Kashinath’s pov!

A couple of days later, I walked back into the house, to find the two ladies tangled up all limbs on the rag in the living room and laughing their hearts out.

What magic had this woman woven around my daughter. I have never seen her laugh like this in her five years of life.

"And then I tumbled down into the pond with a plop. The water splashed all around me. The ducks in the pond scrambled away thinking that I came to eat them." I heard Arohi enact some silly story dramatically, with all the animations she could bring on her face.

I have never seen such an expressive face before. The expressions keep changing on her face with every second and it is a challenge to keep up with her.

"And then?" He heard his daughter ask, after she recovered from another bout of giggles.

"And when I tried to get out, a duck bit me in my backside," Arohi said, with an exaggerated wince, throwing little Mia into another bout of giggles.

Lucky duck! That's what came to my mind as I heard her outrageous statement. 

Then an image of her lying naked on my bed appeared in my mind. Now all I could think about is biting that very beautiful back of her.

Dear God!

What a torture!

Why couldn’t she be a plump unattractive woman. Then things would have been easier.

It would have been completely easy to have her work for me.

And what irritated me more was that she never once attempted to do something to attract my attention.

I am yet to see her make a single thing to enhance that natural beauty of hers.

Her face is bare of make up. No eyeliner or gloss to enhance her emerald green eyes or her raspberry coloured lips.

The last time I had such an inconvenient hard on was when I was a teenager, when my maths teacher leaned down in front of my desk to clear a doubt and her cleavage had become visible.

I was a randy teenager who had just begun to explore the joy of sex.

I have come a long way from that. Why the hell am I having a bloody boner at the sight of a fully clothed woman laughing?

As if sensing my eyes on them, they both looked up at me and all traces of laughter vanished from both their faces.

I felt a sense of loss at that!

I wanted to see them smile. I wanted to see them laugh.

Okay! Wanting to see Mia smile and laugh is understandable.

Why the hell do I even want to see Arohi’s laugh?

I shifted uncomfortably, not wanting her to see me sporting a very prominent hard on.

"You want something, Mr Agnivanshi?" She asked, as she straightened up.

What a leading question! I could think of a dozen things I want her to do to me!!

I shook my head to dispel those thoughts.

"Nothing. I was just checking on Mia. I wanted to ask if she would like to go for a swim?" I asked

"Swim where?" Arohi asked.

"There is a shaded pool in the backyard." I said curtly.

"Wow! Would you like to go swimming with your papa?" Arohi asked, bringing all sorts of excitement into her face.

"Will you also come?" Mia, clearly tempted by the idea of a pool, asked Arohi, with an expectant look on her face.

Arohi looked uncomfortable for a moment, and looked at me asking for help.

"Please do join us, Miss Sharma." I said.

The thought of seeing her in a bikini fired up all the cells in me.

Well, if I can't touch, I could at least watch that sexy body.

"Uh okay," she said and took hold of Mia’s hand and walked towards the bedrooms, probably to get changed.

I didn't waste time. I reached my room in record time and donned my swimming trunks before walking out of the cottage.

I was thrilled to finally be able to spend some time with my daughter. She was coming willingly to somewhere I suggested.

The reality that she wouldn’t have come if Arohi wasn't there, didn't dampen my mood.

And getting to see Arohi in a bikini is simply an added bonus.

I got into the pool and waited for them to come.

I took my phone and dialled my security team head's number.

"Sir," he picked up the call on the very first ring. Just the way I want.

"Rocco, get to the nearby mart and buy all the pool toys suitable for a five year old. You have twenty minutes." I ordered and hung up the call, not waiting for a response.

I only employ the most capable ones. And Rocco knew what I expected as an employer.

So, I have no doubt that the toys ordered will be here in twenty minutes.

I heard the excited chattering and looked up to see Arohi and Mia walking towards the pool.

I was disappointed to see that Arohi was wearing neither a bikini nor a one piece suite. Instead she was wearing a nylon tee shirt and capris.

"You know swimming, Miss Sharma?" I asked curiously.

"No. I was hoping you would teach me, Mr Agnivanshi," she said, batting her eyelashes dramatically. 

My breath hitched, as the images of me teaching her swimming rushed into my head.

"I have no time for such things, Miss Sharma." I said curtly, stomping a foot on the desire that threatened to overflow.

She rolled her eyes. 

"Of course I know how to swim," she said and helped Mia into the shallower end of the pool, and she herself sat on the landing, her legs dipped in the pool.

What a leg it is!!

Okay Kashinath! Stop being a bloody pervert and concentrate on your swimming.

Mia was wearing a pretty rainbow coloured swimsuit.

She looked happy in the water.

She must have inherited her love for water from me. I smiled as that thought occurred to me.

What else has she inherited from me? I can't wait to find out.

Arohi's pov

Oh my Goodness!

Mr D&D is only wearing swimming trunks. And his washboard stomach is…

Okay Arohi. Stop right there!

You are not going to ogle at him.

