CHAPTER 6
“Good morning.” She beamed at him when he stepped into the small kitchen the following day. She had woken up to find herself sprawled on him and jerked away before he could notice.
He did not respond immediately but gave her a searing stare. “Whatever you are trying to do, you need to stop.”
“What?” She wasn't sure if he was talking about her treating him as her mattress.
“Last night and this morning… I do not want a repeat of that or any of the drama you've been acting out.” His voice was hoarse, and his eyes burned with anger.
It was not entirely shocking to her that he saw right through her attempts, but she was glad he didn’t catch her with her body molded to his.
“Then let me go,” she declared adamantly.
“Not happening.”
“Why? Just kill me if that’s what you were supposed to do,” she barked and finally saw the reaction she was hoping to see.
“I will not—”
She did not let him finish. “You won't kill me but keep torturing me?”
“What?”
She was thrilled she finally got a reaction out of him. “This is worse than being killed, Neil. You won’t tell me where we are going. I have no idea why I was kidnapped and what people are going to do to me.”
“I would have never taken up the job if it were to hurt you,” his voice was shaky.
“You are hurting me… you pretend like I’m a nobody.”
Neil’s chest heaved as he stood frozen to the spot. He could not bear to see the pain in her eyes. She was the only one who had that effect on him, to the point it disturbed him when she was unhappy. The moment he saw her for the first time, it felt like he had known her his entire life when he had never met her before that day.
“Raj Mathai,” he uttered under his breath.
“What?”
“I’m taking you to Raj Mathai. He is the one who wants you.”
“Wants me?” She was disgusted by what she heard.
“He is the one who wanted the job done.”
“Ridiculous… who the heck is Raj…” her voice trailed off when she remembered the name. “Raj Mathai of Mega Construction?”
Neil nodded looking at her. Raj was her father’s business partner’s son. She had met him a few years ago at a family event and had found him annoying. He had followed her around trying to impress her with irritating facts about himself.
“What the fuck does that moron want from me?” she spat and saw a spark in his eyes.
“I don’t ask why, I just do my job.”
“How sick is that… I wish he had shown up to get me. I would have cut his balls off and deep fried them.” Her voice wavered.
“There’s a reason he wanted me to go.” He shook his head.
“I seriously don’t believe it, if only you had shown up a little later, I would have been free… free, living my life as I wished,” she growled. She continued when he stood looking at her like nothing in the world bothered him. “I was getting ready to run away from home and… look where I landed.”
She slumped her body in a nearby chair and shook her head in disbelief. “Why is this happening to me?”
“Narmada, it’ll be a couple more days, and I will take you to Raj.”
“Neil, don’t do this to me. What does that idiot want from me? If he thinks my father will give up a construction contract for me, he is mistaken. Nothing is more important than a contract for my father.” She ran her fingers through her hair.
“Listen, I…” his voice trailed off when his phone started to ring.
“Now go disappear and have your secret conversations,” she grumbled.
“Hunter,” he almost growled into the phone without stepping away.
She looked at him funny when she heard himself called by some code name.
“Good… yes a few more days… yes, she is… sure, hang on.” He placed the phone on speaker and placed it on the table in front of her. “Raj wants to talk to you.”
“What the heck does he want from me?”
“Hello, Narmada.” An effeminate voice came from the phone making her skin crawl.
“What the heck, Raj? What do you think you are doing?” her voice blared in the small room.
“Narmada dear, I am sorry we are talking under such circumstances, but I had no choice.” His overly sweet manner was more annoying by the second.
“No choice? What in the world are you talking about?” She shook her head in confusion.
“I got word that you were being forced into a marriage you didn’t want…”
“So?” She wanted to take the phone and smash it against the wall.
“I wanted to stop it and take care of you.”
She looked at Neil for a moment before she responded. He had an unreadable expression. “Oh… why didn’t you come for me, Raj?”
“Well, no one is more capable and trustworthy than Hunter,” his words stumbled.
“Oh good, thanks for saving me. Now tell your trusted Hunter to let me go.”
“Narmada, we are meant to be, and I know you don’t feel that way yet, but I’m willing to wait however long you need to accept me as yours.”
She gagged and coughed out unable to handle the words. “Are you nuts, Raj?”
“I am nuts about you… my delicate flower.”
“Shut up… stop calling me that!” she yelled into the phone.
“I love to hear the fire in your voice. I am sure you look beautiful even when you are angry.”
“Just shoot me… just shoot me.” She looked at Neil, her eyes burning with angry tears.
“I sense a disturbance in your voice. Please rest, sweetheart. I am anxiously waiting for your arrival,” Raj declared and ended the call.
