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

a cream silk shirt with dark blue–patterned pants. She let her hair loose and swiped some makeup on her face. Ethan had changed into dress pants and a collared shirt. He whistled when he saw her, and she couldn’t help but smile. She’d put a little extra effort into her appearance.

They met Rajiv and Gauri in the hotel lobby.

“Divya, oh my God!” Gauri was petite, about five feet tall with large luminous eyes. Her dark hair was pulled into a ponytail. She wore a black dress and dangling diamond earrings. Divya hugged her back. Rajiv had a town car waiting, which took them a few blocks down the road to one of the most exclusive French restaurants in the city.

At first they stuck to safe topics like politics, religion and money. But inevitably, her runaway status came up during a dessert of Grand Marnier soufflé and pistachio crème brûlée.

“So what mysterious plans did you have last night?” Gauri asked, throwing a suggestive look at Ethan. He nearly choked on his espresso.

“I was tired and went to bed early. Ethan had some business to take care of.” She could feel Ethan looking at her, but he kept quiet.

Gauri narrowed her eyes at Divya but didn’t say more.

“So, what’s the plan exactly?” Rajiv asked. “Your parents and Arjun have been calling everyone you know.”

Divya shifted in her seat. “I just want some time for my family to cool off, then I’ll go home. I emailed Arjun to tell him that I’m safe.”

“Yes, thank you, you used the hotel business center, and he tracked the IP address to New York and grilled me. You know I owe your brother a lot. I feel very bad lying to him.”

Divya felt a pang of guilt. “I’m so sorry to put you in this position. We’ll leave.”

“You can stay as long as you need,” Rajiv said halfheartedly. “I’m only saying there may be a better way of handling things.”

Rajiv and Gauri looked at each other, then Gauri spoke up. “Look, Divya, I know we’ve been out of touch, but we were good friends once, so I feel I should be honest with you.”

Ethan stiffened next to her.

“If you two are together, that’s fine. We can accept that. Rajiv’s brother married an American, and our family dealt with it. But this hiding is not good. It’ll be hard for your family to accept Ethan if you continue on this way. He already has a reputation, and well…” Gauri trailed off as Divya shot her a murderous look.

Ethan didn’t deserve to be attacked for her decisions. “Ethan and I aren’t together. He accidently crashed the wrong wedding and I used the opportunity to run away. All he’s been doing is helping me hide.”

Gauri raised her brows. “Then, what are you still doing together? He’s done his job. You are safe with us. Why is he staying with you?”

“I’m right here, you know,” Ethan said quietly, but the anger in his voice was clear. “What Divya and I do is our business. We appreciate your hospitality, but we’ve clearly outstayed our welcome.”

Divya winced. Ethan didn’t know her friends and didn’t understand that they were just looking out for her. His tone had been unnecessarily harsh.

Gauri reached out her hand and grabbed Divya’s, clutching it as she turned toward Ethan. “Please, don’t take it the wrong way. We are only concerned about our friend. It’s in our nature to speak plainly. We didn’t mean to offend.”

“I know you didn’t, and your point is well-taken. I will think about it,” Divya said soothingly. She held up her spoon, eager to ease the tension around the table. “This crème brûlée is to die for.”

After they were finished with lunch, Gauri cornered Divya when they returned to the hotel. Ethan looked at Divya, and she nodded to him, so he excused himself and went to the room.

“Divya, you know the rumors going around about you and Ethan.”

She nodded. She had resisted the urge to google their names, but she could only imagine the media storm that was raging.

“What are you doing with him? If this continues, you will never get a good rishta, and your reputation will be ruined forever. It’s not like you to be running around with a strange man. Especially not a gora.”

Divya took a deep breath. Every Indian parent with a daughter of marriageable age was on the hunt for a good rishta, a suitable match for their child.

“I don’t want or need a good rishta. And Ethan is a perfect gentleman. I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you? There might not be anything going on between you now, but I see the way he looks at you. It’s only a matter of time before he makes a move, and then what’ll you do?”

Jump his bones. The thought of Ethan making a move on her made her warm all over.

“I can take care of myself,” she said cagily.

“Listen, Divya, I know it feels good to be out and about by yourself. To not have rules or restrictions. But trust me, Ethan is not the right man for you. He’s hot, no doubt, but he’s not marriage material.”

“Why not? Because he’s American?”

“Yes, that’s exactly why. Rajiv’s brother is married to an American woman, and let me tell you, it’s like lunch was today.”

“What was wrong with lunch today?”

“We had a polite conversation. We didn’t talk about anything real. I didn’t get to tell you that Rajiv’s parents are really upset with my sister-in-law because she traded in the family jewelry they gave her for their wedding for something more modern. We didn’t get to talk about how your parents are going to react when you go back. That’s how it is in my house. We talk to his brother and sister-in-law about meaningless things, like they’re strangers. There is always an awkwardness when you don’t marry someone from your culture. And look, when I did try to talk about something real, he got angry.”

“You were a little rude.”

“I was being honest.