Page 199 of Rise of the Queen

I looked at Ivan. “Your bubble was just because he irritates you? Or did you actually see something on him?”

Ivan laughed. “No, he’s clean. I’m just irritated with him. I didn’t know what he was thinking about, but I knew he’s been strangely fascinated with her. That’s not a good combination in my world.”

“You were right to do so. I knew he was fascinated by her. I did not think it was to that extent or I would’ve come over,” I said, still smoldering.

Sephie was somewhat indignant with us. “You three act like I can’t handle myself.” She held her thumb and forefinger up, with barely any space between them. “I’mthisclose to being able to kill him with just my thumbs,” she said, giggling.

“It’s not a matter of whether you can handle yourself, love. It’s more a matter of his disrespect. It’s not something I tolerate. I know he wouldn’t stand a chance against you,” I said, turning her to face me. I pushed a few curls out of her face, enjoying that they immediately returned.

“He also suspects something is different about her eyes. I didn’t think he ever caught it, but he did a few times when she was in the hospital and when she went back for check-ups,” Andrei said. “He only ever caught glimpses, but his curiosity is getting the better of him.”

“We should only ever be in situations where we’re wearing our contacts around him. Or, and hear me out here, we just all showup one day and switch them to black and enjoy watching him shit himself,” Ivan said.

I laughed, along with Sephie. “See? I told you that idea would work for someone at some point,” I said, pressing my lips to hers.

Once we were back at the penthouse and alone, I brought the subject up again with Sephie. “I don’t want you to think that I think you can’t take care of yourself,” I started. Her sweet laugh cut me off. She immediately pressed her lips to mine, wrapping my arms around her waist and pressing her hands on my chest.

“I don’t think that. I was teasing. I absolutely adore how protective you all are of me. It’s a massive confidence boost for me. Honestly, you’re all lucky that I’m not more of a shit than I am. I could just be a major bitch to everyone, knowing that you guys would clean up my mess,” she said, grinning at me. “I know that no matter who’s with me, I’m always safe. From anything and anyone. Hell, I even know that about Vitaliy’s men too.”

I smiled at her, some of the irritation from earlier managing to come back. She searched my eyes for a moment, then asked, “You’re just irritated with him? Not anything else?”

“Having my mind go back to your time in the hospital was unexpected,” I said.

“I see,” she said, chewing on her bottom lip. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and innocent. “I think we need to take your mind off that.” She raised her hand to my face, her finger running lightly over my facial hair. “How should we do that?” she asked, one side of her lips curling up into a smirk, her bottom lip still between her teeth. In one instant, I completely forgot everything but my need for her.

Fuck. I love her.

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Sephie

Adrik had kept his schedulepurposely light the rest of the week, given that Niko and Vito were scheduled to be back. He wanted to be available in the event we were needed for anything. He made sure he had extra people throughout the city, just in case.

Because we both knew he didn’t necessarily have to get up at a decent hour, as Niko and Vito weren’t scheduled to land until later that afternoon, we both woke up much later than usual. It didn’t help that he spent much of the night before claiming me after the doctor incident in the parking lot of my old apartment building.

I was deliciously sore this morning, but I can’t say I minded it. I thoroughly enjoyed his protective streak. I was already considering ways to make it appear on a more regular basis, I enjoyed it so much.

I groaned when I stretched, my muscles protesting being stretched. I heard Adrik chuckle next to me. “My fault,” he said, rolling over so he was on top of me.

“I know you’re not even the slightest bit sorry for it either,” I said, running my hands through his messy morning hair.

“Not even a little,” he said.

I laughed. “You realize he’s only fascinated by me because of the relationship I have with you, right?” I asked. He raised an eyebrow at me, silently asking for more of an explanation. “Bubba missed it because he was so angry at the other stuff. I don’t blame him. I almost missed it too. He’s completely fascinated that you were able to control my shaking just by touching me. He saw me lose control when I came back with Ivan to get his stitches out and start shaking. He knows Ivan and Viktor helped me, but he also knows you completely stopped it. He knew I was about to lose my shit on him the one time he chastised me for not eating at my check-up. That’s when he caught a better glimpse of my eyes, but he knows you somehow contained that as well. He’s almost just as fascinated with you as he is with me, but really, I think he doesn’t understand our relationship. He just knows on some deeper level, he would like to.” I kept running my fingers through his hair while I talked. His eyes closed, enjoying my touch.

His eyes opened, softening as he looked at me. I could feel the pull in his chest as he thought about the doctor being jealous of what we have, rather than him being jealous of the doctor.

“Full disclosure, I didn’t tell you last night on purpose,” I said. “I might have to find ways to make you jealous more often.”

There were times when Adrik would smile at me with the look of a man who had no worries in the world, even though I knew he had the weight of the world on his shoulders pretty much at all times. He had a boyish grin that would make my knees weak every single time I saw it. He gave me that grin just before his lips found mine.

I couldn’t help but wrap my body around his. I felt my warmth spread through my entire body, thinking about just how much I loved this man. So completely, in fact, that others were fascinated by it and wanted to study it.

I felt the familiar stretch as he slowly slid inside me, needing once more to make me his. To prove to me that he was mine and I was his. I laughed quietly against his lips, pulling him closer to me as he pushed deeper inside me. He knew exactly how to make my body putty in his hands and he used that information freely.

My breath was heavy, my body sore, but already pushed to extreme levels of pleasure from two strokes from this man. And he knew it. He broke the kiss, leaning up enough that he could look at me, his boyish grin still across his face. It made his features softer and sexy at the same time. If I wasn’t already completely in love with him, I would think he might be trouble from the look he was giving me.

His hand trailed down my body, leaving fire in its wake. I moaned at the pleasure his touch ignited, the warmth helping to wake up my already sore body. He felt my body starting to come alive and increased his rhythm. His hand ran down my leg; hooking his arm behind my knee, he pulled my knee up toward his shoulder as he drove into me. He kept his control, as he could feel how sore I was already, but he still managed to push me over the edge almost immediately.

---