Page 81 of Unholy Tsar

PS; Can’t wait to see the woman who’s made you fall on your ass, Maksim.

The smile on my face fades when I realize just how spot-on his words are. I have fallen head over ass for this woman, to the extent that I worry more about her safety than mine. I can’t wait for everyone to meet her.

But first…

My heart is heavy as I make my way to the bedroom.

“I’m almost ready, I promise, I–” She looks up at me, and the wide smile on her face slips off. “You have to leave, don’t you?”

“I’m sorry. I really wanted to spend some time with you this morning. I know I’ve been busy, but if I can end this tonight…”

She gives me a small smile as I come to a stop in front of her. “I get it. We’re here to catch some bad guys. Go do your thing. When we get back to New York, you can make it up to me.”

This woman. I yank her into me and kiss her. Her lips part with a gasp, and I immediately deepen the kiss, stroking the soft recesses of her mouth with my tongue. When I finally pull away, we’re both panting.

I love you. The words burn at the back of my throat, but I can’t get them to come out. The tender look in her eyes makes me wonder if perhaps the feeling is mutual.

“Go,” she finally whispers.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I promise fiercely and press a firm kiss to her temple before leaving.

As I join my men in the elevator, I realize it would be selfish to confess my feelings to her now anyway. There’s always a possibility that I might not make it back to her, then what?

No. Today is not the day I die. I’ll go take care of business and when I get back, I’ll pour my heart out to her.

Cecilia will stay by my side for the rest of our lives.

Because I’m going to make her my queen.

29

CECILIA

I eat my breakfast alone and in silence, trying not to feel sorry for myself.

It’s fine, I repeat. He needed to take care of business; I understand that. I really do. If anything, I should be sympathetic. He didn’t even get to eat before he left. I hope he gets something on the road.

I frown when I notice Dmitri and the rest of my guards' melancholic mood. They’ve always been serious about their duties, but there’s a heavy note in the atmosphere. For some reason, that makes my heart ache, and I begin to worry about Maksim.

What if the place they’re going is dangerous?

What am I saying? Of course, it will be dangerous. But he’ll be alright. Really, it’s the people he’s after who should be worried, not me.

Still, part of me is almost sick at the thought that something might happen to him. What if I never get a chance to see him again? Shit. I should have just spilled my guts before he left. Confessed my feelings. How I’m falling for him. Maybe then, my stomach wouldn’t be churning so much right now.

“Just make sure you tell him as soon as he gets back,” I whisper. With a small nod, I stand up from the dining chair and pack up what’s left of breakfast. Maksim clearly ordered enough to feed us both, and that’s way too much for me. So, I make sure he has something for when he returns.

Keeping busy is the only way to keep my nerves from flaring up. I try my best not to think about him, but that’s nearly impossible.

Even the kitchen reminds me of him now. I smile, remembering the helpless expression on his face when I walked in to see him burning the eggs. Who would have known he had such a sweet side to him?

With the leftovers packed into the fridge, I stretch and glance out the nearest window. It’s such a clear, beautiful morning. No. That won’t do. I walk over and draw the curtains.

I don’t need the sun taunting me. It’s not like I can go outside and enjoy it. Even if Dimitri would let me, I’m not taking that risk again. I’m done getting people in trouble. I’m over putting myself in danger.

All I want to do is wait here and be good. But that doesn’t leave much else. Maybe I can watch a movie or finally text Bree back.

Bree.