Page 85 of No Boss
She blinked.
Awareness returned all at once.
Where she was.
How close.
How very close.
“Oh!”
She pushed against his chest to rise.
Her hand slipped.
She dipped forward again, her chest pressing into him, her breath catching near his jaw as she tried to regain balance.
His body went rigid. His grip at her waist tightened a fraction.
“Careful,” he murmured, a hint of amusement weaving through his tone. “At this rate, I’ll assume this is intentional.”
She froze. “It’s not…”
She tried again. This time she almost made it, until her dupatta caught, tugging her back just enough to throw her off balance.
He exhaled, sharper now. “Meera…”
Her fingers clenched in his shirt as she caught herself.
And that was it.
That was where he lost it.
A low laugh broke out of him, unguarded. It pulled one from her too, breathless, as she finally pushed herself up.
She stood, then held out her hand.
He looked at it for a second, then took it. Not out of need. Because she offered.
He rose with ease, his fingers lingering around hers a moment longer than required, a rare smile still present.
She stepped back, smoothing her kurta, wiping her face and gathering herself.
“Seven days,” her voice steady now, brightness returning to her voice. “I’ll show you everything. The stories, the families…”
He raised a hand.
She fell silent.
His gaze locked on hers, control settling back in. He needed this defined. Bound. Without that, it would stop being about the Haveli. It would turn into her. And he wasn’t prepared to let her see that. Not yet. Not without answers he didn’t have.
“Conditions.”
She waited.
“One. Your full attention. No distractions.”
She nodded.
