Page 114 of Okay Boss
He was awake. Had been awake. Was looking at her with sleep-soft eyes and something darker, more intent underneath.
"Good morning," he murmured, voice rough with sleep, deeper than usual.
The sound sent a shiver down her spine.
"I should..." She pushed against his chest, trying to create space.
He rolled. Smooth. Deliberate. Until he loomed over her, one arm braced beside her head, his body a warm weight that pinned her to the mattress without crushing her. His knee slid between hers, settling there with casual possession.
Her breath caught.
"I..." The word strangled in her throat.
He was so close. Too close. Close enough that she could see the faint shadow of morning stubble along his jaw. Could see the way his hair fell across his forehead, still mussed from sleep.
He leaned down. Slowly. So slowly. Giving her time to process. Time to panic. Time to realize exactly what was about to happen.
His face descended until their lips were separated by nothing. Less than nothing. A breath. Half a breath. Close enough that when he spoke, she felt the words against her mouth.
"Did you sleep well?"
The question was innocent. The proximity was not.
Divya couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Couldn't think beyond the breath separating his lips from hers. Her eyes fixed on his mouth, close enough to kiss, close enough to taste, close enough that the slightest movement from either of them would close the gap entirely.
Her heart hammered so hard she was certain he could hear it. Could sense the way her entire body had gone taut beneath him.
Vikram's eyes tracked her face. Noted the way her pupils had dilated. The way her lips had parted on an indrawn breath she'dforgotten to release. The way the pulse at her throat fluttered visibly.
His lips curved. Slow. Satisfied. Dangerous.
"You're very warm in the morning," he observed, voice dropping even lower. "Did you know that?"
She managed a sound. Not quite a word. Not quite a whimper.
"And you make these little sounds," he continued, seemingly unbothered by the fact that she'd stopped breathing entirely. "When you're sleeping. Soft. Contented. Like a kitten."
His thumb came up, traced the line of her jaw with aching slowness. The touch was feather-light. Deliberate. His eyes followed the movement, then returned to hers.
"Do you know what you do to me?" The question was quiet. Almost conversational. But something in his eyes had gone molten.
He leaned closer still. Impossibly closer. Until his lips hovered over hers, so close she could feel the shape of the words he spoke.
"Do you have any idea?"
Divya's fingers had found his t-shirt without her permission, clutching the fabric like it was the only thing tethering her to reality. Her mind had gone completely blank. Her world had narrowed to this, his weight, his heat, his mouth almost touching hers, the unbearable anticipation building between them like a physical force.
She could kiss him. Should kiss him. Wanted to kiss him with an intensity that terrified her.
All she had to do was lift her head. Tilt her chin. Close the infinitesimal distance between them.
Vikram's eyes darkened further, reading every thought that crossed her face. Reading the want. The fear. The desperate, aching need she couldn't hide.
His thumb brushed across her lower lip. Soft. Possessive. Claiming.
Not yet.
Then he touched their noses together, gentle, playful, devastatingly tender, and pulled back.
