Page 69 of Every Move You Make
Shauna found herself staring at Akash. He was already looking at her, his gaze steady, intent, as if the rest of the room had faded into irrelevance.
Her eyes lingered on him. On the sharp line of his jaw, the calm confidence in the way he carried himself, the warmth in his eyes. Then his lips curved into that familiar smile, and her chest tightened. Her going-to-be husband was a very handsome man.
His thumb shifted slightly, pressing against the inside of her wrist, right where her pulse was running away. A shiver raced down her spine. She needn’t deny what lay between them any longer. She was attracted to him, and she could allow herself to feel it. Accept it.
Her lips parted, and his gaze latched onto her mouth.
The air between them thickened with something unspoken and dangerously familiar. Want curled low in her stomach.
A hand slammed down on the table. Both she and Akash jolted, turning to face the two girls.
“Good,” Rhea said briskly. “Now that you’re both back with us, let’s discuss the biggest question. What are you going to tell the families?”
“The truth,” Shauna replied. “Although I don’t even know how to go about doing that.”
Akash glanced at her, then gave a small, helpless smile.
“We… haven’t thought that far ahead,” he admitted to the girls. “She agreed to marry me a few minutes ago. Why don’t you help us? What do you think we should do? How do we tell them?”
“And we are not telling them about Singapore,” Shauna declared.
It was one thing for these two to know. However, it wasn’t something she ever wanted to share with her grandfather, parents, or siblings.
Jiya sighed. “You’re going to face a lot of opposition to this contract marriage.”
“Hmm,” Rhea said quietly.
Shauna’s stomach tightened at the thought of answering her family’s questions. They would be disappointed in her for doing this. For marrying Akash for her own selfish need to own Sehgal Media.
But even as her nerves flared, one truth stayed solid beneath the fear. No matter what they said, she was going to do this.
This was the most insane thing she had ever agreed to, and she wanted her family standing beside her.
“It will be fine,” Akash said. He placed his hand over hers, squeezing gently, and only then did she realize how tightly she’d been gripping his fingers. “Don’t worry. We’re doing this, so we’ll figure it out. We’ll make them understand.”
She smiled, her heart easing despite herself.
Around her, the others began talking over one another, making plans and rejecting them. Shauna barely heard them.She was watching Akash. How effortlessly he had soothed her, as if he’d known exactly what she needed. As if they’d been doing this for years. God, how quickly they were slipping into the rhythm of a real couple when, for so long, they hadn’t even agreed on the smallest of things.
She pulled her hand from his, unease fluttering through her chest. They weren’t a normal couple. This was a deal for mutual benefit and mutual gain. And yet the danger loomed clearly before her. One she had to accept.
In trying to make this marriage real, she might end up falling for the one man who could break her completely. For a second time.
He thought she was dangerous. God. He had no idea how dangeroushewas to her.
19
“So… yes. Shauna and I are getting married.”
His words settled over the room.
Akash knew this was the point of no return. He took in the faces of all the people gathered around him and Shauna in his sister Keya’s house, watching as his words slowly sank in. After discussing with Rhea and Jiya, he and Shauna had decided to tell their families in this way. All at once. Together. So they could answer all the questions, and face whatever came next side by side.
Five days after meeting with Rhea and Jiya, he’d texted Keya early that morning, asking her to organize a family dinner that evening and to invite everyone from Shauna’s side. Keya, though clearly curious about the sudden request, had agreed without hesitation.
He stood next to Shauna now, their shoulders almost touching, both of them watching the room as the silence stretched on
Keya sat on the sofa facing them, her legs crossed, her expression thoughtful. Kabier lounged beside her, relaxed butalert, his eyes flicking between Akash and Shauna with open curiosity.
