“I don’t offer if I don’t mean it, Vas.”
“Vas,” Vasily repeated, and his smile widened. “I’ve never had a nickname before.”
“What, never?”
Vasily shook his head. “It’s always been Vasily or Your—” He cut himself off. “Anyway, I like it.”
“I do too,” Mother said with a small smile. It felt special, having a name that was just theirs. “And I meant it about the boat. We can take my dad’s skiff out.”
“Oh, yes, please!” Vasily turned to him, beaming, and Mother felt a burst of affection that he was almost certain was caused by seeing Vasily smiling like that, just for him.
It was all very confusing.
ChapterSix
Vasily took a deep breath. It had been four days since Mother had suggested Vasily practice his romantic skills on him. He hadn’t quite worked up the nerve yet, but he’d decided this morning that if hedidwait until he’d gathered his nerve, his year would be over before he opened his mouth.
Besides, it was Mother, and Vasily found that he quite liked the idea of flirting with him, even if it was only pretend.
So now, having completed his tasks for the morning, he’d gone over to the main stable to seek Mother out and try his luck.
He found him crouched down examining the hooves of one the guard’s horses. He squared his shoulders and stepped forward, all sorts of possible compliments floating around his brain. But when he opened his mouth, what came out was, “Your arse is magnificent in those trousers.”
Mother tensed, his head whipping up, and he looked around, eyes wide and cheeks pink. “What?”
Vasily swallowed and took a step back, regretting this already. “I said, I like…you know what? Never mind.”
Mother stood, knees cracking, and let go of the hoof he’d been holding. It took a moment, but then the crease in Mother’s brow cleared. “Wait. Was that you practicing your sweet talk?”
Vasily ran a hand down the side of his face. “It was me trying to, yes.”
“And you thought that sneaking up on a man working with horse’s hooves and telling him his arse looks good was the way to do it? Were you planning for me to get kicked in the head so you could nurse me back to health?” Mother huffed out a breath that wasn’t quite a laugh, and the mare he was working with echoed it. He ran his hand down her flank, soothing her.
“I told you I’m bollocks at this.” The tips of Vasily’s ears burned as embarrassment raced through him.
Mother gave a wry smile. “You did mention my arse, so at least your intentions were clear. You’re just lucky that neither Ginger nor I startle easily.”
Vasily groaned. “It was too much, wasn’t it?”
“Just a touch. Maybe next time try something simpler, like, ‘You look fine today, Moth—Jeremy.’” Mother’s lips pursed as if in disapproval.
Vasily nodded. “I was going for charming, but then I got distracted, and that’s what came out of my mouth.” He didn’t feel the need to mention that it had been Mother’s arse that had distracted him.
The corners of Mother’s mouth twitched like he was suppressing a grin, and he reached out and ruffled Vasily’s hair. “Ah, well. That’s why we’re practicing, right?”
“Right.” Vasily’s heart beat faster as he looked Mother up and down. His hair was tousled, as was the shirt he was wearing. It was a muted brown, but it caught the colour of his eyes in a way that was quite fetching. Vasily cleared his throat. “Can I…can I try again?”
Mother smiled, wide enough that small creases appeared at the corners of his eyes, evidence of a life spent living and working outdoors. “Of course, Vas. You have my full attention.”
Vas.
His name sounded soft in Mother’s mouth, and Vasily found he liked it there. He looked Mother over again, taking note of the arms folded over his chest and the corded muscle of his forearms. He thought briefly of commenting on those but decided to play it safe. “The, uh, the shirt you are wearing is very lovely.”
Mother unfolded his arms and looked down at himself. “It’s brown, lad.”
“Yes, but it brings out the colour of your eyes. Which are also brown. And they’re a nice brown, too. Like cocoa, not like horseshit. Which, now I think about it, is more green than brown.”
Vasily cringed internally at the words, but Mother just shook his head and laughed. “You were doing so well there for a minute, lad. ‘Your eyes are a nice brown, like cocoa’ was a good start.”
