She held up her hand to stop him from lecturing her. “You’re worried about the servants knowing. They won’t because it’s so easy to pick this up and—what is wrong with you?” she shrieked as he lifted her in his arms and dumped her onto the mattress.
“You will go to great lengths to stay out of my bed.” The anger vibrated in his low voice as he crawled onto the mattress and knelt between her sprawled legs. He planted his hands next to her shoulders before she could roll away. “Where was this reluctance when we met?”
She felt the blush crawl up from her chest and neck before it flooded her cheeks. “That was before I knew what kind of man you really are!” She should have known Dev would taunt her with her wanton behavior. Back then, she had been eager to discover a sensual paradise with Dev. She wished it was easier to resist him now, but she knew the pleasure she could find in his arms. It had been unlike anything she’d ever experienced and her body craved for his touch. Craved for him.
“Let me tell you what kind of man I am.” Dev’s voice was low and raspy as he leaned down until his face was right above hers. “I’m not known for my patience. I expect others to honor their word.”
“And yet you can break your promise with no consequences?” Like the pledge he’d made almost a year ago to love her. Be there for her.
“I am also a man who hasn’t slept with his wife for over four months.”
Her muscles locked and her chest squeezed violently when she saw the hard glint of lust in his eyes. “I’m not having sex with you. We—”
“What are you so afraid of?” he asked.
Her stomach twisted with dark excitement. She knew not to push the issue about sleeping in the same bed and yet she had been reckless. She needed to appear cold and disinterested. This was a man who had never wanted to be her husband. What self-respecting woman would tumble back into bed with a man who had been indifferent to her during their marriage?
“I’m not afraid.” Her voice sounded strangled in her tight throat.
“Liar. You’re afraid that you’ll submit to me. You’re afraid it won’t be long before you surrender. How little time it will take before I’m buried deep inside you.” His voice cracked as lust deepened the lines in his face. “Do you want to find out, jaan?”
Tina stared at him as the blood rushed through her veins. He surrounded her and she felt as jittery as a wild bird ready to escape from her cage. Dev always had this effect on her. She hated the power he had over her but at the same time she wanted it.
Her hands itched to explore his bare chest and his masculine scent was distracting. Her shalwar kameez offered little protection from his body heat. It suddenly felt scratchy and confining. She wanted it off. She wanted Dev to remove it, slowly, reverently, as he kissed the skin he revealed.
Dev stared into her eyes and his mouth lifted in a crooked smile. “I already know the answer, Tina. Do you?”
CHAPTER SIX
TINA NERVOUSLY LICKED her mouth with the tip of her tongue. Dev watched the movement with an intensity that took her breath away. Stark need pulsed through her veins.
She didn’t want to answer Dev. If she lied, he would prove her wrong. If she answered truthfully, he would demonstrate the accuracy of her guess. He needed to learn that she would pretend to be a devoted wife but he could not expect total submission.