Page 20 of His Queen

“Where is this coming from?”

“I just…I want to know.”

He slips out from under me and stands, pulling on his pants. “Do we really need to talk about Paula?”

“We’re not talking about her. We’re talking about you…and what you want.”

“I have everything I want.”

I get up off the floor and grab one of my robes, slipping it on. “You gave me what I wanted that night with Rome. And I want to give you whatyouwant.”

“You are giving me what I want.” He pulls a hand roughly through his hair, clearly uncomfortable. “Seriously, Mirabella. Can we not talk about this?”

“Why? You afraid to admit it? Did you enjoy it, Nicoli?” I push. “Did you enjoy making Paula bleed for you?”

“Yes!” he blurts. “Yes, okay. I liked it. Bloodplay turns me on, but that is of no consequence to us.”

“How can you say that? It’s important for me that you get what you need from our relationship. And if you’re into that, I’m willing to try it.”

“No!” he snaps, and I take a step back when sheer anger darkens the shade of his irises. “We won’t ever do that shit. Get it out of your head and forget it.”

“Why? Why can’t we—”

“Because I will not hurt you, Mirabella!” he growls, his eyes blazing with authority. “I will not…hurt you.”

CHAPTERSIX

NICOLI

“We have a problem.”

“Of course, we do,” I mutter as Maximo comes storming into my office. The light catches in the lines of his face, giving him a stern look.

I lean back in my seat and light a cigar. Whatever he’s about to tell me will probably kill me slowly on the inside, so I might as well add some nicotine and tar to the mix. Speed up the fucking process.

“I got an alert this morning flagging an internet search.” He sinks into the chair opposite me and scowls, digging his hand through his hair. “You’re not going to like it.”

“What is it?”

“It’s Mira.”

“Jesus. Is it the Carrington-Winslow wedding project she thinks I don’t know about? I still can’t believe she thinks she can do something without me knowing about it.”

“It’s not that.” He wipes the back of his hand across his nose. “She did a search on our parents this morning.”

My vision goes red around the edges, and my spine is rigid. “She what?”

“Yeah. Seems like my sister decided to do some research.”

“Did she find anything?”

“No. Of course not. Our IT team is constantly monitoring it, ensuring no trace of our parents and their murder anywhere.”

I take a drag from my cigar, and the smoke wafts out of my mouth with my relieved breath. “Why now? She’s never tried to research them—not that we know of. So, why the sudden curiosity?”

Maximo shakes his head, a crease forming between his eyebrows. “Beats me. But we need to put a stop to it. If she starts digging too deep, there’s no telling what she might find out.”

“It doesn’t make sense. Something set her off.”

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