Spellbound

“Sambhaliye…..”

“Hamesha sambhaltha rahoon ga…”

Khushi couldn’t control her breathing. She saw his lips coming closer to her as she teetered in his tight hold. Sometimes she swore her husband was not a business man, but a magician. She was entranced by him, by the feelings he evoked within her. Letting herself get lost in the magic he’d ensconced over her, she closed her eyes as he leaned even closer. She just couldn’t resist him anymore, fully under his spell. Her chest was heavily rising and falling as she felt his hands tighten around her waist. But the kiss she anticipated never came. She slowly drifted her eyes open to find her husband staring intently at her. “Arnavji?” her voice had come out in a broken whisper.

He carefully took the pooja thaali out of her hand and placed it on the table before righting her in his hold. The confusion in her searching eyes both endeared him and set him on fire. Leaning in close to her, letting her rapid breaths puff onto his jaw, he placed his lips on the soft, perfect pink roundness of her cheek. Letting his lips linger, he spoke to ebb her confusion. “Khushi, I can’t kiss you.”

“Kya?” (“What?”) she tried to pull back but he held her steadily in his tight hold.

He leaned in close to her ear, letting the coolness from the silver zanjeer of her earring brush his lips as he whispered “If I kiss you now, I won’t be able to stop”. He felt her freeze in his hands for a moment before she melted into his body even more. He slightly pulled his face back to look at her. “Besides, you haven’t let me break your fast yet and I need you well fed….” He saw her blink almost in slow motion before he continued, a deep baritone taking over his voice “….you’re going to need the energy later.”

Fully catching his innuendo, Khushi gasped and quickly pushed her husband away, her face aflame. There was only so much she could take. She’d been starving all day, and with the moon nowhere in sight, she didn’t know when she’d be able to eat. On top of everything Arnavji had spent the whole afternoon tempting her with food. And now he was gallivanting around, mercilessly teasing her, while wearing a kurta pajama?! Did he think she hadn’t noticed? She was having a very hard time keeping her eyes off him. Especially when he looked at her with that heated glare….and when he held her so close to his body..….and grazed his rough palms down her arms. She shivered. Devi Maiya, now she was hungry for something much more than just food. She tried not to rub her legs together. How was she going to ignore this ache?

“Khushi….” Arnav drawled as he approached his wife. He could tell she was pretending to busy herself by preparing the rest of her thaali. “I’d love to know what you’re thinking right now…”

“Noth....nothing.” she tried to be as nonchalant as possible. Why was he standing so close to her again? Was he trying to drive her crazy? She fidgeted with the pallu of her sari. Not wanting him to know where her thoughts had ended up, she mustered up all her strength to try and control her erratic heartbeat.

“Oh really? Nothing hmm?” He closed in on her, letting his heat diffuse into her space. “Phir tumari naak laal kyon ho gai?” (“Then why did your nose turn red?”) He couldn’t help but smirk as he flicked the tip of her nose. He ducked out of her reach when she tried to swat at him, gasping in outrage. Unable to stifle his laughter, he made a quick escape.

It hadn’t taken much longer for the moon to finally make its grand appearance. Khushi was adoringly looking at him through the sieve when he glanced back up into the night sky. Yup, he was definitely right. The moon had nothing on his wife’s beauty. He stepped forward, picking up the small copper chalice from her thaali and put it against her perfectly glossed lips. She opened up, taking a drink of water, finally letting him break her fast. When she bent forward to touch his feet, wanting his blessing, he immediately caught her upper arms to still her. He leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead and enveloped her petite form, holding her against his heart. “You accepted me as your husband the day you willingly ran into my arms, right? This is your place Khushi, where you belong. Not anywhere else.” He was almost blinded by the dazzling smile she flashed him. Feeding her a morsel of jalebi and putting her thaali aside, he whisked her up.

“Arnavji what are you doing?! Choriye! (Let me go!) The whole family’s waiting for me, I have to go eat with them!” she tried, in vain, to wriggle out of his hold.

