Fixation (Fatal Attraction #3)

Chapter 9

9

W hat had just happened right now? Once again, his doctor had been blatantly checking him out. And once again, he had enjoyed it. His chest had inflated on seeing the pink creep up her cheeks. His body had come to life, thickening and hardening, as if waking up from a long slumber.

And damn, she was gorgeous. It had taken him a while to realise she wasn’t wearing her glasses and that the knot at her nape had loosened. Seeing her in her natural beauty had been like a punch to his gut. With those soft strands of hair framing her perfectly oval face, her clear brown eyes shining, and those perfectly pink bow-shaped lips, Reina Singh was a stunner.

Dressed simply in plain black leggings and a white tee-shirt, her face bare of any makeup, and with her skin glowing, she was absolutely… wow. A natural beauty. Her slim body dipped and curved at just the right places. Perfect. She was simply perfect. It was like God had taken his own time while creating her. His chest lurched. Reina Singh was utterly gorgeous, and he was having a hard time moving his gaze away from her.

Vedant watched her pick up the novel, refusing to look at him at all. She pretended to read it; her lips curved into a moue. Her jaw, that defiant jaw, rose.

His eyes landed on the book she was holding—it was upside down. He held back a laugh. Could it be possible she was feeling as flustered as him? Did she too feel the heat when their skin touched? He raked a hand through his hair, feeling out of sorts. She was his doctor, for God’s sake, and barring that one laugh they had shared days ago, he was mostly annoyed with her.

Yet, he couldn’t help but accept that he was undeniably drawnto her. Even cloaked in the severe disguise of those monstrous glasses and the tight confines of her hair, she’d ignited a warmth within him. There had been something about her despite her camouflage. Even then, his skin had heated every time she had been near. Raw electricity had coursed through him whenever she had touched him. Now, unveiled in all her stunning glory, he was further taken in by her. He yearned to see that beautiful caramel-streaked hair cascade freely down her back. He wanted to see and learn all about the woman she hid beneath her carefully constructed facade. A facade he was certain was created for a reason. Why else would she be hiding all this beauty?

As if hearing his thoughts, Reina unwrapped her long hair. When she raked her fingers through her hair, he had to literally unglue his tongue from the roof of his mouth. Bloody fucking hell. Why… how…? Fuck, he was unable to form sentences in his own head. It was criminal to hide all that beauty. He wanted to fist his hands in her hair and test the silkiness of her strands, to learn if they were indeed as soft as they looked.

When she began to gather them up again, he blurted out, “Wait, leave it like that.”

She froze, and then quickly tied her hair into a knot at her nape. Bloody hell, what was he thinking? He never spoke his thoughts out loud, but with her, it was becoming so common.

He made a face when she once again donned her glasses. He noted how she still held the book upside down, staring mindlessly into it. Her chest heaved, and her lips parted as if she, too, was coming to terms with whatever the hell was happening between them. And something was happening.

Finally, straightening her book, she began to read it again. A few seconds later, she looked up.

“You really ought to sleep, Mr. Oshnov,” she told him.

He let out a weary sigh. “Are you ever going to say my name?”

She focused on her book instead.

“Damn, you’re so stubborn,” he said.

Still, she ignored him.

“I can’t sleep,” he finally said.

“Are you in pain?”

He shook his head. By now, it was clear to him that he tended to forget his pain when she was around. Whether he was arguing with her or simply chatting with her, just being around her made him easily dismiss his aches and pains. Although, off late, he was feeling much better.

“Can I get you something?” she checked. “Some herbal tea or some warm milk to help you?”

He shook his head, still watching her. It was clear she wasn’t going to talk unless he forced her to. So, he gave her a bit of himself.

“My brothers left today, and I woke up feeling anxious about them. I saw my ring and then… Well, you know the rest.”

“Do you need me to get Tyrion for you? Do you want to speak to your brothers?” she asked.

“No, I’m sure they’re safe. He would have informed me if something had happened. I suppose I was just being paranoid. I…” He shut his mouth. Already, he’d said too much. Exposed his inner conflict more than he wanted to.

“You miss them, and you are worried for them,” she finished for him.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “But…”

He went silent again. Worry for his family had settled in the pit of his stomach. Now that Armaan and Mihir had left, he felt burdened by the fear of them getting hurt, of Karina being hurt because of the wrong people finding out that they were looking for her, all while he sat here helpless, disabled, and weakened.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

He remained silent, staring at his hands, his chest filled with anguish.

He finally looked at her. “If I ask you a question, will you give me an honest reply?”

She nodded, and moved her armchair closer to him.

“Do you think I’ll be able to walk again? Do you think I will be myself again? I mean the way I was before my attack.”

Fear and vulnerability had settled deep inside him. He needed to get better for the sake of his family. Only then could he protect them.

“Hey, you’re going to be fine, I promise,” she reassured him.

“How can you say that when I cannot even walk yet?”

