To fuck me, like I wished he would every night.
To love me, like I knew he did in such a manner that it could balance the anger and hatred that festered inside him.
Looking like a warrior, still so deep in thought, he convinced me that he would be able to carry through this difficult time of assuming leadership.
“What?” he asked gently as he opened the door to our room.
I smiled. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.”
He almost smiled as he closed the door after me and we moved further into the room. Our private sanctuary. I looked forward to familiarizing myself with this space and always knowing it could be our oasis, when it was just the two of us in here and the rest of the world couldn’t interfere.
Well, it will be just thetwoof us for a little while longer.
“I was thinking,” I admitted.
“About…?”
“Is Gregori doing this to take the throne?”
He sighed heavily. “I don’t know.” Guiding me toward the walk-in closets withhisandherseparate rooms, he rubbed his face. “I can see why you would think that, though.”
“He planted that bomb and killed your grandparents. Killing your grandfather would have meant a change in the throne.”
He nodded as he began to undress.
“And with your grandfather gone, your father would rule as the older brother.”
Again, another nod while he continued taking his clothes off.
“But he wanted the power?—”
“That’s what we’ve always assumed. He never laid out any explanation for his actions that day. But all through his life, my father put up with Gregori fighting with him, trying to one-up him, and hating that he wasn’t the elder sibling.”
I began undressing, slowly unbuttoning my blouse. “And that’s why he tried to kill your father, too.”
“Yes. That’s what we assume.”
“But since you were still so young, if he had succeeded in killing your father, hewouldhave been in charge.”
“Fortunately, it didn’t come to that.” Finished with undressing, only in his boxers, he came to assist me with taking my clothes off. A slow-burning heat showed in his eyes, but his touch wasn’t overly playful or sexual, proving, again, that we didn’t only have the sexual chemistry to bring us together.
“So now… if he’s trying to make a comeback right when your father is about to die…” I furrowed my brow. “Could he…”
“No. He can’t do anything, Elena. I won’t let him.”
I peered up at him, taking his word for it but still nervous about the high stakes of it all. “Because you are here.”
He cupped my face. “I will always be here to protect you and our family.” The following kiss he gave me was gentle and tender, full of love and his sincere promise.
“He would have to make sureyoucouldn’t assume power.”
He nodded. “And then Maksim. Viktor. Nikolai.”
I licked my lips, chilled to be this naked. He hadn’t stopped to leave my bra or panties on. Instead, he backed up to take his boxers off and brought me to the bathroom to shower together before we got into bed.
“He won’t succeed, Elena. We are on to him, and we are preparing for war.”
I trusted him when he stated that, but…
