Trust me once (AK Version)note pg44 - Page 25

hey buddy...😊

Wow!I never thot A wud kiss K so fast.Still they r nit a complete couple.Waiting 4 him 2 propose 2 her

thanks for pm

Part 12

One day Angad asked Kripa to accompany him to one official party hoisted by a company with which Angad had bragged a deal. Because the celebration was unplanned and on the spot he didn't have any date who would accompany him. So Kripa agreed with him and it was decided that he will pick her up at seven that evening. What Kripa gained from the way Angad was talking about the dinner that it was really important for her present herself nicely. So she went to for the one and only outfit which Tanya has purchased for her which according to Kripa was skinny and did little to hide what was beneath and revealed more than necessary. But that was the one good outfit she owned right at this moment because never in her past had the need arise for to wear anything of that sort.

At seven that evening when Angad arrived at Kripa's apartment she let him in and asked him to wait as she needed some time. When Angad heard a flutter of noises he turned and looked towards the door that led to the bedroom. There was Kripa walking towards him. He watched her with extreme interest. She was absolutely breathtaking. Tall and elegant, she was wearing a shimmering halter-neck dress that showed off her incredible figure to perfection. Her dark hair fell in a gleaming silken ripple of waves to one side of her lovely face. Her wide eyes were framed with sweeping dark lashes, and she had a perfect mouth…a mouth that was made for kissing.

She smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back then he looked away. It was only as he looked away that he realized that there was something memorable about that smile…and the way she held herself. He looked back towards her with a feeling of male hunger he never felt before. It took all of her courage for Kripa to maintain her poise. When Angad had first turned and looked at her, the boldness of his gaze had taken her breath. A man had never looked at her like that before, let alone a man who was so attractive. She could see the stunned recognition in his eyes now, and she could feel the shy burning feeling of pleasure inside of her intensifying a millionfold.

As she reached him, his gaze moving with open unwavering approval down over the curves of her body.

'Kripa, you look amazing,' he murmured.

As her eyes locked with his she could see desire…and it scared her, but it also excited her.

The knowledge gave her a swirling heady feeling of satisfaction and confidence, mixed with a deeply disturbing thrust of something else, some long-forgotten answering need that was invading her senses with increasing intensity. With difficulty she tried to dismiss the feeling and smile with cool dignity. 'I'm glad you approve.'

Her answer and the way she looked at him just seemed to feed the flame of interest inside of him all the more. He wanted her—wanted to unwrap her very, very slowly and kiss every last piece of her before he possessed her totally.

The sudden thought shocked him! That was out of the question, he reminded himself angrily. They had a beautiful relation of trust and friendship and feelings like that were just going to complicate things far too much!

'We should go,' he said impatiently. 'The hotel is only a few minutes away. So I thought we'd walk if that's OK?'

'Yes, that's fine. I'd like some fresh air.'

He held out his arm for her and as they walked from her apartment together Angad noticed the admiring glances thrown in their direction. In particular he noticed the way men looked at Kripa, their eyes hot with approval. She seemed totally oblivious of the fact and for some reason that made him want to hold her closer and more protectively to him…. Instinctively he put a hand around her waist to steady her as they walked over some cobbles.

'You'll have to be careful around here in such high heeled shoes.'

'Thanks!' She tried to sound nonchalant but his hand on her waist was having the strangest effect on her.

The delicate silk of her dress was so thin that it was almost as if he was touching her bare skin.

She was forbidden fruit, Angad reminded himself…but he couldn't help remembering how good it had felt to kiss her.

Had he imagined that?

His gaze lingered on the softness of her lips.

'We should go, otherwise we'll be late.' Her voice was husky and uncertain.

She was wondering about it, too—he just knew it.

'Kripa, about that kiss the other night—'

'I don't think we should talk about that.' Instantly she sounded embarrassed.'

'Kripa it's high time we have a talk to about it. For some reason we both have been avoiding that particular topic but its getting between us and I will not let anything get between us not even a kiss which I so believe that was the most pleasurable moment of my life.'

Kripa was appalled by the audacity of Angad to talk so freely and openly about the kiss that she refused to look at him. But Angad was stubborn in his own ways and with gentle yet firm pressure by his two fingers on her chin he forced her to look him at eyes. She was shocked to see that though Angad might have sounded serious but there was a devilish and mischievous glint in his eyes that were openly saying that he was openly bickering with her. 'Watch it,' she murmured back. 'I'm in a dangerous mood.'

'Wonderful! A woman is never so interesting as when she's dangerous.'

Kripa knew a brief flare of alarm. For a moment—just for the tiniest possible moment—she'd actually wanted him to find her interesting. Time to bring him down a peg.

'That's a very good line,' she said admiringly. 'You must be proud of it.'

'One of my best,' he assured her.

'Of course you need to practise your delivery.'

'I thought I delivered it just right,' he said, hurt.

'Little cat,' he whispered. Kripa 'what did you just say to me – cat.'

Kripa was about to about to thump him when he started laughing loudly and he said 'ok ok I surrender. I really like that feisty cat ready to pounce on whomever you feel threatened from and to be honest I love teasing you. It shows the real Kripa of whom I knew so well before I met you thanks to Tanya for that.'

