The Sari Shop Widow by Bantwal Shobhan

Author:Bantwal, Shobhan [Bantwal, Shobhan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2009-08-24T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Anjali could see Rishi wasn’t about to reveal anything regarding her uncle and himself—at least not right away. He had an entirely different agenda and she was waiting for it to unfold.

Instead of discussing Jeevan-kaka, he said, “I want you to tell me something first.” He reached out and took her hand. “Did you feel anything at all when I kissed you?”

He was a clever one—trying to steer her attention away from what she was dying to know. But she humored him anyway. “Couldn’t you tell?”

“Yes, I could. You gave back as enthusiastically as I took. Am I right?”

“Um…I guess. So…what are you saying?”

“That we’re both free individuals. I’m no longer with Samantha and you’re no longer with Rowling, so I’d like to kiss you again. I want to see if there’s any chance this could go further.”

She shook her head. “I have no desire to take this further. Just because I’m still reeling from discovering my boyfriend with some woman, I’m not going to hop into another man’s bed on the rebound. I’m not that kind of person.” She rubbed her forehead for a moment. “I don’t even know why I was having an affair with Kip. It just sort of…happened.”

“You were lonely, Anjali,” he murmured, stroking her wrist with his thumb. “There’s nothing wrong in being human. Don’t punish yourself like this. Vikram died, what…ten years ago?”

“But he was my husband. I loved him.” Loved him so much that the ache in her chest was almost physical at times.

“And I’m sure you miss him, but getting involved with another man is not betraying him or his memory in any way. Wouldn’t he have wanted you to find happiness again?”

“Having sex is not finding happiness. Each time I fulfill my need for sex I feel awful. I go home feeling like—like a whore.”

“I’m not asking you to go to bed with me. I respect you too much for that. You’re a lady and I’m asking if you’d allow me to see you socially.”

“Even when you know I’ve been sleeping with another man?”

“I was sleeping with another woman until recently myself. In our own way we were both fulfilling our basic needs and nothing more.” He quirked a brow at her. “Do you think we stand a chance?”

She sighed. “We have nothing in common, Rishi. You’re a jetsetter with businesses scattered around the globe. Women seem to find you wildly attractive. I’m just a middle-class widow with a struggling store that you and my uncle are trying to save. My life’s here in Jersey. I can’t give it up just to sleep with a guy like you every now and then, whenever you’re in town.”

“Bloody hell!” He startled her. Sparks were flying out of those awesome eyes. She’d seen them cold, hard, angry, but not livid. “I’m not asking you to sleep with me every now and then.”

“Then what are you asking of me?”

“I’m asking you to open your mind a little…accept me as a man with possibilities. If nothing else, we could be friends.

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