Harlequin Desire January 2021--Box Set 1 of 2 by Maisey Yates (free biff chip and kipper ebooks .txt) 📕

found himself holding her hand loosely, his thumb moving across the back of her hand, feeling its softness. Divya’s mouth opened and he stilled, summoning every ounce of willpower he had not to lean over and kiss her. Why wasn’t she pulling away? Was it his imagination or was she leaning even closer? Their mouths were inches apart.

He knew he was being impulsive again but he wanted to feel her soft lips on his, to know whether the earlier kiss that had shot zingers through his body had been real or if he’d been high on adrenaline and imagined the whole thing. He leaned forward.

CHAPTER FOUR

A second before their lips touched, she moved back. What am I doing? She’d almost kissed Ethan. Again. Just a couple of hours ago, she’d been about to take seven sacred circles around the marriage fire with another man. Granted, Vivek wasn’t a man she wanted to marry, but it was a little too soon to get involved with someone like Ethan. Especially Ethan. Divya wasn’t the good Indian girl her parents believed her to be. Without their knowing, she’d dated off the approved list. But Ethan was far beyond the unsuitable category.

Ethan shifted on the sofa so there was more space between them. He turned back to his laptop. An awkward silence settled between them.

He was gora. Not even in her wildest dreams had she thought about dating someone who wasn’t Indian. Her entire identity revolved around her family and culture. What could she possibly have in common with an American? What does it matter? I’m not marrying him. For the first time in her life, she was free of her parents’ watchful eyes. In this moment, she was attracted to him, so what was the harm? There was no chance she’d fall in love with him.

Kathy appeared, saving them from more awkwardness. She asked what they wanted for lunch. Divya suddenly realized she was starving; she hadn’t eaten anything all day. Ethan ordered a burger and she asked for the same.

“You eat beef?” he said, looking surprised, once Kathy had left.

She smiled. “Busted.”

“Pooja didn’t eat beef. She said most Indians, especially Hindus, don’t.”

“That’s true. My parents would die if they knew I’m eating beef. Is it wrong that I love hamburgers? It’s rare to find them in India. McDonald’s serves lamb and chicken burgers.”

He laughed. “I don’t see anything wrong with having your own belief system. I wish Pooja had been more independent. She was always too concerned with pleasing her parents.”

Divya frowned. “What’s wrong with that?”

He held up his hands. “I don’t mean any offense. It’s just that our whole relationship revolved around the fact her parents would never approve of me.”

“Did you try with her parents?”

“She never gave me a chance.”

Divya chewed her lip. This was exactly why she had never fantasized about dating a gora. “I can see where Pooja was coming from. In Indian families, everything revolves around the parents’ expectations. That comes with its bad parts, like having to conform to traditions you may not agree with. But there’s also a lot of good. I’ve always felt loved and secure in my home. I’ve never felt loneliness in my life. When we were all on lockdown, it was the best time of our lives. We enjoyed being together. We stayed up playing games and having deep conversations about the silliest topics. None of us got cabin fever. When the lockdown ended, we were all sad that it couldn’t go on longer.” As she said the words, dread spread through her chest. What if they don’t forgive me? “It’s not about pleasing the family, it’s about respecting who they are. It’s a small price for the love and happiness you get in return.”

He held up his hands. “I value that too. I’m very close with my family, and they’ve always been there for me. But they won’t be dictating who I marry.”

“Won’t they?”

He frowned at her. “I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”

“Did your family want you to marry Pooja?”

He shrugged. “It had less to do with my family than hers. My parents will accept whoever I choose.”

“Would you be happy marrying someone who wouldn’t get along with your family?”

He frowned, then shrugged. “That’s difficult to answer in the hypothetical.”

Bullshit. But she let it be. You could push someone only so hard into seeing what was right in front of them. Plus, she couldn’t risk pissing him off.

She changed the topic. “Thank you for taking me to New York. I can only imagine how busy you must be.” She gestured toward his laptop.

He shrugged. “Not as busy as I’d like. The business is on autopilot. I hired a great executive team, who in turn hired some great people, and as the business has grown, I’ve become more of a figurehead for important decisions. They do the day-to-day.”

“Is it hard for you to give up control over something that you created?”

He gave her a wistful smile. “It should be but it’s not. I like focusing on the big picture. Besides, work can only give you so much satisfaction.” He sighed. “I’d canceled all my meetings and taken ten days off to get married and go on a honeymoon.”

“Sorry about that.”

“No, you’re right. If I really wanted to marry Pooja I would’ve proposed to her when she first threatened to leave.”

Ah, he can admit when he’s wrong.

Kathy returned with their burgers and they dug in with gusto. They chatted about their favorite books, movies and places they’d been. Divya was surprised at how much they had in common: they hated reality TV and loved witty historical dramas and suspenseful thrillers. He didn’t share her obsession with horror movies, but no guy was perfect.

They landed at the private aviation terminal at Teterboro Airport, right outside the city, in New Jersey. Divya knew from traveling with her parents that the main New York City commercial airports were very congested, so private jets used the smaller airports.

A tall older woman dressed in a