Chapter 17

♡ ANVITHA ♡

Three days.

That's how long it's been since I read that report.

Three days since I stared at those words until they blurred into ghosts that haunted my sleep.

Three days since my body started betraying my mind every time his name entered my bloodstream like poison.

Three days of silence.

Obsession.

Torture.

And to make everything worse-Vikram. That bastard shows up like clockwork, twice a day, with his fake smile and venom-soaked charm. His eyes linger longer than necessary, and his tone drips with insinuations I don't want to decode. If he were made of fire, I'd still set him on fire again. Just to watch him burn.

But I don't. Because Devraj Ramaswamy's shadow stretches long, and with his hand over my head, no one dares strike.

No one... except the man whose fingers were inside me last week.

And what's worse?

I want it again.

And it's frustrating.

Not just the memory. Not just the craving.

Him.

His darkness. His grip. His destruction.

Is it right or even healthy ?

No .

It's just physical attraction.

Nothing more , nothing less .

I reach the parking lot, my boots echoing off concrete as my gaze scans the rows of cars.

Where the hell is my car?

I bite back a curse and grab my phone. That's when I hear it-a single car horn, short and arrogant, just like the bastard behind the wheel.

I turn.

Black car. Expensive. Windows tinted. And him.

Ryan Raichand.

Wearing sin like a suit. One hand on the wheel, the other resting lazily on his thigh. His sunglasses glint even in the shade, but when he tilts his head and lowers them, I feel the impact in my chest like a bullet.

His mouth curves, smooth and lethal.

"Need a ride, Ramaswamy girl?"

I didn't miss the way he said Ramaswamy girl . Like it's a song and he just love singing that one.

He's tapping his finger on the wheel and he's expressions are like he's planning something in his mind just like him dangerous and dark .

I fold my arms. "No thanks, Raichand boy."

That smug, slow grin again. "I'm not a boy-not when you were riding my hand like a fucking heatwave."

He lifts the same hand. My body reacts before my mind can censor it. My skin flushes, betraying me.

"Tell me, Anvitha... did you lift your hips like that for every guy? Or was I your lucky boy?"

I choke on a breath. "And why the hell would that concern you?"

He leans forward, sunglasses sliding into place like armor.

"Because you were about to come on my fingers. And lucky girls? They get special treatment."

My fists clench. "I'm not your girl."

"And that's where you're wrong, wildfire. Now get into the car ."

I glare. "I don't get into cars with strangers."

"Lucky me. Apparently, I'm not."

"That's exactly what you are."

He tilts his head, eyes hidden now, but I still feel their weight on me.

"Didn't seem like a stranger when you let me finger you. Or do you flirt with all unknowns that way?"

And why the hell he have to mention that every fucking time.

This man loves getting on my every never.

I don't answer.

"Quit the performance," he snaps. "Get in the car."

And I don't move. I hold his stare like it's a battlefield, and for a second, neither of us blink.

Then suddenly, he's out of the car, moving toward me in long, sure strides.

"What are you-"

"You left me no choice," he says, before lifting me off the ground with infuriating ease.

I thrash. "Put me down or I'll-"

He doesn't even flinch. "Or you'll what?" he whispers as he kicks open the passenger side door.

His face is inches from mine, breath brushing across my mouth like a dare.

Then he buckles me in, slow and deliberate, his fingers grazing my collarbone.

And then he says the words that undo me all over again.

"We're just getting started. Baby girl ."

♤ Ryan ♤

She didn't fight me like she should have.

Not really.

Sure, she flared like the wildfire I named her after.

But deep down?

She wanted this.

The way her breath hitched when my arms slid beneath her legs. The way her fingers curled into my shirt instead of clawing it away. She was telling me no while her body said more.

And I never ignore the body.

Not hers.

I slam the door shut with my hip and round the car.

By the time I'm in the driver's seat, she's already turned her face away, staring out the window like I'm a ghost she can ignore.

Cute.

I adjust my sleeves, start the engine, and the hum of the car fills the silence between us.

"I said I didn't need a ride," she snaps, finally breaking.

"I didn't ask."

"Let me out."

"No."

She jerks toward me. "Are you insane?"

"No," I say, eyes still on the road. "I'm territorial."

Silence again. Heavy. Thick. Delicious.

I reach over and turn the volume knob on the stereo. Nothing plays.

"I'm not your property," she hisses.

I grin. "That's where you're wrong. You just don't know it yet."

Her nostrils flare. "Is this your thing? Kidnap women and call it charm?"

I chuckle. "You weren't kidnapped, Anvitha. You were carried. Big difference."

Her hands ball into fists. Her legs are pressed tight. She's coiled like a loaded gun.

And I love it.

"So you admit it," she says, voice low. "You're the kind of man who takes."

"Yes," I murmur. "And I always take what's mine."

