Rebel Hard (Hard Play #2)(22)

Nayna sighed. “That is so incredibly romantic.” A fact Raj would never understand. “So you two are serious?”

ísa bit down hard on her lower lip. “He’s amazing, Nayna. Loves his family, is dedicated to his friends, has so much passion for his work.”

Not many people would’ve heard what ísa didn’t say, but Nayna had known ísa since they were thirteen. There was a reason Nayna’s mother knew that ísa liked this cake and a reason her father had made the effort to make sure it was boxed up nicely—and a reason her grandmother had added the gift of a gold bangle from her private collection, which would otherwise pass on only to her granddaughters.

ísa had celebrated more birthdays with Nayna’s family than she had her own parents.

“Are you worried he won’t have time for you?” she asked, gentle with her friend who had spent far too much of her childhood alone. The birth of her sister, Catie, when ísa had been fifteen, had assuaged some of her loneliness for family, but ísa had always been the adult in that relationship.

No one in ísa’s family looked after her; ísa was the one who took care of everyone else.

Turning her lips inward, ísa nodded. “The project he has coming up, it’s critical to the future of his business and it’s going to consume him.” The bangle glimmered on her wrist when she lifted her hand to push back her hair. “But it won’t just be one project—he has too much drive to stop there. And the thing is, I like his drive, I admire his passion. I just…”

“I know.” Nayna closed her hand over the one ísa had on the table. “You shouldn’t ever have to be second best, ísa.” It was a fierce statement. “Sailor would be privileged to be loved by you.” ísa Rain loved her people without limits, would do anything for them.

ísa’s smile was a touch shaky. “I adore being with him. I’m not ready to make a decision yet.”

All Nayna could do was tell her friend she was there for her if she needed to vent. The final decision on her relationship would have to be ísa’s. As for Nayna, she’d made her decision already, and tonight she’d share it with her parents. It would be hard because she wasn’t going to share what Raj had said—she would not do that to her parents—but she’d make it clear he wasn’t the kind of son-in-law they’d want.

Then she’d tell them she was done.

Yep, it was going to be a stellar day for Nayna Sharma.



* * *



As her brunch with ísa had gone a little long, Nayna was still in the office at six. Her last colleague had left at around five thirty, locking the front door behind him for security, and she planned to finish up and be out of there by seven. She wanted to speak to her family over dinner.

When the doorbell rang, she wasn’t startled. With it being summer, it was still sunny outside, and more than likely a courier driver was trying his luck by attempting to deliver a package. The local drivers all knew Nayna and one of her other colleagues often worked late and would be around to sign for things.

Rising, she made her way to the front door. She looked through the peephole out of habit, her hand already on the door handle… and froze. It wasn’t a courier driver outside, shifting impatiently on his feet as he waited for a response. No, this man was bigger, and he stood absolutely still.

She should’ve turned around and walked away, but she wanted to know what the hell Raj thought he had to say to her. Wrenching open the door, she folded her arms. “Did you forget an insult?”

No expression on his face. “I wanted to ask if you’d read this.” He held out what looked to be a couple of sheets of paper folded over.

“What? Am I living Lizzy Bennet’s life?” She kept her arms folded. “I highly doubt you have anything to say that I want to hear.”

Raj frowned. “I don’t know who that is, and I can’t force you to read anything. All I can do is ask.” Then he put the pages on the small white table they had on the porch of the villa. Surrounded by three chairs made of the same wide slats of wood, it was occasionally used for meetings with clients in the summer.

Nayna didn’t move as Raj turned and walked down the three steps to the parking lot level. He’d parked his black utility truck beside her MINI, the big bruiser of a vehicle currently sporting a ladder on the roof. In back was a pallet of tiles tied down by ropes. She could also see toolboxes through the back windows.

The display of rugged manliness might’ve melted her on the spot if she hadn’t been so angry with him.

He backed out and around before pulling out into the traffic on the wide road that fronted the villa that had been converted into offices for their boutique firm. Nayna still didn’t move. Not until a gust of wind threatened to lift the pages off the table. She grabbed them before they could be stolen away, the action instinctive. Her raging curiosity wouldn’t allow her to just leave it.

That and the hollow in the pit of her stomach filled with a deep sense of loss.

Stepping back with the pages in hand, she locked the door behind her, then walked into the little kitchen in the villa and poured herself a fresh cup of coffee from the carafe she’d put on earlier. Only once she was fortified with caffeine did she walk back into her office and take a seat at her desk.