Falling For A Bollywood Legend. Mahi Jay

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СКАЧАТЬ nods all around. ‘Since we are choosing the top three entries we can restrict the venues to Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. That way it would seem as if we’ve covered the length and breadth of India,’ she finished.

      ‘Have you chosen the top entries?’ queried Aadith.

      ‘We wanted to portray love through the ages, so we’ve decided to choose a young, a middle-aged and an older couple,’ chimed in Payal with shining eyes.

      Aadith’s eyes clouded for a minute. ‘Ahh … Love through the ages …’ What a load of drivel, he thought bitterly. Hadn’t his father and he experienced firsthand that love was just another word for convenience? He knew love never stood a chance against money.

      ‘Ah, eternal love … how appropriate for the movie,’ he exclaimed sardonically. ‘Nothing sells as well as the idea of perfect love, does it?’

      Nina caught the note of bitterness in his tone. It seemed as if the others found something amiss too because Payal immediately asked, ‘Why, Mr Varma, don’t you believe in happily ever after?’

      Aadith flashed an unrepentant smile at her and replied, ‘Let’s just say I believe happily ever afters work better in movies.’

      Payal let out a strangled gasp. She had certainly not expected her favourite romantic hero to be a total cynic. Nina’s heart turned cold. If she had wanted further incentive to stay clear of him, there it was. She had it from the horse’s mouth that he didn’t believe in love. She couldn’t deny to herself that there was a burning attraction between them, but to give into that would be utter foolishness.

      Aadith continued smoothly, ‘If you let my assistant know the exact dates when my presence is required, he will ensure it is cleared.’

      Nina passed out a sheet of paper that contained the probable dates that they had pencilled in. Her fingers grazed his as she did so, it was the merest touch yet it felt as if he had been scalded. He stared at the sheet blankly. He couldn’t think beyond the tingling touch of her fingers. Was he so desperate that the most innocuous and fleeting touch could arouse such a heated response from him?

      He couldn’t have stopped himself had he even wanted to; he needed to touch her again. Now. As Aadith passed the sheet back to her he stroked her palms with his fingertips. Nina jerked her hand back as if she had been stung.

      Oh, yeah … she felt it too, thought Aadith in satisfaction.

      What was wrong with her? He’d only touched her hands yet she’d felt as if he’d run his fingers along her entire body. She groaned to herself. This physical need he’d awakened in her was driving her crazy, she thought exasperatedly.

      Aadith’s deep voice broke Nina’s reverie. After ironing most of the details out, he stood up to leave. He turned towards her casually and raised an enquiring eyebrow. ‘Nina, could I have a private word with you …?’ Her heart lurched.

      She followed him out with all eyes in the room glued to her back. Her heart was racing in triple time. She didn’t want to be alone with Aadith. She didn’t trust him, but even worse she didn’t trust herself around him. Her legs felt wobbly as she made her way to her office.

      Aadith pushed the door and held it open, deliberately leaving very little space for her to squeeze through. She had to brush past him to enter and that brief contact sent shock waves rippling through them both. The moment the door closed behind him Aadith caught her by her hand and gently pushed her against the wall. He moved closer so she was firmly wedged close to his hard male body.

      Nina gasped in surprise as she looked up at him with a curious mixture of fear and desire. She wanted to pull away sharply but the strong pull of attraction that had been simmering between them from the beginning held her still.

      ‘This is a bad idea,’ whispered Nina. He saw the helpless tremble of her moist lips and his mercury-grey eyes darkened in hunger.

      ‘I don’t think so. I’ve been aching to do this from the moment I laid eyes on you again,’ he muttered, and before she could edge another word in Aadith lowered his lips to hers in a soft, unhurried kiss. It was the merest brush of their lips yet it unfurled in her a veritable storm of desire.

      Her eyes fluttered to a helpless close as he moulded the softness of her body to the hardness of his. He heard the shallowness of her breathing and felt the warmth of her body curve instinctively into his. He had thought of this moment long enough, he realised as her lips parted and yielded to his. He gave a low groan as he deepened the kiss. Devouring. Plundering. Possessing … There was no room for thought other than to satiate the fierce hunger that was raging between them.

      It felt as if her body were melting, with the way his hands skimmed down the side of her body to pull her more firmly against him. The sensations were so powerful that her knees almost threatened to buckle under her.

      Aadith’s lips left hers to murmur throatily against her ears, ‘Nina, let’s get out of here.’ She felt her cheeks burn. She gave him a light push and when he immediately loosened his hold on her she quickly put the distance of her desk between then. Nina lifted a trembling hand to her temple and groaned in dismay.

      ‘This is a terrible mistake. We never should have done this.’

      Aadith’s mouth tightened. ‘Speak for yourself. I certainly enjoyed it and don’t have any regrets.’

      Nina blushed furiously. ‘Mixing business with pleasure can backfire so easily, besides which I’m not ready to join the long line of women who’ve graced your bed.’

      ‘A few minutes ago you didn’t seem to have any such reservations and I’d go so far as to say you wanted it as much as I did,’ he said harshly.

      ‘Maybe I did but I don’t intend to act upon it in the future and I’d appreciate it if you kept your distance too,’ returned Nina sharply.

      Ice flashed in his eyes as he leaned forward, his hands encircling her wrists, his movements precise and controlled, radiating a tightly leashed power. Yet his voice when he spoke was alarmingly cool.

      ‘Nina, you and I both know where this is going to end. In my bed. I for one feel the thrill of the chase will make your surrender that much sweeter. So I will look forward to it immensely.’ He raised her hand to his lips and placed a kiss there, looking for all the world like an old school gentleman bidding adieu to his beloved.

      But a gentleman he definitely was not. A rogue, more like, Nina thought, narrowing her eyes in warning. He audaciously winked at her and let himself out, closing the door gently behind him. She flopped down onto her chair and rested her burning forehead against the coolness of the glass table. It was hard enough resisting temptation, but doing it for the both of them was going to be next to impossible, especially when he had made it clear that he wasn’t going to play by the rules.

      Nina’s mind went back to the bitterness in his tone when he had spoken about love. Granted, he’d grown up without a mother’s love, but as far as she had known his grandmother had showered him with a lot of love to make up for it. She faintly remembered his father being a bit aloof, just as hers had been. But it still didn’t add up to the almost cynical disbelief he’d displayed when talking about love. She couldn’t help wondering if there had been someone in his past who had marked him so. There was no time to dwell on it as Payal entered her office.

      She took one look at Nina’s face and a slight smile hovered on her lips, but she didn’t СКАЧАТЬ