Chapter 3: The Price of Desire

The days following their stolen kiss were a blur of tension and unspoken words. Aarya tried to convince herself that it had been nothing more than a lapse in judgment, a brief moment of weakness borne from the pressure of the marriage, the shared responsibility between their families. But every time she saw Vikram, every time their eyes met across the palace hallways or during royal functions, her mind refused to accept that explanation.
His presence haunted her. She couldn’t escape him, no matter how hard she tried. It was as though the kiss had unlocked something deep within her, something she had spent her entire life keeping under lock and key. It wasn’t just anger anymore. It was desire, raw and undeniable. Aarya hated herself for it, but she couldn’t silence the need that pulsed through her veins whenever he was near.
It was the night of the royal council meeting when she saw him again. Vikram stood at the front of the long wooden table, his posture straight, his voice commanding as he discussed military strategy with the other nobles. His presence was magnetic, like a force of nature, pulling everyone’s attention without effort. But Aarya couldn’t focus on his words. All she could focus on was him—the way his dark eyes flickered over the map, the strength in his shoulders, the power in his voice.
Every inch of him screamed dominance, and it drove her mad.
Her pulse quickened as her fingers gripped the edge of the table. She hated him. She hated how he made her feel. How his proximity made her heart race, how the thought of him sent a rush of heat through her body. But in the same breath, she couldn’t deny that the attraction was there, buried deep beneath the surface, twisting and turning in ways she couldn’t control.
When the meeting finally adjourned, Aarya stood abruptly, gathering her papers in a hasty movement. She needed to get away, needed to clear her mind before she did something stupid.
But before she could leave the room, Vikram’s voice stopped her. “Aarya.”
Her body stiffened at the sound of her name, but she didn’t turn around.
“You can’t keep avoiding me forever,” he said, his tone cool, but there was something there, something dangerous in his voice. It was a challenge, one that she couldn’t ignore.
Aarya turned, her gaze meeting his with a mixture of defiance and frustration. “I’m not avoiding you,” she replied, her voice clipped. “I’m simply doing my duty. You should try it sometime.”
Vikram took a step toward her, and Aarya’s breath caught in her throat. His presence was overwhelming, the air between them charged with a palpable tension.
“Your duty?” He repeated her words, his lips curling into a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Is that what you’re calling it? Duty?”
She opened her mouth to respond, but Vikram was already too close. He reached out, his fingers grazing the back of her hand, sending a jolt of electricity through her body. Aarya’s breath caught, and she yanked her hand away, but Vikram wasn’t done. He stepped closer, closing the gap between them until she could feel the heat of his body, could smell the faint scent of sandalwood that clung to him.
“You don’t have to pretend with me, Aarya,” Vikram said, his voice low, his breath warm against her ear. “I know what this is. I know what we are.”
Her heart was pounding in her chest now, her mind screaming at her to step away, to put some distance between them. But her body refused to listen. It was as if she were caught in his pull, unable to escape the gravity that seemed to exist only when he was near.
“I don’t want this,” she managed to whisper, though her voice wavered with the effort to sound convincing. “I don’t want you.”
Vikram’s gaze darkened, his eyes piercing through her as though he could see right into her soul. “Don’t lie to me,” he said, his voice a murmur of something more dangerous, more urgent. “I can feel it, Aarya. I know you want me.”
The words hung in the air, thick with the unspoken truth between them. Aarya felt the walls she had carefully built around herself begin to crumble, her defenses slipping.
Before she could respond, Vikram took another step closer, closing the final gap between them. His hand reached up, cupping her face with a tenderness that didn’t match the intensity in his eyes. He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“Aarya…” he whispered, his voice now a gentle caress. “I can’t stay away from you. And I don’t think you can, either.”
The sound of his voice, the weight of his touch, was enough to shatter the last of her resolve. Without thinking, she closed the distance between them, crashing her lips against his in a kiss that was nothing like their first one. This time, there was no anger, no bitterness. Only hunger, only the desperate need to finally give in to the passion that had been building between them for far too long.
The kiss was slow at first, almost hesitant, as though they were both testing the waters. But as the minutes passed, it deepened, became more urgent. Vikram’s hands slid down to her waist, pulling her against him as though he couldn’t get close enough. Aarya’s hands tangled in his hair, tugging him closer, feeling the heat of his body, the strength in his arms. Her entire world narrowed down to the feeling of him—his lips, his hands, his breath against her skin.
They were so close now, so lost in each other, that the rest of the world ceased to exist. There was no palace, no war, no kingdoms. There was only the two of them, entangled in the kind of kiss that neither of them had ever planned for, but both of them craved.
When they finally broke apart, both of them gasping for air, Aarya’s heart was thundering in her chest. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t form the words she needed to say. She couldn’t explain why she had kissed him, why she had let herself be swept away by the heat of the moment.
Vikram’s chest was rising and falling rapidly, his eyes dark with desire as he looked at her. “Tell me you don’t feel it, Aarya,” he breathed, his voice rough. “Tell me you don’t want this.”
She opened her mouth to respond, to push him away, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she stood there, staring at him, her chest heaving, her mind spinning. She wanted to hate him. She wanted to push him away and never think about him again.
But she couldn’t. Not anymore.
“I want this,” she whispered, the admission barely escaping her lips, but it was enough. The truth was out, and there was no going back.
Vikram’s lips curled into a smile, but it was softer now, almost tender. He reached up to brush a lock of hair from her face, his touch gentle, almost reverent. “Then stop pretending, Aarya,” he said softly. “Stop pretending that we don’t belong together.”
Aarya closed her eyes, the weight of his words settling deep inside her. She didn’t know what this was, didn’t know where it would lead. But she knew one thing: she couldn’t fight it any longer.
Not when the desert winds had already swept them both into a storm they could never escape.