“What the heck is going on?” She cried and hid her face in her palms. A sense of uncertainty enveloped her threatening to consume her. She sobbed into her palms unable to accept the situation. She felt helpless, she had no one who could help her. Her father was probably looking for her only to save face and not to rescue her, and her two brothers would have probably shot all the security if they were still alive.
Narmada almost felt like an orphan growing up except for the time she visited her grandfather in their ancestral home. Her father and mother were in their own world obsessed with maintaining their social status, and her brothers were both college dropouts who got sucked into the feuds that ultimately took their lives. She managed to keep her inner strength in spite of her immediate family ignoring her and found solace in her studies and research.
She felt his presence and sensed the hesitation. The hesitation lasted a few moments, and the next thing she knew, she was pulled into his arms and was being comforted. He didn’t say anything but held her to him, and that’s all she needed. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into the softness of his t-shirt.
“Neil… is this what I deserve? A fool who thinks it’s up to him to decide what I want in my life.”
He didn’t utter a word, and she didn’t expect him to—he was never a man of many words.
“I don’t want to go anywhere, don’t let me go, but please don’t take me to that guy. I want to be with you.” The words rolled off her lips, and when she pulled back to look into his eyes, she saw the response to her words. His eyes were clouded like he was conflicted about what he was doing.
“I can’t… was not part of the deal.”
She pushed him away with all her strength. “I hate you!”
Neil watched as she stormed out of the small kitchen knocking off a chair on her way out. He let out a deep sigh and raked his fingers through his dark hair. He knew it wasn’t going to be an easy job when he agreed to it after turning it down a half a dozen times before.
Raj claimed to have the answer to his ten-year-long hunt, and he wanted to fulfill his duty by finding the culprit. He could not let his feelings get in the way of his mission, but she didn’t need to pay the price. She was right, she didn’t deserve this.
With that thought, he went looking for her knowing exactly where he would find her. The door to the balcony was shut from the outside, and he had other ways to get to her but hesitated. There would be no going back if he tried to comfort her one more time, it’s best for her to be angry at him.
He banged on the balcony door. “Open up.”
“Go away. I hate you!”
She had not eaten in over a day, and he needed to get her to eat. “I’m not here to be loved. I have a job to do, and part of it is to deliver you in one piece.”
There was no response, but a minute later the sliding door opened, and she came charging at him.
“What do you think I am? A package that you deliver?” she growled reaching out to claw his face.
He laughed holding her hands away from his face to pull her wrists together and keep her at a distance.
The laughter annoyed her further. “Maybe I should kill you. I need to forget you were my friend.”
“Really?” he taunted.
She rammed her shoulder into his chest and started stepping on his toes. She knew he was way too strong for her as she had seen his strength in action, but she was too angry to think rationally.
“I can kill you with my bare hands,” she growled before taking her teeth to sink into his chest.
His groan gave her pleasure, but it was not the kind she was expecting. The feel of him under her teeth made her body tingle, and she noticed the sudden shift in his body as well. Her hands were still held together at her back, and her chest was melded to his as she slowly lifted her eyes to look into his dark eyes.
Narmada’s pulse threatened to rip through her skin as she stared back into his searing gaze. His eyes went from her eyes to her lips and back, and she knew at that moment they were both having a similar reaction to being in such close proximity to each other. She felt his breath on her cheek, and slowly she felt the pressure on her hands release.
The moment her hands were free, they involuntarily moved along his arms and around his neck, and the next instant, his lips were on hers sucking the air out of her lungs. His hands roamed her back pulling her closer to him as she angled her face to let him deeper into her mouth.
She gasped at the intensity of the kiss and kissed him back tightening her hold on him. She moaned in sweet pain as he sucked in her lower lip between his teeth. Her fingers snaked into his hair tugging on the strands to bring him closer.
He groaned slamming her back into the wall making her pool between her legs. Her need to be consumed by him was getting out of hand as she used his neck like an anchor to pull herself up to wrap her legs around him. His fingers dug into her flesh making her want to cry out in pure pleasure.
One hand left her bottom and roamed her curves taking in her smoothness until it cupped her breast. He felt her hardened nipple dig into his palm. He was no stranger to a woman’s body, but she was not like any other woman. Even as a young woman six years ago, she emitted so much passion when he kissed her for the first time. They had barely kissed before they broke it off. But at this very moment, he kissed her as if his life depended on it. He could not believe he didn’t have the power to fight the passion of their engagement and was left powerless only to let it cocoon them.
“Neil…” she whispered against his lips making him groan and want to rip her t-shirt to shreds. “I… I…” Her voice trailed off when she heard his phone blaring in his pocket.
“Fuck!” he growled letting her mouth go but held onto her, his eyes boring into hers.
