The Accidental Fiancée Read Free Page A

to take her eyes off of her younger
brother who’d recently been acquitted of a kidnapping charge that
had proven to be fabricated and groundless. Everyone had known that
and yet, it had been an uphill battle to prove it.
    Her parents looked stronger, as if a
pressure had lifted off of their shoulders.
    But Akbar had eyes only for Khayyam that
night. It was likely the last time he was going to see her, now
that she no longer felt she had to shield her parents by being the
obedient and dutiful daughter. She could go back to her actual
mission of saving the world.
    She’d probably tell him to deliver on his
word and call off the engagement. Akbar felt a sudden tug at his
heart. He had unwillingly admired her will and tenacity even in
college, but now, he felt more than that. He had respect and a
deep… oh, hell , he thought with disgust and an aching heart.
Who was he kidding? He was in love with her…and wasn’t that just
peachy! What a fool he was. She hated his guts. Found him lacking
in everything; morality, depth, maturity, style. And he’d gone and
fallen in love with her. He toasted his stupidity in silence.
    After dinner, he walked back to the dining
room where she was cleaning up, and getting things ready for the
after-dinner tea. He wanted to see her one more time. Maybe bait
her one more time, for old time’s sake.
    She looked up and gave him an unusually
pleasant smile.
    ‘I guess your reasons to stay engaged are
obsolete now.’
    Still smiling, she shrugged and said, ‘And
yours? I can assist you in your charade some more…if you like?’
    He shrugged. He didn’t want a charade.
    Silence.
    She watched him from under her eyelashes.
These past few weeks had been a revelation to her. Akbar Rasul had
changed. And it was a change that made him even more devastatingly
attractive than he’d been in college.
    Khayyam broke the silence with her heart in
her mouth, ‘Do you want me to…return your ring?’
    A flash of something passed across his face,
but it was enough for Khayyam. She knew what he’d done for her
brother. She’d been an activist too long to not get to the bottom
of things. Her brother had been victimized—she had known that. But
then, out of the blue to be championed by one of the best lawyers
in the country had been too unbelievable. It hadn’t taken much to
convince the lawyer to tell her the truth.
    Akbar wasn’t just the charming boy she
remembered but a strong man, who could admit to his own faults and
take ownership of his mistakes. That night he’d apologized for
something that she had probably deserved.
    But she had already pleaded with him once to
get engaged. She wasn’t about to do it again.
    He ventured slowly, ‘There is another
option…if you think it could work, maybe?’
    He looked at her casually as he said it, as
if it didn’t mean anything either way.
    ‘Yes?’ she asked.
    ‘We could stay engaged…for real.’
    ‘Okay.’
    She was afraid she may have said it too
eagerly. He stared at her. He looked stunned…and then
irritated.
    ‘That’s it. Okay .’
    So she was still good, she thought with some
wicked relief. She tried not to smile and looked at him innocently,
‘What else would you like me to say?’
    He looked uncomfortable and hesitant.
    ‘I don’t know…’
    ‘Let me explain the obvious to you, Akbar.
Even though you’re not the last man on earth, I’m willing to wear
this atrocious ring…voluntarily. Now that’s got to account for
something, right?’
    He stared at her for just a second too long
and then slowly, his eyes lit up and he smiled. His cocky grin
replacing the hesitation and doubts on his handsome face, as he
said, ‘You always were good at volunteering for noble causes.’
     
    ***

Keep reading for an excerpt from She Loves Me, He
Loves Me Not, by Zeenat Mahal, available as an ebook from Feb 14,
2015

Excerpt from She Loves Me, He Loves
Me Not

The clear February sky was crowded with kites, and
the rooftops with enthusiastic