“And yet you can break your promise with no consequences?” Like the pledge he’d made almost a year ago to love her. Be there for her.
“I am also a man who hasn’t slept with his wife for over four months.”
Her muscles locked and her chest squeezed violently when she saw the hard glint of lust in his eyes. “I’m not having sex with you. We—”
“What are you so afraid of?” he asked.
Her stomach twisted with dark excitement. She knew not to push the issue about sleeping in the same bed and yet she had been reckless. She needed to appear cold and disinterested. This was a man who had never wanted to be her husband. What self-respecting woman would tumble back into bed with a man who had been indifferent to her during their marriage?
“I’m not afraid.” Her voice sounded strangled in her tight throat.
“Liar. You’re afraid that you’ll submit to me. You’re afraid it won’t be long before you surrender. How little time it will take before I’m buried deep inside you.” His voice cracked as lust deepened the lines in his face. “Do you want to find out, jaan?”
Tina stared at him as the blood rushed through her veins. He surrounded her and she felt as jittery as a wild bird ready to escape from her cage. Dev always had this effect on her. She hated the power he had over her but at the same time she wanted it.
Her hands itched to explore his bare chest and his masculine scent was distracting. Her shalwar kameez offered little protection from his body heat. It suddenly felt scratchy and confining. She wanted it off. She wanted Dev to remove it, slowly, reverently, as he kissed the skin he revealed.
Dev stared into her eyes and his mouth lifted in a crooked smile. “I already know the answer, Tina. Do you?”
CHAPTER SIX
TINA NERVOUSLY LICKED her mouth with the tip of her tongue. Dev watched the movement with an intensity that took her breath away. Stark need pulsed through her veins.
She didn’t want to answer Dev. If she lied, he would prove her wrong. If she answered truthfully, he would demonstrate the accuracy of her guess. He needed to learn that she would pretend to be a devoted wife but he could not expect total submission.
But if she got out of bed, would he follow her? Her heart pounded wildly as she imagined his pursuit. She rocked her hips and the ache between her legs intensified. Tina bit her lip and Dev’s eyes glittered with knowing.
He knew what she was resisting. He knew exactly how to touch her, how to please her. Dev would ruthlessly use that knowledge and she wouldn’t put up much of a fight. He would strip her of her pride well before he stripped off her clothes.
“Yes,” she said.
His harsh features sharpened, his skin pulled tight. His carnal look matched the primal need inside her. She sensed the tension coiling inside him as if he was going to pounce.
Tina suddenly realized that her reply sounded like a request. A whispered plea. As if she wanted him to stay exactly where he was. She cleared her throat. “Yes, the answer is never.”
He lowered his head as if he were in a trance.
“Did you hear me, Dev?” Her voice was edged with desperation. “It’s not going to happen.” She pushed at his shoulders ineffectively, careful not to slide her hand along the sprinkle of curls against his warm and muscular chest. “The only reason I’m in this bed is to fulfill an agreement.”
He closed his eyes and she saw the fine tremor sweeping through his body. She felt his struggle before he opened his eyes. His gaze was dull and she wasn’t quite sure if he saw her. He was focused on the battle within.
“I heard you,” he said gruffly as he rolled onto his back and lay next to her. His movements were stiff and he sounded almost disappointed with her decision.
Tina quickly turned away from Dev and clutched onto the edge of the mattress. She bent her legs and curled into a protective position. She felt hot and her body throbbed for his touch. How was she going to resist him—resist every temptation—like this every night for the next two months?
She couldn’t. She would have to play the waiting game. Once Dev fell asleep, she would slide out of bed and make a pallet. She’d remove all evidence that she slept on the floor before anyone woke up. Dev would never know.
The sag of the mattress was Tina’s only warning before Dev curled up next to her, his arm lying heavy against her abdomen. Her legs jerked and she was primed to leap out of the bed. It took all of her self-control to remain still.
“What are you doing?” she asked as she felt his erection pressing against her.
“Not having sex.”