Rebel Hard (Hard Play #2)(49)

Why don’t you invite Raj to join you? Have a little fun away from prying eyes.

Nayna stared at her friend’s sinful suggestion. And stared.

ísa was right. Why didn’t she invite Raj to join her? It was arrogant of her to think she could make this decision alone when the two of them were in this together; whatever happened, the fallout would hit them both. She’d talked to her bosses and was doing some remote work so she could have more time off. Raj might not be in a position to leave his business… but she could ask.

She pushed the Call button before she realized that it was freaking late at night—or early in the morning, depending on your view of things—but it was too late by then because he’d picked up.

“Nayna?” His voice was rough, a sleepy growl.

Toes curling into the sheets, Nayna said, “Sorry I woke you.” Actually, she wasn’t sorry if that was what he sounded like when he woke up—at least if this all collapsed and she ended up a shriveled old maid just like Auntie Babita had warned, she’d have the memory of this conversation with him.

“Is something wrong? Do you need help?”

The sharp concern in his rapidly awakening voice turned her heart to mush. “No,” she said at once. “I just…” A deep breath. “I was wondering if you’d like to join me for a couple of days.”

She’d expected silence, shock. Raj’s family was pretty traditional, and though the two of them had been plenty naughty together, this was going into more dangerous territory altogether.

But he replied at once. “Where are you?”

Nayna took the risk and told him.

“Hold on.” Sounds of movement that had her imagining him rising naked from his bed, his hair tumbled and his eyes hooded with sleep.

A minute later, he said, “I’m pulling up flights on the laptop. I see seats open tomorrow morning to Christchurch. I’ll hire a car and drive from there.”

Nayna hung up a few moments later so he could concentrate on making the bookings, her heart pounding and her mouth dry. When she could finally string together words, she messaged ísa to let her know what was going on.

Her best friend replied: Take my advice and do every dirty thing you’ve ever dreamed.

Nayna bit down hard on her lower lip as she responded to her friend, then put her phone on the bedside table, intending to sleep. Of course, her brain wasn’t about to cooperate. It raced and raced. Raj was coming to her. And this time there were no parents, no prying eyes, just the two of them in a town of strangers.

No rules. No boundaries.

Nayna dreamed of tangled limbs and sweaty bodies… and the chance to find out who she and Raj could be together when no one was interfering, when the choices they made were theirs and theirs alone.



* * *



After a little hunting, Raj had lucked out by finding an opening on an early-morning flight to Hokitika. His plane had stopped in Christchurch first, before continuing on to the small West Coast town. He’d already booked a rental and picked up the SUV only minutes after landing.

It was a drive of under two hours to get to Franz Josef, but he wouldn’t have risked it if he’d felt in any way sleep-deprived. New Zealand roads were well-paved for the most part, but they could be winding and lonely out this way. If he had a wreck, he’d be waiting a hell of a long time for someone to find him.

However, he was wide awake, excitement pumping adrenaline through his veins. When Nayna had throttled back her messages and replies, he’d braced himself for rejection. At the same time, he’d kept up his photo campaign so she wouldn’t forget him; it had taken teeth-gritted control not to go any further, not to push as he wanted to push.

But if the reward was this, he’d do it all over again.

Swinging through Hokitika township, he bought a large cup of scalding-hot coffee as well as a bagel, both of which he wolfed down before beginning the drive. It was a smooth one, no gridlock to worry about. Just stunning native forest and a wild coast.

He stopped only once along the way, to help a motorist resecure a couple of kayaks that had begun to slip from the roof of the other man’s vehicle. It was just past eleven when he rolled into Franz Josef. The town was wide awake but quiet, the vast majority of those who came here not party people but hikers and backpackers interested in the glacier and the other natural beauties in the national park.

Pulling over, he grabbed his phone and checked the instructions Nayna had given him on how to get to her cabin. He followed them to the letter and soon found himself going down a narrow pebbled drive surrounded by the dark green of native ferns and trees.

The cabin stood at the end in splendid isolation.

He scowled. She was all alone out here.

Leaving the vehicle, he heard the rush of water and realized there must be a waterfall nearby, but he was more interested in the fact there was no one else within shouting distance. He grabbed his bag from the back seat and shut the car door… just as Nayna opened the front door of the cabin.





26





Aunties in the Pharmacy when You’re Buying CERTAIN THINGS





His heart kicked.

She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, her feet bare and her silky straight hair hanging past her shoulders, and he’d never seen a lovelier woman in his life.