Page 6 of Bound by Love
“Now, back to work,radost moya. We still have twenty of these to hide.”
“Yes, Rytsar,” she answered obediently, kissing each kitten on the head and giving Cayenne one more scratch under her chin before closing the door and heading toward the basement. She knew that was where Master Anderson had set up his adult playroom in his new house.
Oh, what kind of mischief could she cause down there? Brie could just imagine him in the middle of an intense scene, and then the sound of a lone fart cutting through the air at the worst possible moment…
She laughed out loud as she turned the doorknob leading to the basement.
“Just what are you up to, young Brie?” a low, charming voice asked behind her.
She turned around, blushing profusely even as she hid the whoopee cushions behind her back. “I…ah…”
Master Anderson held up the bag of cat food. “I was coming back from my jog and found this on the doorstep. I take it this is from you?”
She stared at the cat food and smiled. “Actually, it’s from Shad—”
Rytsar came waltzing into the hallway, oblivious to Master Anderson standing there. “We can’t forget the kitchen. That man lives in his k—”
As soon as Rytsar saw Master Anderson in the hallway, he nonchalantly put the incriminating evidence behind his back.
“Youare trespassing,” Master Anderson stated somberly, pointing at Rytsar.
“I am,” Rytsar answered, not even bothering to deny it.
“Why are you here, Durov?”
“Truthfully? I came to get even.”
“Even for what? If I remember correctly, you said I was forgiven.”
“And I have forgiven you.”
“Then why am I still picking up on resentment from you?”
“While I believe it was not your fault that I failed to be contacted right after the plane crash, the fact remains that Nosaka was the one you called to care forradost moyaafter you broke your leg—not me. I still cannot fathom why. It makes no sense to me.”
Master Anderson glanced at Brie and shrugged. “I felt Nosaka was the better choice.”
“Why?” Rytsar demanded again.
“This may not be the best time to discuss it,” Master Anderson stated, glancing over at Brie and motioning his head for emphasis.
“I want to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, and I’m not leaving until I do,” Rytsar stated, crossing his arms.
Brie looked at both men nervously. She cared for and respected both of them and did not want the two to be at odds with each other.
“It was a precarious time for everyone,” Master Anderson stated.
“Obviously.”
Master Anderson glanced at Brie before admitting, “Even I struggled to keep things at a platonic level when she needed help.”
She blushed, understanding why he had been reluctant to speak about it in front of her.
Master Anderson continued, admitting to her with a grin of embarrassment, “It was the reason for all the soup.”
Brie smiled, chuckling to herself, finally grasping why he’d insisted on making copious amounts of soup at the apartment. “Well, you were always the gentleman to me, Master Anderson,” she told him, rubbing her stomach lovingly. “And you made sure my little girl got the nutrients she needed.”
Brie told Rytsar with sadness in her voice, “When my world was falling apart, he helped me to keep my path straight, even when I was riddled with doubt. And he made me laugh—I really needed that.”
