No tongue, just softly parted lips brushing against each other. Still, this sweet, soft kiss made her feel like the Fourth of July had taken up residence in her belly. Forget butterflies, she had fireworks.
His hand smoothed up and down her back. She wound her arms around his neck and rose up on her tiptoes, but it was still hard to get the right angle, him being so much taller than her.
He made a rough noise against her lips and lifted her abruptly off her feet. The wall came up against her back for support, and he pressed himself against her front, keeping her suspended there. She felt shameless as she wrapped her wobbly legs around his waist for stability.
How could she have wondered if her attraction to Dev was based on anything other than him in real life? This desire ran bone-deep, and it wasn’t for any photo on her phone, but for the flesh-and-blood man.
Dear diary, this is how you kiss a woman.
Everything was new and clumsy, but neither of them cared. His tongue brushed against hers, and the sensation was so delightful she sought it out, chasing his warmth. His hands grew more sure on her waist as they kissed for long minutes, warm, drugging kisses that shoved every other thought out of her head.
He was so warm and strong, and she wanted to crawl inside him and steal some of that warmth for herself. She plastered herself against him tighter.
He ripped his mouth away and she moaned. “We don’t have to do this right now,” he said.
What? Her brain was a bunch of fried synapses that were never going to fire again.
“Would you rather wait? Or have dinner? It doesn’t have to be tonight, even.”
Being a gentleman was all cute, but not now. “Are you trying to kill me?” she wheezed.
His smile was slow. “I take that as a no.”
“I’m tired of waiting. I’m certain. Are you?”
“More certain than I’ve ever been of anything.” He paused. “I regret to inform you of one thing, though.”
“What’s that?”
“There’s only one bed.”
Her laughter trailed behind them as he carried her to the bedroom. She wrapped her arms and legs around him like a spider monkey and kissed his neck and cheeks, the stubble there making her lips tingle.
Her legs were wobbly when he lowered her to her feet next to the bed, but she steadied herself against the nightstand. The curtains in the room were closed, the midday sun peeking around them, their own sexy cocoon.
His fingers were economical and quick as he unbuttoned his shirt, but her mind provided a bass beat for her first private striptease. Each motion revealed a new, tantalizing slice of skin and muscle. His flat brown nipples were fascinating. She wanted to touch them, and then she remembered she could do exactly that.
He stood patiently for her while she took her time exploring his torso. Over the pebbled skin of his nipples, down the subtly ridged lean belly, around the perfect circle of his navel. She stroked her forefinger along his smooth flank and slowly moved around him in a full circle, trailing that finger over his back, along his other side, back to his belly button.
She faced him. “Pretty good view, sir.”
His face cracked a smile, but his gaze was hot. Still, he stood there, his body vibrating but leashed.
“I suppose I should be taking things off, too.”
His nostrils flared, but he neither agreed nor disagreed.
He was leaving everything up to her, she realized. Oh, fun. She quickly undid her head scarf. She wished she could have brushed out her hair—it didn’t fall out in a cascade of curls, but in a limp bun. Scarf head, her nemesis.
He didn’t seem to mind, though. “Do you need help taking the pins out?”
She could do her hair in her sleep, but she nodded and turned around. His forearm grazed her shoulder as he removed the pins from her bun, one by one. She counted them as he unraveled her.
Her hair fell down her back, and his long, elegant fingers combed through it. Her eyes slit in pleasure as he rubbed her head gently, taking away the pressure of her hairstyle.
She turned around and pulled off her shirt and pants, until she was standing in front of him in only a lacy bra and panties. “You’re overdressed,” she pointed out, and she’d had no idea she could sound so throaty and sexy.
His smile was slow and he stripped off his pants, and his boxer briefs, too. Her husband fisted his erection and stroked it, bringing a flush to her cheeks. No, her whole body. “What are you thinking?” he asked.
She answered without thinking. “That I hope we both like this.”
Dev’s chuckle was low and more confident than she’d ever heard from him. “Consider that my mission.” He crossed the distance between them and placed a kiss on her shoulder. Then along her neck. She tilted her head back to give him more access.
