“You have to open your mouth to eat.”

“What?”

He pressed into her lips with his again. Warmth slid down her body again. He used his lips to part hers.

She gasped, the feel of the inside of his mouth completely taking her by surprise.

“Still okay?” He pulled away just enough to ask.

She yanked him back to her. She opened her mouth and let him in, feeling and feeling and feeling. Then she did it too, reaching and reaching, as deep as she could go. All the way, thick tongue and soft tissue and hard teeth and so much sensation sinking to all ends of her body.

He was laughing when she pulled away for a breath, even as something about him seemed different. His eyes had gone wild and heavy lidded. If she hadn’t known better she’d have thought he was furious. Anger and arousal, two forms of giving over control.

“Is it normal to laugh when you kiss someone?”

He shook his head. “Not at all.”

She stroked his lips with her thumb. “I didn’t feel anything!”

His hand went to his chest. “Have mercy, woman.” But he was smiling.

“I mean I felt a lot. But . . . but it was all mine.” Wonder was a live thing inside her. “All my own feelings.”

Another smile.

“Can I ask you for something, Sid?”

“Anything.”

“Will you take me out? I want to leave the estate. But I don’t want my family to know.” She couldn’t imagine their finding out and she didn’t know why.

He smoothed her hair, stroked it. Her bun had unfurled and her hair hung down to her hips. “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?”

“Sripore.” She didn’t even have to think about it. “But somewhere closer first.”

“I think I know just the place,” he said with such sincerity that she had to kiss him again.

Chapter Twenty-Four

I miss you,” Vansh said, dictating a text to Naina. Then erased it. He felt like he was constantly walking the tightest rope between wanting to be with her all the time and scaring her away with one wrong word.

Are you sore? he texted instead, knowing she’d find that much easier to handle than an “I miss you.” Turned out she was remarkably comfortable at keeping things physical.

Why would I be sore? It’s been years since I worked out, she responded, even adding a confused emoji.

Liar. I have evidence to prove you’ve been working out, quite vigorously, every day this past week. A few times a day even.

Evidence? Yuck!

My dirty dirty girl, he texted back.

He slipped his phone into his pocket, grabbed his backpack, and headed for the door, and ran head-on into his father.