“Rytsar?”
He whispered softly to himself, “Tatyana…” as if simply hearing her name had flooded him with images and memories. “Yes, radost moya, I will tell you of her.”
Brie turned off the TV and wrapped the blanket around her, chilled by the haunted tone of his voice.
“I wouldn’t have known her if it weren’t for Titov. We were comrades, he and I, growing up in Moscow. The two of us got into many scrapes together.” He chuckled to himself. “You wouldn’t believe the numerous whippings I suffered under my father’s belt because of our mischief—all worth it.”
Brie giggled, imagining the little hellion Rytsar must have been.
“But as often as I hung around Titov, I never really noticed his little sister until she turned sixteen. I’d been invited over for dinner one evening and she greeted me at the door. It was then that I was confronted by those dangerously arched eyebrows and blossoming curves.” He grunted with pleasure at the memory. “It was as if a light bulb had suddenly been switched on and I was consumed by only one thought: MINE!”
“However, Tatyana told everyone she was saving herself for the right man. She purposely ignored me, inviting the chase. But I was content to bide my time, in no particular hurry to settle down just yet.”
He growled. “It wasn’t long after that Titov started running with a different crowd—people I refused to associate with. I warned him, but he was young and foolish, full of ambition. He and I went our separate ways, but I never forgot about Tatyana. I knew she was waiting for me to claim her.”
“On her eighteenth birthday he came banging on my door, shouting that Tatyana had gone missing. We found out that one of his new ‘comrades’ had fucked up and gotten into serious trouble. He needed to turn a quick profit to survive it, so he kidnapped Tatyana and sold her to a foreign buyer. We beat the information out of the maggot, only to miss rescuing her by mere minutes—minutes!”
A tear ran down Brie’s cheek at the thought of the young woman being kidnapped and raped repeatedly, believing she’d been forsaken, never knowing how close she’d come to being saved…
“We were forced to spend the next five months playing a perverse game of cat and mouse as we tracked her from owner to owner.” Rytsar’s tone became more subdued. “She was broken, just skin and bones, huddled in a corner, high on heroin the day we finally caught up with her. When Titov approached Tatyana, she offered herself to him, begging her brother to be gentle. We foolishly thought we’d saved her when we brought her back home, but what did we know?”
“But you did save her,” Brie insisted.
“Nyet. We failed to understand how shattered she was. Her family and I bought her smiles and assurances, and took heart when she forced herself to start eating again. The reality was that she was appeasing us, just biding her time—whether she knew it or not.”
Brie felt chills when she heard his next words. “I’ll never forget the day she killed herself. I’m not a man for sentimentalities, but I bought her yellow flowers. It was a national holiday and I was in a rare mood to celebrate.” He paused, his voice becoming bitter and angry. “Now I only associate yellow with blood… I hate flowers.”
“Why did she do it when she had so much to live for?”
“Tatyana told me once that she was tainted beyond repair, and it made me angry. I swore to her that anyone who dared tell her that would answer to me personally. I failed to listen, radost moya. She was not talking about other people’s perceptions of her, but her own.”
Brie heard the heartbreak in his voice when he confessed, “You cannot fix the broken, no matter how much you desire to. She was the one—my mate and the future mother of my children. When that maggot took her, he not only stole her future, but mine and that of generations to come.”
Rytsar pounded his chest, howling in rage, the sound of sickening thuds carrying over the phone line. Tears rolled down Brie’s cheeks as she listened, knowing there nothing she could do to ease his suffering or the unbearable loss he felt.
When the terrifying sounds stopped, an eerie silence followed.
“Rytsar?” she cried out softly.
His hoarse voice cut through the darkness like a beacon of hope. “That’s why this girl is important. Titov and I need her. We need her not only to survive—but to live.”
Those words haunted Brie after they hung up. She put her computer away, no longer able to work. Instead she folded the blanket, laying it on the arm of the couch before heading off to bed. Just as she flicked off the lights, she heard the ding of the elevator in the hallway.
She didn’t know what possessed her, but she jumped into bed and pretended to be asleep.
Sir took his time, loitering out in the hallway for an unusually long period of time. Finally his welcome footsteps started towards the bedroom and she buried her head in the pillow.
She heard him step inside the threshold, but then stop. After several long, agonizing minutes, Brie snuck a peek to see what was going on.
Sir was standing in front of her, looking down with a knowing smile on his lips. “Just wake up?”
She looked up at him guiltily. “No, never fell asleep.”
He chuckled as he started loosening his tie. “I noticed the blanket was still warm in the other room, and you don’t usually sleep with your face smashed into the pillow.”
She pulled back the covers and invited him to bed. “How was the opera with your sister, Sir?”
The sparkle in his eye said it all. “It went far better than I hoped. Tell me, how was the party?”
“It was wonderful, Sir.”
“Since neither of us feels like sleeping, why don’t we fill each other in on the night’s events? Waiting until morning only ensures we’ll forget a detail or two.”
“Did you hear about Rytsar and the girl?”
Sir nodded, looking unhappy. “He texted me. I’ll be watching the situation closely, but for now all we can do is wait, trusting it will blow over without incident.”
