Chapter 26

rulama

@rulama

[MEMBERSONLY]

[NOCOPY]

MARRYING KHUSHI

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Part 27

Khushi stared at the image of Arnav Singh Raizada in front of her. What was he doing here? He should be in his bathroom in Sheesh Mahal, washing away the haldi. And why was he holding up her dupatta as though he were a clothes peg?

The wet towel fell to the ground from her nerveless fingers.

She had finally lost it! After years of listening to Buaji calling her Sanka Devi and her family laughing at her wild imagination, she had finally qualified for her place in Agra's pagalkhana!

Khushi gulped.

It was all her Laad Governaar's fault! She was dreaming about him all night and all day, even when she ate. He was creeping in to her head and staying there, even though she tried her best to push him out. How dare he disturb her so!

And now he had appeared in her room like a mirage!

She would show him what he could do with his smirk and his muscles! A strong sense of ill usage propelled her forward. Pushing all thoughts of her short choli and dupatta-less state out of her mind, she marched up to him to fight, flicking her wet hair over her shoulder.

His eyes ran up and down her body, not missing any of its delights. His eyes darkened in desire.

"Why are you looking at me like this? Haven't you seen me before?" she asked.

ASR smiled.

"Don't smile. I am warning you. D.O.N.T S.M.I.L.E. You don't let me sleep at night!" she accused him. "You wear fancy dress and appear in my dreams every night to destroy my sleep. And now you are here, in my bedroom? Humein pagal banane ka iraada he kya?" Her eyes shot fire balls at him.

ASR's eyes shone with delight.

"And what are you doing here? You should be at your house, washing away the haldi. And planning new ways to make me mad."

ASR smiled at her.

"And why haven't you fastened all the buttons of your kurta? Did you think that a glimpse of your chest will make me forget myself? Think again, Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada!"

ASR's lips quivered in acute amusement.

"Why are you so silent? Can't you speak even though you are little more than a product of my imagination? Last night you were very voluble." She spread her hands. "What happened to your tongue today? Cat got it? Ya Anjaliji plucked it out, unable to bear your anger any longer?"

ASR leaned back against the door, enjoying the show and her fury. It was not everyday that he got to see Khushi without her dupatta! His eyes lingered on the lines of her figure with intense possessiveness.

"And why have you taken my dupatta?" Khushi tried to snatch it out of his hand, but he hid it behind him and raised an eyebrow in silent challenge.

"Awww! Itna ghuroor! Itni badtameezi! Stealing my dupatta and then hiding it behind your back when I ask for it?" Khushi exclaimed.

ASR nodded, his very smirk an open challenge.

"I will show you what this Jalebi Bai can do!" Khushi declared as she threw herself at her Rakshas, trying to wrest the dupatta from his hand.

Her body weight pushed him back against the shut door, and both of her hands closed around his arm, trying to pull it forward. He obliged, taking care to lock his other arm around her waist and pull her as close to him as possible.

Khushi, unaware that she was a captive in his hold, struggled to wrench his fingers from her dupatta.

Suddenly, he threw the piece of pink cloth away from them. It fell gracefully on the floor at a little distance from them.

"Awww! Why did you throw it? I wanted to..." Khushi looked in to his face to complain. And suddenly realised that his face was very close to hers.

Too close to hers.

His lips were at an almost negligible distance from her astonished ones, and her bosom was crushed against the muscles of his hard chest that she had admired a few seconds earlier from a safe distance. His left arm was around her waist and his right hand was at her back, the fingers splayed across her bare back exposed by the low neck of her blouse.

Khushi squirmed, trying to free herself.

He quelled her rebellion with little effort, drawing her closer still to him.

"Now what will you do, Khushi Kumari Gupta?" he asked softly.

Khushi gasped. "You... you are r... really here?"

"What do you think?" He lowered his face so that his hot breath ruffled the fine hairs of her skin.

"How... how...?"

"I asked Buaji where you were." His answer was simplicity itself, but his moves were not. He pressed her closer to him. His fingers moved slowly, lightly across her waist.

