Ayushi's breath hitched as Manish's fingers slid beneath the silk, the delicate fabric parting with sinful ease under his touch. The heat of his skin against hers sent ripples of shivers racing down her spine, tiny tremors spreading outward as though her whole body recognized his claim before her mind could protest. The faint morning light filtering through the curtains caught the golden flecks in his eyes, intensifying the hunger burning there as he turned her fully to face him.

Her half-buttoned blouse gaped slightly, revealing the flushed skin beneath, and his gaze darkened instantly, predatory, consuming. The marks he had left—angry reds deepening into purple—blossomed along her collarbone like bruised flowers, evidence of the storm that had wrecked her the night before.