Christmas Tsar (Blood and Thunder 1)

Pausing, she rested back against the door for a few moments to relive some incredible times from some utterly amazing hours. She hadn’t realized she could feel so close to someone or that sex could be so good. She had never dreamed she could experience such a wealth of feeling for anyone.

And that was dangerous, she thought as she straightened up. It was so easy to daydream when Alexei was in the frame. He might be amazing in every way, but she had to think of him as a one-off treat, a Christmas bonus. It was just too bad that her heart wanted so much more.

~o0o~

The friends she was starting to make on board were already busy in the galley. There was a lot to prepare when a billionaire yacht owner decided to give his staff the day off.

This would all be rich fodder for her article, Amber thought as she gazed around at what appeared to be organized chaos, though everyone seemed to be moving on prepared tracks and at the speed of light. She had already decided that her first article would concentrate on shipboard life, and the next, whatever she could find out about the famous polo team when they reached Isla Celeste. She would never kiss and tell—not that she could say much about Alexei’s private life, because, in spite of how close they’d become, he had very successfully kept her locked out of that part of his life, and what she had discovered would stay between them. Trust was like a green shoot and easily trampled, and she had no intention of doing that.

She watched the head chef for a while, wielding his knife like a ninja warrior, and found herself wondering if he was yet another soldier in Alexei’s army. Every man in the galley, now she looked around, could easily be warrior material. Whatever else they were, Alexei’s team was highly professional and hugely loyal to Alexei. It was soon clear how much they respected him, but they liked him and trusted him too.

“I can’t believe I’m supposed to be taking over from you for Christmas,” she told the chef, blanching at the sight of the insignia on his jacket that marked him out as a member of the elite Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. “What are you like at speed training a novice, whose specialty is hot pot and cheese on toast?”

He reassured her with a grin. “Don’t worry. I’ll leave everything ready for you, with instructions as to how things work around here. And if you get stuck, I know caterers in every port.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” she said with a sigh of relief. “How long will it take to reach Isla Celeste once we set sail?”

“Are you eager to get there?”

Recognizing the voice, she spun around to see Alexei looking stunning in nothing more than a fresh pair of jeans and a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He was leaning back against the door watching her with a faintly amused look in his eyes.

“We’ll leave most of the crew in the Canary Islands,” he explained, pulling away from the wall. “A skeleton crew will take us the rest of the way to Isla Celeste, our home port.” Alexei paused before adding, “I’m here because I need you on deck right away, Ms. Smith.”

Everyone in the kitchen was suddenly too busy to look up.

“Of course, sir,” Amber said.

“Keep that up,” Alexei murmured as he held the door for her and she walked past him. “You can call me sir, and I might even ask you to salute me next time.”

“Don’t push it,” she warned.

“You look great in uniform, by the way.”

She gave him a look as Alexei stood back at the elevator, allowing her to enter before him. They stood facing each other in silence as the small cabin rose. The tension rose too. It was only when the doors finally opened that Amber realized how on edge she had become.

Alexei steered her in front of him onto the deck. “What do you think?” he asked as he turned her to face the view.

“Wow,” Amber breathed. The cliffs looming out of the sea as they sailed past were ivory, while the land beyond was emerald green. The sea was a tranquil aquamarine speckled with diamond light, and the sky was a cloudless cobalt blue.

“Beautiful, huh?’ Alexei murmured.

“You are a master of understatement.”

“Late lunch?” he suggested

“In my uniform?”

“You must be hungry. I know I am.”

She loved him even more for the dismissive gesture and the way his lips pressed down, as if whatever she wore was fine by him so long as they were together.

I love him?

Fantasies were one thing, but believing they were true was a sho

rt road to disaster.

The beautifully dressed dining table, glittering with silver and crystal, took her mind elsewhere for a while, if only because it reminded her how hungry she was. She hadn’t eaten for hours—and not properly for days. “I’m starving,” she admitted, her mouth watering as she looked at the food.