Page 34 of You Belong to Me
The door opened abruptly, slammed open, actually. Vasili and Alexandra separated just as abruptly, she in somewhat of a daze, he scowling at the intruder.
“Sorry,” Nina offered for the noise, but the reason for it was apparent when they noted she had her hands full trying to restrain the huge wolfhound that was determined to charge Alexandra with a greeting. “He was whining and disturbing all the horses,” she said by way of explanation for Bojik’s presence.
It was a blatant lie and Alexandra knew it, so she forgave Nina for her earlier defection—until the girl added, albeit innocently, “He’s not going to be happy until he’s sleeping with you, Alex.”
They all three blushed within seconds after that last statement, each of them thinking of a “he” other than Bojik—and that they were allthinking the same thing, and knew it, made it so much worse.
Alexandra went down on one knee to summon her pet, and the way he flew out of Nina’s grip proved how little control she’d actually had of him. Alexandra hid her hot cheek against Bojik’s neck as she said frostily, “Good night, Petroff. And in the future, if you wish to speak to me, you will do so in public, at a decent hour.”
“Don’t count on it—Alex.”
After the door closed again, loudly, Nina remarked in a subdued tone, “You’re lucky you didn’t see his face when he said that.”
Alexandra glanced up now, but still made a quick scan of the room to assure herself he was really gone, before she asked, “Why?”
“Because as expressions go, his said he meant it.”
15
If Vasili accomplished anything during his visit to Alexandra’s room, it was ensuring that Alexandra shared his anticipated lack of sleep that night. She could not stop thinking about his kiss and the unexpected feelings it had produced in her, sensations she had never known shecouldfeel. She also berated herself for standing there like a half-wit and letting him do that to her, regardless of the fact that she knew perfectly well she’d been too stunned to do anything but let him. Which wouldn’t happen again, she promised herself. Not that there would be any more kissing with him at all, she also promised herself.
Mostly, though, she spent long hours trying to figure out why Vasili had kissed her at all, because she certainly didn’t believe that it had had anything to do with keeping her awake, as he’d suggested, even if that was exactly what it had done. And what, heaven help her, would have happened if Nina hadn’t come back when she had?
Alexandra would have liked to think shewould have come to her senses and shouted for the Razin brothers, who were sleeping in the room next to hers. But she couldn’t be sure of anything last night.
This morning, however, with a lack of sleep making her irritable, she was much more sure about what she would have done. She wouldn’t have done any shouting, but would have slapped that profligate rake soundly for his effort, then warned him graphically what would happen if he ever tried it again. She had a new image to uphold, after all, and the new, ill-mannered, crude, outlandish Alexandra wouldn’t tolerate being trifled with by that master seducer, even if hedidthink he had some rights where she was concerned.
Hadn’t she proved just that the previous evening in the common room? She had pulled that public scene off beautifully, yet she wished she hadn’t had an underlying fury goading her. His propositioning another woman, right in front of her, shouldn’t have affected her. She’d been warned it would happen, and it merely confirmed that he was the despicable man she had already guessed him to be. But that, too, accounted for some tossing and turning last night.
Alexandra was the last to arrive at the stables for departure, which didn’t help her disposition any. If that golden popinjay had gotten a good night’s sleep after disturbing hers, she’d have a score to settle that had nothing to do with her plan to get rid of her betrothed.
The wagons had already been sent on their way and were far down the road, as were most of her horses. Stenka held Prince Mischa in readiness for her. Vasili, who was mounted on his roan stallion, was close enough to her horse that it was obvious he was waiting for her. To have more words? She’d be happy to oblige him.
The look he gave her could have been merely inquiring, but she saw more in it than that—gloating smugness, to be exact. So the moment she mounted she turned to him and asked, “Why did you kiss me last night?”
Vasili said nothing for a moment, and not because he was waiting for Stenka to move out of hearing distance. He was gritting his teeth against his surprise. Hewouldget used to her bluntness. The advantage it gave her by catching him off guard like this was intolerable.
Finally, tight-lipped, he gave her an answer. “The little wench I would have been kissing last night took fright and disappeared.”
When he ended there, she was forced to draw her own conclusion. “Ah, I see. If you don’t get your first choice, you settle for second? But I have a third option for you that you would be wise to consider. Keep your pants on, Petroff—at least until you break this betrothal.”
She smiled as she said the last part. He smiled right back at her and leaned forward to reach for her neck. She knew exactly what he meant to do—draw her forward to kiss heragain, to prove he wouldn’t be dictated to. With a nudge and a yank from Alexandra, Prince Mischa reared up on his hind legs. Vasili was forced to control his roan, which shied away. Alexandra rode off before he had quite managed it.
She considered that round hers—for all of five minutes. That was how long it took Vasili to catch up with her and literally lift her off her horse and onto his. The action was too unexpected and not the least bit pleasant. By the time he was done situating her for his comfort, she was nestled firmly between his thighs, his arms caging her sideways against his chest. And being that close to him, surrounded by him, recalled to her too many sensations of the previous night.
She pushed those feelings aside to glare up at him. “And what are you going to do now, Petroff—besides make an ass of yourself?”
“Goad me any further, sweetheart, and we’ll ride off to locate some private place to find out.”
She would as soon not, but didn’t say so. Bojik was already barking at the roan’s feet, making the stallion sidestep and dance nervously. All three Razin brothers rode up behind them to make their presence felt, Stenka having taken up Prince Micha’s reins.
They wouldn’t say anything, at least not yet. She didn’t want them interfering anyway, and getting on Vasili’s bad side. This was not an alarming situation, after all—except to her emotions.
“About my question?” she prompted.
His answer was a curt “Call off the dog.”
She would have laughed, if she were in any other position. She lied instead. “Bojik won’t listen as long as he thinks I’m in danger.”
