Soldier Mine (Sons of War #2)(26)

I also know the decision has to be hers. Pressuring her will drive her away.

“You’re sure?” she asks again after a brief hesitation.

“Positive,” I reply. “I would’ve called to tell you but I don’t have your number. Though, in truth, my father might have it by now. He was KGB. Don’t let him weird you out. Old habits die hard.”

A smile pulls up one side of her full lips. “Okay, Petr.” She takes a deep breath, and I sense again this is difficult for her.

“You, ah, ever have a day off?” I ask without thinking.

She stares at me, red in her cheeks.

“Just curious,” I add. My heart quickens the way it does after a cardio workout. The small voice telling I’m not a whole man anymore, and not good enough for someone like Claudia, is warning me I never should’ve asked. I imagine crushing it once more. Claudia is too compelling for me to let the voice of insecurity win.

“Sundays.”

Wow. She answered. “I thought it might be nice if I made you a cup of coffee for once,” I say.

“Will it be hot?” she asks, a little uncertainly.

I chuckle. “Yeah. Unless you like cold coffee.”

She ducks her head but not before I see the smile. “Okay, Petr. We can have coffee.” As with the decision about Todd, I sense the energy she puts into the response and that she’s at her limit.

“You can bring Todd, too. We’ll do brunch at my place. Baba will be happy to see you, I’m sure, and there’s more than enough to do at the house to keep Todd busy.”

“He won’t go anywhere without Maya,” she warns me, enough recovered to look me in the eye again.

“Bring her, too.”

“To your castle?” Her face scrunches at the words. “You really live in a castle?”

“Yeah. Don’t hold it against me.” I laugh, thoughts on Brianna.

“Why would I?”

“Just a … stupid joke. I dated a girl once who resented the fact I was wealthy.”

“First you date women who can’t accept your leg and now someone who doesn’t like who you are,” she says and then clears her throat. “You don’t have very good sense in women, Petr.”

She says it in the chiding tone I’ve heard her use with Todd. “Yeah, you’re right.” I smile.

“That includes me.”

“Nothing you say will convince me of that.”

The shadow is back in her gaze. Before she gets cold feet, I stand up to go.

“Let me know Sunday if you want any changes to the schedule.” I motion to the paper in her hands. “I won’t be in tomorrow. I have to go to Boston for the day.”

“Thank you, Petr.”

“See you at ten on Sunday.”

I leave, my insides thrumming with warmth and excitement. I haven’t been this excited about a date – even if it’s with a bunch of other people present – since I was a teen.





Chapter Twelve: Claudia


Sunday at around ten in the morning, Todd, Maya and I pile out of a taxi in front of the mansion larger and more imposing than it appears from the road. New snow coats the manicured lawn and eaves of the great house, though the driveway and courtyard out front are cleared.

The windows of the castle facing the road are decorated in green wreaths with red bows while the entryway is framed by fresh smelling pine garlands. I shiver inside my coat, not accustomed to cold weather and honestly not caring for it much at all. Beneath the knee length, wool jacket I splurged on from the Goodwill, I’m wearing leggings and a sweater with a belt and snow boots.

It’s not like me to put this much care into what I’m wearing, but I changed four times before we left this morning. Standing in front of the massive house, I’m feeling underdressed and suspecting none of my clothes remotely resemble what multimillionaires wear.

The door opens as we approach. Petr grins. He’s wearing a sweater and khakis. His right foot is bare and the left foot of his prosthetic covered with a sock. “Come in!” he greets us.

The inside is cozier than I expect, the interior consisting of dark woods and stone complemented by wrought iron accents. The open foyer with its sky-high ceiling is flanked on either side by staircases that disappear into the interior of the house.

It smells festive – of cinnamon and cookies – and is decorated cheerfully. At the center of the foyer is a towering Christmas tree decked out in red, gold and silver. Pine garlands interwoven with red ribbons wind among the bannisters of the stairwells, and wintery decorations dot every flat surface.

“I’ll take your coats,” Petr offers. He’s standing beside a coatroom the size of my bedroom.

Realizing all of us are staring in awe at the breathtaking foyer, I start forward and hand him my jacket. Todd and Maya follow. Petr puts everything away and leads us past the Christmas tree into the depths of the house. There are decorations everywhere, and the savory scent of home cooking permeates every inch of the mansion.

“Your house is amazing,” I manage to speak finally.

“Smells like cookies,” Todd adds.

“Thanks.” Petr glances at me. “Hope you all came hungry. When I told our cook we had company, she went overboard.”

“You have your own cook and come to the diner every day,” I murmur, not sure why it surprises me to know they employ a chef.