The room was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of silence that was deafening, where every breath seemed louder than it should be, and every small movement felt amplified in the stillness of the night.
Meerab lay in bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, the darkness of the room pressing down on her like a weight. She had been tossing and turning for what felt like hours, trying to force herself into the safety of sleep, but her mind was restless, betraying her attempts at peace.
She sighed, turning over on her side, her gaze falling on the empty couch where Murtasim usually slept. He was away tonight, attending some family business that had kept him out late. Usually, the thought of having the room to herself would bring her relief, but tonight… it was different.
Her thoughts kept circling back to him. To the way he looked at her sometimes, with those intense, dark eyes that seemed to strip away every barrier she put up. To the way he moved, with that effortless confidence, like he owned the very space around him. To the way he’d touch her—just little, accidental brushes of his fingers against her skin—but enough to leave her heart racing.
Meerab squeezed her eyes shut, willing the thoughts to go away. She wasn’t supposed to think about him like that. She wasn’t supposed to feel this way about him. He was insufferable, frustrating, always pushing her boundaries, always making her feel like she was losing control.
But even now, as she tried to banish him from her thoughts, she could feel the pull of him. That magnetic force that always seemed to draw her to him, no matter how much she resisted.
Stop thinking about him, she scolded herself, turning over again, her face pressed into the pillow.
But the more she tried not to think about him, the more her mind seemed to betray her. Images of him flooded her thoughts—his broad shoulders, his chiseled jaw, the way his lips curved into that smirk that drove her insane. And then, there were those moments… those fleeting moments when she’d catch him looking at her like she was the only person in the world. Like he wanted her in a way that made her heart skip a beat.
Meerab groaned softly, feeling a wave of heat wash over her. Her body was betraying her too now, responding to thoughts she had no right entertaining. But she couldn’t stop it. She couldn’t stop him from invading every corner of her mind.
Her hand drifted down to her stomach, hesitating as she closed her eyes, trying to will away the rising tide of desire. But it was no use. The feeling was already there, curling in the pit of her stomach, growing stronger with every passing second.
She could almost hear his voice in her head, low and husky, the way it got when he was close to her, when he was teasing her, pushing her buttons.
“You think you can ignore me, Meerab? You think you can pretend you don’t want this?”
Her breath hitched at the thought of him saying those words, at the mental image of him standing over her, looking at her with that same intensity that made her feel like she was coming undone.
Her hand moved lower, brushing against the waistband of her pants, and for a moment, she froze, caught between shame and want. But the pull of him was too strong, and the need too overwhelming.
Just this once, she told herself. Just to get him out of my head.
She slipped her hand beneath the fabric, her fingers grazing her skin as her breath came in shallow, uneven gasps. Her mind was filled with him now—his voice, his touch, the way he’d make her feel if she ever let him close enough.
Her fingers found the sensitive spot between her legs, and she let out a soft, involuntary moan, her body responding instantly to the touch. She imagined it was him touching her, his hands rough and strong, the way he’d hold her if he ever had the chance.
