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

she didn’t take over now, he would spiral, and once that happened, recovery took months. She had to stop it before it got worse.

I’ve only been thinking about myself.

Karishma reappeared, holding a tray of tea and snacks. “We’d better start getting ready for dinner.”

Divya gasped as she realized that hours had gone by. She guiltily grabbed Ethan’s phone to see several missed messages from him. “I need to go see him,” she said to Karishma.

“Div, dinner is only an hour away. You can wait that long, can’t you? Or are you all hot for him?” She hugged herself and made kissy faces.

“Stop! I need to talk to him before he comes over here. Cover for me.” With that, she stepped outside to the balcony and looked down at the great room to make sure the coast was clear. Ethan had texted her his room number and she went straight down. Arjun had given him one of the best suites in the hotel.

As soon as she arrived, Ethan pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “I was afraid you’d forgotten about me already.”

Tears stung her eyes. “We need to talk.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Ethan didn’t need her to spell it out for him. He saw it all over her face. She’d been sucked back into the family fold.

“I love you.” It’s all he had left to say to her.

She sniffed. “And I love you. Change of plans.”

“We’re switching from a Bollywood plot to a Hollywood one?”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “I need to prep you for dinner with my parents. They know we’re involved. They are going to grill you about—”

He kissed her. “Divya, I got this.”

She stared at him. “You don’t understand. Things have to be…”

He looked into her deep dark eyes, trying to tell her without words that he’d do anything for her, that he finally understood what it meant to love someone. She had shown him how real relationships worked. She’d brought him closer to his family; now it was time for him to do the same for her.

She looked at him uncertainly. He cupped her face, then bent his head and pressed his lips softly to hers. “I’m ready.”

One thing was clear: if Divya was going to be happy with him, her family had to accept him.

* * *

Divya put on a conservative black dress, did her makeup and added the right amount of jewelry. When she went downstairs, it was clear that her mother approved. She was the last one to arrive. Everyone was dressed somewhat formally. Even Simmi was wearing a cute red dress and had a little bow in the few wisps of hair on her head.

Divya’s stomach churned. She’d forgotten to tell Ethan to dress up. His standard-issue jeans and polo would not go over well. She rubbed her temples. This is going to be a disaster.

The table was set for dinner, and waiters stood in the corner ready with a tray of samosas and pakoras. She looked at the time and cringed. Ethan was a minute late.

The bell rang and she rushed to answer it, but one of the staff beat her to it. Her heart stopped when she saw him. He was wearing a perfectly fitted black suit with a French-cuffed shirt. Wow. Even though she’d just seen him a half hour ago, she needed to touch him. To make sure he knew that she loved him.

Arjun stepped forward to greet Ethan, and her heart swelled at the sight of her brother shaking Ethan’s hand and slapping him on the arm. Her parents were standing by the living room couches, and Arjun escorted Ethan to them. “I don’t think we formally introduced everyone,” Arjun said good-naturedly. Divya guessed that Rani had talked to Arjun, perhaps reminded him how difficult it was for them when they first announced their love.

Ethan stepped to her parents and bent down and touched their feet. Divya gasped. She hadn’t briefed him on pairi pauna, an Indian tradition where you touched the feet of your elders as a show of respect and to get their blessings. She’d never expected Ethan to understand an archaic custom like that, nor had she felt comfortable asking him to do it. Rani had told her all about the first time she’d met Divya’s parents. Arjun had asked her to do pairi pauna and Rani had felt disrespected. Being Indian, she didn’t agree with the custom. Divya never expected Ethan to understand.

She leaned against the wall to steady herself, her knees suddenly weak. A hushed silence fell in the room. Her mother’s hand instinctively touched Ethan’s head in blessing, just like it would when Arjun or Sameer touched their feet. Divya could almost see her mother’s heart melting.

“What would you like to drink, Ethan?” Sameer broke the stunned silence.

“A beer would be great.” Divya did a mental face palm. She’d forgotten to tell him about the family drink.

“I’m sure room service has some,” Sameer said easily.

“Whatever you’re having is fine,” Ethan amended.

Sameer handed Ethan a tumbler of whiskey. Ethan gallantly took a sip and tried not to grimace as he swallowed. Divya noticed Sameer also had a tumbler in his hand and she frowned. He wasn’t supposed to be drinking. While he was addicted to painkillers, his therapist had warned her that any substance use could cause a relapse.

The waiters circulated with the appetizers, but no one seemed hungry.

“He’s really hot, especially in a suit. I hope you’ve seen him without all those clothes?” Karishma whispered. Divya shushed her before their mother’s owl ears caught wind of their conversation. Her parents still thought she was a virgin. It had always galled her that they never had that expectation of her brothers, but now was not the time to dwell on the gender hypocrisy in her family.

“Tell us, Ethan, how is it that five days ago, you professed your love in front of all of us, thinking Divya was another woman, and now you’re here to convince us that we