She ignored the ringing noise and took her lips back to his and pulled his head closer. His lips were stiff for a moment before they gave into the seduction. His hand gently cupped her cheek as he brushed his lips over hers. “This needs to stop.”
“No…” He didn’t let her finish. He pulled back and set her feet back on the ground and stepped away from her. He reached for his phone that continued to ring from his back pocket.
“Hunter,” he growled, his voice still shaky. “Yes… you can, hang on.”
He turned to look at her and handed the phone to her. “Raj wants to talk to you.”
“Hit the speaker button,” she commanded wiping the moisture off her lips, her eyes threatening to sear his skin.
She watched him as he hesitantly unmuted the phone and turned on the speaker.
“Hi, Raj.” She maintained a cool tone.
“Narmada, I am so glad to hear your voice. I hung up earlier because I didn’t want you to get agitated because of me. You sound calmer now,” he cooed making her roll her eyes.
“I’m better, Raj, but I’m still pissed.”
“Oh, my poor baby, why are you upset?”
She grit her teeth in disgust. “Because your buddy is holding me captive.”
“It’s for your safety, and Hunter is the best,” Raj declared cheerfully.
“Oh yeah? Well, I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier today, and you may have done the right thing by getting me out of there.” She took a step closer to Neil and held his hand under the pretext of bringing the phone closer to her.
“Oh… Narmada… I am so happy to hear that.” Raj got excited.
“Yes, but Raj, you need to understand I need a bit more time to actually see you in a different light.”
“Take all the time you need. Hunter will bring you to me when you are ready.”
“Good and Raj… I need my time. I want to be able to roam freely and be normal. I promise not to run, so please tell your buddy to take me out.” She inched closer to Neil, her fingers wrapped around his wrist.
He stood frozen like he wasn’t affected by her proximity, but the way his chest heaved, she knew he was having the same effect he had on her.
“I will talk to Hunter about it… what do you want to do?”
She went on her toes to nuzzle his clenched jawline ever so gently. “I want to go shopping, and then I want to go dancing. I hate being indoors, you know that, Raj. I told you that when we first met, you don’t remember?” She nipped on Neil’s chin a wicked smile playing on her lips.
“Oh…yes, yes, I remember. I never forget anything you told me.”
“Thank you, Raj, you are so sweet. Do you want to talk to your buddy?” she purred.
“Yes, my pure flower. I feel so happy you are not angry anymore.”
“Here you go.” She placed a light kiss on his cheek and stepped away from him, her eyes never leaving his.
“Raj,” he almost barked.
“Hunter, please do everything in your power to keep her happy. I am just glad she is not yelling and screaming,” Raj confessed not realizing he was still on speaker.
She bit her lip to stop herself from laughing and held his gaze. His eyes were riveted on her face as he continued to talk to Raj. “This is not what we talked about, Raj.”
“I know, Hunter, and I know how badly you want the information I have, so please, do as she says, please,” Raj begged.
“Fine!” His voice was gruff. He ended the call and gave her a long stare.
“So… when are we going shopping?”
“Do not do this,” he warned.
“Do what, Neil? You heard the entire conversation. Raj asked you to take me shopping and then dancing,” she said tauntingly.
“This is not funny.” Another growl.
“Do you see me laughing? What makes you think this is funny?”
He gave her a long, burning stare before turning away from her.
“Neil, when are we going shopping?”
He stopped short and spoke without turning around. “Get something to eat, and I will take you out.”
“Really? I will be ready to go in ten minutes,” she said enthusiastically as he disappeared into one of the bedrooms.
She walked to the room she had slept in that night and into the bathroom. She looked at the image of the woman in front of her. Her hair never looked so messy, her eyes were swollen from oversleeping, and her lips were still swollen from the kiss.
The image in front of her didn’t bother her when normally she would fret about how she looked. She stood in front of the mirror gently running her fingertips on her trembling lips. They felt warm, and it made her tremble. She didn’t know what to think of the moment she had with Neil, and what surprised her most was his reaction.
The memory of their first kiss six years ago came crashing followed by the pain she endured when he disappeared without a word. She had come a long way from those depressing moments, but something in the back of her mind told her she had not forgotten him. The feelings they had for each other had somehow survived all these years, but she didn’t know what it meant.
Was there a reason why it was Neil who was chosen to kidnap her, or did Neil choose to kidnap her?
Why did he kidnap her? What information was Raj talking about?
A knot formed in her stomach when she realized she was more interested in finding out about him and what was driving him.
The nineteen-year-old Neil had shown her what a true friend was, and it was the first time she had a real friend. He invoked feelings she had never felt for anyone, and since he saved her life back then, she knew she owed him her every breath.