He’d already started purposefully striding up the stairs, his wife in tote. She wasn’t going anywhere. “I told them you weren’t feeling well.”

“But Arnavji, I feel fine. I’m just starving!” Khushi protested.

He locked eyes with her for a moment as he huskily replied “Me too”. Setting her down once they’d reached the entrance to their bedroom, he guided her to turn around and face the closed doors. Before she had the chance to look back at him, he deftly placed a blindfold over her eyes.

Khushi’s hands immediately shot up to her face. “Arnavji! What are you up to now?” She had a quick flashback to the last time he’d blindfolded her. “You’re not going to draw on my face again are you?!” In reality she was trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. The last thing she remembered seeing was the fierce, passionate look in his eyes. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was kind of excited to see what her magician had up his sleeves.

“You’ll just have to trust me, Khushi.” Once he’d secured the blindfold, he took her inside and locked the doors behind them. Sitting her down on the chaise lounge he pulled over the tray of food he had waiting for her. He would never keep her from her second love, especially on a day when she hadn’t eaten at all. “Open your mouth, Khushi.” Without even uttering a single word, her lips parted slightly. He could see her breathing had accelerated, and he smirked. His wife was having some errant thoughts, and damned if that didn’t make him want her even more. There would be time for that later though, she really needed to eat something. Urging her to open up wider, he placed a gol gappa in her mouth.

When Khushi bit into the paper-thin fried shell and tasted the burst of sweet mixed with the perfect spice and salt, she couldn’t hold back her moan. “Arnavji! Gol gappay?!!” she squealed ecstatically, smiling ear to ear. Her husband knew her so well.

“Here have another.” He saw her eagerly open up again allowing him to place another gol gappa in her mouth. Even though he couldn’t see her eyes, her delight was written everywhere else, all over her face. His Khushi was so easy to please. The simplest things made her so happy, and he loved her all the more for it.

After he’d fed her the umpteenth gol gappa, it was beginning to get messy. She could feel the pani dribbling from the side of her mouth towards her chin. When she reached a hand to wipe it away, she felt something stop her.

“Wait. Let me.” Leaning forward he slowly licked at the corners of her mouth until all traces of the pani were gone. When he pulled back, he saw that her hands were fisted in the pleats of her sari, her knuckles turning stark white. He was so aware of her every subtle reaction, it was making his body burn for her.

She was beginning to feel like a heaping mass of trembling need. When she’d felt his tongue delicately licking at her mouth, she almost rejoiced over the fact that he was finally going to kiss her. She’d been craving the feel of his mouth on hers all day, but he’d done a great job of keeping it busy by stuffing it with food she couldn’t eat. “Arnavji? Are….Aren’t you going to…..”

“Khushi, tum ne hi to kaha ta na? Ke sabar ka phall meetha hotha hai?” (“Khushi, weren’t you the one who said the fruits of patience are very sweet?”)

“Haan Arnavji…. par….” (“Yes Arnavji…but…”)

“Shhh Khushi. I have more for you. Here, open again.” This time he held a bite of aloo puri by her mouth.

Reluctantly, she opened up, chewing with a little more vigor than necessary. If he knew her so well, feeding her all her favorite foods and such, why wouldn’t he just kiss her? She was getting slightly disgruntled. “Arnavji, why do I have to be blindfolded while I’m eating? I can feed myself you know…..”  She’d stayed hungry for him the whole day, in more ways than one. He was usually always so attuned to her, couldn’t he tell what she needed now?

He really wanted to kiss that pout off her face. “You fasted all day for my sake right? Your husband? Well now I’m not even letting you lift a finger.” He fed her a few more bites in between. “Let me take care of you….take care of my wife.” He saw the tension drain from her body before he continued, tracing his finger along the edge of the blind fold, brushing against her cheek. “And the blindfold is because I wanted to awaken all your senses, Khushi. Let them be heightened.” Her chewing had slowed down and he could tell she was getting full. Lastly, he picked up a jalebi and held it in front of her nose.

