TUM SE HI (MG) Thread 1 - Page 68

TWENTY ONE

A soft smile touched her lips as she looked at him. His strength emanated from his body even while he slept, yet there was vulnerability there, too; an aura of trust.

Maan Singh Khurana, her mind hummed.

She frowned as she tore her gaze from him to stare up at the ceiling of the cabin, above the bed.

Sleep on, Maan, she mentally directed him. Before he awakened, she needed time to sort, to think about what had taken place between them.

She had made love with Maan Singh Khurana.

There it was'a fact, right in front of her ' and it needed to be addressed.

Was she sorry? Did she regret her actions? Was she furious with herself for allowing her passion to override reason?

Narrowing her eyes, she focussed inward, getting in touch with herself to find the answers to the questions.

And the answers were there, clear and precise ' no, no, and no.

She knew where she stood on the issue, but what she didn't know was why she felt as she did. she should be calling herself a featherhead, a'.a dope.

She knew her time with Maan was measured in days. There was no room in her life for a man or a relationship when she was writing a novel.

She'd had it all figured out as far as Maan being The Project, but had now totally complicated things. Emotions had come into play when she'd made love with Maan. They'd made love, not had casual sex, and from that realization came the confusion and muddled mess.

So why didn't she regret what she had done?

Babaji, she didn't know.

Maan would awaken soon, and she'd better have her head on straight. As any man would, under the circumstances, he'd be watching for what her mood, her attitude was, regarding what had transpired.

Well, so be it. She had no regrets, was not sorry. That was the truth, and was what Maan deserved to know. That she was confused was her problem to deal with.

Having concluded the conversation herself and herself, Geet switched her attention to what was going around her.

It was quite dark in the room, the small lamps on the wall casting circles of light over a few feet, and leaving the remainder in deep shadow. The boat was still, and she realized there was no longer any sound of the musical rain.

Looking through the semidarkness, she looked sideways at the clock on the wall, her eyes widening as she saw it was nearly six o'clock. She and Maan had slept the afternoon away, blissfully sedated.

"Maan," she said, poking his chest with one finger. "Maan, wake up."

"Mmm. Later," he mumbled.

Geet laughed softly. Maan muttered a few more words that she couldn't understand, then finally opened his eyes.

"Hi," she said.

He shook his head slightly, then a slow smile crept onto his lips.

"I was dreaming," he said, his voice husky with sleep.

The sexy sound sent a shiver through Geet.

"I was Jack on the sailing ship, out on high seas," Maan went on. "I even had a shirt with billowing sleeves."

"How nice," she said matching his smile. "However, that was then and this is now, and its six o'clock."

"You're kidding." He sat up. "No, you're not kidding." He paused. "the storm has passed through. I guess. I suppose we'd better head for the marina."

"Yes."

He shifted around to rest on one forearm as he looked directly into her eyes. No trace of a smile remained on his face.

"Geet," he said quietly, "making love with you was incredibly beautiful and very special. I want ypu to know that."

"I feel the same way."

"No regrets?"

She hesitated for only a moment. "No, Maan. No regrets."

He lowered his head and kissed her deeply. The passion still within them burst instantly into flames. When he lifted his head again, he drew a ragged breath.

"Aur nahi Mr. Khurana," he said, "or the night shall pass in this vessel only." He smiled. "That means I've got to stop kissing you right now, or we'll be sharing fruits for breakfast."

Geet laughed, the sound causing the desire within Maan to coil tighter.

She slid off the bed and crossed the room to where their clothes were spread over the table and chairs.

Maan drank in the sight of her naked body, slender and soft, totally feminine, a perfect counterpart to his own. What he couldn't see in the shadows, his mind vividly supplied.

Lovely, he thought. Geet was so beautiful. The love making they had shared had been exquisite. Not only had their bodies meshed, but there had been undefinable emotions entwined, as well.

It had been complex and rare, very different from anything he'd experienced before. There was, indeed, something important happening between them, and nothing would keep him from discovering what is was.

"The clothes are dry," Geet said, bringing Maan back from his thoughts, "but stiff as a board." She began to dress. "I am fantasizing about a warm bubble bath and a soft, cozy robe."

Maan joined her at the table, reaching for his shirt. "I am fantasizing about a plate full of pasta served with ravioli, and a hot cup of black coffee."

"Sold. Pasta, then a bubble bath."

"Your wish is my command. We'll share a meal, then share--"

"Wrong. You'll go home. I'll have a bubble bath."

"Oh, God."

Geet dissolved in laugher and Maan infected by the wind chime sound, laughed or in his case smiled.

They were hungry, wearing wrinkled clothes, and miles from shore and the comforts they craved for, but their smiles remained firmly in place all the way back to the marina.

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"Pari?" Annie said, "I hope I'm not calling during your dinner. Guess what? I haven't been able to reach bhai or Geet all day. I got their answering machines every time I phoned."

"I realize I shouldn't get carried away with that information, but at least there's a chance they might be together. If they are, I wonder how they got along for that many hours."

"Oh, wouldn't it be sad if they spent the day arguing?"