All Kripa's anger melted and they both burst out laughing but both knew deep within that this topic of kiss won't be buried deep down as they thought it will. They knew that gradually they will to talk about it.

Angad moved away hastily because they were close enough for that kiss to happen again and he wanted to put an end to today's evening safely without any awkwardness between them. When he turned to walk again Kripa murmured 'Cheeky devil. 'So certain that he's got everything sassed. And I bet all the girls fall for it. Well, not me.'

As they turned the corner Kripa saw the Grand Hotel Carnival; it was an impressive building on three levels with floodlit terraces that looked down over the canal.

Inside the doorway there was a vast stone-floored reception area filled with the buzz and laughter of hundreds of people.

Angad's arrival was greeted with an excited commotion and as they made their way through the crowds everyone seemed to want to claim his attention and speak to him.

Finally they got to the entrance of the ballroom. Ornate crystal chandeliers dazzled the senses. On a stage to one side, an orchestra was playing a Viennese waltz, whilst on the dance floor people were spinning around to the swell of the music.

They were directed towards a red-carpeted stairway that led to an upper gallery and a private table.

'This is a fantastic place,' Kripa remarked as Angad pulled out a chair for her.

He leaned closer and she could smell the scent of his cologne. It reminded her of the heat of his kiss, and sent her emotions racing. But she needed to forget all about that, she told herself crossly.

He nodded. 'Yes, the building goes back to about the fifteenth century, I believe.'

Some waiters arrived with a magnum of champagne and placed two long-stemmed glasses down by the table.

They were going to pour the drink but Angad dismissed them and reached to do it himself.

He raised his glass to hers. 'To a successful evening,' he said with a smile.

'Do you want to dance?' he asked abruptly.

She looked down towards the floor. The orchestra were playing a slow number and couples were wrapped in each other's arms. She would have loved to dance like that with Angad, but as she looked back and met the darkness of his gaze she didn't dare. He held out his hand. 'Come on, come and dance. I dare you.'

She hesitated for a few seconds and then put her hand in his.

But it was a mistake. She knew as soon as they reached the dance floor and he gently pulled her closer that she should never have allowed him to provoke her into this.

Being held in his arms was too delicious. He made her feel cherished and protected…. He made her want him with a longing so deep that it hurt.

'You see…nothing terrible has happened—no lightning strikes, or thunder rolls,' he murmured, the teasing words soft against her ear.

Maybe not for him, she thought shakily. But it was taking all of her self-control not to turn her head and seek out his lips.

'Not a storm in sight,' she answered, closing her eyes. And for just a few precious moments she allowed herself to dream that maybe there could be a relationship between them and they would more than friendship. That it was safe to feel like this. Safe to lower her defenses…safe to be involved with him…but all too soon her dream was shattered as she saw Prithvi's leering face in front of her.

That made her pull away from him in shock. She didn't want to start imagining things like that! 'Angad, I think I've had enough dancing,' she said hurriedly.

He frowned. But before he could say anything else she had turned away from him and left the floor.

He caught up with her just before she could head back to their table and put a hand on her shoulder to turn her towards him. 'What's the matter?'

'Nothing! I…I just can't dance in these heels.'

He didn't believe her. There was a note in her voice, a look in her eyes, that said much more than that, but there wasn't a chance of pursuing the question as some friends who had organized the evening came over to say hello. And before he knew what was happening she was talking to one group and he was talking to another.

She seemed to be having a good time. Maybe she hadn't been upset earlier, because all her conversations now were lively and full of fun. Everyone liked her, he noticed. Especially some of his bachelor friends who were hanging on her every word with open admiration in their eyes.

Where was the shy young woman he had met just over a few months ago? he wondered sardonically. She seemed to have morphed into a sophisticated, confident and beautiful young woman right before his very eyes.

As soon as he could he excused himself and sought her out. 'Having a good time?'

She smiled up at him. 'I'm really enjoying myself. Your friends are all very nice.'

'Yes, although I have to warn you there are a couple of my single friends over there that you can't trust.' He nodded towards the two men who had been asking her if she wanted to dance.

'Womanisers like you, are they?' She couldn't resist the teasing question.

'No, nothing like me,' he said with a smile. 'Come on, I think it's time we called it a night. I don't know about you, but I've had enough.'

She nodded.

It was a relief to follow him out of the packed room into the coolness of the night. And when she looked at her watch she found with a surprise that it was after midnight.

They strolled back along the quiet streets without saying much. Kripa found herself and Angad walking about the shore near to a man made beach and she wanted to spend some time there. She asked Angad if it was ok and he said that even he would like to spend some time. Soon Kripa was cold due to chilly wind along the beach and Angad gave her his jacket. A car was passing by when Kripa was blinded by a flash of golden light. When the light faded she saw a pen gold in colour stuck in upper pocket of Angad's shirt. Again a car passed by and Angad noticed the flash was causing inconvenience to Kripa. He was about to slot the pen away, but it flashed in a pier light and, on impulse, Kripa reached for it. He seemed reluctant to give it up.

