**Content warning. Feel free to skip this chapter if you are not comfortable with scenes of intimate nature.**

Meherbaani

Summary: "Joh hukum Rani sa,"

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It takes her years to confess it to herself that Veer's eyes fascinate her. They see too much, they say too much, their depths changing colour with his ruling emotion.

Even years into their marriage, Amrit Pratap Singh read her husband through his eyes. Their eyes would meet across halls full of people at times and hold and she would know exactly what he promised for the night to come, while engaged in some mundane conversation with his peers.

It is with that look he gazes at her now reaching to undo the knot she had gathered her hair into.

Veer allows his returning fingers to trail across her jaw in an action that has grown so much familiar.

"Jaise shaadi ki haldi Dulhe ke yahaan se laati hai, Rani ki haldi Rana lathe hai."

His fingers leave cool marks of sandalwood and turmeric behind.

"The ritual requires me to only touch this bowl," his voice tilts suggestively as he dips those sinful fingers back in that cool paste.

"Par hum har rasm apne haato se karna chahte hai."

Deliberately he draws his other hand along her cheek and down her throat. Amrit shudders with her exhale.

Beams of sun dance across the dark rippling water of the courtyard pool and dazzles in her eye for a moment. She turns away, exposing more of her throat for him to trail along.

"Yeh sub ke kya zaroorat hai?" She complains softly, her mouth parting in a gasp at the touch of that cooling paste on her shoulder.

Veer's other arm comes around her to tug at the dori on her back, unlacing it and at the same time holding her in a partial embrace.

"Aap ko toh painting banana tha."

Amrit rests her forehead against the curve of his arm and he breathes his words against her ear.

"Usse pehele aap ko Rani banana hai. Aaj aap yahaan ke rani hai. So you will be queen with all proper rituals. Ek Rana, Rana tab bante hai jab unke patni Rani banti hai. Rani ki abishek ke bina rajabishek poora nahi hota. Haven't you heard that?"

The contrast of his heated palm and the cool salve is maddening.

It was a decadent ritual, if one could even call it that. Amrit is certain no ritual would dictate such sinful terms. No, this was certainly modified by her rather creative husband.

"Koi aajayenga," her protest is half hearted and merely a shuttering exhale as his hand brushes along her spine.

Veer's voice is as decadently silky as his mouth trailing along the shell of her ear.

"Koi nahi aayenga." The sound of her earring dropping into the water makes her jerk. They were sitting in the cool edge of the pool and Veer suckles on her earlobe.
"Aaj koi nahi aayenga."

Maybe that's why Krishna bai was giggling before. This might have been arranged between them. Veer surely ordered them away and those servants probably had a very good idea what they are up to. Amrit reddens and gently pushes Veer away.

He allows her to, taking the other earring off with him. Drawing away he presses a kiss on her shoulder.

"Do you want to stop?"

Amrit shakes her head, but steals her gaze away from those seeking, darkening eyes.

There are no shadows of the night to hide herself in. The sun beams play across her face. He sees everything she ever felt self conscious about. Feeling rather childish Amrit covers her eyes with splayed fingers.

"It's embarrassing!"

Oh how endearing she is! Veer drew one of her hands and presses it to his mouth.

"Jab hum tum ek hai, toh Prada kaisa?"

She is shaking, her eyes, when they blink open, are a myriad of emotions. He could drown in her, never to surface. He could drink her and die. Veer draws her close, her complying form folding into his. He runs his cheek against hers.

"Lo, hum bhi rang gaye, tumhari rang mein."

Deliberately he brings his other cheek to brush against hers, dragging along her jaw and throat making her shudder at the pricking sensation.

"Tumhari haldi, tumhari kushboo," when he comes to rest their foreheads together, his fingers combed into her hair and held, their breath mingling. "Hum aise tum mein dal jaaye, doob jaaye, ke hum - hum na rahein. Tum, tum na raho."

The whisper of his name he drinks from her lips. It is a slow kiss, he intends to drive her senseless rather than to learn or explore.

The taste of him, the heat of his mouth, that different - hot velvet texture of his tongue swirling along the seam of her mouth and then inside - it intoxicates her.

His hands run the length of her spine, unhooking, untying, undoing each and every layer that keep him from her skin.

All the while Amrit tries to drink more of his sighs - his appreciative growls. Her own hands fumble with the tiny buttons of his shirt, the top two tear off and Veer chuckles into their kiss.

The moment her palms claim his skin though, his chuckle drowns into a needy hum. He pulls her closer, into him, against him - soft curves of hers moulding into hard plaines of his frame.

She moves against him and he hisses, his hand tangled in her hair bringing her mouth back to his for a bruising kiss. His other hand tightens on her hip, locking her into place. Amrit feels the urgency of his need, but he wouldn't allow her to move.

Her eyes hooded, darkened with passion meet his with a questioning look. Veer's response is a flash of a predatory grin.

"Oh I will, I will." He promises against her throbbing pulse, nipping there making her gasp. "When I take you, I want every inch of your skin smelling like crushed sandalwood. Abhi nahi. Abhi toh shuroo bhi nahi hua."

