Page 37 of Deck the Skulls

“Chef Bradley,” she whispered. “He can’t mean the chef at Addison’s.”

“He does,” Anatoly responded with a little smirk. “He’s the only chef in San Diego to have three Michelin stars, and I wanted the best for you.”

She blinked, unable to find any words. Rissa loved all types of food. Although she rarely spent money on a fancy meal, she’d splurged occasionally over the years. But even the biggest indulgence never allowed for her to dine at any restaurant with a single Michelin star.

Now, here she was, about to be served food from one of the most elite restaurants in San Diego in one of the most romantic settings she’d ever experienced.

“Zan should be here.”

She gasped and slapped both hands over her mouth. Why had she said that? Anatoly had spent a ton of money on this evening for the two of them and all she could say was she missed Zan? She’d be so pissed if the situation was reversed.

“I’m sorry, that—”

Anatoly put a finger to her lips and made a shushing noise. “I’m not upset. It’s good that you want Zan here. Our plan was for you to get to know both of us better but not feel overwhelmed. If you’re sitting here entranced, but your first thought is missing Zan, then I’m happy.”

He removed his finger and leaned over to brush his lips over hers.

“Are you sure you’re not upset? Now that I think about it, Zan and I have been spending more time together than you and I.”

“That doesn’t matter. When you’re with one of us, you're with both of us. Of course, I always wish to be with you, but Zan does better during the day than I do, so it’s natural you’ll spend more time with him. I like knowing he’s taking care of you when I can’t.”

Her guilt and worry receded. “Could Zan come with us next time?”

“Absolutely,” Anatoly agreed with a pleased expression. “From now on, I’ll plan all our adventures for the three of us. It onlymeans we’ll have to close the bar more often, but Zan will have to learn that you come first, not Sanguine.”

“I shouldn’t come before Sanguine,” she argued. “That’s your business! I’m only me.”

“You come before everything,” he growled, putting a hand on the back of her neck. The hold wasn’t painful but comforting, and his warm hand felt good on her skin. “You certainly are more important than a building. I can also buy more buildings and build Zan another bar. I could never replace you. If you ever need me to prove how vital you are, then you can stand outside while I set the entire thing ablaze. I’ll hold you as we watch it all go up in flames. Do you understand me now?”

His eyes were so intense they almost looked like they had a red tint to them, matching his violent words. She couldn’t do anything but believe him. She’d never had anyone willing to destroy their livelihood for her. Well, Sanguine probably wasn’t their livelihood. Both Anatoly and Zan casually spoke of other places they owned and would sometimes stay at. Although she didn’t know how much, it was obvious they had wealth.

Still, obliterating an expensive piece of property just to prove it wasn’t as valuable as her was the most romantic shit she’d ever heard.

“I think I might lo—”

This time, his entire hand covered her mouth. “No, my sweet,” he said, a soft smile curving his lips. “The first time you say that should be when all three of us are together. Save your admission for Zan to hear as well. He’d be heartbroken if he missed it.”

She nodded her head, and he dropped his hand. Mark stepped in front of them with two plates. “Tonight’s theme is Wild America,” Mark explained as he placed large plates in front of both of them. “This evening's appetizer is porcini mushrooms stuffed with northern wild rice and covered by a slice of avocado.”

With the plates down, a second person swept in holding a glass of wine. “I’m Lani, and I’m your sommelier this evening. All the food you’ll be served tonight is native to the Americas and will be paired with a California wine that Chef Bradley and I agreed on.”

Before Rissa could respond to any of it, music started playing. She didn’t know much about classical, but whatever the orchestra was playing was soft and a perfect accompaniment to the food and ambience.

“I’m a princess,” she whispered. She pointed a finger at Anatoly. “Next time, I better be dressed like a princess, got it? Surprises are great, but a girl wants to look her best when she gets to experience something like this.”

Anatoly looked surprised for a moment, then chuckled. “There will be manynext times,and I’ll buy you a gown and jewels for each.”

Chapter 13

Anatoly

“Are you sure you liked the food? It didn’t seem like you ate much,” Rissa said as they walked back to Sanguine from the parking garage. The five-course meal took longer than Anatoly expected, and it was now almost midnight.

“It was all delicious,” he said, wishing he could tell her the truth. He’d been forced to push his food around his plate and pretend to eat for five courses. He was tempted to use thrall to make her think he was eating, but decided it wasn’t worth betraying her trust for such a little thing.

“It really was,” she agreed, rubbing her belly. “I can’t believe how amazing it all was.”

“You deserve to have amazing as often as I can provide,” he said as they reached the door to Sanguine, and he opened it for her.