CHAPTER 10
“I like this one best.” Narmada stepped out of the bathroom of the hotel they were staying at for the night, wearing one of the dresses she had picked out for their night out..
Neil looked up from his phone, and she swore she saw him catch his breath. She twirled in front of him in a magenta, flowy dress that looked flattering on her. The belted stitch at the waist accentuated her curves, and the deep color made her skin glow.
“I take it that you like what you see?” She winked.
“It doesn’t matter if I like it, you should like it. It’s your night out,” he retorted.
“Well, you are technically my date… okay, dress is set. I need you to stand up so I can pick out my shoes.” Narmada and Neil went shopping before they checked into the hotel, and she went ballistic with her retail therapy. She shopped like it was her last day on earth. Multiple pairs of shoes and dresses along with a boatload of makeup cluttered the hotel room.
“What?”
“Don’t ask too many questions, Neil. Please stand up.” She walked over to him with two boxes that contained her new shoes. She pulled out a pair of high heels tall enough to bring her forehead to his chin.
“You plan to dance in them?” he snorted.
She shushed him as she put on the first pair of heels. She stood in front of him, her eyes only inches lower than his. She looked into his eyes for a long moment. “I think this heel is too high for tonight.”
“There is a heel height for each night?” He shook his head in disbelief as he sat on the chair as she tried on the next pair with a shorter heel.
She moved closer to him, her hands sliding up to his shoulders, and her cheek went to his chest. “I like these better.”
She took a deep breath to slow down the drumming in her chest to look into his eyes. He did not say a single word, and he didn’t have to, his eyes spoke to her, told her everything she needed to know.
“Let me be yours, Neil,” she rasped.
“Narmada…”
“Please, I have no idea what’s in my future. I don’t control my life, let me have this night, be mine.”
He shifted uncomfortably as she placed her cheek on his chest. “This is not good, we can’t be…”
She didn’t let him complete his sentence. She used the extra few inches under her feet to reach for his lips. She moved with an urgency snaking her fingers into his hair to bring his lips to her.
He let out a groan deep inside and fought the kiss. His lips were stiff as she ran her lips on his in persuasion.
“Kiss me, Neil.” It was half command, half plea.
She felt the shudder run through him when she sank her teeth into his lip. Her hand left his hair to caress his cheek, and she angled her face forcing the kiss to deepen. She pasted her body to his and felt his rod delectably dig into her belly.
Narmada was in heaven, her lips on his, their hearts thumping in resonance, and her heart won the ultimate fight. Her mind had no chance when her feelings for him resurfaced like a storm surge threatening to consume her. She had no reason to fight it. She was his to claim since the first day he kissed her. She had fallen for him six years ago but was too arrogant and adamant to accept it.
She was done fooling herself and knew clearly what she wanted. He was all she wanted, killer or hunter, he was hers, and she wanted to be his—forever.
Her eyes fluttered open when he peeled his lips away from hers. She clung to him as they both steadied their breathing, their eyes locked in a heated gaze.
A few minutes later, Neil turned away from her. “You need to stop this, you do not want any of this.”
“I want you.” She flattened her chest to his back wrapping her hands around him from behind.
He ripped her arms from his body and stepped away from her. “Be ready in ten.”
“Neil… don’t walk away from me.” It was an order.
He stopped short briefly but did not turn around.
“This is best for everyone.”
She watched through the angry tears in her eyes as he walked away from her. He was doing it again—ripping her heart apart—it was up to her to stop him. She had nothing to lose for fighting for him and would lose herself if she didn’t put up a fight.
Narmada watched him load the bags into the car. She never questioned his reasons for emptying the hotel room they were staying at even if they were going back to it later that night.
“Where are you taking me?”
“A club.” It was a curt response.
“Which one?” she responded in the same tone.
“Does it matter?”
She didn’t have the energy to continue the conversation and let it die. They drove in silence until they pulled into a semi-private garage. She purposely waited for him to come around and open the door. She looked up at him when the door opened and held out her hand.