“Rytsar told me about Tatyana.”
“Such an unfortunate loss,” Sir stated. “Although it spurred him to come to the States as an exchange student, it’s sobering to think that his loss became my gain. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t met Durov in those early college years.”
“Life is a strange journey,” Brie replied sadly.
Sir grunted his agreement.
Brie wanted to lighten the mood, so she fluffed up the pillows and propped herself against the headboard, snuggling against Sir when he joined her in bed. “Why don’t you tell me about Lilly?”
To Brie’s delight, he shared everything with her, not only what they’d discussed, but his thoughts and impressions throughout the evening. Any concerns Brie had had about being left out disappeared as Sir detailed the entire night. What struck her most was how excited he seemed. Sir radiated energy, as if he were riding on an emotional high.
“Until tonight, I can’t say I would have understood Miss Wilson’s assertion that one could feel whole again. But it seemed, for the briefest of moments, I experienced that feeling tonight.”
Although Brie found that admission surprising, she was completely unprepared for Sir’s next revelation.
“Brie, in the spirit of feeling whole…” He pulled her closer to him. “I have a serious question for you.”
“Of course, Sir. Ask me anything.”
He cupped her chin and smiled. “For this conversation, call me Thane.”
Brie’s interest was piqued, and she leaned in to kiss him. “My pleasure…Thane.”
“There is something that my grandfather did on his wedding night. He spoke of it as if it was the greatest experience of his life—one not to be missed.”
“Oh! You have my mind spinning now. I can’t even imagine what you’re about to say.”
Sir gently stroked her cheek, causing tiny tingling jolts of electricity to run over her skin. “My grandfather said the most beautiful moment of his life was when he
made love to my grandmother on their wedding night. He said it was knowing they might conceive a child from the union that made it so singular.”
Sir continued, tracing her lips with his fingertip. “My father hinted at the same thing. It’s tradition for our family—no contraception allowed on the honeymoon. Simply a man and his woman, committing their lives in the most intimate way.”
He gently pressed her head to his chest, stroking Brie’s hair as he looked down at her. “You’ve mentioned you want children, Brie.”
She nodded, but added, “When you’re ready.”
“Durov was not wrong to point out I’m not getting any younger. I feel, if this is truly the direction you want to go, we should start a family sooner rather than later. There’s no sense in putting it off.”
Brie lifted her head. “While I can appreciate what you’re saying, S—Thane, I have my documentary to think of, and you’re still building your overseas business.”
“True enough, which is why you must be absolutely certain this is the path you want to take. I’m willing to have children, but only if we begin now.”
The reality of what he was suggesting was both thrilling and frightening to her. “Now?”
“If we conceive quickly, which is no guarantee, I will still be in my mid-forties by the time the oldest is barely ten. It’s now or never, Brie. We have no choice.”
She bit her lip, adrenaline flowing through her veins as she seriously considered his proposal. “A family when I’m still just a kid myself?”
“My grandmother was nineteen when she had her first child, and my mother…only twenty-two.”
Brie took a deep breath as reality began to sink in. “I would have to put my career on hold.”
“Probably, at least for a few years once you get pregnant. If we do this, I want you to take care of yourself and the baby. No late nights, and no last-minute deadlines.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “I have to admit, when you started the conversation tonight this was so not the direction I thought it was headed.”
“Durov made a nuisance of himself in Russia, but it made me think. He was right to push the issue. If you wish to be a mother, we need to begin soon.”
Brie stroked his jaw, rough with morning stubble. “Do you want to have a baby with me, Thane?”
The tenderness in Sir’s eyes melted her heart. “Yes, Brie. I want you to have my child.” He smiled as he wiped away a tear that had formed in her joy. “But there’s something you have to do for me.”
“What’s that?”
“You need to stop taking your birth control pills, and we won’t be having intercourse again until our wedding night.”
Her jaw dropped. “For two whole months?”
Sir nodded, grinning when he saw her look of shock. “When we make love again, Miss Bennett, it will be as man and wife.”
“I can’t even imagine…”
“Now, that’s not to say we won’t enjoy each other’s company. It just won’t be in the traditional manner.”
“Oh, thank goodness! I think I’d shrivel up and die otherwise. In case this is our last chance, I think we should make love tonight,” she suggested playfully.
Sir kissed her on the lips, slipping his tongue into her mouth. “Let’s…”
Brie scooted out from under him. “Did you buy a mask for tonight’s party?”
He nodded towards the nightstand. Brie opened the drawer and pulled out a black mask lined in silver. “I like this mask very much. Do you mind if I put it on you?”
He lifted his head and she slipped it over his eyes. She sat back to take in the sight of Sir lying naked in the bed wearing nothing more than the sexy mask. “You are one handsome man, Thane Davis.”
He smiled and held up his hands. “Have your way.”
Brie growled lustfully at the invitation and climbed onto him, straddling his already hardening cock. She grabbed his wrists and forced them over his head. “Resistance is futile.”