She weighed the pen in her palm. "Hmm, heavy. It's not pure gold, is it?" His expression was noncommittal and she looked closer. "It is pure gold."

"That's not so unusual."

"Maybe not for you. What's this?" She rotated the pen and squinted in the hazy light. "An inscription? No. A symbol of some kind." She passed over it with her fingertip. "A vertical line with an arc at one end. It's a tree. Or an anchor."

"It's a plane. Why would I buy a pen with an anchor etched on it?"

She rolled her eyes theatrically. "Oh, that's right. You don't like water. But you do like jets." And your Maserati. Leading examples of speed and power.

He reached for the pen. Unprepared, she fumbled and it fell then bounced on the rough decking. Angad swooped and caught it a second before it might have rolled off into the harbour, lost forever.

Horrified, Kripa's hands flew to her mouth. "Angad, I'm so sorry."

He rose from his haunches. "No harm done. I would've hated to see you jump in there to get it though."

When he grinned, so did she.

But her smile faded. "It means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

He slipped the pen into his trouser pocket. "I bought it on a whim after a stock market gain, and signed my first big contract with it. I used it constantly until it started to wear. Now I generally keep it for important documents."

Yet he carried it around with him even when there were no contracts in sight? "Sounds like that pen is your good luck charm." And quite possibly more than that…a connection.

He shrugged. "Either way, I don't want to lose it."

"The pen with the plane, not the anchor or tree."

He winked. "Now you're catching on."

"Am I?"

As their gazes held, the atmosphere changed from relaxed to suddenly steamy. The heavy weight of lost years shrank and crystallized into a single, bright, hypercharged moment.

Was she reading too much into how adamantly he defended what that pen represented? Wealth, travel, independence, freedom. All the things he'd let her know were important to him some time ago.

Ice cream was one thing, life choices another. And, no matter how much she secretly wished it were otherwise, Angad seemed set on his choices. Beyond that? He was quite simply a magnificent enigma. No matter how many times she second-guessed herself, she would never know Angad Khanna. The reality was—to try might mean her downfall.

A cold, wet drop fell on Kripa's nose. At the same moment lightning flashed and a roll of distant thunder rumbled. Distracted, she looked up, and as if on cue, the rain came down.

When she shrieked, Angad swept the jacket over her head. A second later, he cursed and also ducked under cover.

While his arms made an awkward umbrella of the jacket, her palm landed against the hard wall of his chest. His heartbeat resonated through her fingers then spread like an electric current through her body. Crazy, and yet, for the first time in too long, she felt…safe.

His big shoulders were hunched. "We're soaked through."

She grinned. "I noticed."

"You said you wouldn't make me swim."

She grinned more, then couldn't help but think, Would it really be so scary to swim, Angad? Couldn't you get used to it?

This seemed the ideal as well as the most inappropriate moment to ask. "Why do you have such an aversion to water?"

"Ever wonder about the scar on my lip? I knocked three of my baby teeth out when I was washed down a storm pipe at age five. On top of swallowing a whole lot of mud, I almost drowned."

Kripa gasped. She couldn't imagine how terrified he must have been. "Did you ever think of seeing a professional to help you get over your fear?"

He smiled in grim amusement. "Avoidance has worked very well up till now."

Yet they continued to stand in the downpour, beneath the jacket. They should have run for shelter, but neither one moved while the rain pounded at their feet and his heart thudded near her palm.

"Kripa?"

In the dark, she imagined his mouth was incredibly close. "Yes, Angad?"

He seemed to move nearer.

She did the same….

Standing in the pouring rain, both huddled beneath his tuxedo jacket, the reality was unavoidable. Angad was going to kiss her.

How would she react? Kripa couldn't think past the frantic beating of her heart, or the way her every fiber cried out for him to do it now.

She held her breath, waiting…

Then Angad groaned deeply and took her hand. "We've had enough fresh air."

The jacket came down and they ran off together, splashing through the puddles.

Ten minutes later, they entered her apartment, shaking their wet hands and slipping off sodden shoes.

"Can I get you a towel? Something warm to drink?" Kripa crossed to thumbed a switch on a wall panel—the internal heating and switched it on. A convulsive shudder rippled up Kripa's spine. She was freezing, but a hot chocolate would suit her and asked Angad if he would like some too. Kripa noticed his shirt was plastered against the musculature of his deeply tanned chest and arms. Every knockout ridge and bulge was on display, presented in glorious prime-time relief. As he moved forward, more than the line between his brows told her he was uncomfortable. At being caught in the rain, ending up sopping wet? Or something, perhaps, not quite as obvious.

When they'd taken shelter beneath his jacket, he'd almost kissed her. Worse, she'd almost let him.

And he knew it.

Closer now, he lifted his chin to unravel his bow tie and flick open a button.

"It's getting late." He stopped before her. "Guess you're tired. I will leave and will call you tomorrow." With that he was gone and they both knew so well that unfinished kiss will not let either of them sleep tonight no matter what.

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oohhh cute part!

wow the chemistry between is heightening their senses........................hope the kiss happens soon and they get together.................cont soon......................

This is d best part of this ff.lovely.loved d party & conv btw AK.Kripa's description was good