“You will,” she replied confidently. “I mentioned that I was planning to remove your cast tomorrow. If all is well, we can thoroughly check on your movements. If I’m satisfied, then we will start with making you stand, and then begin your physiotherapy sessions. A few days into that and you will start regaining your strength. It will take some time and hard work on your part, but you will be back to how you were earlier.”

He swallowed thickly. “What if you’re wrong, and I can’t do any of that?”

“What if I’m right, and you become stronger than ever?”

His eyes swooped to hers, searching her face, grateful for her encouraging words.

“ Spasibo . I mean, thank you for saying that,” he said. “I guess I needed to hear it.”

She looked at him again. “I’ve always believed that a positive mind will give you positive results. Believe you will get better, and you will.”

He gave her a small smile. “You sound like a matron I once had.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Mrs. Braganza always taught us the power of positive manifestation. She said, if you truly want something, the universe will bow down to you and give it to you.”

Reina smiled. “She sounds like a very intelligent woman.”

“She was… is the best.” He looked into the distance. “I’m not sure I paid much attention to her back then. I suppose I ought to start now.”

“You should.” She stretched her legs out. “I read that you and your brothers were orphans before you were adopted by Alexander Oshnov.”

His eyes brightened. “You’ve been reading on me.”

It thrilled him to know she was inquisitive enough about him to take the time to read up on him.

She clucked her tongue. “We are not allowed access to the internet and to the outside world, as you must already know. There is only so much TV one can watch in a day and your library has a lot of magazines with articles on you and your brothers. They help pass the time.”

“So, you read up on me to simply pass the time?” he queried, feeling rather amused.

Her chin rose. “Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You found the few old magazines that carry articles about me and read them because you weren’t curious at all. Sure, I believe you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, what I was trying to say before you interrupted is that you must have manifested a good life for yourself and your brothers, because how else could three orphan boys land up being heirs to one of the richest fortunes in the world.”

He smiled. “Actually, that was all Armaan. He is a big believer in positive manifestation.”

She smiled too. “Perhaps you should learn from him and believe that you will get better. Like I said, if you believe, then you will.”

“If only I had listened to Mihir and not gone alone for that meeting…” his voice trailed off.

“So, you do blame yourself for your attack,” she said. “Those people got to you because they caught you at the wrong time. Do you truly want to remain vulnerable and give them that opportunity again, or do you want to recover and show them that they failed? Maybe it’s high time you stopped fixating on your attack. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and focus all your energy on healing.”

He gaped at her. She truly didn’t mince her words, and he… he liked it.

“I… I never thought of it that way,” he gulped. “I miss my brothers. They’ve just been gone a few hours, and yet it’s hard without them. For the longest, we’ve only had one another. I wish they could have stayed longer, but we have a huge business to run.”

“I get how you feel. I have three siblings,” she said. “We’re all so very different, and we fight like crazy at times, but I can’t do without them.”

Her face lit up as she spoke.

His curiosity about her rose. “You have brothers or sisters?”

“An elder brother and two sisters. I’m the youngest.”

“I’m the youngest too,” he said. Then he chuckled. “I suppose you already know that because you read all those magazines about me, just because you weren’t curious at all.”

She narrowed her eyes at him before returning to her book, as if done speaking to him. He wasn’t going to allow that.

“Are you comfortable here?” Vedant asked.

She shrugged. “To be honest, it’s been a good break from the hospital. I’d just begun a ten day continuous shift when you were brought in. While I was... am angry that we were brought here by force, I have accepted the break from my routine. I can sleep more, eat well, exercise and…” She held her novel up. “I can read something non-medical for a change.”

“So, you’re doing okay?”

“Well, I do have a patient who can behave very nasty and rude at times,” she quirked a brow. “But other than that, it’s all well.”

He studied her. He had been rather rude and nasty to her when all she had done was try and help him.

“I’m sorry for everything,” he finally said. “For Mihir bringing you here by force and not allowing you the option of leaving. But mostly, I’d like to apologise for being difficult and rude. If you give me another chance, then I promise to do better, to be better. I promise to listen to everything you say and follow all your instructions with regards to my health. You were right. I was angry with myself about the attack, and I took it out on you. I was wrong to do so. You saved my life, and I never even said thank you. Thank you.”

Her mouth formed a perfect O of shock. A moment later, she cleared her face and gave him a smile. “Alright. Apology accepted.”

“Promise me that you will ensure I am on my feet again. That I will recover fully.”

“I promise. Now you really do need to rest. Doctor’s orders.”

“Will you stay?” Her being beside him truly made him feel better and stronger.

“I’m right here, Mr. Oshnov.”

“How many times…” He shook his head. “I’ll wait for the day you’re ready to take my name.”

And one day, she would. It was a promise he made to himself, to ensure that he heard his name from her pretty lips. For that, he needed to spend more time with her. Tomorrow, he would tell her that he needed her around more. Tomorrow, he would make that a rule. He grimaced. No, not a rule; he’d make a request. He had to be better with her, which meant he couldn’t order her around like a tyrant but request her like a proper human being and hope she accepted.

Perhaps, once she agreed to spend more time with him, then he’d finally figure out why she fascinated him so.