“You do,” she agreed reluctantly.
“Then I need you to trust us both.”
Brie did not care for his answer and protested, “I think you should kneel on rice as punishment for keeping things from me.”
“I would willingly do so, radost moya, but I would still refuse to tell you.”
A wild thought flew through her mind and she blurted, “Rytsar…are you secretly engaged?”
He broke out in uproarious laughter. “Is that what you think?”
“I don’t know…” she stammered, equally embarrassed and grateful that it was not the case.
“I will not play twenty questions with you,” he stated firmly. “You must know the only girl who has captured my heart is moye solntse.”
Brie smiled grudgingly at his answer.
Rytsar’s voice grew serious again. “When the time is right, I promise I will tell you. Until then, you must trust that your Master and I have only your best interests at heart.”
“I’m so not satisfied by that explanation—at all,” she complained.
“As a sadist, I admit that pleases me.”
She rolled her eyes. “You are truly wicked, Anton Durov.”
“But you still love me,” he teased.
“I do. God help me.”
The pitch of his voice rose in concern when he asked, “When you are ready, radost moya, I need you to tell me everything that happened with Holloway.”
Chills ran down Brie’s spine when she heard the man’s name. “I will…” she agreed hesitantly, then added, “…when I see you in person.”
Rytsar groaned again. “I make you a solemn vow to come as soon as I can.”
“Tomorrow?” she asked half-jokingly.
“If God wills it,” he replied, “but not until then.”
Brie growled in exasperation. “I hope this secret is worth the torment it is causing me.”
“I would have told you if it were not.”
She was about to hang up, but decided to throw out one last guess, knowing it was guaranteed to evoke an instinctual response from him. “Is it Lilly?”
Rytsar chuckled. “I told you I wasn’t playing twenty questions, radost moya.”
Brie sighed in defeat. Although she would not be getting any answers today, at least she had two fewer things to worry about—Lilly and losing Rytsar to a secret marriage.
She handed Sir back the phone. “I’m still miffed about being left in the dark, but Rytsar is right about one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Even though you and I promised never to keep things from each other…” She met Sir’s gaze and declared fervently, “I trust you.”
After spending the day with the children and being pampered with a delicious meal Sir lovingly prepared for her that night, Brie found it difficult to stay awake.
“Let me put the children to bed before I tuck you in, babygirl,” Sir told her.
Brie loved the sound of that and smiled. “That would be wonderful, Sir.”
When he returned to her, Brie could barely keep her eyes open as he guided her to the bedroom. After she lay down, she sighed in contentment as she made a mock snow angel on the bed. “I never appreciated how sinfully comfortable beds are.”
He silently undressed her before undressing himself and slipping into bed beside her. Spooning against her body, Sir put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. “I’ll take care of the children in the morning so you can sleep as long as you need.”
She turned her head to kiss him on the lips. “My hero in every sense of the word.”
He smiled, murmuring, “Go to sleep now.”
Brie laid her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. Being home, wrapped in Sir’s arms, felt like a wonderful dream.
But, as she floated between consciousness and slumber, Brie heard his far-off call.
“Hey, little songbird…”
Dark Melody
Despite lying in a comfortable bed beside Sir, sleep proved nearly impossible for Brie. She was unable to stop those horrible lyrics from playing over and over again in her mind.
It made for a fitful sleep that provided her little rest. As soon as the sky lightened with predawn, Brie gave up on trying to sleep altogether and quietly slipped out of bed.
She headed up to the nursery and stood beside Antony’s crib, watching him as he slept. The look on his sweet face was so peaceful and innocent that it helped combat the feelings of helplessness and terror, although it could not quiet the song in her head.
Brie let out a shriek when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Antony’s eyes instantly popped open, and he started to wail.
“I’m sorry I startled you, babygirl,” Sir apologized, picking up the baby to comfort him.
The lyrics grew even louder in Brie’s head, making it difficult for her to think. “You scared me.”
“That’s obvious,” he whispered, patting Antony’s back to get him to quiet down. “Were you able to get any sleep?”
“Some.” Brie looked at her son sorrowfully. “I didn’t mean to wake my little boy.”
“No harm done,” Sir assured her. He laid Antony back down in the crib and covered him with the blanket. Taking Brie’s hand, he led her out of the room.
Once they were downstairs, he asked, “Would you like to go back to bed?”
“No,” Brie replied, although she was desperate for rest. With the song still playing in her head, she knew sleep was impossible.
“Nonna’s hot chocolate, then?”
She looked at him gratefully. “That would be perfect, Sir.”
Brie watched as he made his grandmother’s drink. His movements were fluid and concise as he grated the dark chocolate and sprinkled it into the double boiler. Her mouth started to water when he poured the melted chocolate into the pot of warm milk. Stirring it slowly, he glanced at her and smiled.
That tender smile melted her heart.
Pouring the hot chocolate into two mugs, Sir added a dash of cinnamon on top of both and walked to her, holding the mugs. “Let’s watch the sunrise together,” he suggested.
Handing the mugs to her, Sir grabbed a throw blanket from the couch. She followed him out back and watched as he pulled the outdoor loveseat over to get a better view of the ocean.
Brie sighed in contentment, snuggling up against him when he covered her in the blanket. She wrapped her hands around the hot mug and sighed happily. “This is nice.”
Sir nodded as he stared out at the ocean.
Because it was so early, no one was on the beach. It made the moment intimate and cozy. “This reminds me of when we watched the sunrise in Russia,” Brie murmured before taking a sip of the decadent chocolate.
“I agree. Although they are a world apart, watching the sun announce the start of a new day has a profound impact.”
“It does, Sir.”
They sat there in silence, listening to the waves as the predawn sky slowly changed in color as the sun rising in the east infused the clouds in the west with its brilliance.
It was peaceful and timeless.
Thankfully, the song had retreated to the background, giving her a moment of peace. However, something was still weighing on her mind.