The fragrance of fried, honey goodness wafted over to her. “I hope you didn’t make them this time” she teased. She took a bite of the sweet confection and hummed with pleasure. Why did this jalebi taste better than any other she’d ever had?  Maybe he had a point with this whole blindfold thing. She did feel more aware. Even just sitting next to him had the little hairs on the back of her neck standing at attention.

He looked on avidly as she chewed away. It should have been comical, but he loved watching the pleasure that took over her face when she ate jalebis. “Khushi, did you know that the hands, lips, and tongue are among the body parts that receive the most sensation?”

Khushi stopped breathing for a moment. Maybe that’s why it felt so wonderful when they touched….and kissed … and tasted each other. Devi Maiya, he didn’t expect her to actually answer his question did he? She felt heat wash across her face and prayed it wasn’t turning tell-tale red. “Ar....Arnavji I’m full.”

Oh thank god. He was trying to be accommodating but honestly didn’t know how much longer he could hold it together. It had been such a long day for her, and she’d done so much for him, he really just wanted to make her feel special. But with every bite of food he’d placed in her mouth she had chipped away at his already slipping control. He’d watched the way she closed her lips around his fingers, her delicate little tongue flicking at the tips before drawing back with a soft suck, accepting the food. Her innocent actions had been sweetly torturing him. His wife seemed to be an expert at that. When she began to get up, he stilled her.

“Arnavji, I just need to clean up a little. The gol gappay were …..”

“I know. Stay here, don’t move….” he stood, immediately bending forward, close to her ear “…and don’t take your blindfold off either”. He knew Hari Prakash would come any minute now. He made quick work of disposing the tray outside the doors before relocking them, stopping by the bathroom, and returning to Khushi. He couldn’t help but smile as he saw her patiently waiting for him, her hands folded in her lap, twiddling her thumbs nervously. The prettiest blush was kissing her cheeks.

She felt something cool and wet touch the corner of her mouth, making her flinch at the initial contact. “Arnavji?” He didn’t answer her, but the gentle stroking motions continued around her mouth before it dabbed at her lips. That’s when she felt the little burrs of terrycloth and realized what he was doing. She reached up to grab the towel. “Arnavji you don’t have to do that.”

He gently placed her hand in her lap again. “I told you Khushi. You’re not lifting a finger for the rest of the night.”

“But Arnavji….”

“No buts Khushi. I don’t want to hear anything.”

She could still feel her lips tingling from the soft abrasion. Despite his warning, she opened her mouth to say something but stopped when she felt a light caress down her arm to hold her hand. She heard the tinkle of her bangles before she felt them being slipped off her wrists. Blindly, she reached out until his hand was under hers. “Ye aap kya….?” (“What are you….?”)

“Khushi relax. Just concentrate on what you feel.” He continued to remove her bangles and switched to her other wrist to do the same. “Concentrate on the sound of my voice. And on this.…” he kissed a path up the inside of her arm.

She could feel his stubble deliciously prickling her arm as he trailed his warm, soft lips across her skin. He’d hardly touched her yet and she was already trembling with anticipation. She felt his fingers skim her jaw and wrap around to the nape of her neck. A warm tingle ran through her, eliciting her to lean her head into his touch.

He found the clasp of her necklace and slowly unhooked it, letting his fingers contact as much skin as possible, brushing over her clavicles on the way back.

She felt him trace the shell of her ear pausing at her lobe before he slipped her earring off. Silent relief washed through her, those earrings had been weighing her down all day, leaving behind an uncomfortable throb. She was about to reach up to massage it when she felt a gentle warm, wet pull on her lobe. A suppressed whimper escaped from the back of her throat.

He heard her breath hitch as he soothed away the angry lines her earrings had left behind, with his tongue. Closing his lips around her other lobe, he moved his tongue back and forth before pulling away with a soft suck. Keeping his cheek against hers, he spoke in a soft rumble. “Khushi, why do you wear these things if they’re so uncomfortable?”

