DARA'S POV
After the night he opened up, something inside me refused to go back to normal.
I tried God knows I tried, to treat the next day like any other.
But every time I walked past his office, my body betrayed me.
My chest tightened.
My breath shortened.
My memory replayed the way he'd said:
"When I look at you… it feels safe."
Safe.
A billionaire CEO found me safe.
And that was the beginning of my foolishness.
By the time evening came, the board meeting had drained the life out of him.
He looked… tired.
Both physically and emotionally.
"Let's go over tomorrow's appearance," he said, voice deeper than usual.
We stood in his office just the two of us with the soft city lights pouring through the glass walls like gold.
He loosened his tie.
Rolled up his sleeves.
Revealed forearms that belonged in a museum.
Temptation oh my God, it was standing within my reach in front of me.
"So," I said, trying to remain professional,
"We'll arrive together. Smile. Hold hands if needed. Basic stuff."
He nodded distantly.
But his eyes…
His eyes were fixed on me.
Focused.
Searching.
"Dara," he said softly.
"Hm?"
His gaze dropped briefly to my lips.
My breath.
Stopped.
"You've been… different," he murmured.
"Since last night."
My heart thudded against my ribs like it owed somebody money.
"I'm not different," I lied.
His eyes lifted again, meeting mine with a warmth that made my knees weak.
"You are."
He took one step closer.
I felt the distance shrink.
Felt the air thicken.
Felt the tension coil around us like heat.
Suddenly, I couldn't hear the AC.
Couldn't hear the city outside.
Couldn't hear anything except my own heartbeat.
"Last night shouldn't have happened," I whispered.
"It was… too personal."
"That's exactly why it happened," he said quietly.
Another step.
Too close.
Too intense.
Too real.
He reached up
slowly
carefully
like he was afraid I might break.
His fingers brushed my cheek.
Soft.
Warm.
Electric.
"Dara…" he breathed.
The sound of my name in his voice…
I swear it did something to my soul.
I didn't step back.
I couldn't.
His thumb placed on my jaw.
I shivered.
He noticed.
His breath hitched.
Our foreheads almost touched.
Every part of me leaned toward him without permission.
I whispered, "This is breaking all the rules."
"I know."
His voice was barely there.
"But I can't seem to care."
His hand slid to the back of my neck not pulling, not forceful just holding me like he wanted to memorize the shape of my skin.
His face lowered.
Mine tilted up.
Our breaths mingled
slow
warm
He paused only an inch from my lips.
One inch.
"Tell me to stop," he whispered.
I should have.
I should have saved both of us.
But all that came out was:
"Kamsi…"
That was his permission.
His nose brushed mine.
His lips hovered over mine.
The world spun.
My heart surrendered.
And then
My phone rang.
Loud.
Rude.
Spiritually disrespectful.
We froze.
God why now.....
Why this very moment.
His eyes snapped open.
Mine widened in horror.
The world returned — all at once — like a slap.
The ringtone continued blaring:
Mummy Calling…
Of all people.
Of all times.
I stumbled back.
He dropped his hand instantly.
Both of us blinking like we'd been caught committing a holy crime.
"I.. I need to—" I stuttered, grabbing my phone.
He nodded sharply.
"Take it."
I stepped away and answered.
"Mummy?" I said, voice cracked.
"Dara! I just wanted to check on you, my dear."
"Oh—I'm— I'm fine."
But my heart was still in Kamsi's hands, somewhere between his breath and mine.
When I hung up, he was standing by the window again, hands in his pockets, jaw clenched.
Professional mask back on.
Emotion wiped.
Moment buried.
"We should… stick to the plan," he said without facing me.
I swallowed.
"Right. The plan."
"And the rules," he added.
The rules.
The stupid rules that we had just come seconds away from demolishing.
He finally turned.
His eyes were calm.
Controlled.
But something underneath was shaking.
"Goodnight, Dara."
