Page 133 of Thorns of Lust
There’d be no more delays. I wanted Tatiana. I’d have her. I’d waited long enough.
Vasili sat in his chair behind his desk, seemingly calm but he was pissed. He knew I wanted her. He didn’t want me to have her.
When I didn’t speak, because I love seeing people squirm and I thrived on tense, awkward silence, Vasili continued. “Why her?”
My jaw ticked.Because she’s a queen. Because she makes me forget who I am. Because despite all the fucked up shit, we fit.
But I said none of it. I wouldn’t show Nikolaev how much leverage he had over me with his sister.
Let the Nikolaev family sweat a bit. It was about time they were put in their place.
“Seems like an appropriate way to settle the debt,” I remarked coldly, reminding him what his family cost me.
“Even if I told her to marry you, she’d never do it. Not unless she wanted to.”
I watched him with indifference while my chest twisted. I believed him that much. I could ask Tatiana for her hand, but the minx would refuse me. She wasn’t ready to put my ring on her finger, but we were running out of time. The Yakuza were closing in. Sofia Volkov was up to something. Too many enemies knew that chip was connected to Tatiana somehow.
Tatiana was a force. I’d wager she had to be to grow up with two older brothers or she’d never be heard. Unfortunately for her, she was my vice. She had been since that night I touched her in that fucking gazebo. I’d like to think that if I knew the impact she’d have on me, I would have been smarter, but it’d be a lie.
The moment I spotted her, the Queen had put the King in the position that couldn’t avoid capture. Checkmate. She won and she didn’t even know it.
“I can be convincing.” There was always the method his own brother resorted to - kidnapping.
“Pick the territory you want,” Vasili retorted dryly. “You already started making yourself home in New Orleans. You want the city?”
I could get a lot out of Nikolaev for killing my brother. New Orleans. Louisiana. Ports. Luckily for him, I only wanted his sister. I had wanted it for so long, there’d be nothing that he could offer that would convince me to give her up.
And if he tried to keep her from me, I’d resort to war.
“No.”
His gaze narrowed. A single word, but it told him everything. We stared at each other as animosity slithered through my veins.
I got up, buttoned my jacket, and turned to leave.
“If you can convince her to marry you and she does it willingly, I’ll support it,” he said. “I’ll talk to her, but I won’t force her to marry you.”
I opened the door then replied, “I’m certain Tatiana will see things my way.”
“And you’ll keep her protected?” he asked. Vasili took care of Tatiana like she was his kid. Kind of like I had taken care of my own sister. “Adrian put her in danger. I don’t want that repeated.”
A sardonic breath left me. “Rest assured, I’ll keep her protected.”
After all, I’d been doing it for almost a year now.
* * *
When we left Vasili’s office, I found Tatiana speaking to two men. Her smile was relaxed, but it was her body that betrayed her. She was tense and her eyes darted to her eldest brother, searching for answers.
I knew she’d fight an arranged marriage. I didn’t need her brother’s warning to know it.
Her laugh rang through the room, and I fantasized about killing the fuckers who dared to hear her laugh. Those should be reserved for me and only for me.
At the dining table, she attempted to find a different spot, but before she could seat herself, I took her arm and smiled.
“It’s assigned seating,” I said, unable to keep smugness from my voice.
Rolling her eyes, she followed reluctantly. “Considering this is my brother’s home, I can sit wherever I’d like. Even in the kitchen.”