“Huh?” She couldn’t register his voice over the loud thumping of her own heartbeat. How did he expect her to think when she felt surrounded by him? His breath was warm as it caressed across her ear, fanning onto her neck. His voice had sent tickling vibrations to resonate down into her chest. She felt a puff of air as she heard him let out a soft laugh. Was he mocking her? “Arnavji, it was a special occasion, in case you didn’t know.”

“Trust me Khushi, I know.” He was fully aware of everything she’d ever done for him. He stared at her beautiful face for a moment, watching the way her lips quivered slightly, feeling their warmth radiating in the scant space separating them. Reaching up, he unhooked the tikka from her hair, setting it aside with the rest of the jewelry. When he returned his gaze to her face, not having had his fill yet, that little red mark in the middle edge of her hairline caught his attention. Her sindoor, the mark that signified she was his for the next seven generations to come. He leaned forward, and kissed the red line, cherishing the thought of forever with her.

Her mouth watered as she felt his close proximity. God, he smelled so good, like fresh linen with a woodsy undertone. She took another deep inhale and smiled. He also smelled like jalebis. When she felt his lips touch the top of her forehead, her hands searched for him, wanting to feel his warmth in her palms.

“I’m here, Khushi.” He took her hands and placed them on his chest. He felt one of her hands slowly move until it stopped right over his heart. She lightly tapped her hand there in a cadence that sounded just like his heartbeat.

She turned her head to the side to listen more acutely, a smile touching her lips as she mimicked the beat under her palm. She marveled at how strong her husband was, how strongly his heart beat.

He covered her hand with his own. “It’s yours Khushi.”

“Arnavji? What do you mean?”

“My heart. It’s yours. It doesn’t beat without you.”

“Arnavji, I love you.” She really couldn’t hold back the words.

Grabbing her hands, he made her stand with him, pulling her into a tight hug. “Khushi, I love you too. So damn much.” He felt her hands traversing across his back, holding him closer to herself. As he moved his hand over her head, holding her closer to his heart, he encountered a hair pin. Gently removing it, he dove his hands into her thick tresses. He removed her pins one by one, careful not to disturb her blindfold. His fingers sifted through the black velvet cloak of her hair, burying his face in it. He could spend an eternity trying to discover all its hidden secrets, trying to unveil the scent that always clung there and always drew him in.

Khushi let a soft moan escape her lips as she felt his massaging fingers on her scalp. She let the weight of her head fall into his palms as he continued on. She was complete putty in his hands, and she knew it.

When she’d exposed the column of her creamy throat, he couldn’t refuse the open invitation to drop kisses there. Nuzzling into her neck he let his hands roam back down until he found the strings to her dori. Twirling one string around his finger, he pulled, untying the knot there. He continued to hold her close as a hand came around her rib cage to caress the soft skin of her stomach with the back of his hand. Feeling her belly quiver at his touch, he slid his hand just inside the waist line to grab hold of the pleats there and untuck them.

She curled her fingers tighter into whatever she was holding, trying to control her breathing. She was so hyperaware of his every touch and caress, she could even feel the heat pouring off his body. The intensity of his gaze was making her skin tingle.

As he watched the pleats unravel, he slid his hands across her hips to undo her petticoat. He traversed back up, one-handedly unpinning her pallu, as he pulled at the ends of her choli. In one smooth motion, he caressed his hands down her shoulders, removing her top, and continued down her sides until every stitch of her clothing had pooled onto the floor. She was gorgeous, standing there wearing nothing but a blind fold, like a Greek goddess. His own Lady Justice. He let his gaze linger over her magnificent body when he realized she was missing something. “Khushi, stay right here. I’ll just be one second.”

