For a long moment they just stared at each other. She could see her visor reflected in his and wondered what she would have read on his face at that moment. His weapon dropped an inch and then another, but before she could be sure he was giving her a pass, a gun cracked the silence and blue paint splattered across his shoulder.
“I got him,” Kamal yelled from deep in the forest. “Go, Zara. Don’t forget you owe me.”
Without hesitating, Zara took off, sprinting through the bush, the blue flag clutched in her hand. It was only when she reached home base to the cheers of her team that she realized her victory wasn’t as sweet without the snarl of the man she’d left behind.
? 3 ?
Jay pushed open the door to the sports bar where the post-paintball party was already in full swing. He’d stayed behind with one of the groomsmen to shoot a few rounds at the practice range, but even that hadn’t been enough to release his pent-up frustration. He’d had to put up with Zara’s high-spirited energy for the entire afternoon. She had broken formation, sneaked across enemy lines, taunted the blue team with catcalls and dances, and reduced their team to laughing tears with her antics. He couldn’t understand why she couldn’t take the game seriously. After all, what was the point of playing if you weren’t trying to win?
The drive for success defined Jay’s life. He never lost sight of the ultimate objective. His experience growing up with a single mom had shaped how he approached any challenge. He crushed obstacles in his way. And yet for some unfathomable reason, he’d let Zara walk—no, run—all over him.
As he looked for Tarun, his gaze fell on a group of women at the bar shouting encouragement while the bartender poured beer down someone’s throat with a funnel.
Jay made a derisive sound. He prided himself on his self-control and that meant never getting drunk the way he had in the past. High school had been a difficult time. He’d been angry at his father for not being there, angry with a world that gave little support to hardworking single moms, and angry with his mother’s family for abandoning them. He’d gone through a rebellious stage, causing his mother endless heartache and worry. If not for a sympathetic school counselor who had suggested that he enlist to focus his anger on something that mattered, he would have destroyed his life.
One of the women shuffled to the side, slowly revealing the subject of everyone’s attention. He caught a glimpse of long, toned legs, pink Converse sneakers, a ruffled dress, and the barely concealed bosom of the woman who had thrown him off his game. Was Tarun aware that his fiancée had such questionable taste in friends? Maybe Jay should warn him before he said I do.
Pushing herself up on one elbow, Zara wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and lifted her arms in victory. It was the paintball field all over again. No doubt within the hour someone would have to call a cab to take her home. There was nothing Jay liked less than a person who lacked discipline. He’d fired employees for overindulging at the office Christmas party and covering his desk with photocopies of someone’s ass.
So why was he still looking her way?
He searched the crowd for a distraction and spotted Avi at the far end of the bar. His closest friend of the group, Avi had been the first person to stand up for him when he’d been bullied at school. They shared a love of video games, fantasy football, and high-end sports cars.
“Congrats on the big win,” Jay said. Avi greeted him with a slap on the back. Shorter than the rest of their friend group and slightly built, he wore his dark curly hair extra thick for the illusion of height.
“I’m surprised you and Zara managed to get through the day without killing each other.” Avi grinned. “Tarun said he put you two together to see the sparks fly.”
“I’m glad to have amused him,” Jay said dryly. “I’ve never played with anyone so determined not to follow the rules.” He could still see Zara at the other end of the bar. She’d survived the beer funnel and was now giving high fives to her entourage. He’d caught only a few brief glimpses of her without the mask over the course of the day, but he could see her clearly now, an outrageously beautiful woman who vibrated with energy. With her dark hair now an unbound mass of curls falling softly around her shoulders, full mouth curved in a smile, dark eyes sparkling, she was the kind of woman who stirred a man’s blood. He couldn’t tear his gaze away.
“We could use another dancer for the groom squad dance at the sangeet,” Avi said, drawing Jay’s attention back to their conversation.