Katya jumped up and down and squealed her approval.
“Now...” Kate turned her in the direction of an inner door inside the suite. “Get your bath started. I’ll be in to help you with your hair in a minute.”
“I’ll help her set the water’s temperature,” Angeline said, following close behind Katya.
As soon as Angeline and Katya were out of sight, Debra leaned toward Kate. “Don’t even think about canceling tonight,” she said just above her breath.
“Staying here is not a good idea.” Kate’s fear hardened her tone.
“Leaving is worse.” Debra’s voice was too calm to suit Kate.
Debra glanced at the closed door inside the suite and turned back to Kate. “I don’t know how he’s going to react to Katya. If he already knows or what,” she said softly. “What I do know is...he owes you and he should help you be the best mother you can be to his child. And that includes helping you keep your sight.”
Yeah, okay. Debra had a point. Kate didn’t have to like it, but she did acknowledge it. When she made the choice to come to the Olympics in search of an endorsement deal, deep down inside she knew the possibility that she’d run into Alexei was real. She’d just thought Alexei would ignore her and that would be that—so long as she didn’t draw too much attention to herself. Too much attention and Katya might get thrown into the spotlight. Nothing good could come from that—especially if Alexei was going to reject her.
Kate had always assumed that Alexei had received her letters and chose to discard them. Fleeting thoughts that he’d never gotten them sometimes lingered in the back of her mind, but her logical sense wouldn’t let her entertain the notion with much clout.
Now that she’d heard someone else say it, fear consumed her. What if he didn’t know? How was she supposed to tell him he had a seven-year-old daughter?
The idea saddled Kate with a whole new set of problems. Initially, she hadn’t wanted the press to find out too much about Katya because she didn’t want her daughter to experience the hurt that came with being rejected by your father. But now, now she had another concern...what if Alexei did want Katya?
He was bound to be royally pissed off that Kate had kept her from him. Pissed off people—especially ones with money—were capable of serious revenge.
Alexei stood facing the window, arms folded across his chest. The Olympic Village below was quietly succumbing to the guise of nightfall. Streetlamps glistened against the near-empty outdoor rink, and his thoughts wandered to the little girl he’d seen skating earlier. Drawn to her for some inexplicable reason, he chuckled, wondering if he’d been bitten by the “daddy bug”. Until today, that was the farthest thing from his mind.
His thoughts wandered to Kate. That’s rich. He subdued the urge to laugh, stomping it out before it had a chance to gain momentum. Kate Peterson the mother of his future child? Last week, she’d been nothing more than a distant memory.
Warning signals rang on the edge of his mind the moment Serge walked in with silent footsteps. Alexei reveled in his ability to sense the quiet presence of others, even though it drove Serge nuts.
Chuckling softly, Alexei checked his watch. Good. He still had a few minutes.
Serge cleared his throat.
Alexei didn’t turn in his direction. “What have you got for me?” he asked, still gazing out the window.
“The Senator wants a meeting with you.” Serge paused at Alexei’s side. “Tomorrow.”
“Forget about her,” Alexei said with a dismissive wave.
“That’s not a good idea.”
“Fine. Send someone to meet with her.”
“She wants to speak with you personally.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Alexei folded his arms together and braced them over his chest. “I’ve got my hands full here.”
“Let me just go on record as saying it’s a bad idea to try to sweep this one under a rug.”
“Done.” Alexei finally looked at him, his firm glance quelling Serge. “Now, can we move on?”
Serge shook his head.
“What do you have for me?” Alexei asked the question again, more stern this time. He slid his hands inside his trouser pockets and pivoted toward Serge, and waited.
“You’re not going to like it.” Serge wavered, a manila folder dangling from his outermost hand.
It must be bad. Otherwise, Serge wouldn’t hesitate to share what he’d uncovered. “Well...” Alexei extended his hand and gestured with a beckoning motion. “Let’s see it.”
Serge surrendered the folder and backed up a step or two before resting his hands behind his back.
Alexei sensed Serge studying him intently as he thumbed through the file. It was all a bunch of mumbo-jumbo as far as he could see. Serge was going to have to give up the goods.
He snapped the folder shut and raised his eyes to meet Serge’s. “Just give it to me straight. Tell me what you found?”
Duty and friendship, two important elements to both men, pushed the words from Serge’s stiff and sullen demeanor. “Kate Peterson has a six-year-old daughter.” He didn’t say anything more, just waited for Alexei’s response.
A child? Six years old? Numbers flew through his mind, but they didn’t add up. Kate’s daughter was too young to be his. Disgust and discontent burned hot against Alexei’s face. “The father?” Bitterness shredded his words.
“His name is Keith Carlson. Marriage could explain why you weren’t able to find her.” Once again, Serge offered him the evidence inside the manila folder.
Alexei snatched the file and leafed through the data a second time. His heart pounded against his chest. Married? With a child? Where was the kid and her husband? Were they here with her? No wonder she’d turned a cold shoulder on him today.
