“No, she doesn’t. Shreya is secretly dating a married director.” Dev had to wonder if Shreya had encouraged the stories about a possible love affair to keep the reporters off the scent of the real story.
“You tried to hide the fact that she was your leading lady,” Tina pointed out. “Anything else you’re not telling me?”
“No,” he said as he leaned into her. His muscles clenched as her soft body cradled him. “Shreya is no threat to this marriage. I have nothing to hide. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Nothing to hide? Then tell me, was Shreya your first pick as a wife?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then you met me and got me pregnant,” she said harshly. “I put an end to those plans. Or at least a temporary hold.”
And marrying her had been the best thing that had ever happened to him. “So you’re going to walk now? Sabotage your future because you believe a tabloid story over your husband’s words?”
“It took me by surprise.” Her voice rose. “I’m not jealous or anything.”
Dev hadn’t seen her like this. She had dealt with overly familiar starlets at parties and zealous fans who wanted to sleep with him. His wife had always handled these situations with a sophisticated ease. Tina must know he was under her sensual spell. He didn’t want anyone but her and he thought he had proved it every day.
“Fine, Dev. You win,” she said in a growl. “I will stay for the remaining six weeks, but I have a few demands.”
He slowly let go of her wrists and watched her intently. What was she up to now? “You are in no position to make demands.”
“When we are in public, you need to make it very clear that you are besotted with me.” She glared at him. “Why are you smiling?”
“Am I?” He set his mouth in a firm line. Tina was staking her claim. He liked it. He liked knowing that she was protecting what she felt was hers. She hadn’t done it that boldly before. Had he mistaken her silence for confidence instead of uncertainty? Did she think she didn’t have a right to make a claim? That he would have rejected it?
“I’m serious, Dev.” She crossed her arms and leaned forward. “You want to prove to your investors that you have a stable family life? Don’t let them think you’re having an extramarital affair.”
Dev rubbed his hand over his chin, hiding the smile that wanted to break through. Tina was going to be so angry when she discovered that there were no investors. That he had foreign investor groups who were clamoring to work with him since they had discovered Bollywood made billions.
“Do you think I’m going to respond to threats?” he asked silkily.
She rested her head on the wall and sighed as if the fight was leaving her. “Can you at least act like I was your one and only choice for a wife?”
“Yeah, I can do that,” he said in a husky whisper. He wished he had shown it earlier and more often. If he had, maybe he wouldn’t have made Tina feel unwanted. “But I want something else in return.”
She looked at him with suspicion. “What?”
“Tell me where you went after you left me in Los Angeles.” He needed to know. He was sure he wasn’t going to like the answer, but the not knowing was killing him. “And who replaced me during those months?”
* * *
Tina hesitated. She didn’t have to tell him. She knew that Shreya wasn’t a threat to her marriage. That she never had been. It seemed incredible that the ingenue would choose another man over Dev.
Tina wanted to keep her secret. She was afraid to tell her husband where she had been. It could be used as ammunition.
“Why are you so quick to assume that I was with another man?” she asked. His accusation bothered her. Did he think she was like the bad girls she played on screen?
“Why were you so quick to think I’ve been with Shreya all this time?” he countered.
Tina flattened her hand against her chest. “I’m not the one with the playboy reputation. I’m not the one who’s been caught with photographic evidence. And I was a virgin when I met you.”
She saw the possessive gleam in his eye and it made her skin flush. He loved the fact that he was her first and made no secret about it. But now the idea that he may not be her only lover had shaken him.
“You may have been a virgin, but you were not innocent.” His gaze drifted to her mouth. He leaned forward and then stopped, catching himself before he kissed her. “You knew how to drive me wild that first time. And once you had a taste of pleasure, you were insatiable.”