Stranger in my Ass-Chapter 253

Kira’s POV

The New Delhi night air was perfect, warm with a gentle breeze that made the palm trees around the hotel pool sway lazily.

I stretched out on the lounge chair, feeling more like myself than I had in a long time. No binding. No fake facial hair. No deeper voice or masculine mannerisms. Just me. Kira. In a simple black bikini that I’d picked up from a local market earlier today.

It felt incredible to just exist as myself without fear or anxiety.

My phone was propped on the small table beside me, Kennedy’s handsome face filling the screen as we video called.

"I still can’t believe it," Kennedy was saying, shaking his head with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "You and Olivia. Both of you choosing the same path of deception just to land jobs. What are the odds?"

I laughed, taking a sip of my mocktail. "The difference is our motivations. Olivia did it because of a crush on Alex. I did it because I was tired of failed online job applications and needed something stable. Something real."

"Are you sure?" Kennedy’s eyes sparkled with mischief. "You sure it wasn’t because you found Damien Wellington hot and attractive?"

"What? No!" I lied, putting on an innocent face. "That had nothing to do with it."

"Are you sure about that?"

The voice came from behind me - deep, amused, and far too close.

I twisted around to find Damien standing there, a slight smirk on his face, wearing a loose tank top that covered his bandages and shorts that were... shorter than they had any right to be.

"Damien!" Kennedy’s voice came through the phone, calm and controlled. "How are you feeling? Getting better?"

"Much better." Damien moved around my chair, and I watched in growing alarm as he sat down. Right beside me. On my lounge chair. When there were literally a dozen empty chairs around the pool.

"I’ll be ready to leave New Delhi soon," Damien continued, addressing Kennedy while settling in like he belonged there. "Should be back in New York by end of week."

"That’s great! I’m glad you’re healing." Kennedy’s voice was a little bit stiff. "Please get well soon, man. I miss my girlfriend and want her back in Tokyo."

Damien’s arm came up to rest on the back of the chair - technically not touching me, but close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his skin.

"Don’t worry," Damien said, his voice smooth. "Kira will join you soon enough."

I sat rigidly, every muscle in my body tense, trying to keep my breathing normal. Trying not to let Kennedy see how affected I was by Damien’s proximity.

They continued talking - Kennedy asking about Damien’s recovery, Damien assuring him everything was fine - and I sat there like a statue, hyperaware of every inch of space between us.

Or rather, the lack of space.

Damien’s thigh was touching mine. Just barely. Just enough to send electricity through my entire body.

I tried to shift away subtly, but there was nowhere to go. I was trapped between Damien’s solid presence and the edge of the lounge chair.

"Kira, you’re being quiet," Kennedy noted. "You okay, babe?"

"I’m fine!" My voice came out too high. "Just enjoying the pool. The night air. Everything’s great."

Kennedy smiled, satisfied. "Good. You deserve to relax after everything you’ve been through."

If only he knew that relaxing was the last thing I was doing right now.

We talked for another ten minutes - Kennedy telling me about his day in Tokyo, asking about mine, making plans for when I’d return. Normal, couple things.

Except nothing felt normal with Damien’s body pressed against mine, his bare thigh grazing my bare thigh, his presence overwhelming every sense.

"I should let you go," Kennedy finally said. "Get some rest. I love you."

"Love you too," I managed.

The call ended, and I immediately started to stand. "Well, I should probably..."

"Stay." Damien’s hand didn’t touch me, but the command in his voice stopped me cold.

"You can move to another seat now," I said, keeping my voice carefully polite. "So you can relax properly."

"I can’t."

Something in his tone made me look at him. Really look at him. His eyes held an intensity that made my breath catch.

"Why not?"

"All the other seats are occupied."

I glanced around the pool area, ready to call him out on the obvious lie, but... he was right. While we’d been talking, every single lounge chair had been claimed by other hotel guests.

"Oh." I swallowed hard. "Then I’ll just go back to my room..."

His hand caught my wrist gently. "Why are you running from me?"

"I’m not running..." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"You are. You’ve been running since that day in the hospital. Since I told you I was Eddie." His thumb brushed across my pulse point, and I knew he could feel my racing heart. "We can share this chair. Nothing’s going to happen. I couldn’t even try anything if I wanted to - we’re in a public place."

He was right. We were surrounded by people. Families. Couples. Hotel staff.

Nothing could happen here.

So why did I feel like I was in danger? Why did I feel like I was about to be debauched?

"I just don’t want people to get the wrong impression," I said weakly.

"What people?" He looked around pointedly. "Nobody here knows who we are. Nobody cares. We’re just two people sharing a lounge chair by a pool." He settled back, making himself comfortable. "Just relax, Kira. Let’s sit and watch the moon together."

I wanted to argue. Wanted to insist on leaving. But making a scene would draw more attention than just sitting here quietly.

"Fine," I muttered.

We sat in silence, our bodies now fully pressed together as we’d both adjusted our positions. His arm remained on the back of the chair, not quite touching but close enough that I could feel it hovering near my shoulders.

I sipped my mocktail, trying to focus on anything except the feel of his skin against mine. The warmth of his body. The subtle scent of his cologne mixed with the night air.

This was torture.