He looked stunning in a light-colored sports jacket paired with a dark silk shirt and dark wash jeans. She smiled at him to ease the tension, and he took her hand rather hesitantly.
“How long before you start talking again?” She held his hand in hers.
He gently pulled his hand away from her. “Let’s go.”
She followed him feeling the thumping from the music playing inside the club. They approached the front desk, and before Neil could say anything, she blurted, “Mr. and Mrs. Kumar.”
“Welcome, have a wonderful time.” The hostess was overly cheerful.
Narmada rather forcibly took his hand in hers again, and he didn’t pull away this time. She pulled him toward the bar and leaned in on the counter.
“Two large tequila shots for my husband and me,” she called out to the bartender.
“What are you doing, Narmada?” His breath was hot in her ear.
She slowly turned around and leaned into him. “I’m not sulking just because you walked away. I’m going to have fun tonight.”
His lips were pressed into a thin line when she held out his tequila shot. “Drink up, my husband. Life is too short.”
“Cheers to Mr. and Mrs. Kumar.” Narmada winked at Neil before downing her shot and felt the alcohol go down smoothly.
“Drink up, Mr. Kumar,” she teased when he continued to give her a searing stare. She was no longer intimidated by his stares. She realized he was thinking hard when he went into silent mode. Thinking was good, and it only meant he was conflicted like she was a few days ago.
After winning the staring contest, she reached for the shot in his hand and downed it. “It’s an insult not to drink such good tequila.”
“Slow down, I didn’t sign up to carry you back.” His breath warmed her skin, and the heat inside from the alcohol made her bolder.
She moved closer running her cheek over his lips. “I’m gonna go dance, and I’m done begging you.”
Neil sat at the bar, his eyes following her every move as she slithered through the crowd to the dance floor. The dance floor was crowded, but he could see her from where he sat as it was a few feet lower than the bar.
Narmada was high from the shots and felt feather light as she stepped onto the dance floor. She knew he was watching her but would not join her, especially not after their conversation earlier that day.
She had barely spent a couple of minutes on the dance floor when she heard a cheesy voice behind her. “Hello, beautiful.”
She turned to find a man in his late twenties less than a foot from her. He was with his friends, and he had his hand held out in invitation. She smiled at the man and looked in Neil’s direction before taking the man’s hand to dance.
The music was loud, the crowd was charged, and she was high—not just on alcohol, but with the realization that Neil was going nuts watching her dance with other men.
The group she was dancing with seemed to be fun until she felt a hand graze over her breast.
“Watch it,” she warned the guy who invited her to dance first.
“My mistake,” the man confessed.
She knew when someone was off and knew it was time to move away. She stepped away from the group of men and mingled with a group of men and women her age.
Five minutes in, the group of men began encroaching into her space.
“Are you running away from me, beautiful?” the man teased.
She ignored his question and continued to dance, but the man was becoming aggressive.
“Back off, mister,” she yelled trying to push him away from her, but he took her hands and pulled her to him. She was disgusted by the way he ran his hand on her bottom.
She moved swiftly pushing herself away from him and twisting her leg to step on his foot with her heel. His yelp was lost in the music, but the anger in his eyes was intimidating. She braced for impact when she saw his hand raising up, but the hand never touched her.
Neil appeared out of nowhere and pushed the man away without another word. She took the opportunity to hold onto him and placed her hands on him from behind and moved to the music.
A few steps in, he ripped her hands apart and turned around to mold her body to his.
“Finally, here to dance with me?” she grumbled in his ear.
“You needed rescuing.”
“I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself,” she purred running her arms around his neck.
His stance stiffened, but he did not object.
“That animal was groping you,” he snarled.
“Maybe I wanted him to,” she provoked and felt his fingertips dig into her waist.
“Can’t let anyone near you.”
She smiled reaching up to bury her face in his neck breathing in his spicy masculine smell. Her heart did somersaults in her chest in response to his touch. She wanted the time to stop—the moment they had—she wanted it to last forever. She wanted him, she wanted him to want her and be part of her life. There was no other explanation as to how she felt for him.
“I love you, Neil.” It was a whisper, but she knew he heard her from the way he winced.
