Playing With Fire

Chapter 6 - He likes them curves

"You going to let me in or would you rather we did this in the hallway?"

Kajol blinked herself out of the trance he had her in, feeling a bit foolish. He probably thought her a few bricks short of a load, and she couldn't blame him. "Sorry. It's been a long day." She stepped out of his way. "Come on. I think the living room would be a little better than the hall."

He led the way, not that the way was too far, but still ... He led her to the living room and sat down on the floor as if he'd done this a thousand times. Like they'd done this a thousand times together. "You're a lifesaver. I'm starved." She joined him on the floor, taking a plate with two pieces of chicken pizza he handed her.

"Yeah, me too. I had a hell of a day trying to fix a leak in one of the apartments today. I think Ms. Singh breaks things in her apartment just so I have to go in there and fix them. The woman has more maintenance calls than everyone else put together."

"Maybe she likes you."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

She couldn't help but ask the question. Inquiring minds wanted to know. It had nothing to do with the fact he attracted her. "Why? Do you have a girlfriend? Wife?" She threw in the last part even though his ring finger missed a ring.

He gave her a quick laugh. "No, because she's eighty. She tries to play coy, but after so many times of her stumbling with her walker and hitting my ass, I finally see through her ploy."

Kajol almost choked on her coke. Her head fell back, and she let out a laugh, harder than she'd laughed in a very long time.

"You think I'm kidding? I'll have to bring you in with me some time. You can witness her firsthand."

Working to catch her breath, she gasped, "No, no. I believe you. I don't think I want to see that."

"Yeah, you should try being on my side." He took a bite of his pizza and followed it with a sip of his coke. "Your turn. How is it you're twenty-five years old and getting your own place for the first time? Why now?"

She pushed out a heavy breath. She really didn't want to talk about Amir or her parents. Moving in, then spending time laughing with Shahru today felt too good to drag all her crap into it.

"That bad, huh?"

"Some of it bad, not end-of-the-world bad but pretty bad ... and embarrassing."

"Another day then. I think there's some kind of rule that says you can only blush so many times in one day. We wouldn't want you going over your quota by telling me something embarrassing."

She gave him a shy smile. "Not that kind of embarrassing."

"I'm trying to give you a way out, woman. You're not supposed to argue with me about it." Shahru leaned back against a stack of boxes and kicked his legs out in front of him.

"Oops." They sat silently for a minute, eating pizza and drinking their coke. Looking around she remembered she still had so much to do, so much she wanted to do, but right

now she enjoyed talking with Shahru too much to think about it. She'd never really had many male friends. Even though she hardly knew him, something about Shahru made her count him in that category already. "I'm full." Kajol set her plate aside.

"After only two pieces? I thought you said you were hungry?"

"I was. Pizza is filling."

"Not after only two pieces it isn't." He piled two more on his plate.

"Men can get away with eating like that. Women? We look at pizza and five pounds pile on."

"Don't tell me you're one of those women. You're feminine. Women are supposed to have curves. That's how you drive men wild, you know? A lush woman's body is a beautiful thing."

Her stomach flip-flopped like a fish out of water, which was exactly what she felt like around Shahru. His eyes raked over her, sending a whole new wave of somersaults to her belly. She wouldn't have thought it possible, but his already nearly black eyes darkened, then narrowed like he regretted his words. Before she could evaluate him, his look changed again, and he offered her a wink. "Damn it. Now I went and scared you again. Don't worry. I promise I'm not going to pounce."

Great, now she'd made him think she thought he wanted her. That so wasn't what was going through her mind right now. The fact was she wanted him. What woman wouldn't? Preity's words replayed in her mind. You need to have a fling. No, she really didn't. She'd never had one in the past, so she shouldn't start now. Right now she needed to concentrate on herself, her life. "How about we change the subject? Remember, we don't want me going over my quota for the day?"

He nodded his head at her. The look of regret flashed in his eyes again. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea."

"So how did you end up taking care of this complex?"

"I actually did a few jobs in Mumbai for the owners. They were having a lot of
troubles out here. Their businesses are in Mumbai and they travel a lot, and every time something happened here they'd have to come out. It got a little old for them. They were actually thinking about selling. One thing led to another and here I am. I take care of everything here, do jobs on the side, and rescue hungry tenants when they need it."

"Do you like it?"

"It works for right now. I'd like to open my own business soon. I like to keep busy. What about you? Do you like what you do?"

"Not really. It's never been what I wanted to do."

"Then why do you?"

How did she explain this without getting into what she really didn't want to get into, and without actually lying to him? She'd fudged her rental application so it looked as though she actually still worked for Mukherjee and Associates. "Um, It's difficult."

"I hear what you're saying. Part of the another-time discussion?"

He gave her an out. He wasn't like anyone she knew. Her father, Amir, her mother—all of them would have pushed her to tell them what they wanted. They wouldn't just let things go without an explanation. And as always she would have folded to their demands. "Thanks, Shahru."

"Don't thank me. I'm not letting you off the hook completely. Just for tonight."