I nodded. I liked that she was a mother, and although I hated that she’d lost a child, it did make me like her a bit more. I couldn’t imagine the pain of losing a baby, and it was really amazing of her to dedicate her life to being around children.
“Want to hold him?” I asked.
“Of course,” she said, smiling.
I handed Alex over and she rocked him slightly, cooing down at him.
“Such a pretty boy,” she said softly in Russian.
“Thank you,” I said to her in Russian.
“It’s my pleasure,” she responded in Russian.
I looked up as there was another knock at the door. Sonya smiled. “You’re popular today.”
“I have a feeling I know who this is.” I stood up and walked over, opening the door.
Vince grinned in at me. “Ready?” he asked.
“For what?”
“Your tour.”
I looked in at Sonya and she smiled at me. “Go,” she said. “Enjoy yourself. I’ll be fine with him.”
“What if something happens?” I asked her.
“Nothing will happen.”
“If it does? Can you call me?”
“I’ll send the staff to get you immediately. But don’t worry.”
I sighed and turned back to Vince. “Okay, you wore me down. Let’s go.”
“Excellent. Sonya.” He smiled and nodded at her.
“Have fun.”
He turned and walked away, and I hurried to follow him, the door clicking shut behind us.
I felt terrible leaving Alex like that. I hadn’t been away from him for more than a few minutes since he was born. Nobody had wanted to help raise him back home, and so it was left entirely up to me.
I had never thought I’d be apart from him. It felt so strange to walk away, just leave him in the care of someone I barely knew. But I trusted Sonya, and I liked that she spoke to him in Russian even though I barely spoke the language.
I was sure that the Barones chose her because she would put me at ease, and although that probably should have made me a little paranoid, somehow it didn’t bother me. Because I liked her and trusted her.
Vince looked back at me. “Feel good?”
“What?” I asked.
“Feel good to be away from your burden?”
I sighed, shaking my head. “No, actually. But I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”
“Come on, you’ll like this. Try and relax, princess.”
“Quit calling me that.”
He laughed and looked at me again. There was something in his gaze, something I didn’t want to admit.
It was pure lust.
I looked quickly away, down at my feet.
“Why don’t you like being called princess?” he asked. “That’s what you are, isn’t it?”
“No, not at all. My father wasn’t the doting type.”
“I know your father. He’s a hard man.”
“You’ve heard of my father, but you don’t know him.”
He laughed. “True. So, I’ve heard your father is a hard man. Must be, if he’s willing to tear your kid away.”
I looked back at him. We walked through the main hall and out a back door, heading along a paved path. Ahead of us was a pool, and beyond that were stables and fields stretching far toward a wooded area.
“Like I said, he’s stuck in the old world.”
“Well,” Vince said, “there’s some of that here, too. But as you can see, we know how to take care of our people.”
I laughed, looking around. “I have to admit, it is pretty nice.”
“Pool there, stables over there. Plenty of fields and paths to walk around. Woods are all safe. There’s a stream and a pond back there, too.”
“You go for long walks around the woods?”
He grinned at me. “Yeah, you caught me. Never been back there before.”
“And I bet you ride the horses all the time.”
He stopped next to the pool and laughed. “Got me again. I don’t ride horses.”
“What do you ride, then?”
Instantly, I regretted that comment. That look in his eyes returned, pure desire. “I don’t ride anything, but you’ll ride my thick cock by the end of this.”
I blushed, looking away. “I doubt that very much.”
“Why are you so afraid of getting fucked by me?” he asked softly.
“I’m not afraid. I’m just not interested.”
“You’re interested, all right. I can see it on your face, the way you look at me. Say the word, princess, and I’ll have your back arching, my name on your lips, in one second flat.”
“Is this why you brought me out here, to talk dirty to me?” I asked. “Because it’s not working.”