Chapter 31

Midnight held the ancestral Haveli in a deep, unbroken stillness. Silver moonlight filtered through the dark timber louvers of the high balcony doors, casting slanted bars of pale luminescence across the wide teak bed. Outside, the night breeze rustled softly through the leaves of the guava orchards while the ceiling fan pushed a cool draft over the white cotton sheet.

Sunk deep into the mattress, his frame lay completely bare. Stripped of all clothing, long legs rested spread wide over the cotton fabric, his dense thighs framing his resting length where it lay heavy against his lower abdomen. Long dark hair, uncoiled from its joora, spilled over the white pillow in thick waves. His chest rose and fell in slow, rhythmic measure, his face smoothed by deep sleep.

The unlatched brass latch of the heavy teak door gave a faint click.

A thin sliver of warm hallway light cut across the dark marble floor, instantly disappearing as the door swung shut once more.

Bare soles pressed silent against the polished tile. Harleen stepped past the edge of the carved wooden wardrobe, her breathing short and shallow in the quiet room. Dressed for sleep in a thin peach cotton kameez and matching lowers, the soft fabric clung close to her waist and rounded hips. Her wavy hair hung loose past her shoulders, her hazel eyes shining wide and dark in the dim moonlight as they locked onto his naked, resting form.

Moving to the side of the wide mattress, her small hands reached out, fingers pressing gently into the muscle of his shoulder.

“Brother ... Wake up... “ (Veer Ji ... Utho na...)

A low rumble stirred in his throat. Hazel eyes opened slowly under heavy lids, catching her pale silhouette hovering right over his face. A lazy smile cut into his cheek, his voice thick with sleep, deep and rumbling in the quiet room.

“Harleen...? What are you doing here, girl? It’s twelve o’clock at night... “ (Harleen...? Tu ethe ki kar rahi ain, kudiye? Raat de baarah baj gaye ne...)

Harleen’s lips curved into a bold, mischievous smile. Instead of answering, she lifted her knee onto the edge of the mattress, climbing smoothly over his frame. Her thin peach lowers swished soft against his bare skin as she straddled his thighs, her knees anchoring her tight against his hips. Bending low over his chest, her soft frame pressed flush against his torso, her hands framing his stubbled jaw.

“Everyone went to sleep, Brother ... Father, Mother, Sister-in-law ... In the whole Haveli there is silence. I wasn’t getting sleep ... my mind was making me come to you.” (Saare so gaye ne, Veer Ji ... Bapu Ji, Bebe, Bhabi Ji ... Saari Haveli ch sannata ae. Mainu neend nahi aa rahi si ... mera man te tuhade kol aavan nu kar reha si.)

His hands rose lazily from the mattress, palms cupping the smooth curves of her waist through the thin peach cotton, his thumbs brushing slow, warm circles into her skin.

“Big courage is in you, girl ... If aunt finds out, then she will beat us both like a drum.” (Bada jera ae tere ch, kudiye ... Je mami ji nu pata lag gya na, te tera mera dona da band bajaweka.)

Harleen let out a breathless, muffled giggle against his neck, her open lips pressing a warm, lingering kiss right over the pulse point on his throat. Her fingers slid down his chest, tracing the contours of his pecs before wandering lower, past his navel, toward the heat rising between his legs.

“Nobody saw, Brother ... I came after locking the door from inside.” (Kisine nahi vekhya, Veer Ji ... Main darwaaza andar ton lock karke aayi aa.)

Her fingers closed around the base of his shaft.