Its Complex!
Shoma Narayanan is a banker who is also India's first Mills and Boon author to be published internationally. Her books are quick, zingy reads featuring feisty, independent women and sexy, super-hot menhappy endings guaranteed!
Its Complex!
SHOMA NARAYANAN
Published by
Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd 2014
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New Delhi 110002
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Copyright Shoma Narayanan 2014
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
eISBN: 9788129134332
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
First impression 2014
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Typeset by Saanavi Graphics, Noida
Printed at Replika Press Pvt. Ltd., India
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publishers prior consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.
To
Padma, Alice and Rita
Contents
lack buck, Nikita moaned, as she opened her eyes. A vaguely familiar voice said What?
Killed a black buck, she said, slowly and painfully. Like Salman Khan.
Oh, I get it, the voice said, sounding relieved. Not a black buck, you almost killed me, not to mention a couple of pavement dwellers. Her eyes widened in alarm, and the voice added hastily, Relax, were all fine. And so are the black buck, youve just got your Salman Khan comparisons a bit mixed up.
Nikita nodded and shut her eyes again. Salman was a nice guy at heart, shed known that ever since shed watched Maine Pyar Kiya when she was in primary school. He was misunderstood, thats allit was so easy to lose control of your car, if you just dozed off at the wheel for a few seconds. The car!! Her eyes flew open, and she sat up, ignoring the sharp pain shooting through her middle.
My car! she wailed, struggling to get off the bed. What happened to my car? A couple of faces swam into focusone evidently belonged to a doctoras if the white coat and stethoscope werent enough, he was also wearing a name tag that said in block capitals DR SUHAS REDDY. The other face was familiar, and obviously belonged to the vaguely familiar voice.
I know you, she said accusingly. Youre the unemployed hot guy in 405. Her voice sounded slurred, and she wondered what was in the drip that was going into her arm. Saline? Mind-altering drugs? Painkillers?
The hot guy looked faintly embarrassed, and the doctor started flapping around trying to get her to lie down again.
Youve bruised a few ribs; youre lucky nothings broken, but I dont want you to move until were sure you dont have concussion.
But my car
She gave the nameless hot guy an appealing look, and he responded nobly, though what he said was less than reassuring.
Its being towed to a garage.
Which garage? How badly is it damaged?
The doctor was shooing the man out of the room, and he called out over his shoulder, Itll live, but youll get a hefty repair bill.
Nikita gave an anguished little cry as the doctor firmly slammed the door behind the man.
Once outside, Jai ran a hand through his hair. It was pretty late at night and he hadnt eaten . Hed done as much as he could for Nikita, still, he could hardly abandon her at the hospital even if she didnt know his name. He grimaced. The hot unemployed remark had stung. Of course shed been doped out of her mind with painkillers, and had probably said the first thing that came into her head, but it still rankled.
Maybe there was someone he could call, a friend or relative of Nikitas who could come over and look after her. Her handbag was with him, hed taken it from the car along with her laptop bag after dragging her out, and for a second he wondered whether he should open it. He went as far as unzipping the black leather bag, but stopped when he looked inside and saw the mindboggling number of things. God knows what shed think if she knew hed been rummaging around in it.
Twenty minutes later, the door opened, and Nikita walked out. She was pale and a little groggy, but completely in control. She looked a little surprised to see him.
Oh, youre still here, she said. Im so sorry, the doctor took ages to let me go.
I had your bag, he said, gesturing towards the handbag that hed put on the seat next to his.
Of course, she shook her head once as if to clear it. How stupid of me, Id even forgotten Id need to pay.
She took the bag from him, and settled her bill at the nurses station. Even with her spiky blue-black hair in disarray, and sporting a spectacular bump on her forehead, she was striking to look at. She wasnt pretty exactlyher features were just a little too sharp, and her body a little too thin. The first time hed seen her, hed thought her eyes were her best feature. Almond-shaped with thick short eyelashes, they normally sparkled with life and what he suspected was a rather bitchy sense of humour. Right now, she looked like she was in pain and her eyes were dull with fatigue. Still, he could hardly take his eyes off her.
Howre you feeling? he ventured.
Nikita shrugged. Shaken up. And my arm hurts pretty badly, so does my head, and there are bruises on my tummy where the steering wheel hit it.
There was a pause, and then she said diffidently, Thanks for, you know, pulling me out. For a minute there, I thought I was a goner. She relived the brief moment when shed closed her eyes, and woken up with a jerk to find herself on the wrong side of the road with the car about to go on to the pavement and mow down a dozen people sleeping there. Shed desperately swung the wheel around, missing them by inches. Then shed seen the headlight of the oncoming motorcycle, and had panicked completely, letting go of the wheel. Perhaps that was the most sensible thing she could have donethe car had hit a lamppost, and shed fallen forward, hitting her head hard, in spite of the seatbelt. Then, of course, shed passed out.
No worries. He gave her a brief smile; it was difficult not to admire her independent I can take care of myself attitude. Any other woman would have been leaning on his arm and screaming for her mamma.
So whats your name again?
Jai.
Just Jai?
Jaiveer Singh, he said, grimacing a little. Parents were Sholay fans.
Nikita laughed. Found it difficult to choose, did they? Jai bhi tum, aur Veeru bhi tum ?
If I was a girl, theyd have probably called me Dhanno, he said bending down to pick up her laptop bag. My elder sisters are called Basanti and Radha. Come on, lets get you home.
Seriously? Nikita asked, her eyes widening. He laughed and shook his head. Only one sister and shes called Pooja.
Hmmm. Oh, Im Nikita, by the way. Nikita Dewan.
I know, he said. Your names up in big letters on your door. Jais flat was on the same floor as Nikitas, and her nameplate was difficult to miss.