Before she could protest, she knew he’d already stepped away. She’d instantly felt the warmth from his body leave her space, and she shivered. Feeling very self conscious, she felt the need to cover herself. She began taking slow steps, fumbling along the way, until her knees knocked into something soft. When she leaned forward and searched around, she realized it was the bed and pulled the sheet up, covering herself. A moment later, she felt a tickling touch around her neck and something cool and hard touching the base of her throat. When she reached up and traced her fingers over it, she knew exactly what it was right away. Her mangalsutra. Assuming he was standing in front her, she looked up at his sweet gesture.

“And you won’t be needing this tonight.” He pulled at the sheet shielding her body from him, before tossing it away and sweeping her up into his arms.

She could feel herself blushing profusely, just like a new bride would, as she wrapped her arms around his neck for balance. As her back gently met their soft mattress, she couldn’t help but wonder why this felt like their first time all over again. She was feeling extremely shy.

He’d promised himself that he would wear that pain-in-the-ass kurta pajama for as long as his wife would keep looking at him with those eyes. Like she wanted to eat him alive. But now he really wanted to feel her skin on his. Quickly removing his shirt and bottoms, he joined her on the bed, bringing his body close to hers. He could see the pulse in her throat fluttering rapidly, her breaths coming fast. She was nervous? Leaning over, he kissed her forehead, down the delicate slope of her nose and onto her cheeks. He continued to kiss the corners of her mouth before finally putting his lips squarely over hers.

Khushi melted every time his mouth had touched her face. When she moaned at finally feeling his lips on hers, she felt his tongue slip into her mouth. She eagerly darted out, joining his. Every soft wet stroke tickled her taste buds, sending sparks shooting down her spine. She reached out to hold onto him, unable to contain the intensity of pleasure running through her.

Khushi was fiercely gripping his biceps. When he pulled away from her mouth to catch his breath, he took in her form. Swollen, puffy pink lips were expelling air in huge ragged breaths. His eyes moved down to her chest and took in her puckered nipples. Unable to resist, he leaned down to capture one between his lips. Her body arched off the bed at the initial contact. He continued on to circle his tongue around the hard peak before suckling it into his mouth.

“Arnavji!” She tightened her grip even more at the sharp sensations running through her. She could feel the pulling tug all the way in her core. She felt him kissing a path across her chest, only to give the same sweet torture to her other nipple.

He began sliding his hand down the creamy expanse of her concave torso, feeling it quiver at his touch. Wanting to fully absorb her and feel her heat, his hand moved further south, stopping to cup her sex. He continued to kiss her breast, lightly holding her nipple between his teeth to gently nip, as he inserted two fingers into her. She was already wet and pulsing against his fingers as he held his hand still, inside her. Sucking her nipple into his mouth, he placed his thumb directly over her clitoris.

She cried out. She was drowning in his sensual assault. Not being able to see him made her hypersensitive to his every touch. She could feel him stroking in and out of her as he worked his magic over all her most sensitive spots. She tried to contain her moans and resisted the tidal wave trying to take over her as she felt him rubbing rhythmic circles over her clitoris.

Not having tasted enough of her, he closed his mouth over her breast more fully, taking in as much as he could. He felt her rigid nipple against his tongue and began to lave over it, back and forth, back and forth. His thumb mimicked the same rhythm over her clitoris as he felt her desire bathing his fingers with each push. She was digging her hands into his shoulders now, and he could feel her straining against him, trying to hold back. Releasing her breast, he leaned up to softly kiss her mouth. “Sweetheart, let go. I’ve got you.” He lowered his head to softly blow across her damp chest while hooking his fingers inside her to massage her g-spot.

Khushi was overwhelmed. She gripped down onto his fingers, grinding hard against him as he continued to rub at the delicious sweet spot inside her. She thrashed her legs as he insistently stimulated all her raw nerve endings, finally going over the edge when she felt a cool breeze wafting over her tight nipples.

