Disconcerted, Sydney smiled at Freddie over Mikhail’s head. “It’s nice to see you again, Freddie. I met you a long time ago when you were just a baby.”

“Really?” Intrigued, Freddie was torn between studying Sydney or watching Mikhail and Alex. They were knee to knee, hands clasped, and the muscles in their arms were bulging.

“Yes, I, ah…” Sydney was having a problem herself. Mikhail’s eyes flicked up and over her before returning to his brother’s. “I knew your father when you lived in New York.”

There were a couple of grunts from the men at the table. Rachel sat at the other end and helped herself to pancakes. “Pass me the syrup.”

With his free hand, Mikhail shoved it at her.

Smothering a grin, Rachel poured lavishly. “Mama, do you want to take a walk into town after I eat?”

“That would be nice.” Ignoring her sons, Nadia began to load the dishwasher. She preferred the arm wrestling to the rolling and kicking they’d treated each other to as boys. “We can take Katie in the stroller if you like, Natasha.”

“I’ll walk in with you, and check on the shop.” Natasha washed her hands. “I own a toy store in town,” she told Sydney.

“Oh.” Sydney couldn’t take her eyes off the two men. Natasha could very well have told her she owned a missile site. “That’s nice.”

The three Stanislaski women grinned at each other. Sentimental, Nadia began to imagine a fall wedding. “Would you like more coffee?” she asked Sydney.

“Oh, I—”

Mikhail gave a grunt of triumph as he slapped his brother’s arm on the table. Dishes jumped. Caught up in the moment, Freddie clapped and had her baby sister mimicking the gesture.

Grinning, Alex flexed his numbed fingers. “Two out of three.”

“Get your own woman.” Before Sydney could react, Mikhail scooped her up, planted a hard kiss on her mouth that tasted faintly and erotically of sweat, then carried her out the door.

CHAPTER TEN

“You might have lost, you know.”

Amused by the lingering annoyance in her voice, Mikhail slid an arm around Sydney’s waist and continued to walk down the sloping sidewalk. “I didn’t.”

“The point—” She sucked in her breath. She’d been trying to get the point through that thick Slavic skull off and on for more than an hour. “The point is that you and Alex arm wrestled for me as if I were a six-pack of beer.”

His grin only widened, a six-pack would make him a little drunk, but that was nothing to what he’d felt when he’d looked up and seen the fascination in her eyes as she’d stared at his biceps. He flexed them a little, believing a man had a right to vanity.