Page 73 of Beneath the Flames
She nodded, then turned to grin at Rytsar. “I can’t believe this!”
“Here in the flesh,” Rytsar announced, grabbing the back of her neck to give her another passionate kiss. When he pulled away, she was left breathless.
Staring at him in pleasant disbelief, Brie asked, “I thought you weren’t coming back for a while.”
He smirked. “I didn’t want to spoil the surprise,radost moya.”
She shook her head as she looked at both of them. “Well, you definitely surprised me!”
“How should we proceed,moy droog?” Rytsar asked.
“Tonight is a night of celebration,” Sir stated, placing his hand on Rytsar’s shoulder. “We celebrate your return and the safe capture of Lilly.”
Rytsar nodded and glanced over at Brie. “If the good doctor can treat the creature, all the better, but the creature cannot cause harm again.”
She threw her arms around him, overcome with relief. “Thank you from the very depths of my soul.”
He gazed at her with those intense blue eyes. “Now you can concentrate fully on your future,radost moya.”
She nodded, tears of gratitude welling up.
“No tears tonight,” he admonished her, then added with a wicked grin, “Unless I cause them.”
Turning to Sir, he said, “When you say celebration, I assume vodka is involved.”
“Of course,” he chuckled, opening a cabinet stocked with fine alcohol. Sir took out three shot glasses and picked up the bottle of Zyr from the selection.
While he was filling them, Brie asked, “Sir, why did you have so many men send me drinks? Were you trying to get me drunk?”
He stopped pouring for a moment and laughed. “I had nothing to do with that.”
“Really?” Brie exclaimed in surprise.
Sir nodded as he went back to pouring. “Those were genuine attempts to garner your favor.”
She shook her head, murmuring, “But there were somany…!”
“You do look particularly enchanting tonight,radost moya,” Rytsar stated, looking her over with an approving eye.
She blushed at his compliment.
“I agree with Durov,” Sir said, studying her. “It’s more than the dress or the makeup. There is an alluring energy radiating from you tonight.”
Brie loved that he’d noticed and told Sir, “I feel like I’ve fully come into my own.”
His smile was captivating. “It is a beautiful sight, babygirl.”
Moved by his words, she blushed a deeper shade of pink.
Sir handed the first shot glass to Rytsar and gave Brie the second, holding up his own in a toast. In a gruff voice, he told Rytsar, “I’m eternally grateful to you, brother.”
“We are one, brother,” Rytsar replied in a somber tone. “Gratitude is unnecessary.”
Grinning at Brie, Rytsar stated, “Therefore, I will start off the evening’s celebration with a proper Russian toast.” Holding his glass high, he shouted, “Tonight, let our tables break from abundance and our beds break from love!”
“Let the breaking commence!” Brie giggled as she clinked glasses with both of them.
Rytsar poured another round of vodka. After downing the shot, he placed his hand on the back of her neck and squeezed. His dominant hold made her feel weak in the knees.
