But he was Hamza's brother and getting involved with him was just inviting more heartache. Even it was purely physical. That in itself was a little scary. She was still a virgin and Armaan, a seasoned player when it came to the world of sex and seduction. She didn't believe for a second that he would simply give in to her terms and not try to get the upper hand.
When she emerged from the shower, she was surprised to find him sitting on her bed, looking absolutely comfortable there.
"Hello, Jasmine," he greeted her cheerfully, his blue eyes bright and shining. "It's almost three. I thought you might be hungry."
Her gaze shifted to the plate of fruits and a bowl of something steaming resting on a table by the door along with a glass of some fruity drink. He'd even added an umbrella to top it all off.
"I thought you went fishing with the others," she said with a frown, not moving further into the room.
He shook his head at her. "I was in the library with a client. Working. Had to put in a lot of hours today."
Oh. She'd had no idea. All this time, Jasmine had been under the impression that she was alone in the house. Her stomach grumbled slightly and he inclined his head, watching her curiously.
"Well?" Armaan prompted in a casual tone. "Are you going to get dressed so we can have lunch or what?"
She nibbled on her lip, feeling uncertain of him again. She was clad only in a towel and all alone in this house with him. Was he even going to give her some privacy so she could put her clothes on?
"If you prefer eating in the nude, I'm good with that too," Armaan told her.
She didn't say anything to him for a while. He was looking so hot in a black vest and shorts, his lean muscles and tanned skin tempting her until she began to wonder why she should even worry about anything else when a guy as deliciously handsome as this was willing to pay her so much attention.
What terms? he had asked and every single time she was alone in a room with him, she felt like explaining those terms to him slowly and thoroughly. Their gazes remained locked and the tip of his tongue came out to lick his lips again, exactly the way he had done it last night. It made him seem like some kind of naughty treat she wasn't meant to have but would give anything to try.
"Jasmine," he whispered and it felt like an invisible thread of desire was stretching between them.
I want to be that someone you get involved with. Someone to play with when this world got too much and she needed to escape the darkness within her. He'd unleashed some sort of need to dominate and now she wanted to exercise it so badly.
Jasmine made herself move, ignoring her pounding heart and resolving to see this thing through. Maybe she would try a little experiment at first to see if he could handle what she had in mind.
Once she was standing right in front of him beside the bed, at the juncture of his thighs, she studied him from head to toe, inhaling the sensual scent of him and letting it motivate her. Armaan was quiet as he sat there, behaving like a good boy for once and it made her smile. She found it so pleasing.
"That's beautiful," he said in a low tone, looking at her lips as they curved. "I want to kiss those lips again, Miss. Khan."
She shook her head at him slowly. "You said you were willing to try it my way," she reminded him. "Well, these are my terms. If you give me all the power when it comes to our involvement, I will let you do many, many delicious things to me, all in good time. But take my power away and you get nothing."
She made her tone firm when she said that last part and watched his throat moving as he swallowed. His eyes were almost a navy blue now, his lips parted and breaths coming fast. He was turned on by her attitude. She loved that.
"Take you shirt off," she whispered to him.
God, why was this so hot? Telling him what to do and watching as he obeyed, helpless and aroused. His vest slid up his torso as Armaan removed it and tossed it aside, bringing his eyes back to hers. Jasmine felt overwhelmed by his masculinity but she maintained her composure. It wouldn't do to show weakness to someone like him. He'd pounce the minute he realised how close she was to surrendering.
Slowly, she brought up her hands and lightly traced the contours of his chest and abdomen. Armaan sucked in a breath and his muscles tightened even more under her careful exploration. His hands clenched into fists where they rested on the bed but he didn't move to touch her.
That pleased her even more so Jasmine turned around and lowered herself onto his lap until their bodies were pressed together.
"Oh, fuck," he whispered and it sounded almost painful.
She didn't care. She was enjoying herself too much. So much that she grinned to herself as she tentatively moved her towel-clad ass against his crotch and felt his hard-on tenting his shorts.
"Mmm. This feels really, really good," she confessed in a husky voice, closing her eyes momentarily.
He remained still as she continued rubbing against him but his breathing turned into panting with the effect she was having on him.
"What's the matter?" she asked in a whisper, turning her head so that her lips could touch his neck, breathing