She looks at me sharply.

"But I'm not yours."

"Not yet," I say, keeping my voice calm. "But I plan to ruin you so well, you'll beg to be claimed."

She goes still.

It's the kind of stillness that comes right before a scream or a surrender.

I don't know which one she'll choose.

I don't care.

She says nothing for five minutes. Just sits there, breathing unevenly, as if the space between us is choking her.

And then, quietly, she says, "You were watching me."

Not a question.

A statement.

I glance at her. Her jaw is set. Her eyes on mine now.

"I was," I admit.

"For how long?"

"Long enough to know you don't trust anyone. Not even yourself."

Her fingers tremble on her lap. I see it. I watch it.

"I don't trust men who finger women in their bedroom and then throw them out like garbage," she snaps. Face facing the window like she's avoiding any eye contact.

I press the brake harder than needed as we stop at a red light.

As her body jerk forward , her eyes widen , lips slightly apart. She doesn't expect me braked that hard. Gulp her saliva and still gripping the seat belt, her nails her digging into the material and mind goes to how they feel when she dig them in my back when I fucking that attitude out of her system.

And look at me with her signature ' what the fuck ' , ' you fucking asshole ' look.

"I didn't throw you out," I said. "I told you to run."

"Same thing."

I shift in my seat and lean toward her. "No, Anvitha. Throwing you out would mean I was done with you."

She breathes in. A shaky, angry, confused breath.

"And you're not?"

I drag my eyes across her face, her lips, the pulse in her neck.

"No," I say simply. "I'm far from done."

She doesn't say a word. Not as I start driving again. Not when the air grows heavy with what's unsaid.

But I know her silence.

It's not surrender.

It's anticipation.

She's waiting for the next strike.

And I'll give it to her.

On my terms.

On my time.

Because she came into my world playing with fire.

Now she's in the cage.

And I'm the beast who knows how to burn it all down.

The car pulls into the underground garage of my private penthouse. I kill the engine and step out. Her door opens because I open it. She stands there, tense, daring me.

But I'm done with pretending.

I take her wrist-not harshly, not softly-and walk her to the elevator. The doors close.

And we ascend.

She's quiet, fuming. Probably planning a murder fantasy with me in the lead role.

Good. Let her fantasize.

Because the second those doors open, she'll step into my world.

And in here, I own every breath she takes.

The elevator chimed.

The doors slid open with a soft hiss, revealing the controlled chaos that was my world. My penthouse was carved out of steel, glass, and shadows-just like me. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across the room, city lights flickering in the distance like dying stars. A bar to the left. A leather couch. A grand piano that hadn't been touched in years.

But I wasn't watching any of that.

I was watching her.

Anvitha stood there, breathing , her lips slightly parted from the earlier struggle, pupils still blown wide from adrenaline-or something darker. Her oversized blazer clung to her frame, and her pants hung low on her hips. She looked out of place in my polished hell. Innocent in a den that devoured innocence.

I stepped out first.

She follows.

"You're not going to run now, are you?" I asked, throwing a look over my shoulder.

Her jaw clenched. "I should but After shot you . "

"You should've done a lot of things," I muttered and left the rest unsaid. Like not sneaking into my room. Like not moaning my name with her back arched against my fingers.

She stepped out, and the elevator doors shut behind her like a coffin lid. There was no going back now.

"Why are we here?" she asked.

I turned, loosening the collar of my shirt as I walked toward the bar. "Because I didn't want to fuck you in a parking lot. I have standards."

"You're disgusting."

"Yet, you came with me."

"That doesn't mean-"

"Save it." I grabbed a bottle of aged scotch, poured two fingers into a crystal glass, and turned to face her. "Every time you open your mouth to deny what you want, you insult your own body. And it's getting real tired of the lies."

She didn't respond. Just stood there, arms crossed, teeth sinking into her lower lip like that would protect her from the storm inside.

I moved closer. Deliberate. Predatory.

"You've been thinking about it," I said. "Replay it every night, don't you? The way your hips moved, your pussy clenched, your fingers didn't give you what mine did. Couldn't."

"Fuck you, Ryan."

"Not yet."

Her palm raise may be for a slap but a garb her wrist before i could kiss my cheek. A harsh slap that only turn me on more.

I tilted my head, smiling. "There she is."

"I'm not a toy for you to break and remake, Ryan."

I leave her wrist with a jerk .

"You already are." I handed her the drink. "You just haven't read the fine print yet."

She didn't take the glass.

So I set it down and closed the distance between us, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She flinched.

"You're trembling," I whispered, fingers trailing down her arm.

"I'm furious."

"Furious turns into wet fast when it comes to me. I'm a disease, Anvitha. And you're already infected."

Her breath hitched.

I leaned down, whispering against her mouth. "You came to me."

"It was a mistake."

"You wanted answers. So ask."

