The silence in the bedroom following Kabir’s departure was thick, charged with the ghost of his touch and the vibration of his low, gravelly voice. Suhani stood by the window, her hand resting on the cool glass as she watched the sleek black Bentley disappear past the iron gates of the Oberoi estate. Her heart was still performing a frantic, fluttering dance against her ribs.

She touched her earlobe again, the skin there still feeling sensitized, the phantom sensation of his lips lingering like a permanent brand.