Page 143 of Claimed By the Maharaja
She had broken into his room. Then she had waited.
And then, she had fallen asleep.
He noticed the faint tension still held in her shoulders even in sleep. Residual determination. She had come here with intent.
He moved to the side of the bed. She stirred faintly but did not wake.
The satin strap at her shoulder had slipped slightly, exposing more dusky skin.
His eyes registered it. He did not look away.
He stood over her for several seconds, taking in the disruption she had introduced into his controlled environment.
The room's order was no longer intact.
And yet, the disturbance did not irritate him.
His gaze traced the line of her wrist, the curve of her collarbone, the steady rise and fall of her breathing.
She had come here to confront him. To negotiate. To provoke.
And exhaustion had overtaken her.
A faint, almost imperceptible exhale left him.
He reached for the edge of the blanket and drew it over her, restoring part of the displaced symmetry, not for her comfort alone, but because he disliked unfinished lines. His hand remained at the edge of the blanket for a moment longer than the action required.
He withdrew it.
The motion caused her lashes to flutter.
Her eyes opened slowly.
For one suspended moment, she looked disoriented, her gaze moving across the unfamiliar ceiling before it found him.
Then recognition sharpened her gaze. The softness vanished, and determination returned.
He held her eyes.
“You broke into my room,” he said.
It was not an accusation. It was an acknowledgment.
Her chin lifted slightly.
“I did,” she said. Her voice was low but steady. “And I'm not leaving.”
CHAPTER 33
Yamini’s pulse was loud in her ears.
She had come here prepared to challenge him. To provoke him. To force something. A reaction, a crack, maybe even a confession.
But beneath his intense golden-brown gaze, her stomach trembled. Not just because of his height or the breadth of his shoulders, but because of the control he wore like a second skin.
As soon as she said she wasn’t leaving, silence followed.
It stretched thick and electric.