Khushi trembled against him, realising all the ramifications of her position. She was trapped. Her treacherous heart beat against his, sharing the rhythm and the commotion, dancing a wild jig of need and excitement.

"My... my du... dupatta!" Khushi whispered.

"Why do you need it?" His husky voice travelled all over her skin like his fingers.

Khushi shivered.

"Someone will see..." Khushi gasped. "Chodiye!" It was a weak protest.

"I don't care." It was ASR at his best.

"I do." Khushi hissed, trying to free herself and failing.

"You shouldn't." he said.

Khushi gasped, glaring at him.

Taking advantage of her parted lips, ASR dived right in.

When he lifted his mouth from hers, she was in no condition to speak, or protest, or stand straight without help. He looked down at her stunned eyes and swollen lips, his eyes blazing with fervent passion.

Unable to withstand the burn of growing desire, disoriented by the waves of yearning lashing against her frail body, Khushi collapsed against his chest, her arms going around him for support. She burrowed her face in to the open neck of his kurta, breathing in the musk of his body, rubbing her soft cheek against his hot skin.

They stood for long moments, breathing heavily, caught in the quicksand of passion. Finally, Khushi lifted her head and looked in to his molten eyes.

"What is happening to me? To us?" She placed her hand on her head. "Am I going mad?"

"This is not madness." he whispered against her cheek.

"Then what is this?" she asked, desperate.

"I will tell you, but not now." he promised softly, pressing his hard lips against the smooth skin of her cheek.

"When?" Khushi demanded, her hands clutching his shoulders.

"On our suhaag raat." he whispered.

Khushi looked at him for a moment, impatient to know more but knowing that their stolen moments couldn't last long.

"Promise?" she asked, her voice low.

"Promise." he murmured, dropping a kiss on her chin.

Khushi shut her eyes, trying to ride the waves of pleasure running through her veins.

"Khushi, I have to leave now." he said.

Her fingers tightened on his shoulders. But she said, "Theek he."

He waited for her to let go, but she held on.

He lifted a hand and ran a gentle finger across her swollen lower lip.

"Khushi..."

"Hhmmm?"

"I need to go."

"Hhmmm."

"Let go of my shoulders."

She could hear the smile behind his words.

She let go hastily.

He caught hold of her fingers and gently dropped a kiss on them.

Khushi quickly pulled her hand away and said, dignity intact, "Aap chaliye."

"Khushi, I will... see you tomorrow." His innocent sounding words hid many meanings, not all of them pure.

Khushi nodded her head, taking his words at face value.

"And I will... clear all your doubts on our suhaag raat." he purred.

Khushi swallowed. Why was he looking at her like that? Like she looked at a juicy jalebi?

She nodded weakly.

He turned to unlock the door.

He pulled down the latch, and turned back for a moment.

"Khushi, you are beautiful! Especially without the dupatta." He smirked and left the room.

Khushi stood still for a moment, her mouth open. Then she ran to gather the said piece of cloth from the floor and wrap it around herself as though she were a mummy.

Buaji bustled in through the door.

"Titliyaa, what did Arnav Bitwa want to tell you?"

Titliyaa stared at Buaji, her thoughts all scrambled by her suitor.

"He didn't want to cancel the wedding, did he, Nandkisore?" Buaji looked pale with worry.

"He said he would see me tomorrow." Khushi repeated like Mittu.

Buaji heaved a big sigh of relief. She laughed. "How can he marry you without seeing you, Nandkisore!"

Khushi stared at her. She was getting married tomorrow!!!!

"Boys and girls these day! No common sense!" Buaji laughed as she left, shaking her head.

Khushi moved to the mirror and looked at herself.

Slowly, her hands unwrapped the dupatta from her body.

She looked closely at her body. The arms Arnavji had clutched... the waist he had touched... the back he had caressed... the hair he had clutched in his hands... the cheeks he had kissed... the lips... She blushed.

She lifted her shy eyes to look at herself. Her eyes widened.

She looked beautiful!