Her fingers curled into his chest, her breasts aching. “What kind of kiss was that?” she said severely when they broke for a breath. “I’m meant to be in a state to go to work.”
A wicked grin, the hard wall of his chest crushing her against the warm metal of the truck. “Just so you don’t forget me.” He took another kiss, sucking on her lower lip before releasing her. “I don’t want you to think of me as just a one-night stand.”
Though his tone was light, she caught the seriousness in his eyes and realized suddenly that she held the power to hurt him. “I don’t do one-night stands,” she said, because the idea of hurting this man who treated her as if she was a beautiful, perfect, precious creature was simply not something she could do.
Sailor Bishop would soon break her heart into a million pieces, but he wouldn’t hurt her in the interim. And she couldn’t hurt him.
“I’ll call you.”
A heavy scowl on his features. “Oh, you mean how you were going to call me about our cookie-bar date?”
She poked at his chest. “That was one time!”
Snorting, he kissed her again, the hard warmth of him so delicious that she could stay in his arms forever. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you,” he said, his tone dark. “And in case you lose my number, I know where you work.” He began to twirl an invisible mustache like some B-movie villain.
ísa laughed, pushed at his chest, once again feeling younger than she had in forever. “Shoo, you demon.” She got into her car. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Bring cookies,” he ordered.
* * *
AFTER DRIVING HOME, SHE DID a rapid change into a full-skirted dress in a vivid yellow that picked up the golden threads in her hair, that hair twisted up into a neat bun, before sliding her feet into black kitten heels with a thin ankle strap. A simple turquoise necklace finished off the outfit.
She felt as sunshiny as her dress as she caught the elevator down.
Once in her car, she activated the hands-free phone system. It was one Harlow had found on sale a couple of years back; her brother had even hooked it up for her.
Calling Nayna as she drove out of the garage, she said, “Can you talk?”
“Let me shut my office door.” Nayna was back on the line a few seconds later. “I know, I know. I should’ve called you, but I was—still am—kind of weirded out.”
ísa frowned at her best friend’s discombobulated tone. “Why?” she asked. “Was the guy that awful?” She couldn’t imagine Mr. and Mrs. Sharma choosing someone truly unsuitable for their girl.
“He wasn’t an accountant,” Nayna said. “He wasn’t a doctor. Or a lawyer. Not an engineer. Not an IT guy. Not a CEO or COO or any fricking O!”
Diverted from her own problems, ísa only just stopped herself from driving straight to Nayna’s office so they could dish in person. “Unemployed?” she asked, stunned.
“No.” The single word came out a moan. “It was him.”
“Who?” ísa asked before her eyes widened. “Nooooo. Not the hunky guy from the party? What was his name? Raj?”
“Yes. Raj. The man I told to shut up because I didn’t want his brain.” Nayna sounded like she was smashing her head against the top of her desk.
“Hey, hold on! What’s he doing going out to meet prospective wives while he’s picking up women at parties?” ísa was outraged on her best friend’s behalf.
“Er, ísa, there were two of us tangoing at that party,” Nayna pointed out. “But he’s not a slime. He convinced my parents to give us a couple of minutes alone at the start. When I walked in, he had his back to me and said that he was sorry. His parents had set up this meet last minute, before he could tell them he was pulling out of the whole arranged-marriage thing because…”
ísa was on the edge of her seat. “Because?”
“He never finished telling me why! He turned around as he was speaking and saw me standing there and, well, the nightmare of awkwardness began.”
“Oh God.”
“He scowled at me the entire time.”
ísa winced. “Did he say anything?”
“Oh yes, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Quiet had plenty to say once our parents joined us. He asked me if I enjoyed going to parties.”
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t have to say anything. My parents jumped in, laughing and saying he didn’t have to worry about my being a party girl.” Nayna ground her teeth together. “Meanwhile, Raj sits back and says, ‘Oh’ in a certain tone.”
“Tell me you got back at him.”
“Are you kidding? I smiled like the perfect Indian princess, asked him one sugar or two and put in seven. You should’ve seen his face when he had to choke it down or risk insulting my entire family.” Total evil satisfaction in her tone.
Grinning and delighted for her friend, ísa said, “You know there’s one good side to this—you’ve found a man you’re madly attracted to and your family approves of him.”
Nayna’s return words were a growl. “I can’t be attracted to a guy my parents introduced me to—that goes against all my principles now that I’ve decided to break free.”
“I actually understand that nonsensical statement.” ísa stopped at a traffic light. “But principles aside, do you think it might work?”
“I don’t know,” Nayna muttered. “All we have between us is that stupid scene at the party where I basically told him to keep his mouth shut, I was only interested in his body.” More head slamming. “And honestly, that was probably a one-night type of attraction on his part. I don’t know what my parents were thinking matching us—he’s the kind of man who could walk into a bar and have his pick of the women there.”
ísa didn’t tell Nayna she was beautiful. Her friend had grown up with an astonishingly stunning sister who was always the center of attention; Nayna had certain hang-ups even a best friend couldn’t erase. “So have you responded? Or have they responded?”
“He texted me this morning,” Nayna confessed. “Said we should go out for lunch and have a proper talk. That there was no point trying to make a decision about the rest of our lives when we just had a few minutes together.” A pause. “He also added that, of course, that was only if I was interested in his brain now.”
ísa winced again, but she was actually starting to like Raj. He was the first one of Nayna’s suitors who’d taken the initiative and was actually attempting to get to know the woman behind Nayna’s lovely face. “Are you going to go?”
“My parents would find it shocking,” Nayna said, “but since I’m being a rebel now, what do I care? I want to know what the hell Raj thinks he’s doing coming to my house for an arranged-marriage meeting when he’s so clearly not the kind of guy who would be happy in an arranged anything!”
“Um, Nayna,” ísa murmured, “you went along with your family too.”
“That doesn’t count.” Nayna huffed, completely illogical for such a logical woman. “I guess I’ll find out what he’s up to at lunch today.”
“Call me as soon as it’s over.”