Nina stared out of the window and knew she was in deep trouble. Her eyes were completely focused on her captor who was bathing in the lake.

They say that when survival mode kicks in, then the logical part of brain stops functioning, and everything points to three different options—fight, flight or freeze.

She had gone through the first two. Now, apparently, she was in the freeze mode.

She didn’t know what to do.

Even though the threat to Suraj remained, and that too from her captor, she was unable to do anything. Because her mind was beginning to recognize her captor as human. A good human being.

Even though he had behaved like a monster with her initially, and was cold and cruel to her, she understood the reasons behind his behavior. And she knew there was a different side of him as well. When he took care of Khan, he was caring and compassionate. When he taught her to cook, or took her for walks, he was considerate.

As each day passed since Khan had fallen sick, she had even begun to see her captor as a man. A man with an amazingly hot body and with a face she was now terribly attracted to.

Her captor was only slightly taller than Suraj’s six feet, and had a similar lean, muscular build, yet her captor’s dangerous aura made him seem larger than he actually was. Instead of finding him intimidating, she was beginning to find him thrilling.

God, Nina. Look away!

Nina was unable to listen to the warnings her subconscious threw at her. She continued to stand near the window and kept her eyes riveted on the man swimming laps in powerful strokes.

Everything he did, whether it was swimming or cooking or cleaning or even something as simple as taking a walk, he did it with such intense concentration, she wondered if he was really the outgoing person Khan had described.

Nina’s thoughts froze when he stopped swimming and began emerging from the lake. Her body grew restless as she took in the sight. And to add to the restlessness, her captor didn’t bother drying his body with a towel. He began walking towards the cabin, letting the cool forest breeze dry him naturally.

Her stomach flipped at the sight of him as he drew closer. But not out of fear.

He looked… hot. The stubble on his face, his rugged good looks and his powerful muscular body made him look like he should be on the cover of an outdoor or sports magazine. Her eyes followed him as he continued walking until he reached the cabin.

She took several deep breaths to calm down before he saw her in her agitated state. Just when she thought she had gotten her heartbeat to a normal rate, her pulse picked up speed once again when the door to her captor’s room opened, and he entered.

She clutched the wet clothes she had washed, and walked towards the doorway. She was about to pass him and go to her room when he blocked her path.

“Nina,” he said in a quiet tone.

With great difficulty, she raised her eyes to him, but remained silent.

“Why did you stop talking?” he asked.

She was surprised by his question. She didn’t think he even noticed. “I thought you didn’t want me to talk,” she said. She recalled the last time she had wanted to talk about her past. She had waited for him to return to his room, but he had deliberately chosen to stay away.

Understanding dawned in his eyes. “I want you to,” he said.

She nodded.

They both fell quiet. She expected him to move away, but he stood in her way.

She felt the awareness heighten between them as they stared at each other. She couldn’t read him as he had his usual expressionless look on his face. It was hard to look away and it was even harder to hold on to his stare. She felt helplessly drawn to the intensity of his dark eyes.

To avoid it, she lowered her eyes, only to be mesmerized by his lips that looked soft and strong at the same time. Her lips parted involuntarily.

She dragged her eyes up, about to ask him to step aside, but her words died when she saw something shift in his eyes. And before she knew it, his mouth crashed down on hers.

Her body responded immediately. Her hands moved on their own accord and held his shoulders, to pull him closer until their bodies were pressed together. She kissed him back with fervor. All thoughts of escape flew out of her mind, along with her sense of self-preservation. She didn’t want to end the kiss or lose any contact.

It feels much better than my dream.

As though he could read her, he turned her and pushed her against the door. And then, his hands clutched her backside, pulling her even closer. She moaned in pleasure as tremors ran through her. And her body heated even more when she felt his arousal.

Suddenly, her captor’s body stilled. And then immediately, he wrenched his mouth away from hers, and stepped away from her.

A deep frown crept across his face.

Nina watched him in a daze, trying to figure out why he had stopped. Slowly, she understood.

“Nina?” Khan’s voice was calling from above.

 

THE NEXT FEW days, continued to be a torture for Nina.

The kiss between her captor and her constantly played in her mind, alternately invoking feelings of guilt and pleasure.

The reason for pleasure was obvious. She wanted him.

But the guilt was tearing her apart. And the guilt wasn’t because she was married.

Unlike most marriages, her marriage was an unconventional one. Suraj slept with Radha, and Nina had no problem with it. She wanted Suraj to be happy. And in return, if Nina were to take a lover herself, Suraj wouldn’t mind. In fact, Suraj had told her so, many times. He kept insisting she do whatever made her happy.

Nina had never been tempted to take a lover. Part of it was due to fear of discovery. Even if Suraj didn’t mind, the outside society wouldn’t understand. And she being a high-profile man’s wife, it would not only impact her image, but also Suraj’s.

Another major reason, she didn’t take a lover during the course of her marriage was because she wasn’t attracted to anyone whom she felt was worth the risk.

Nina felt guilty because she not only wanted her captor, but she also felt he was well worth taking risk over.