"I-"

"Ask me why I know your medical history. Ask me how I found out about the pills. About the shadows in your past."

She stepped back. "What the hell do you want from me?"

"Everything."

Silence stretched.

I let her retreat toward the windows, giving her space. Let her feel the weight of the city watching her through the glass. She turned, arms hugging herself, trying to regain control.

"You think knowing pieces of me gives you power?" she asked quietly.

"No," I said. "It gives you clarity. You just don't want it."

She turned back. "And what about your clarity? Should I peel you open next? Should I start digging into your shadows?"

I walked toward her, every step echoing through the silence.

"You won't have to dig," I said softly, pinning her with my gaze. "I'll let you see every dark corner-if you can survive it."

She didn't respond.

But she didn't walk away either.

I stepped in closer. Inches between us.

"This is your last chance," I whispered. "Walk away, and I'll pretend you didn't climb into my bed with murder in your eyes and lust in your veins."

"And if I stay?"

My lips brushed hers. Not a kiss. A threat.

"Then you belong to me."

Standing there with her arms crossed, jaw clenched, like she's still in control-when her fucking scent is already dripping down my spine. Facing the near wall .

"You think I won't touch you again?" I ask, stepping into her space until her back grazes the cold wall.

I don't wait for an answer. My hand fists her hair and yanks her head back so she's forced to look at me. Her breath catches. Her pupils? Blown wide.

"I should throw you out for sneaking in ," I whisper against her lips. "But instead... I'm going to remind you what happens when you step into the lion's cage."

I crush my mouth to hers-rough, raw, punishing. Her gasp is the invitation I've been waiting for. My tongue claims her like she belongs to it, and the second she moans, it's over.

My other hand snakes down, yanking her pants and panties in one brutal motion until they hit her ankles.

" Ryan ," she breathes, even as she spreads her legs for balance.

My fingers slide between her thighs, and fuck-she's soaked.

"Oh, you're dripping for me already," I rasp, two fingers teasing her folds. "This pretty little cunt missed me."

" Tell me when did you get wet is it when I kissed you or when you enter my penthouse, wildfire. "

She whimpers when I circle her clit, slow and precise, then shove two fingers deep inside her without warning.

"Fuck!" she cries, back arching off the wall.

"That's right," I growl. "Let me hear it."

Her hands grab my shoulders, nails biting into my shirt, but she doesn't push me away. She rides my fingers like her life depends on it.

"You're so tight," I hiss. "You know what that means, baby? It means no one else has touched you like this. No one's been deep inside you."

I curl my fingers just right and her whole body trembles.

"Look at you. Moaning. Dripping. Ready to fall apart." I thrust harder, my palm slapping her wetness with every move. "You were made to be fucked like this."

Her mouth drops open in a silent scream as I pull her closer with my free hand, dragging her pussy over my fingers again and again until she's gasping for air.

"You going to come for me, Anvitha?" I whisper in her ear. "Going to soak my fucking hand like the filthy little mess you are?"

"I-" she pants, "don't-want-"

"Then why are your hips chasing every thrust?"

She shatters on a moan so deep, it sounds like a prayer to the devil.

I don't stop. I finger her through it, dragging out her climax until her legs nearly collapse. Then I yank my hand out, glistening with her arousal, take that same finger into my mouth and suck one finger clean.

She is looking at me or my mouth that cleaning her mess off.

"You taste like sin," I say, licking slow. "No wonder I'm addicted."

She's still shaking, trying to catch her breath.

But I'm not done.

I had to kill the agency to take her against the wall , on the floor , every surface with my cock . And when I do that I bury myself inside her so deep even she wouldn't do anything aside of accept that .

"Next time," I promise darkly, slow and deliberate, "I'm going to stretch this pussy around my cock until it forgets anyone else ever existed."

Her eyes flick down, wide with panic-and hunger.

As I am already hard , she can see it.

I smirk.

"And the best part? You'll fucking thank me for it."

I step away like nothing just happened, and nod toward the door.

"You've got thirty seconds to fix your clothes and run before I fuck you against every surface in this penthouse."

She doesn't move.

So I count.

"Twenty-nine... Twenty-eight..."

Her hands scramble to grab her pants.

I don't blink. Just watch.

Because I know one thing now.

She won't stop coming back.

And the next time?

I'll finish what I started.

Because I love that fucking look on her face .

Lips apart, half close eye lids , pink tint on her cheek which comes every time I touch her and the most delicious part when she's trying to pretend she doesn't want that but her lust full eyes sing other thing.



Reason to post is kisi ne meri spotlight per bohot Acha comment likh or mujhe itna Acha laga ki Mera dil garden garden ho gaya .

Okay then vote the chapter and please comment on it .

And another reason is I just seen the comment of cutie pie on the last chapter so .

This chapter is for you cutie pie .

_kelly_