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Authors: Ruchi Vasudeva

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BOOK: Bollywood Fiancé for a Day
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‘Zaheer!' Her breath caught and she clutched him, burying her head in his shirt with a choked sob.

‘Sorry,' he said, his voice sounding a little unsteady. ‘Could you be more lucid than that? I'm not good at interpreting sounds.'

* * *

Zaheer felt his lungs squeeze, not surprised to find when he tried to pry her away, his palms were sweaty.

In theory it had been a good plan but her early arrival had thrown a spanner in the works. Then, looking into her accusing, hurting eyes, he'd felt it might all blow up in his face. He'd been prepared to take the chance but the cost of her saying ‘no' was so high, the thought sent judders through him.

The children smiled and waved the placards. A few chimed up, reading the question out loud, and others joined in, chuckling loudly.

‘Answer them, Visha,' Zaheer said, his voice throaty. ‘Answer me. Will you marry me? Even though I'm sure I don't deserve to be forgiven.'

Her tear-streaked face made his eyes sting. If he'd had any remaining doubt he loved this woman it had vanished now. Her hurt made him feel ripped apart inside. He blinked away the moisture, but not before she caught the gesture.

‘Marry me
,' he insisted.

‘Oh, my darling,
yes
! Yes, yes…' The rest was lost as she reached up to snake her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss.

* * *

‘I love you, Visha,' Zaheer groaned a little later in her office, face buried in her hair. He lifted his head. ‘I always will. My secrets belong to you. They can't be anyone else's. They were emotional scars and they've only just begun to heal. I need
you
to make the journey, sweetheart. To teach me love.' He looked down, holding her gaze every minute. ‘I used to feel the excitement when I took risks, but loving you is more potent than any thrill I've ever experienced.'

‘That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard,' Vishakha sighed, snuggling closer.

‘I'm not normally that kind of guy, sweetheart, but you inspire me.' His eyes darkened. ‘Also in many other ways.'

The admission thrilled her. She reached up and drew him down, letting him show her some of that inspiration. Moments later, slowly she drew back, flushed and starry-eyed. It took minutes to come back down to earth.

‘I'm sorry about your movie, Zaheer,' she said as she remembered her concern for him.

‘These things happen.' He shrugged it away. ‘I'd got too hung up about it. You asked me once why I felt the impulse to risk my neck. It was a constant need to prove myself. Facing all those demons square on made me realize I didn't need to tussle with myself any more. I may do better in my career or not, but I don't need to be always trying to push my limits.' He smoothed the hair off her face. ‘Armaan misunderstood. Or rather Mia planted a suspicion in his mind that we were involved, but since he's getting rid of her, having found out the truth, he called me to apologize. If the movie gets going again, he's promised I'll be a part of it. But, in the meantime, I have much to keep me busy.'

‘You have?'

‘Yeah, planning my wedding, for instance.' He kissed her temple and she felt him smile as a breathy sigh escaped her lips. ‘And making love to my bride.'

Vishakha felt heat suffuse her at his bold declaration.

‘Not so easy,' she warned. ‘I'm still angry with you. You made me gain two pounds bingeing on cheese and chips trying to get over you.'

‘That's OK. I love curvy women.' He moved back to look at her. ‘But don't talk of getting over me.'

‘I couldn't.
Ever.
'

‘That suits me.'

‘I always knew you were a selfish man.' She smacked a fist on his chest, smiling.

‘Extremely. Where you're concerned.' A lingering kiss later, he breathed, ‘I can't believe I actually tried to drive you away.'

‘Why did you?' Vishakha put space between them, some of the remembered hurt making her ask, ‘Was it so necessary? It wasn't as if I was trying to sink my hooks into you.'

‘Would you believe I was frightened out of my wits?' His mouth twisted wryly.

‘Am I that scary?'

‘Very. When you look at me with those doe eyes and make me wish I could spend my life drowning in them, yes, you are. For a man who had sworn never to be vulnerable to anyone, that was a punch in the solar plexus. So what could I do?' He traced a line on her cheek. ‘Forgive me?'

‘Been there. Done that.' Her breathless avowal set him smiling, and the sight of those attractive clefts in his cheeks made her pulse speed up.

‘Love me?'

The husky query set her heart thumping. ‘The man who irritates the hell out of me, sees right through me. Drives me mad with passion?' Her brows arched but, unable to hold back, her laugh broke free.
‘Yes!'
It became a litany on her lips as he bent to seal the avowal with a kiss to prove that at least one of her accusations was absolutely right.

* * * * *

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Growing up,
Ruchi Vasudeva
wanted to be a doctor or a writer with almost the same amount of enthusiasm. It seemed the writing ambition would win when she scored more in English than in any medical subjects in her first medical exams—the fallout from reading heaps of novels! However, she persevered and became a doctor. But she knew she wanted to write more than just prescriptions. Winning the Passions contest became a thrilling opportunity and a doorway to realizing her dream.

She lives with her alpha-natured husband, patient in-laws and two mind-controlling teens! Juggling a medical career, writing and family life isn't something she would recommend to anyone who wants peace and calm, but at the end of the day she finds it very fulfilling. She likes to take morning walks with her husband, watch cricket matches with her daughter, feed her perpetually hungry son and go for movie outings with family. She spends her “me” time listening to her favorite songs and social networking.

She loves to write about spirited heroines getting hurtled out of their daily life as soon as they cross paths with their rather challenging heroes.

Bollywood Fiancé for a Day
is Ruchi Vasudeva's debut title.

eISBN-13: 978-1-4603-3301-3

BOLLYWOOD FIANCÉ FOR A DAY

Copyright © 2014 by Ruchita Vasudeva

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

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BOOK: Bollywood Fiancé for a Day
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