Seeing her arch up and writhe against him just turned him on to no end. After her intense release, she lay there limp, her arms lying loosely by her head. As she caught her breath, he took the moment to remove his boxer-briefs, the last barrier between them. Quickly rejoining her, he finally removed her blindfold. He watched her eyes flicker open, her constricted pupils adjusting to the dim light as she tried to focus on him. He saw flashes of honey, amber, deep molasses and flecks of gold as he stared deeply into the eyes he’d playfully shielded a while ago. Now they stared right back at him, sparkling like the licking flames of a fire.

Finally able to see her husband, she reached up to cup his handsome face in her hands. He turned his head to kiss her palm, as she stared intently at him. She loved this man, unconditionally. Weaving her fingers into the unruly silky strands at the back of his head, she continued to wrap her arms around his neck.

He watched as she gazed deeply into him, with all her love. She’d welcomed him so patiently with her open body, inviting him closer. Not needing anymore encouragement, he slid into her warm, wet depth. He continued to stare as he stroked her beautiful face, at a loss for words. The love she gave him was so perfect that no words were needed between them, nor would they have been enough to convey what he felt for her in return. How had he gotten so lucky? Him, the man who didn’t believe in destiny or fate or Gods. The man who always thought he himself controlled everything. He had to admit, that day at Sheesh Mahal, it was someone else’s doing when she’d fallen right into his arms. When he’d had the privilege to have laid eyes on her, catch her, and hold her slight weight against his own body, feel her warmth. When she’d unearthed things from depths within him which he never even knew existed with her tumultuously shining doe-eyes. She’d come into his life, by no means of his own authority or power. Who did he have to thank for that? Who could he thank for this precious gift? For his Khushi? He brushed away the wayward tendrils of her hair, tucking them behind her ears, not wanting anything hindering her angelic face from his view. She hadn’t even moved, just waited for him until he began to gently rock into her. Overcome with emotion he leaned down to kiss her soft lips, trying to convey everything words just wouldn’t do justice to.

She was coming undone with the slow, gentle way he was sliding in and out of her. She tightened her arms around him, arching her back up at the feeling of him filling her. She didn’t know where he began and she ended, becoming wholly one with him. Unable to express everything swirling inside her, she slid her calves up the back of his thighs, opening up wider for him, urging him deeper, wanting..…needing everything he had to give.

Khushi was always so open with her love and it never ceased to humble him. It really broke down all his defenses and left him at her mercy. Even now, she cradled him so close, so tight to her luscious little body that he was lost in it. He caressed down the curve of her waist and around her hips to cup her behind. He pulled her closer until she was snug against his pelvis, as he penetrated as deep as he could, wanting to be completely joined with her. He watched her eyes widen before she let out a throaty moan. Her climax poured out of her like the constant cascade of a waterfall. The intensity of the waves made her whole body convulse beneath him, but the serene beauty of it radiated a glow within her. Unable to further control himself, he found his release as her orgasm continued to wash over her, surrendering to the way her insides pulsed around his length. As a calmness eventually overtook the both of them, he rolled to his side, pulling her into his chest.

She lay next to him, with her left leg thrown over his lap as she lazily drew random patterns on his muscled chest, listening to the lulling sound of his heart beat, beneath her ear. He was tenderly stroking her arm as he rested his other hand on her hip, holding her close. “Arnavji?” she spoke softly.

“Hmm?” He loved the way she was tucked in so close to him.

“Since I won the challenge, that means I can fast for karwa chauth every year, right?”

He was about to protest when he made the mistake of looking at her. He was met with a pair of eager hazel eyes, shining with love….for him. Even if he would never fully understand why women held such traditions for their husbands, he knew how much it meant to her. He just didn’t have the heart to deny her this right. “Yes Khushi, you won.”

“Promise me something?”

“Anything sweetheart.” He replied immediately not needing to think about it. She rarely ever requested anything of him.

“Promise me that every karwa chauth will always end just like this.” She smiled up at him with pure adoration.

Arnav tightened his hold on his wife and kissed her forehead before gazing lovingly into her eyes.  “Hamesha.”