Fate's Wish(4)

“I’m coming.” Who was here to annoy her? She wasn’t in the mood for company.

She pulled open the door to her neighbor. His frame filled her doorway, and he greeted her with a boyish smile.

“Hi, Sid. What can I do for you?” The forced smile made her cheeks hurt. If he asked her out again she might just hit him before she threw him out the door. He stepped into her apartment without being invited, walked toward her sofa, and made himself at home. What the hell was wrong with this guy? He didn’t seem to understand the meaning of not interested.

“Sharmila, my precious, I wanted to know if you had plans for dinner. Since there’s no one around to care for you, I feel obligated to make sure you eat.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Thank you, really. But I’m fine. In fact, right now I’m—” Her doorbell rang again. Who the heck could it be now?

Sid’s brows lifted in curiosity when the doorbell pealed. She threw open the door. Her breath hitched and froze in her lungs.

Zahir, the giant wall of muscle, stood at her doorway. She blinked. Was she imagining him? Her husband. Her estranged husband. What the hell kind of day was this?

She took an involuntary step back. Zahir scanned her from the top of her ponytail down to her bare feet. His slid his gaze past her and locked on to the other man in the room.

She stood frozen for a moment. With her eyes narrowed and lips pursed, she slapped her hands on her hips. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Zahir’s eyes never wavered from Sid. He stepped fully into her apartment, but left the door wide open. “Is that any way for a wife to welcome her husband home?”

She seethed with untamed fury. Anger sparked and grew until her skin blazed in heat. Magic she thought long gone swirled around her, making her voice husky and deep. “You slimy piece of shit. How dare you show your face to me. Get the fuck out of here before I do something we’ll both regret.”

“Should I get rid of him, my precious?”

Her face jerked toward her neighbor. “Leave.”

“But Shar—”

“Now!” Her chin lifted and a burst of wind pushed Sid out of the apartment. The door shut inches from his shocked red face.

Zahir leaned on her wall with his arms crossed over his massive chest. He lifted a brow while he watched her.

“Shar, we need to talk.”

“Get out!”

“Shar—”

“You left before, leave again. Get. The. Fuck. Out!” A tornado of air whipped and twirled around her. She sent raw energy careening toward him. Nothing happened. She gaped at him in stunned surprise.

He shook his head and took a step toward her as if the force of her power was nothing but a slight wind. He should have been shoved out the door just like Sid.

“Stop. You’ll never get me out, and I don’t want you to hurt yourself trying.”

If her magic couldn’t get him out, then what the hell was he?

“I’m the same man you married five years ago.”

Had she said that out loud? No, she hadn’t. He wasn’t the same man she’d married—there was no way. Never had he done that before. Read her mind? Push off her magic?

Another step brought him closer to her. Astonished, she watched him wave a hand to dismiss the torrent of wind around them. A small tremor worked through her.

She felt alarmed being near him again. He’d hurt her and she shouldn’t have any reaction other than anger toward him, yet her body wasn’t listening. His fallen angel face was almost too beautiful to look at. His dark brown eyes were still piercing and so mysterious they gave her shivers. The short spikes of his black hair and the large muscled body looked even more mouth-wateringly sexy than they had in the past.

“Why are you here?” She glowered at him.

“Because you need me.” Goosebumps broke over her skin when his heated gaze roamed over her. She was ready to deny it, but he interrupted her. “You do need me. You may not know it, but your mother does, and that’s why I’m here.”

Shock tore through her, and she nibbled on her lip. “My mom called you?”

His gaze fastened on her mouth. “She wanted to hire services to protect you. I’m here to take care of that.”

She turned on her heel and made a dash for her phone. While she dialed, she heard her front door close and looked up to see Zahir take a seat on one of her sofas.

“Mom? What the hell is going on?” She tried to stay calm, but her voice came out a frantic whisper.

“What do you mean?”

“Zahir is here!”

“Oh. Well, I wasn’t expecting that.”

Sharmila frowned. Was this her mother’s attempt at getting her to have sex? “Why is he here, Mom?” Her heart thudded in her chest. She looked away from his piercing gaze.