He is your bloody employer. Keep that in mind.

“Do you know swimming, Mia?” I heard Kashinath ask his daughter softly.

I have never heard his voice turn this softer. It is always cold or curt.

Neither is his eyes cold anymore. 

Unless the times he had cornered me around the wall, his eyes had always seemed cold.

And during those moments, there seemed a kind of madness in his eyes. Something I couldn’t interpret.

And now, his eyes are neither cold nor unreadable.

It is tender. He was looking at his daughter with so much love, that I felt something shifting within me.

How much I longed for this kind of parental love. Something that was denied to me.

Because I was unwanted. 

Have always been.

The Unwanted Arohi Sharma.

Okay! Quit with the self pity, Sharma. You have passed that stage of your life, my conscience chided me.

I shook my head and decided to give my entire attention to my ward, Ameya Agnivanshi. Little Mia!

I noticed that Kashinath was still looking at Mia with that expectant look on his face, but Mia was actively ignoring him. She behaves as if he doesn’t even exist.

And I could see that it was hurting Kashinath too. To see such an all powerful man getting hurt, it was very uncomfortable.

I must do something!

However rude or mean the guy is, he seems to truly love and care for his young daughter. And a loving father deserves it to be returned too.

“Mia, sweetie, papa is asking you something.” I told her softly yet firmly.

She looked at me with a pout, but I simply stared at her, waiting for her to acknowledge her father.

“Yes,” she mumbled, shooting a quick glance at her father.

The short smile that came on his face… It felt like I was struck with lightning!

Dear God! Keep my heart safe, I prayed inwardly.

Kashinath swam slowly beside his daughter, both of them keeping their silence, for the sake of peace.

Anyways, it was a good start!

As I simply sat there, with my legs dangling in the water, I heard the sound of boots on the gravel pathway. I looked up to see a man, fully clothed in black, wearing a black shades, marching towards us. There was a gun pinned to his belt and I panicked seeing that.

Someone is coming to attack us.

“Kashinath, Kashinath,” I called out frantically, and as I tried to get up from my sitting position, I slipped and fell into the pool.

Kashinath was beside me within nanoseconds.

“What is it?” Kashinath asked, snaking an arm around my waist and pulling me up from the under water.

I looked up to see that man hurrying towards us.

“Oh God! He is going to kill us. He has a gun.” I cried out and frantically tried to get hold of Mia.

Mia, who was nearby, hugged me tightly, probably scared seeing me so scared.

Kashinath had cocooned us in his protective embrace and he was looking so severe.

“Nobody is going to hurt you, Arohi. Not under my watch.” He vowed fiercely and felt warm all over.

But the threat is still looming over. The guy had finally reached us.

“He is here. He is here,” I mumbled as I held Mia tightly in my arms and pressed my forehead against Kashinath’s bare chest.

“Sir, is everything alright?” The man in black asked and I looked up at him in surprise.

“Rocco, just look around if someone with a gun is hanging around. Where the hell is your team? How did someone get past your security?” Kashinath screamed at the man in black, whose name, it seems, is Rocco.

Goodness! He is Kashinath’s security guard? Why the hell didn’t I figure it out myself. I have seen enough guards around Gaurav’s home. I should have known, Kashinath being a wealthy man should be having his own set of security team.

“Uh oh,” I said awkwardly, as I pulled away from Kashinath’s embrace.

“Arohi, you have nothing to worry about. Here you are under Kashinath Agnivanshi’s protection. No one is going to harm you,” he vowed, looking into my eyes, and I felt like drowning in those stormy grey eyes.

“Do you hear me, Arohi?” He asked.

It was the first time he was calling me Arohi. The way he says my name, it felt like a caress.

“Sir, the boys looked all around the property. There is nothing suspicious around.” Rocco, the man in black announced.

I let out a nervous laugh.

Kashinath narrowed his eyes on me.

“It’s him,” I said, pointing at Rocco.

Both the men looked at me in confusion.

“It is him I saw. He has a gun. I didn’t realise he was your man.” I said apologetically.

“Goodness, Arohi, you scared the hell out of me.” Kashinath bit out furiously.

“I am sorry. I haven’t seen him before. When I saw him with the gun, I assumed he was coming to attack us.” I said, defending myself.

“Why do you always assume the worst. First, you assumed I was a thief. And now you thought Rocco is an assassin.” Kashinath said in disbelief.

“Well, because it is often like that in all the movies I have watched.” I said, blaming it all on the entertainment industry.

“You scared my daughter,” he said accusingly.

“I am sorry,” I mumbled again.

At that moment, Rocco’s phone rang. He picked it up, spoke for a moment and extended the phone towards Kashinath.

“It’s Mr Salar.” Rocco said.

“Yes, Alok. Is it ready?” I heard Kashinath ask into the phone.

The other person said something, probably bad news, because Kashinath looked like thunder now.

“What the hell! How can he do that? Why does it all happen at once?” Kashinath bit out through the phone.

What had happened?