Her bra sagged as he unhooked it. Her panties fell on the floor, and then he was walking her backward, until the backs of her knees hit the bed. She sat down and he sat next to her, gently pushing her back to a reclining position.
She closed her eyes as his lips moved over her whole body. It was nice when he touched her nipples, but she gasped when he licked her belly. He paused, then did it again. He was plucking open nerve endings she hadn’t known existed.
When his fingers found her clitoris, she nearly jackknifed up, but he pressed her back down again firmly. He slipped off the bed to kneel on the floor. “Wait,” she blurted out.
Dev stilled immediately. “Yes?”
She hadn’t thought they’d get to oral sex right away. Jia rose up on her elbows and stared down at her husband’s face. His hair was tousled, his breathing fast. “Nothing, I wanted you to know I’ve really been looking forward to this act, but no pressure, I’m sure you’ll do great.”
He nodded. “Thank you.” He lowered his head and licked her, and she fell back.
Dev alternated his touch between soft and hard, quick and slow. This kind of kissing was new and a little clumsy, too, but he was a quick learner and totally attuned to her every sigh. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, until starbursts exploded.
Oh wait. Those starbursts were from him, and the orgasm he was giving her. She opened her eyes. If she’d had the energy, she would have pumped her arms and given a whoop of joy, but all she could do was give his head a single pat. His hair was coarse yet silky, and she stayed to pet it. “Nice,” she muttered.
He pushed himself up on his arms and moved, gently rearranging her limp body farther up the bed. Dev kissed her mouth, and then her cheek. “Condom,” she managed to say.
He nibbled her ear, making her shudder. “Already on. Don’t worry.”
When! But that was okay. He was right, Jia didn’t have to worry with Dev. There was no doubt he had her best interests at heart.
She embraced him while he slid inside her. It was a strange sensation. Tight and too intrusive. “Okay?” he asked.
Jia shifted, seeking some kind of relief from that overfilled feeling. “It’s not bad.”
His lips twitched. “I’d like it to be more than that.” He lowered his head and kissed her. While she focused on that, his hand slipped between them, finding the bundle of nerves he’d already skillfully finessed.
Her legs relaxed around his hips, and the fit grew easier. His
body moved slowly, giving her plenty of time to adjust. She didn’t feel the urge to have an orgasm now, and while pleasurable, this wasn’t as good as what he’d done to her before. Still, she gained happiness in his facial expressions, the nerves he was stroking, the way his sweat dripped off his body onto hers.
When he came inside her, she stroked his sweaty shoulders and breathed as fast as him. Dev lifted his head and looked down at her. “Holy . . .” He shook his head. “That was amazing.”
“Yeah. Much better than not bad. Pretty great, actually.”
His chuckle was weak. He reached between them and slid out of her, and then staggered to the bathroom.
A stray thought whispered through her brain when he came back and she sat up straight as he got under the covers. “I’m supposed to pee.”
Dev looked vaguely confused, but he nodded, and she swung her legs off the bed. She pondered wrapping the comforter around herself, but that was foolish. He’d been inside of her. He was her husband. He was naked, too.
She was supremely conscious of his gaze on her bare back as she walked to the bathroom, but this kind of attention was nice, too. If she hadn’t been so blissed out, she would have watched him coming and going.
She glanced over her shoulder before she shut the door, and his eyes darted up from her butt. He gave a good-natured shrug. “Don’t mind me, just watching.”
She chuckled. She did her business quickly, eager to get back to bed. It was as she was washing her hands that she noticed the bottles next to the sink.
She picked up the familiar cleansers, and then the essence. There was a serum she loved, too, and a snail mucin she was rather fond of. Had Dev stocked her favorite skin care supplies for her?
She shook a bottle. They’d been used, though.
Jia left the bathroom, a quizzical smile on her face, and her husband’s attention snapped right back to her. “I have to ask you something.” She came to a stop next to the bed and nudged him over. This was her side.
He moved to the other side without protest, and opened his arms. She flowed right into them and twined her legs with his hairier ones. “What?” His chest rumbled.
She stuck her thumb over her shoulder. “What’s the deal with the skin care stuff? It’s too much of a coincidence that we like the same exact products, right?”
