Page 209 of One Hellish Desire

We’ve come so far, haven’t we? It feels like yesterday when I first met Maahi at Ratna Mahal after returning for Devki Estate. I had nothing then, just a broken family. Now, I have everything I ever desired, and if it hadn’t been for Maahi, I wouldn’t have achieved this happiness.

Maahi finally comes down, and I take a moment to admire her beauty. She still doesn’t look like a mother of two. I grab her hand, kiss her knuckles, and lead her to the car.

“Both Aarav and Aashi slept early today,” she says. “I fed them early.”

“Good.”

“Mom and Dad said they’ll look after them until we’re back, which should be in two or three hours, right?”

I pause.

“We can cancel if—”

She covers my mouth with her palm.

“I want to go, Vikram. I want some ‘we’ time.”

That’s my girl. I help her into the car, and we drive in comfortable silence, with my lips occasionally brushing her skin.

It’s strange, but I still can’t get enough of her when she wears red. Luckily, there's a partition that keeps us hidden from the driver, allowing me to kiss her and whisper playful, dirty remarks.

We arrive at Leela Mahal and head straight to the VIP chamber for our dinner. Maahi declines wine, which I understand. Even though she’s not breastfeeding anymore, she still avoids alcohol in case our babies need her during the night. I don’t force her and instead replace the wine with fruit juices for both of us. She’s happy about that.

We eat, drink, dance, and enjoy quality time together, talking just about us—no family, no babies, no work. Just us. When we get back home, Mom tells us the babies are sleeping well. Thanking Mom, we change into our night clothes and head to the connecting room where Aarav and Aashi sleep in their cribs.

“He snores,” I whisper, hugging Maahi from behind as we admire our babies.

“Just like you,” she teases, stroking my jaw.

“And she’s a beauty… look at her eyelashes.”

Maahi pouts. “I have good eyelashes too. See?” She closes her eyes and opens them, expecting me to notice.

I want to laugh but don’t, so as not to wake the babies. Instead, I pull Maahi closer and kiss her eyes.

“She’s got these from you. I know.”

Now she looks happy that I praised her.

“Let’s sleep. They won’t wake up.”

“Just sleep?” Maahi pouts again, and desire courses through me.

Without wasting a second, I lift her in my arms and take her to bed. She squeals in joy as I turn off the lamps and hover over her. Discarding clothes has become a quick task for us, and making love after that is the longest, most leisurely one. This is where my world is—in my wife’s arms, around my babies, and as a strong supporting member of the Grover family.

THE END