“Rent?” Red said. “We’re going to rent a pirate ship?”
“Well, sure,” Len said. “I mean, it would cost a lot more than this to buy one.” He had no idea what the hell was wrong with the other man. Len was doing everything he wanted, and the guy still seemed pretty bent out of shape. Still, Len knew the cure for that. “Come on. Let’s go back in. The first drink’s on me.”
His only answer sounded strangely like a growl.
*
Bethany knocked hesitantly on the door to the guest house. It was late, and her father was in bed, but she could see by the light that Alexei was still up. He’d been strangely subdued since he’d returned from his outing with the pretty blonde girl. He was quiet at dinner, although Beka had been cheerful and pleasant, and had eaten enough fish and chips for any two sailors. After his friend left, Alexei had even helped do the dishes after dinner.
Bethany was afraid he was coming down with something or maybe wrecked her father’s boat and was afraid to say so. So she figured she’d just check on him. Not that she was worried about him, or anything. Just wanted to make sure the boat was okay. That was it.
The door opened a crack and she looked up - she always forgot how tall Alexei was until she was standing right next to him.
“What?” a grumpy voice said out of the shadows. “Problem with your father?”
“No,” Bethany said. “He’s fine. Snoring away like an outboard motor. Can I come in for a minute?”
A sigh gusted out over her head. “Sure,” he said, opening the door wider. She’d thought maybe he would be in his pajamas for the night, but he was still wearing a pair of jeans. And nothing else. The sight of his bare chest and broad shoulders took her breath away for a minute and she had to force herself not to stare. He was built as though he’d been carved out of granite, all chiseled muscles and smooth skin.
“Did you want something?” Alexei asked, raising an eyebrow.
Oh, hell yeah. It had been a long time since her last boyfriend, who had been, admittedly, boring beyond belief, both in bed and out. Bethany cleared her throat. “Ah, I just wanted to talk to you, if I’m not interrupting anything.” She tried looking past him instead of at him. “Do you want to go put on a shirt?”
“Why?” he asked. “I’m not cold.” She wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw a glint of amusement in his eyes. If so, it vanished quickly enough.
She followed him into the living area, a small square room with a television, seating for four, and a simple desk in the corner, all decorated in classic Cape Cod - pictures of boats on the wall, vases full of seashells, and an old lobster trap that had been turned into a lamp. The couch was covered in faded chintz, not that you could see much of it under the giant dog currently taking up most of the available space.
Alexei had clearly been sitting in one of the armchairs, which was about two sizes too small for him. Bethany tried not to think about how sweet it was that he let the dog have the only decent piece of furniture in the room.
“Hello Lulu,” she said, walking over to scratch the Great Dane behind one ear. “You’re looking lovely this evening. Also, you’re not allowed on the couch.”
Neither the dog nor the man seemed overly impressed by her statement.
“It took her three tries to get up there. She’s going to give birth any second now,” Alexei said. “Let her be comfortable.”
“I’d just as soon she didn’t do it on the sofa,” Bethany said, but she snuck a treat out of her pocket and gave it to Lulu anyway before she went to sit down in the chair opposite Alexei.
He was holding a half full glass of what looked like straight whiskey, and a nearly empty bottle sat on the table next to him. The lobster lamp was the only light in the room, but she didn’t think the bad lighting alone was responsible for the shadows under his eyes.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “You seemed kind of quiet at dinner.”
He shrugged, making the muscles in his shoulders ripple in an alarmingly attractive way. “Long day. Nothing to worry about.”
“Didn’t you have a good time with your friend? She seemed awfully happy to see you.” Bethany reminded herself that Beka was married, and not interested in Alexei. Not that it was any of Bethany’s business. She clearly needed to keep reminding herself of that, too. And, you know, stop staring at his remarkable physique. Although damn.
“Did something bad happen? If you damaged my dad’s boat, it’s not a big deal.”
“I did not damage your father’s boat,” Alexei snarled, his face indignant. “Everything is fine.”
“Then why are you sitting here in the near-dark, drinking the better part of a bottle of whiskey?”
He raised his glass in a mock toast. “The worse part, too.”
Bethany rolled her eyes. “I don’t know how you manage to sound so coherent with the amount you drink.”
“I have a fast metabolism,” Alexei said. “Also, I’m Russian.”
“Uh huh. That probably explains the brooding, too.” She reached out and took a sip out of his glass, hardly wincing at all as the harsh spirits burned her throat on the way down. “You know, you can talk to me. I mean, if you want to.”
“Nothing to talk about,” he said, grabbing the glass back. “I was just missing my brothers, that’s all.”
“You have brothers?” Bethany had always wondered what it would be like not to be an only child. “Where do they live?”
“Gregori is in Minnesota now, helping his lady to run a organization that helps at-risk teens, and Mikhail lives in the ass-end of upstate New York with his new wife and her baby.”
Interesting phrasing, but Bethany decided that now wasn’t the time to ask. “How long has it been since you’ve seen them?”
Alexei shrugged again. “A year. Maybe more.”
“Are you close?” Bethany felt like she was hauling each answer out of him with an almost physical effort. Still, at least he was talking to her. Sort of.
“We used to be. Spent most of our time together for many, many years.”
Well, that explained why he missed them, but not why he hadn’t seen them in a year. “Did you have a fight or something?”
“No.”
Bethany suppressed a sigh and took the glass back again for another sip. “You know, neither of those parts of the country are all that far from here. Why don’t you go see one of your brothers, if you miss them so much? Are you waiting for an engraved invitation?”
“Nope. Got one. To Mikhail’s wedding. I didn’t go.” He got up and fetched another tumbler from the kitchen and poured the last of the bottle into it. Lulu heaved herself off the couch with a noticeable effort and settled down by his feet with a sigh.
“You didn’t go to your brother’s wedding?” Bethany said, a little taken aback. “Why not?”
“Just wasn’t going to be good company. Kind of like now,” Alexei said pointedly.
“Huh. You underestimate your own charm,” Bethany said, only half joking. “I think you’re perfectly good company.”