It’s a shame she wasn’t pregnant, Dev decided. That would give them a bond that could never be broken. Not only would they create the family they wanted, but the nine months would also give him plenty of time to repair their marriage.
Tina looked away. “Why did you stop?” he asked in a husky growl.
She turned. “We should get up.”
Dev moved swiftly, covering her body with his, before she could get out of bed. “I was thinking...”
“This early in the morning?” she asked, doing her best not to make eye contact. “That’s never a good thing.”
“Why don’t we take a trip?” he asked as he kissed a trail down her throat.
“A trip?” There wasn’t a hint of interest in her voice.
“We could visit the beaches in Goa,” he suggested as he brushed his lips along her breastbone. “Or we could visit the foothills.”
“Don’t you have a few upcoming meetings at the office?” she asked. Her breathing was uneven as she rocked her hips in anticipation.
“I can postpone them,” Dev offered absently as he slid his mouth down her stomach. His pulse kicked hard as he hooked Tina’s legs over his arms.
“You shouldn’t have to,” Tina said huskily as she twisted her fingers in his hair. “I know you have a lot riding on these investors. We don’t need to go anywhere.”
He paused, wondering why she was acting this way. In the past, they had gone on trips together for work. Why would she decline when it was for just the two of them? “We haven’t been anywhere since Los Angeles.”
Her body jerked. “That was a disaster. Why would you want to try again?”
“Why not? Let’s replace a bad memory with a good one.”
“I’m sorry I walked out on you,” Tina whispered. “Can you forgive me?”
“I already have.” And he meant it.
She gave a tight-lipped smile. “You were right. I was so lost in grieving that I pushed you away. I thought you had married me because of the baby. I wasn’t sure how you really felt about having me as a wife.”
He was also at fault and he was trying to make up for it. Dev wanted to show how much he loved and appreciated her. He wanted to give her the honeymoon she’d never had but he was reluctant to mention that. She was avoiding the topic of their anniversary and now wouldn’t be a good time to present her with the jewelry set he had bought that had once belonged to a maharani. It was the bridal jewelry she should have had.
“Where would you like to go?” He bent his head and teased her navel with his tongue. “Europe? Australia?”
“I’d like to stay here,” she said breathlessly.
He pressed his lips on her inner thigh. “I can take you anywhere in the world and you want to stay here?”
“Why not?” she murmured as she bucked her hips. “Can you think of a better place?”
“No,” he said as he pressed his mouth against the slick folds of her sex. The only place he wanted to be was at home with Tina.
* * *
“Why don’t you wait for your husband in his office, Tinaji?” Dev’s assistant, dressed in crisply ironed white kurta shalwar, escorted her into the garish office. Tina flinched at the sight of the gold-trimmed furniture and campy movie posters. “His meeting should end soon.”
Tina gave the older man a knowing smile. Dev was never on schedule. She was lucky if he showed up within the hour.
“It’s a shame he had to work on your wedding anniversary,” the assistant said.
“It’s not all bad. Dev loves what he does,” Tina replied as her courage slowly faded. “But I thought I could steal him away and take him to lunch.”
“You should visit more often. He would love that. Can I get you anything to drink?”
She declined, the tension rising in her as she waited in the silent room. She didn’t know how Dev could work in this office. It wasn’t like him at all. He preferred natural textiles and modern art. Everything here celebrated his family’s cinema achievements. It was a constant reminder of his family’s legacy.
Tina bit her lip as she looked around. She tried not to compare her modest success to that of the Arjun family. She had made mistakes and taken the wrong advice. While she may never be a Bollywood megastar, she was taking steps to take full control of her career.
And sometimes she needed to take a step away from work. Right now she needed to focus on her family, not her career. I can do this...I can tell Dev about the baby...This is a good thing...Dev is going to be thrilled, just like last time.
Only last time, he hadn’t thought about what all could go wrong. Neither of them had. Tina slowly sat down on the sofa. Last time he had embraced the news. In his world, everything he touched turned to gold and every choice he made turned out better than expected.