He held her to him pretending not to have heard what she said, but she wasn’t going to let go. “Make me yours forever, I want you.”
His breath hissed. “Narmada, you are drunk… we should go.”
She pulled back slightly to look into his eyes. “No, I’m not drunk not to know what I feel for you. I love you, I’ve loved you all my life… just been stupid not to realize it.”
“Let’s go… I promise we will talk about this when we get back to the hotel room,” he urged.
Neil led her off the dance floor and out into the lobby of the club. He took her by her hand to the elevator.
“Hang on, I need to use the ladies’ room.” She started to walk away, and when she realized he was walking behind her, she stopped. “I’m not going to run, I love you too much to run away from you.”
He stopped short, a veil of guilt over his face. “I’ll be right here.”
She followed the signs to the ladies’ room through the twisted hallways. She smiled at the woman who was attending to the patrons who needed help. “I’m good. Didn’t drink enough to throw up.”
Narmada stepped out of the stall smiling. “Sorry, I don’t have any cash…” Her voice trailed off when she saw a man standing inside the ladies’ room, and the woman was gone. It took her a few moments, but she recognized him as the one who she stomped on the dance floor.
“You are one conniving bitch, and you used me to lure your manwhore.”
She might have, but he had no right to call Neil names but decided it was best not to pick a fight with a drunk man. “Sir, this is a ladies’ room, please leave.”
“I know, bitch, and I will show you what happens if someone messes with me,” he spat reaching for the dead bolt on the door.
Narmada knew not to lose her cool. She ignored him and washed her hands and turned around. “Please get out of my way.”
He took a step closer grabbing his crotch. “I will when you suck my power tool.”
“Get out of my way,” she yelled, gathering her strength to push him away, but he was too strong for her. He grabbed her hair with one hand and pinned her hands to her side with his other hand.
A shiver passed through her when she felt the man’s breath on her cheeks. “I will let you go once you’ve sucked my dick, and I’ve licked your sweet cunt.”
“Let me go.” She tried to kick him, but it had no effect on her attack to his shins.
He laughed taking a whiff of the skin on her neck. “You are intoxicating, maybe I shouldn’t share you with my buddies outside. I want you for myself.”
She felt the pressure on her chest before she heard the ripping of the silk of her dress. She yelled at the top of her lungs, but she knew no one could hear her. “Neil!”
“Is that the name of your manwhore, you bitch?” His hands were all over her body, hurting her sensitive parts. He pushed her against the wall, his hand choking her.
“How dare you reject me.” He squeezed her breast making her yelp. She gasped for air and tried to fight him as he ran his free hand assaulting every part of her.
She continued to kick and try to push him away, but she felt the darkness sweep over her, the darkness that was sucking out the fight in her. She closed her eyes refusing to register the painful assault, and in a flash, the pressure on her neck was gone.
She opened her eyes as her body slowly slumped to the floor. Neil was holding the man in a choke hold from behind.
“Are you okay?” he screamed to which she nodded, her body powerless on the floor. She watched as the men fought, and Neil smashed the man’s face into the mirror making her come to her senses.
“Neil,” it was a weak whisper.
The man was attacking Neil, but he did not stand a chance with him. He wasn’t called ‘The Hunter’ for nothing. She watched as he slammed the man’s hand to the tiled wall.
“Is this the hand that touched her?”
The growl in Neil’s voice gave her new life. He was beating up a man, and he was doing it with emotion, emotions born out of feelings for her and not just as his duty.
“Narmada, talk to me.” Neil was at her side kneeling on the floor.
“Neil, that asshole, he called you names…” Her words dove into her sob as she started to cry.
“Please, come on… let’s go.” He pulled her off the floor and into his arms. He peeled off his jacket and put it over her shoulders.
“Narmada, stay with me.” He scooped her into his arms and stepped out of the bathroom. Her eyes were closing shut, but she didn’t fail to notice four other men laying on the floor outside the bathroom badly beaten up.
Sleep came to her without difficulty, and she let it envelop her knowing she was with him, and he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her.