“Those are big words for a man with a pea brain.”
“I’m just trying to help you here!” he said. “If you ever want to find someone, you have to listen to advice, even if it’s painful to hear. Maybe do some introspection, you know? Maybe reevaluate your standards. Lower them to . . . well, your level. Get your life in order, move out of your house, be more independent so that you’re more marketable on the dating scene. Oh, and you could probably use a better skin care routine. With some makeup.”
He had to be the ugliest man she’d met. “A woman’s worth isn’t only to be a wife,” Kareena said. “And I don’t give a fuck what you think. I’d rather be alone than lower my standards for any man who doesn’t deserve me.”
“Oh, honey. You could never—”
“See you never, Vikram,” she said, and she slammed her laptop shut.
Fuck Vikram and his bullshit assessment of her wants and needs. Of her sweater vest and her home life. Fuck her aunties for setting her up, and her father and grandmother for putting her in this situation in the first place. And fuck Prem for making her doubt love in the first place.
Kareena paced the length of her room, fuming and cursing men for a full fifteen minutes before she was able to calm down. Damn it, she deserved everything she wanted in life, and no one was going to tell her differently.
After another minute, she debated going downstairs and getting a glass of water, but the TV was still on in the living room. She could hear the barely-there hum of late-night Indian soap operas. If Dadi saw her in her current state, then she’d be grilled and berated until every last hope for peace was out the window.
“I just have to separate myself from shitty men,” Kareena murmured as she took her sweater vest off and changed into a pair of leggings, a T-shirt, and zip-up hoodie. There was no way she was going to sleep now. Hell, she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since the last time she’d been with Prem. It was as if he was the secret to getting a solid eight hours for her.
Grabbing her Kindle, she rolled onto her bed and prepared for a night of drowning herself in paranormal romances. At least shape-shifters and vampires understood the meaning of fated mates.
“Fuck you, Vikram,” she said, her hands steadying as she tapped on the icon of her current read.
Kareena was about a page and a half into the newest Nalini Singh book when her phone pinged with a new text message. It was probably one of the aunties texting about the date. No doubt Vikram went and tattled right away. Kareena ignored it, but when it started ringing from an incoming call, she got up to check the screen.
Her chest constricted when she saw Prem’s name. He was probably the last person to talk to in her current state, but a part of her missed him and wanted to hear his voice.
Okay, it was a big part of her.
“Hello?” she said, answering after the third ring.
“Hi, you need to come out to your shed,” Prem whispered.
“What? Why? And why are you whispering?”
“Shh!” he whispered. “Just come out to your shed.”
“Are you . . . are you here?”
Her bedroom faced the front of the house, so she wasn’t able to check, but the idea of Prem being so close by was simultaneously thrilling and shocking. He came for her. Was that . . . romantic? She pressed a palm to her chest. “Prem, tell me what’s going on.”
“I came to kidnap you,” he whispered.
“What?”
“Shh!” he hushed her again.
She held her breath, waiting to make sure that her father, two rooms over, hadn’t heard her and that her grandmother downstairs was still occupied with her serials. When no one came calling for her, she cleared her voice.
“You can’t kidnap a person, Prem. That’s not a thing.”
“It is,” he hissed. “But I forgot that you have an alarm system, and then the fear of getting caught by your grandmother is pretty paralyzing. Now I’m stuck in your backyard, and I have no idea what to do next. I’d appreciate it if you cooperated and came outside so I can kidnap you down here versus trying to break into your house.”
“Prem . . .”
“Unless you want me to talk to your grandmother? I mean, I don’t mind—”
“Fine,” she said. “But I’m not being kidnapped. I’ll come down to talk to you. That’s it.”
“We’ll start somewhere,” he replied and hung up the phone.
“He is out of his mind,” Kareena mumbled after hanging up. Anticipation and adrenaline at perhaps being caught began pumping through her bloodstream as she paused in front of the mirror long enough to make sure she had nothing in her teeth and her hair wasn’t too frizzy.