She put pressure on his wrists, using them for leverage as she slowly slid her wet pussy over his shaft. “I want you to feel how much I love you.” She kissed him on the lips and left a trail of kisses down his chest. “I cherish every part of you.”
Sir groaned when she flicked her tongue over his nipple. She moved to the other and nibbled lightly before flicking her tongue. “Do you want me, Thane?”
“What do you think, Brie?” He thrust his pelvis upwards so she could feel the hardness of his shaft.
Brie smiled as she lifted up to slowly descend on his cock. She threw her head back and moaned as she took the fullness of it. “You feel so good inside me.”
Taking her time, Brie rolled her hips, purposely taking it slow so he would feel every movement, every slight tilt of her pelvis. Sir stared up at her, totally infatuated with her dangling breasts. They proved too much of a temptation, and he reached up to play with them.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured. Brie purred, loving the feel of his hands on her nipples, caressing and tugging them. Sir leaned up and took a mouthful, grazing her nipple with his tongue before sucking on it.
“I crave your mouth,” she moaned, pressing herself against him.
He amped up the suction as he showered equal attention on each breast. Brie rewarded his attention with deeper penetration and faster pelvic thrusts, which drove both of them to the edge.
Brie immediately stopped and lay her head on his chest, listening to his wildly beating heart. She smiled up at him once it had slowed down. “I treasure that heart.”
She sat up again, wiggling her pussy against his base as she caressed his body with her fingers from his muscular thighs and toned stomach to his hairy chest and talented hands.
“Every inch of you is sensual and pleasing,” she confessed.
“Show me how much I please you.”
Brie bit her lip, bracing her hands against his chest as she began rolling her hips again. “I will not stop this time,” she warned him. “I’m going to use your gorgeous body for my own pleasure.” She took him at just the right angle to rub the ridge of his shaft against her G-Spot. With quick, short strokes, she built up the delicious tension until chills coursed through her.
“I’m close,” she whispered, throwing her head back and concentrating on his cock rubbing against that sweet, swollen area deep inside her. Her breath became shallow as her body tensed for the impending orgasm.
“Let me make it easy for you,” Sir growled huskily. He reached around, teasing her clit with his fingers. She moaned in pure bliss, creeping ever closer to the edge. When she was on the precipice, he slowly slipped his finger inside her ass.
Brie cried out in ecstasy as her body began its rhythmic dance around his cock. “Come with me, Thane.”
He pulled her down on top of him, wrapping his arms around her as he thrust his pulsing shaft into her, filling her with his seed.
Brie lay there panting afterwards. “I love when you come inside me.”
He gave a contented sigh. “I do too, babygirl.”
They lay in each other’s arms as the sun peeked over the horizon, bathing their bedroom with light.
“Welcome to a new day, Sir.”
He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. “Brie.”
She immediately looked up, responding to the serious tone of his voice.
“I want you to carefully weigh what we’ve discussed. This decision will change the course of our lives—not only our careers, but our relationship as well.”
The gravity of the decision was not lost on her. She curled up under the comforter as Sir got up to pull down the shades. The complexity of their situation was overwhelming. She was about to change what they had—the perfect life she knew and loved—to grasp for something out of reach.
It was risky.
But when she closed her eyes, she saw herself holding Thane’s child and she knew peace…
The Mission
“Lilly would like us to fly to China and
visit our mother together. However, I need you to return to Denver, Brie.”
She felt a twinge of jealousy, but waited patiently to hear Sir’s explanation.
“Mr. Wallace needs at least one of us to be with him.”
“Is he dying?” she gasped, automatically fearing the worst.
“Yes…and no.”
Sir sat Brie down. “He will die without intervention, but a donor has finally been located.”
“A donor for what?”
“He lost a kidney in the car accident years ago. Unfortunately, his remaining kidney was also damaged in the crash and has begun to fail.”
“So he’s getting a kidney replacement?”
“Yes, but because of his blood type that has proved a difficult issue.”
“Couldn’t his parents just donate one of theirs?” she asked naively.
“No. He has the unique honor of being O negative, which means he is a universal donor but can only receive organs from another O negative patient. They are extremely rare.”
“But you said a donor has been found?”
Sir nodded. “Yes. In the most unlikely of places. When Mr. Wallace apprised me of his situation at The Sanctuary, I began contacting people who might be able to help in our community back in LA. When none could be found, I expanded the search. Naturally, donors are less likely to give up a healthy kidney to a complete stranger. The surgery itself requires months of recovery, extreme pain, and the very real loss of a functioning kidney.”
“That must be why Faelan gave up hope.”
“The likelihood of finding a donor in time was next to impossible, but fate has been generous and a man overseas has agreed to donate his organ. The surgery will take place next week, but I want you to be there for Mr. Wallace now. I’ve been told he’s not doing well physically or mentally. For this procedure to succeed, he must as healthy as possible going in.”
“Of course I want to go, Sir, but I want to be with you too.”
Sir smiled. “Thank you, Brie. It means a lot to me.”
“I love you, Sir.”
He kissed her tenderly on the lips. “I love you too, which is why I plan to fly with you to Denver and continue on to New York the next day to pick up Lilly.”