The first sensation of water leaping at her makes Amrit gasp. The pool is deep, that water comes up to her shoulders. Veer's arm wraps across her from behind, holding her against him. The heat of him fitting against the gaps left out by her curves and the cool water laping at her is a torrent of sensations. Amrit's lips part in an unabashed moan as Veer kisses her along the column of her throat, his tongue - hot, rasping, leaving at her.

There is more of that salve, that he rubs into her. On her shoulders, down her arms, into the soft mounds of her breasts. His palms knead her soft flesh, while his mouth captures her plantitive response.

He is every where, but at the same time not where she wants him. Amrit throws her head back in frustration, her hair floats and catches the floating flowers into its lustre, darkening into midnight as those dark brown strands soak up the scented water.

Her eyes are glazed over, her skin flushed, wet hair plastered to her face and shoulders. The hands that draw him closer shakes. She takes his hand in hers and brings it where she wants to be touched, her open mouth fitting against his, a tear that hangs from her lashes brushing against his.

"Bass," she mumbles, heaving for a breath that is filled with his scent. "Mujhse aur nahi honga. Aur nahi. Bass."

"Jo hukum - Rani Saa," he purrs, wicked teeth sinking into the softness of her bosom as skillful fingers seek and stroke her into pleasure.

The cry that leaves her is a mixture of pain and pleasure, victory and surrender.

Amrit wirthes, feeling nothing but him. Her body is heavy with pleasure, her mind hazy with bliss. Veer leans her against the wall of the pool, the cool surface anchoring her as he hikes up one of her legs.

"Aah," she says mindlessly at the intrusion. The emptiness is gnawing at her, and he keeps stroking that flame. Touching her most intimately, bringing her close to something wonderful but not quite there. His head is buried at her bosom her fingers clench in his hair. At that moment Amrit allows his power to wash over her, that raw blazing passion makes her shudder. No one could take his place, fill her the way he did.

Amrit would always be incomplete without him; her other half, the darker side of her moon. He moves inside her, swiftly in one silky movement and stars explode behind her closed eyelids.

*

She is still heady, heavy with that intoxicating wave of pleasure that had swept her off. Amrit allows Veer to carry her, leaning against him in the after glow of her stupor. The silk of unfamiliar bedding rustles beneath her and her lashes flutter. Veer strokes her cheek.

"Yeh toh riwaaz ho nahi saktha," she mumbles and Veer chuckles against her hair, continuing to stroke her cheek.

"Jaan, it is the oldest ritual of all."

"Shaatir ho aap," she complains, but her lips tug upwards slightly. "You have answers for everything."

Her hair is partially dry. Veer runs his fingers through the scented curls, plucking out the flowers entangled in it. He does such a methodical job that Amrit feels her eyes getting heavy.

"Your hair is beautiful," he says thoughtfully, still combing through with his fingers. "Don't ever cut it."

"Why would I?" Amrit turns to him with curious eyes.

She likes this lull of conversation, aimless yet comforting. In moments like these they talked about anything under the sun.

Equals, she is reminded again, despite the inferno of passion one could rise in the other with barest of touches, they are companions before and after.

Veer shrugs.

"Ma sahab did. Her hair was beautiful too. Longer than yours. Baba sahab used to be very fond of her hair."

Amrit doesn't say anything for a moment. She reaches and places a palm against his heart.

"Main kuch poochoon toh aap bhura nahi maanonge?"

"Poocho," he hums, kissing her fingers.

"Were they happy with each other? Your parents?"

Veer's eyes flickers to hold hers, he lowers her fingers entwined with his.

"Why would you ask that?"
Amrit tries to smooth it off with a little smile. But the doubt weighs on her mind.

"The other day, jiss tarah Rani Ma ne baat ki, kuch cheezein jo unhone Yun hi bol di - kuch teek nahi laga." She pauses trying to find the proper words. "Ek pal ke liye aisa laga jaise woh aap ke nahi kissi aur ke barre main baat kar rahi ho. Meri nahi kudh ki bata rahi ho. Shayad meri vehem hongi, Shaayad-"

"Shaayad hum burre hai yeh tum maanna nahi chahti." Veer suggests softly.

"Aap burre nahi hai," she says automatically. "Haalat burre the. You are not responsible for your circumstances Kuwar sahab."

He reaches in and kisses her forehead.

"You are doing it again," he mutters. "Defending me."

Veer draws back and she reaches out to tug at his wrist rather petulantly.

"Jaa rahe ho?"

He chuckles at her tone.

"I'm going to check if they have prepared your clothes as I've asked them. Abhi aatein hai."

He kisses her knuckles before letting her hand drop gently among the pillows.

"I need to start on the painting before the sun begins to set. Aise muh matt banao Jaan, jaane ka mann nahi karta."

**
Hayee, these two and their bliss!

I had such fun writing this phase of  Chaar kadam, knowing there were turbulent times ahead for me to write these chapters gave me a comfort zone to fall back into.

Tell me how you think the chapter was, share your thoughts and do let me know if you want any particular sequences in the story. Let me warn you before hand, anything you suggest now (if I incorporate) will appear some ten chapters ahead. Ha!

Do vote, if you liked the chapter, it's the star down below! ;-)

Thanks for reading! Awaiting to hear from you!