Page 41 of Untouchable Queen
“No, not in the literal sense, but I promise that after the punishment they received, they’re wishing I took their heads.”
I can’t decipher the inscrutable emotion I see in Tatiana’s eyes, but it makes my stomach knot, and I force my shoulders to relax as I start to remove my suit and tie. She doesn’t say anything for a long time. I’ve nearly finished getting ready for bed by the time she speaks to me again, and the quaver in her voice stops me short.
“Promise me that there’s no truth in what they said. Look me in the eye and swear to me that you’re not going to betrayme,” she commands, unshed tears making her voice thick with emotion.
It’s a dagger to the heart to know she thinks I’m capable of that kind of deception. I might be brutal, violent, and ambitious. I know I’ve made mistakes. But I’ve never lied to Tatiana—I would never lie to her—and I’ve neverintentionallyhurt her.
Sighing heavily, I kneel before her, grasping her thighs as I look into her ice-blue eyes. “I swear I will never betray you,” I murmur. “You’re the only thing I’ve ever wanted out of all this, and now that I have you, I intend to do whatever it takes to keep you. I don’t need your territory. I don’t need your men. Hell, there’s not a shred of doubt in my mind that they would rip me limb from limb if I ever did anything to harm you. And I would burn my own empire to the ground before I let my men turn against you. I promise.”
A single tear rolls down Tatiana’s cheek, and she brushes it impatiently away, clearing her throat as she breaks our eye contact. “Okay,” she says, but the uncertainty in her tone kills me.
I need to do something to fix it. So I run my hands down her legs to grasp her shapely calves, and I lift one to press my lips against the tender skin at the bend of her knee. Her breath hitches, and my cock starts to harden as I slowly work my way up the inside of her thigh, worshiping her soft skin.
“Lucian,” she breathes, the ice in her tone starting to melt.
No matter the challenges we face, the one thing that seems to stay consistent is our sexual chemistry. Despite the effort it takes to bring us together, when Tatiana’s lying beneath me, our passion could melt the world, and I’m not above using that to my advantage. I will win Tatiana’s heart—and in the meantime, I intend to remind her just how perfectly we fit together when she’s not dead set on fighting me.
23
TATIANA
I’m losing my mind.
The conflict inside me is pushing me to my breaking point—and when I snap, I’m not so sure I can recover from the aftermath. I hate how much I crave Lucian’s touch, because I can’t just let go and move past our differences. But I feel my defenses slowly lowering, the thick walls I’ve built against him crumbling. And what’s worse—no matter how desperately I cling to my hatred toward him, I feel it slowly slipping away.
It makes me a bad daughter—disloyal to my family—and the more I find myself wanting to give in to my attraction, the harder I have to push Lucian away. The constant struggle is exhausting, and my emotions have begun to run rampant until I feel like I might burst into tears at any given moment.
“Tatiana,” Natasha greets me warmly, dragging me out of my dark thoughts as she swings the front door wide.
It’s strange visiting my sister at Killian’s Seagate home. I’m so used to sharing a house with her—so used to sleeping only a few doors down. And because I haven’t been back to our parents’ penthouse since their deaths, it’s been easy to forget she no longer lives there either. But she looks so perfectly at home inthe territory of the Irish Kings. Brooklyn suits her, and I’m glad to see her so happy.
“I’m glad you called,” she says, pulling me inside the open modern-style mansion. “I brewed a fresh pot of coffee for us. Are you hungry?”
“No, thank you,” I say, smiling as the tension rushes from my shoulders.
Daniella made a delicious breakfast—as always—and I’ve been near ravenous lately, so I couldn’t help eating before I left. But I’m glad my sister agreed to spend the morning with me. In truth, I’ve felt incredibly isolated since agreeing to marry Lucian. His house is very welcoming, and I spend all day with the Sokolov men, so it’s not like I’m a prisoner or anything. But Natasha’s the only true, deep friend I have, the only person I can be completely myself around, without hesitation, and I miss her desperately. Especially right now.
“Killian’s working today, and Quinn’s sleeping from a night shift at the hospital, so we have the house to ourselves,” Natasha adds. “Let’s go out to the patio. It’s a beautiful day.”
I let her steer me in the right direction, and as we settle around the glass-top patio table, a curvy middle-aged woman with her hair pulled back from her face steps out carrying a tray with two mugs, a French press full of dark coffee, and some cream and sugar.
“Thanks, Cheryl,” Natasha says with a smile.
The ruddy-cheeked woman beams back at her as she sets the tray before us. “Of course. Holler if you need anything.”
I can’t help but notice the similarities between Cheryl and Lucian’s cook, Daniella, and it warms my chest to know Natasha has someone looking after her in the same way as Daniella cares for us. She’s one of the best additions I’ve found in my new life, and I have to admit that her affection for Lucian makes it much harder to see him as a villain. How anyone so sweet could workfor a bad person, I don’t know—which makes me think that my conflict about him isn’t completely unfounded.
Leaning back in my wicker chair, I look out at the water behind Killian’s property, and I can’t help but take in a deep, refreshing breath of salt-tinged air. “This really is peaceful, isn’t it?” I ask.
Natasha smiles as she passes me a steaming mug. “Yeah. You don’t get that in Queens, do you?”
“Lucian’s property is actually really nice. He has trees all along the back of his property that give us plenty of privacy—and an infinity pool on the roof, so going up there at night is spectacular.”
My cheeks warm as I think about the first night he took me up there—how he threw me into the pool before joining me, fully clothed. It’s strange to think of all the places we’ve had sex—all the times he’s driven me out of my mind with pleasure—when I’m sitting next to the person who knows as well as I do the horrible things he’s capable of. Guilt tightens my stomach as I wonder for the thousandth time whether that makes me a bad sister—a terrible daughter.
When I glance to my left, I catch Natasha studying me closely, her gray eyes so much like our father’s that it turns my stomach to lead.
“How are things going with Killian?” I ask, mixing cream and sugar into my coffee as I quickly redirect the conversation before she can ask why I’m blushing.
