The Indian Tycoon's Marriage Deal by Adite Banerjie

behaviour and he wouldn’t let go till his muscles packed up or his mind stopped conjuring up the image of Maya in the pool. And yet the vision of her rising from the water like a golden goddess just wouldn’t go. He felt his body hum with energy and he forced his mind to focus on a course of action. One in which he would not let lust get the better of him.
    * * *
    At the first light of dawn it stopped raining. The trees and plants outside were shimmering with life—the dust had been washed away, leaving them clean and sparkling green, the raindrops clinging like pearls on a beautiful necklace. Maya changed into a pair of track pants and a T-shirt and headed towards the arbour that she had found near the pool. Before long, she was immersed in the work that she loved best. She discovered a multitude of plants and creepers that had revived from last night’s rain.
    Working in the garden was the only way she knew to de-stress. Even as a kid, she would douse her angst at Papa’s drunken sprees by toiling in the handkerchief-sized kitchen garden that they had back home. Of course, Papa would be full of remorse after he had recovered from his hangover and would try to win her over by promising to give up alcohol. But booze had proved to be a hard taskmaster. For every dry spell that brought hope, there would be an even more traumatic period when she would be overwhelmed by Papa’s incessant drinking. Looking back, she now recognised that they were the signs of a man who was well on the way to self-destruction—but as an adolescent she never could figure out how her easy-going, kind father could morph into an angry, raving drunk for days on end. On such days she would shed tears in the garden and gain strength from the moist soil that felt like a soothing balm.
    â€˜Let me help you with that.’ Krish’s voice nearly caused her to drop the heavy pot that she’d been moving. But Krish was quicker than her and caught it just before it crashed to the ground.
    â€˜Are you trying to break your bones? Or am I the target?’ Krish asked irritably.
    She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard him come down the track. Her mind swivelled back to the present. ‘You shouldn’t be creeping around. It would be your own fault if I’d dropped it on your foot!’
    â€˜You should do your gardening thing when Hari is around to help you.’
    Maya tried not to stare at the breathtaking sight of his muscle-bound torso rippling beneath the stretchy jersey he wore. Jeez! It should be declared illegal to look so disgustingly sexy in an old T-shirt and running shorts! So much for all her efforts to de-stress and take her mind off last night’s episode. Using her hair to shield her heightened colour, she turned her attention to the smaller pots. ‘Don’t worry, I can do my
thing
without causing you or your staff any problems.’
    Krish shrugged. ‘Sure, as you please.’
    She waited for him to leave, but he just kept watching her with those dark eyes that made her even more jumpy than ever.
    â€˜Are you always this cranky in the morning?’ he asked.
    The nerve of the guy. ‘Excuse me! You’re the one who gave me the fright of my life by creeping up on me…and you call me cranky?’
    He remained unmoved by her outburst, but one eyebrow shot up. ‘Just wondering if I had something to do with your grouchiness.’
    Of course he had everything to do with it!
She breathed deeply. ‘No worries. You can rest easy. If you don’t mind, I just want to get on clearing this up before it gets too hot.’
    And of course he wouldn’t take the hint—maybe she should have dropped the pot on his foot after all. It would serve his gigantic ego right!
    â€˜I never thought you were the type to run away from the truth.’
    â€˜I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about!’ Refusing to look at him, she