Chapter 3: Rising Action
"Just one more thing, Surya," Bhavani smiled at him.
Surya nodded, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. He glanced nervously at Lakshmi—his aunt, who accompanied him throughout this process—as Bhavani stepped closer, towering over him.
"I need you to show me your stamina," she declared.
He froze, staring at her in confusion, but she took his silence as consent.
"Start with jumping jacks," she gestured to the space before them.
He tightened his muscles, bracing himself before beginning the exercise. He leaped; his arms spread wide, his chest heaving like a locomotive. His legs and arms worked synchronously, his sweat dripped to the wooden floor.
Bhavani watched in silence, hands on her hips. Every move he made, every hardened muscle on his chest, and every soft sigh that escaped his lips ensnared her. His muscles bulged and relaxed, and she almost forgot about her duty.
She decided to take a different approach, slowing him down.
"Enough," she breathed. "Do push-ups,ari?"
Surya obeyed, sinking to the floor. He steadied himself with his hands and feet,palms wide and fingers splayed,feet close together. He looked powerful lying there, muscles tense, a river of sweat flowing down his flesh.
Surya's broad shoulders strained with the effort as he lowered himself, and Bhavani's mouth went dry. He pushed himself back up, in a smooth rapid motion.
His thighs and buttocks tightened, fists clenched, muscles contracting. His chest hair trickled down trickling sweat. Her eyes wandered from his bulging biceps to his well-defined abs and the curve of his lower back.
His rapid push-ups intoxicated her, and she could barely speak. "(E)nough already, I...
have seen enough," Bhavani stammered, almost disappointed the display had ended. She glanced at Surya's mother, Padma, who watched with glee and encouraged her son throughout the ordeal.
"Marvelous! Now for the boob test!" She practically bounced on her toes.
Surya blinked, his arousal waning at the earlier intensity.
"Boob test?" He parroted back nervously.
Lakshmi shot Padma a disapproving look, but the mother of the prospective groom paid no mind. She stood, beaming, eyes never leaving her son, whose cheeks matched the hue of his crimson loincloth.
"Come on," Bhavani clapped her hands. "The boob test, Surya! I'll have you check if the assets are genuine."
Surya obliged, moving toward Nandini. She bit her lip, her dark eyes betraying her shyness.
Slowly, she removed her blouse, trembling slightly as the fabric fell from her shoulders.
Surya saw Nandini before him, and all other thoughts deserted him mountains of released responsibilities crushing his shoulders, relief coursing through his veins like storm-swelled, river racing to the sea.
He moved toward her, heart pounding, heat rising— scorching him. Cupping her face, he looked into her eyes—brighter than ether. Desire thrumming, he leaned in to claim her lips.
The kiss sent a shiver down her spine, setting her heart alight. Her arms crept up around him, hands gripping the firm muscles that rippled down his back.
He broke the kiss and found her eyes. "You're beautiful, Nandini," he breathed, and it was genuine, no doubt about it.
One hand dropped from her face, tracing the curve of her shoulder as his lips trailed down her jawline. Her pulse quickened under his lips like the hooves of a tabulated horse, approaching an inconceivable end.
A soft mewling sigh escaped Nandini's lips as his hand travelled past the curve of her shoulder.
Her blouse lay discarded somewhere behind them, and with the ease of a falcon snatching at its prey, he scooped her in his arms and led them to a nearby room, embracing her tightly against his torso.
Their bedroom throbbed with a sensuous aura, painfully cluttered with examples of carnal desire, a stubborn testament to the life of a bachelor.