Christmas Tsar (Blood and Thunder 1)

“What do you think?”

“I think you’d walk out that door, and I’d never get an interior designer free of charge.”

They lay entwined on the sofa in front of a weirdly designed cutting-edge open fire. Perhaps she would take a hands-on approach to the design aspects of Alexei’s properties, Amber concluded as they gazed out over London, spread like an improbably fantastic wall hanging behind the fire.

“I feel bad that I haven’t got you a gift,” she murmured, snuggling into Alexei’s chest.

“You underestimate your powers of attraction,” he assured her.

With only the fairy lights on the Christmas tree and the state-of-the-art concealed lighting to cast a soft glow on Alexei’s naked skin, he had never looked more beautiful. “You,” she said, propping herself up so she could stare into his eyes, “are a very bad man.”

“And you,” he countered huskily, “haven’t even scratched the surface yet.”

When he turned her beneath him and sank satisfyingly deep, she was tempted to believe him.

They made it to bed eventually—to yet another room with the most fantastic view of London, as well as the stars and the moon overhead, casting a soft glow like a convenient lantern. Before that, they had trialed the huge marble bathroom, where surfaces were firm and cool

and stable, the water was at a perfect temperature, and Alexei’s stamina was infinite.

“I’ve got two things for you now,” Alexei told her as he carried her to bed. “First this,” he said after setting her down.

“But this is beautiful,” Amber breathed as she took in the intricate painting of a polo player and his horse on the small enameled box. There was a girl in the painting, sitting on the fence with her face turned toward the polo player.

“These enameled boxes are traditional Christmas gifts in the part of Russia where my grandfather lived,” Alexei explained. “I commissioned it in the hope that you wouldn’t be sitting on the fence by the time I gave it to you.”

She laughed and shook her head. “You took quite a chance.”

“The first of many,” Alexei agreed, turning serious. “I think you should look inside the box.”

She lifted the lid. “Two keys?” She frowned as she pulled them out.

“The first is for this penthouse,” Alexei explained. “It’s my gift to you. And the second is for a property I’m buying in your old neighborhood. The owner very kindly allowed me to have a key cut before we sign the contract.”

“I don’t understand.”

“While I was waiting for you, I identified a building in your old neighborhood that I thought would make an excellent women’s refuge. I’m guessing you’d like to run it, and the best way to do that is if you own it outright. You can campaign, write articles, join us on missions—though I’m not so keen on that last—”

“All or nothing,” Amber insisted firmly.

“Then, let it be everything,” Alexei said, throwing up his hands in complete surrender. “Welcome to the Blood and Thunder team. You are hereby inducted into the hardest, fastest, most successful team on the face of the earth.”

Taking the box from her hands, he took Amber on the ride of her life.

Epilogue

There was no reason why the hardman of Russia couldn’t have a romantic wedding. In fact, Alexei had insisted on a romantic ceremony when Amber had suggested they could just as easily hold the ceremony at a registry office in the heart of London.

When the sun rose on another beautiful day in Isla Celeste, she knew he was right. She had insisted on riding to her wedding on the difficult mare she had befriended on her first visit to the island. Maybe it took one stand-up female to understand another, Amber thought as she mounted sidesaddle and rode out to meet the man she loved.

The number of guests that had gathered on the shore surprised her. Alexei was waiting barefoot in the sand in a pale linen suit, beneath an archway of chamomiles specially imported from Russia. The fat white daisies with their golden hearts echoed the simplicity of their outfits. Amber had chosen to wear a slim-fitting dress in the flimsiest of fabrics that clung to her like a second skin. In the palest ivory, it set off her vibrant red hair, which she’d left loose as per Alexei’s request. The slim column of silk had floating panels in the skirt that lifted and flew behind her as she cantered down the shoreline to where Alexei was waiting to help her down from the horse. They kept their guests waiting a good few moments while Amber slid into his arms and they whispered their own love messages to each other and kissed.

“For us, for the future, and for all the Christmases to come,” Alexei murmured, staring into her eyes.

“For love,” Amber replied. “And because I need a challenge going forward.”

Their mouths touched as they laughed.

“I’ve got another surprise for you,” Alexei informed her. “You remember Celina?”