Detached

CHAPTER 16

Hey guys!!! I know I said this chapter will start with Riyansh's point of view but due to some changes in the story I'll have to continue with Meera's point of view....I hope you guys understand and enjoy the chapter.....
Thank you!!
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*MEERA'S POINT OF VIEW*

He hadn’t moved. It was like he was stuck on the spot, just staring at me.When I got closer to him, my heart started to speed up fractionally, but it wasn’t from fear. When I was close enough, I raised my hands, putting them on his chest, making his full lips part and his eyes tighten. I grinned wickedly and shoved on his chest as hard as I could. Distracted, he lost his footing and stumbled backwards into the lake.

I burst out laughing as he broke the surface again, gasping and immediately swimming for the ladder. “Holy shit, that’s cold!” he rasped. I quickly moved to the ladder, sitting down and dangling my legs into the cold water so that he couldn’t get out. “Come on, let me out, it’s freezing!” he whined, half climbing out of the water so that we were at the same level.

“No way. You’re in now, you’ll get used to it in a minute or two,” I said confidently.

A wicked smile slipped onto his face as his arm snaked around my waist. I gasped, knowing too late what was happening. His body twisted and he threw me into the water. The cold shocked my body and made me stiffen automatically; I kicked for the top and gasped when my head broke the surface.

“Oh shit,” I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut, kicking my legs to stay afloat as the cold water attacked my system.

“Bet you want to get out now, huh?” he asked from behind me. I looked back at him; he was standing on the dock, his hair dripping. The sunlight kissed his wet skin, making him look sexy as hell.

“Oh come on, Pretty Boy, you afraid of a little cold water?” I jeered, swimming off.

I heard a splash and knew that he had dived back in; seconds later he grabbed my ankle. I laughed as I tried to carry on swimming, but he just pulled me back to him. I turned around and splashed him in the face, which just started a splashing war. It was fun and I hadn’t had fun for years. His easy smile and the beautiful surroundings made me feel more relaxed and unlike the uptight, frightened girl I had become. I felt younger somehow.

After a while, my teeth started to chatter noisily and my body was shivering uncontrollably. “Come on, let’s get back to the dock and get dried off before we get hypothermia,” he suggested, turning his back to me.

I quickly grabbed around his neck and wrapped my legs around his waist so I was on his back. “I’m too cold, you’ll have to carry me, tough guy,” I joked through my chattering teeth.

He laughed quietly but didn’t protest. As he swam for the dock I could feel his warmth seeping into my skin from everywhere our bodies touched. When we got to the dock, I climbed off his back and forced my shaking legs to climb the ladder. Picking up the two fluffy towels, I wrapped one around my body and turned, holding the other out towards him.

When I laid eyes on him, my stomach dropped into my toes. He was just pulling himself out of the lake. The water was running down his goosebump-covered body, and I secretly envisioned rubbing the towel all over him. Actually, screw the towel; I want to rub my hands all over him…

“Great idea, Meera, swimming in the lake. Next time let’s go to a pool,” he suggested, roughly rubbing his hand in his hair, flicking droplets of water everywhere.

I laughed awkwardly at the thoughts that were playing out inside my head. All of them involved me being about three feet closer to him. “You were the one who chose the lake. We do have a heated indoor swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. If you wanted that then you should have said,” I countered, grinning.

His mouth popped open in shock. “Damn it! You have a heated pool yet you’ve just made me swim in icy water?”

“Oh yeah, but where’s the romance in a heated pool, huh?” I joked.

He closed the distance between us and took his towel from my hand. A sexy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he twisted it in his hands before looping it around the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him. I gasped and stiffened, shocked by the close proximity. My heart was beating way too fast as he leant in even closer, my stomach was clenching. It was one thing for my mind to play out a little fantasy of our bodies pressing together, but now that it was real and I wasn’t in control, I started to panic.

As his mouth inched towards mine and his breath blew across my lips, I jerked my knee up towards his groin. Obviously predicting my strike, he jumped backwards, laughing to himself as he avoided my blow.

“You’re right, a freezing cold lake is much more romantic,” he agreed, still chuckling to himself.

“You’re an idiot,” I muttered, taking his towel off my shoulders and throwing it at him. He grinned and caught it effortlessly, rubbing his hair with it, making it stick out at all angles while I pulled on my clothes over the top of my damp swimsuit.

“You ready to go?” he asked finally, picking up his folded clothes and the bag containing empty wrappers from all of the food he’d consumed.

“Yep,” I confirmed, climbing into the boat.

He rowed on the way back and I closed my eyes, leaning my head back, enjoying the last of the sunshine. I’d had a nice day. I hadn’t thought that for a long time.

As we stepped in through the front door, Nilam looked up from her dusting task, and a large, predatory smile crept onto her face. Riyansh sighed next to me but smiled back. When she set down her duster and sauntered towards him, swaying her hips, something settled in the pit of my stomach, something unfamiliar and unwelcome. My eyebrows knitted together when I realised that it was actually a slightly jealous feeling. The feeling actually scared me because in spending the day with him and getting to know him a little, I realised that I actually enjoyed his company. That was the worst thing that could happen to me. I didn’t want to spend time with people, grow to like them and let them into my life, only to have them march right out again and leave me. For the last few years, since Ankush had died, I’d deliberately alienated myself so that wouldn’t happen. I couldn’t get hurt again, so this was like a pre-emptive strike before they abandoned me.

Clenching my jaw, I shook my head at myself and forced the jealous feeling away. There was no way in hell I was letting myself get jealous over a bodyguard; Nilam was welcome to him.

Needing to distract myself from the fact that I’d almost done the unthinkable and made a friend, I decided to go to the gym for a while. “See you later,” I muttered, stalking off to my bedroom as Nilam twirled a lock of her hair around her finger and looked at Riyansh through her eyelashes. After changing into workout clothes, I marched downstairs and into the gym. Not bothering to stretch beforehand, I stepped onto the treadmill and turned it on slowly while I put on my iPod and cranked it up as high as I could stand.