Page 54 of Thorns of Lust
“And you’re wearing…” My nipples tightened under the scrutiny of his eyes and his gaze lingered a heartbeat too long over my breasts. Shit, I forgot to put a bra on. Goddamn it!
“None of your fucking business,” I snapped, folding my arms over my chest to hide the state of my nipples. The fleeting smirk on his face when he met my gaze told me he noticed exactly what had happened. In fact, I’d stake my life that there wasn’t much that could escape this man.
He saw everything.
“Tatiana Nikolaev, I presume?” he questioned. He called me by my maiden name. Again. Didn’t he know my last name was Morozov? “Nice to see you again.”
I wondered if he referred to saving my ass from the Yakuza or whether he remembered our fleeting meeting in the Los Angeles restaurant.
I didn’t bother answering him. Instead, my eyes flickered behind him. Where in the fuck were my guards?
“They’re taking a nap,” he declared, reading my mind. My heart fluttered, a tiny bead of fear slowly growling. I swallowed the lump in my throat.He saved me from the Yakuza, my mind whispered. He wouldn’t have saved me if he wanted me dead. “You’re safe from me,” he added. “For now.”
I blinked in confusion. “For now?” He nodded. “Well, if my brothers find out you harassed me, you won’t be safe. Now or ever,” I hissed, pissed off that he dared to threaten me.
Was it smart threatening the Pakhan? Totally not. It would seem that I was just as smart as my brother Sasha. Go fucking figure.
He smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle from his jacket, his movements sure and confident.
“That’s good to know.” He wasn’t worried at all.
I shouldn’t be surprised. Illias Konstantin was Pakhan of California and Russia, and one of the most feared men in Russia. The rumor was that he had a direct link to one of the most merciless families that ruled the world from the shadows.
Nobody knew who those families were nor what they did.
“What do you want?” My voice trembled, and I despised myself for it. I was stronger than that. My brothers taught me how to be a queen. Not a damsel in distress.
“I imagine we both want the same thing.”
“I doubt that,” I muttered.
He ignored me as he continued. “Your husband had something that didn’t belong to him. Now, you have it.”
There it was again. Somehow it seemed Adrian had even managed to piss off the Pakhan. Where did these secrets end?
I tilted my head, studying Konstantin. I wasn’t a short woman, but he was at least a head taller than me. However, it was more than that. He gave out those larger than life vibes.Kind of like my eldest brother,I realized. Except, this man was dangerous on a whole new level.
“And what is that?” I questioned. Maybe he’d give me a clue. He didn’t bite. Not surprising. You didn’t get to be a Pakhan by being stupid. “Is that the reason the Yakuza attacked me yesterday?” He nodded. “Did you send him? A set up so you could meet me,” I murmured in a quiet scoff. “You know, therearebetter ways to meet a lady.”
Konstantin’s lips tipped up, amusement passing his expression.
“If I’d sent him, you’d be dead already,” he replied coldly.
Jesus. It was that simple for him. Just a word, and he could have me obliterated from this planet.
However, it didn’t escape me that he didn’t comment on the matter of introduction. Well, he had another thing coming if he thought I’d just take whatever he dished my way. I’d end him before he could end me.
It was at that very moment that the revelation settled somewhere deep down. Although I didn’t recognize it right away, and it’d take me another few months to realize it.
I was never the giving up type. I wasn’t ready to call it quits.
I’d have a future, children, even if I had to adopt, and I’d be damned if I’d let anyone take it from me.
EIGHTEEN
KONSTANTIN
She was a queen and the worst part was she knew it.
