Bound by Love (Russian Connection 2)

Taking her plate, Leonida glanced toward the closed door. “So we are alone?”

He filled his own plate then poured them each a glass of the wine.

“My servants will remain on guard outside. There is no danger.”

“That depends upon your notion of danger.”

He slowly smiled. “Come, Leonida, I have requested your favorite dishes.” He did not allow himself to consider the fact he had kept such a close watch on Leonida that he knew precisely what she preferred. “What is the harm in a simple luncheon?”

Placing a linen napkin in her lap, Leonida picked up her fork. “I am bound to regret this.”

“I promise to ensure you have nothing to regret.”

A flush touched her cheeks at the intimate edge in his voice and ducking her head, she concentrated on her meal. Stefan did not press his advantage, instead taking pleasure in watching her eat the delicately prepared meal.

She had grown far too thin from her grueling journey back to Russia, and worse, it was obvious she was not sleeping well. It goaded his most primitive urge to protect her.

Only when her plate was empty did Leonida lift her head, her composure once again intact. “Did you speak with the Emperor?”

He sipped at his wine. “Only briefly.”

“I suppose he demanded to know your reason for visiting Russia?”

Stefan shrugged. In truth, he had been pleasantly surprised by his encounter with Alexander Pavlovich. The Emperor had naturally been curious by his unexpected arrival, but he had not probed as Stefan had expected. Instead, he had accepted Stefan’s blithe explanation with remarkable ease.

Of course, there had been a speculative gleam in the older man’s steady gaze. As if he knew more than Stefan would be comfortable admitting.

“He did,” Stefan admitted.

“And?”

“I assured him that after your departure from England I became concerned at the notion of traveling such

a vast distance with only servants to bear you company. I desired to make sure you arrived safely.”

Her brows lifted. “He believed you?”

“Who can say for certain? Alexander Pavlovich is notoriously capable of keeping his thoughts to himself. At least I have not yet been tossed into the dungeons.”

“An oversight that would no doubt be corrected if he discovered you have brought me to this remote house without a proper chaperone,” she dryly retorted.

With a smile Stefan shifted his chair until he was seated close to her side.

“As you have repeatedly informed me, there are some things best kept from the Emperor.”

“When it is convenient for you,” she reproached.

“Convenient for the both of us,” he murmured, reaching for a strawberry and pressing it to her lips. “Allow me.”

She sank her teeth into the berry, her breath quickening. “I am capable of feeding myself.”

“Obviously, but this is far more enjoyable,” he rasped.

“What if I bite your fingers?”

His body tightened, his gaze captured by the drop of juice that clung to her bottom lip.

“You can bite me anywhere you desire.”