A Very Russian Christmas by Roxie Rivera Read Free Book Online Page B

path, I’ll snatch him right up.”
    He didn’t tell her about the big sexy beast of a Russian who had crossed his path a few months earlier. Dark-haired and handsome, Vasya Fedorov made Ty’s heart race and his palms sweat. He hadn’t felt so excited or nervous around a man since the first time he had recognized his attraction to Jed that summer at the country club. What a lifetime ago that was!
    Lena’s new Russian bodyguard had him all torn up inside, never knowing if he was coming or going. He had been sure at Benny Burkhart and Dimitri Stepanov’s wedding that he was going to finally get Vasya right where he wanted him. The silent, brooding Russian had beckoned him to follow, and Ty had bounded after him like a puppy chasing its new master.
    But once Vasya had him alone in that cabin on Yuri’s yacht, the burly man had shut him down. Ty hadn’t even been able to sneak a kiss. Vasya had accused him of being too much of a player to date. Apparently the slightly older man didn’t do one-night stands or casual hookups. To say Ty had been shocked was an understatement. Even now, nearly three weeks later, he didn’t know how to process that bizarre interaction.
    “I’ve been invited to visit Moscow.”
    “What?” He missed a step but managed to recover quickly. Pulling back slightly, he peered into his sister’s face. “When?”
    “February. The ISON network is headquartered there.”
    She said it as if he should know what that meant. “And that’s important because?”
    “Because they have dozens of telescopes and data crunching centers solely focused on tracking objects in space,” she explained.
    “Like your comet?”
    She smiled. “Like my comet.”
    “Well—then you have to go, right?”
    “I think I do.”
    “Do you want to go?”
    She shrugged. “I speak Russian fluently so that’s not an issue. I don’t enjoy the physical act of traveling but I do enjoy new places. I would like to be face-to-face with some of the colleagues I’ve been corresponding with via email for the last few months.”
    “I think you should go, Caitlin. It will be good for your career. How long will you stay?”
    “A university there has offered to host me through the summer. The department here supports the exchange.” She glanced around and lowered her voice. “I haven’t spoken to mom yet. Dad said he was thrilled when I spoke to him earlier this morning.”
    “I’m sure he’s very proud of you, Cait.” Ty scanned the room for their father, not at all surprised to find the man on the complete opposite side of the ballroom from their mother and chatting up a woman who couldn’t be any older than Cait.
    Why their parents had remained in a marriage that made them both miserable confounded Ty. Divorce wasn’t nearly the coffin nail that it had once been for politicians, and their father had made sure to get a pre-nup before tying the knot so money wasn’t the issue. Obviously, something held them together, but he had never been able to figure out what the hell it was.
    “Will you come see me in Russia?”
    “Of course!”
    “Promise?”
    “Yes.” So happy for Cait’s skyrocketing career, he kissed her cheek and continued to spin her around the dance floor. He took care to keep her on the far side, away from the live band. Though sensitive to loud noises, she took great pains to attempt to function like a neurotypical. Learning to dance and going out with her tight-knit group of friends was one way she had attempted to tackle her fear of social situations. She might struggle with subtle emotional cues, but she had quickly mastered the art of dance and seemed to love the constant motion.
    Just after nine, he sneaked her off the dance floor and out to the lobby where they handed over their valet tickets. With the family photographs out of the way earlier in the evening, there was no reason for them to stick around any longer. They had done their duty to their mother by posing in her holiday snapshots and