"Goodnight," I whispered.
We parted ways.
But as I stepped into the elevator, one thing became painfully, terrifyingly clear:
If that phone hadn't rung…
he would have kissed me.
And I would have let him.
KAMSI'S POV
The minute Dara walked into my office, I knew I was finished.
She looked innocent.
Unaware.
Like she didn't know the kind of storm she carried with her.
But my body knew.
My mind knew.
My pulse damn well knew.
I'd gone through the entire board meeting thinking of her
the way she listened last night,
the way her eyes softened when she looked at me,
the way she touched my hand like it meant something.
I'd been avoiding the memory all day.
Then she walked in… and the memory walked right in with her.
I loosened my tie a reflex, nothing more.
Or so I told myself.
But her eyes followed the motion,
and something in her expression shifted.
And I felt it.
Everywhere.
"Let's go over tomorrow's appearance," I said, trying to sound composed.
Trying to be the CEO everyone expected.
But inside?
I was fighting myself.
She spoke, but I hardly heard anything except the quiet tremor in her voice.
She was nervous.
Around me.
Because of me.
That knowledge did something to my chest.
Something dangerous.
When I said her name "Dara" she paused like the word hit her.
And when her eyes met mine, I knew I'd already crossed a line.
Something changed between us last night.
Something I should have ignored.
But I couldn't.
"Last night shouldn't have happened," she whispered.
She was right.
It shouldn't have.
And yet
"That's exactly why it happened," I told her.
Because I let myself be human with her.
Because she saw me.
Because she didn't look at me like a CEO…
but like a man.
A man she cared about.
I stepped closer before I could stop myself.
Her breathing.
Her pupils widened.
Her lips parted just slightly.
Like she was waiting for something.
Waiting for me.
God help me.
I lifted my hand.
And when my fingers touched her cheek,
a heat shot through me so violently I almost stepped back.
She shivered.
I felt the ripple through her skin.
I wanted more.
I wanted all of her.
My hand slid to her jaw,
and I watched her struggle not to lean into my touch.
She was losing the battle.
So was I.
"This is breaking all the rules," she said.
Rules I wrote.
Rules I believed in.
Rules that were supposed to protect us both.
"I know," I said.
"But I can't seem to care."
And I meant every word.
Her scent was everywhere.
Her breath was on my mouth.
Her body leaned toward mine with a helplessness that shattered something in me.
When I placed my hand behind her neck,
her entire body responded
subtle, soft, willing.
She whispered my name
"Kamsi…"
I nearly lost control.
I lowered my head.
Our noses brushed.
Her lips were inches from mine.
Warm.
Soft.
Waiting.
If I kissed her, there would be no going back.
No contract.
No rules.
No pretending.
It would be real.
Very real.
And I wanted it.
More than I should.
More than I was allowed to.
Then
Her phone rang.
Sharp.
Loud.
Annoying.
She jumped.
I froze.
My hand dropped instantly,
like I'd been burned.
Her mother's name flashed on her screen.
I stepped away, forcing myself to breathe.
To think.
To rebuild the walls that had crumbled the moment she said my name like that.
When she answered the call,
I stared at the window and tried to calm my heartbeat.
I shouldn't want her.
I shouldn't be touching her.
I shouldn't be imagining the taste of her lips.
But I was.
When she hung up, I had already put my mask back on.
"We should stick to the plan," I heard myself say.
But it wasn't my heart speaking.
It was fear.
Fear of ruining her life.
Fear of losing control.
Fear of wanting her more than I could afford to.
"The rules," I added.
The rules that I had just almost destroyed.
She left.
But her scent still stayed.
The warmth of her breath lingered on my lips.
And alone in that office,
I finally admitted the truth I'd been fighting:
If her phone hadn't rung…
I would have kissed her.
Hard.
Deep.
Without hesitation.
And I wouldn't have regretted it.
Not for a second.