The Fashion of Love | Adult F/M Romance [COMPLETE]

ch. 36 - July

He tightened his grip on her waist, the twitch of man too aware of what he wanted and couldn't have in the moment. "That's a dangerous offer to make."

"I guess you could say I've developed a taste for that lately. I wonder how that happened." She bit her lip on a smirk that came unbidden. Ravi wasn't the safe choice, he wasn't the love that came without risk; he was simply the right one.

His gaze flittered over her in that hungry way that made heat pool in the pit of her stomach. Every inch of her that he craved, craved him. How had she come this far without being consumed by this? She didn't think she could go another day.

Just Ravi looked as though he might ravage her where they stood, Imogen and Mykos coughed conspicuously from the sidelines. Sora hadn't realized they were in the room. Imogen's cough came out more like bow chicka bow bow in a rough undertone than a real cough. Mykos's sounded more like poorly concealed church giggle.

The mood was dead; if only somebody would tell her lungs, her dizzy heart. Ravi disappointment was in the twist of their hands together, the soft squeeze.

Ravi's cellphone vibrated between them.

"Hold that thought," he sighed, only to sigh again on checking the display. "I gotta pick Dhiren up from soccer practice and drop him off at Hana's."

Just the reminder Sora had hoped to avoid. Not Dhiren, but Hana, who tended to herald difficulty by the slightest mention of her name.

"Don't look like that. I'm gonna need something to look forward to afterward. Don't forget where we left off."

Sora forwent his lips to kiss the prominent tendon in his neck, following it to where it met clavicle and shoulder. His breath left him in a rush only when she stopped.

"I'll save the rest for later."

"You're killing me." He pressed closer, close enough that clothes made little difference to the spectacle they were making.

"Don't you have someplace to go?" she asked, even as she scraped her nailed down the nape of his neck.

He growled. "That kid..."

"Parenthood is as sweet as it is painful," she opined wryly, equanimity restored.

"Loving you isn't." Ravi gave her a peck on the mouth, then pulled back.

She lamented the loss at once, sulky as a teenager far less blessed. "Don't be gone long."

He blew across the shell of her ear. "I couldn't stand it," he murmured and slipped away.

Imogen winked at Sora from across the room and Sora smoothed her wrinkled attire, pretending all the while she wasn't turning bright red at the scrutiny she was getting from the Misra employees in the showroom. Momentary lapses she could deal with; it was the moments after that still gave her trouble.

She jumped, scared witless when Ravi popped back into the showroom.

"Do me a favor?"

"Name it?"

"Help me move into my new beach house."

This was the first Sora was hearing of any beach house.

"Sure."

"I'll text you the address."

"Okay, see you then."

He winked and disappeared again.

Imogen swept over, beaming at Sora's dopey, mystified grin. What can I say? It's the Ravi Misra effect.

"It's all full steam ahead on the good ship Savi, I see."