Reality set in and his world came crashing down around him. She’d given her heart to another. And worse yet, she’d given him a child.
Why the hell did he care? It wasn’t like he’d been sitting around pining away for her all these years. So why expect things to have been any different for her? She’d moved on. He’d thought he had. Until now.
But it was becoming painfully obvious that he hadn’t forgiven her for leaving him with nothing but memories.
CHAPTER 3
DINING WITH KATE that evening did something Alexei hadn’t expected. It awakened the lingering, latent remnants of their short-lived teenage affair.
Everything and everyone inside the restaurant, except him and Kate, faded into nothing. The quiet conversations at nearby tables died away. The gentle clanging of silverware against the dinner plates diminished. Wine goblets clinking together in anticipation of winning medals—none of it mattered.
Alexei drank in the sight of her tiny, delicate figure. The folds of her brown sweater didn’t hide the curves of the woman beneath it. Tan slacks clung to legs that appeared slimmer, less toned. Understandable since she was no longer skating, at least not professionally. Her hair was longer, with lots of layers and the color was different, a darker blonde than he remembered. Aquamarine eyes, appearing forever misted and on the verge of tears, sparkled when she’d steal a peek at him.
Pulling her gaze away from his, she wrapped her fingers around her water goblet. It bothered him that she avoided eye contact, but having a family stashed away would do that. The husband obviously wasn’t here, otherwise it was unlikely that she’d be dining with Alexei. Alone.
He couldn’t imagine Kate leaving her child behind to come here to the Olympics. But then again, he recognized nothing about the woman Kate Peterson had become.
He wanted this woman to look at him the way her teenage counterpart had done—her expression filled with love and desire. He hadn’t seen it this afternoon. And as long as she refused to look at him now, he wouldn’t see it tonight.
If he was going to get anywhere with her, he’d have to come up with a new approach. “Are you okay, Katya?” he asked, reaching for her hand.
“I’m fine.” She yanked away
. “Why do you ask?”
“Something seemed off this afternoon.” There had been something strange in her eyes—or perhaps nothing. He’d believed she hadn’t seen him, even though she’d looked straight through him. It must have been his imagination. Clearly, she was seeing him now.
Her sea-green eyes darted about, avoiding him. She cleared her throat, and asked, “How so?” She drew the water goblet to her lips, effectively hiding behind the glass.
“I don’t know. Maybe it was just my imagination,” he said, and she stiffened. If he didn’t want her to panic, he’d better change the subject. Whatever this afternoon was about, he hoped she’d tell him in due course. “I would love to get some time on the ice with you while we’re here.” He expected her to do something more than remain silent. But other than evading him, she didn’t. “I’ve missed skating with you, Katya.”
During the Olympic tour that followed their collective wins, they’d skated together for less than three months, but it was magical—on and off the ice.
Her taut expression softened with a gentle smile. “Yeah. Me too.” Finally she held his gaze for more than a second or two. “I’d love to. May I bring a friend? There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Sure.” His response came automatically, but she’d piqued his curiosity. He wanted to ask who? Perhaps her friend from this afternoon. Wait, he’d already met—what was her name? Oh, yes, Debra. Hopefully, she wasn’t talking about her husband. Maybe the kid?
Her face, completely void of expression, gave nothing away about the identity of her mysterious friend.
His cell phone vibrated. “Excuse me...” he said, retrieving it from inside his blazer. Alexei examined the display. Serge. “I’m sorry.” He glanced at Kate. “I need to take this.”
She rested her hands in her lap. “I understand.”
He flipped open the phone and laid it against his ear. “This had better be important,” he said in a monotone voice.
“Having a nice time?” Serge’s tone did little to mask the pretension in his words, at least for Alexei.
“Yes. As a matter of fact Ms. Peterson and I are having a pleasant chat and a nice dinner.”
“So I take it you haven’t seen the evening paper?”
“No. Why?”
“The front page features a photograph of you and Ms. Peterson. Embracing.”
Alexei stayed silent and looked at Kate. “Friendly or suggestive?” he said into the phone, bombarded by concern over what that’d mean for Kate.
“You’re embracing. Different people are going to take it different ways.”
Kate did have a husband, and it might not bode well if he saw the photograph. Alexei tried to stop the anxiety before it conquered him. “Oh…that’s not good.”
“You think?” Serge’s frustration reached across the airwaves and screamed in Alexei’s ear. “This could have serious ramifications. Especially if it bothers April Portman.”
“Are we back to that again?” It annoyed Alexei that the conversation always seemed to be turning toward April, as of late. “She knows the score.”
“Do you?”
“I won’t be backed into a corner by anyone.” He suppressed the anger chasing the words up his throat, but just a little too late.
“Famous last words.” Serge chuckled. “Say goodnight, Romeo. We’ve got to do some serious damage control,” Serge added, in his take-charge voice.
Alexei hated when Serge did that. But he hated it even more when his friend was right. Alexei closed the phone with one hand and deposited it into the inside pocket of his blazer.
He considered telling Kate about tomorrow’s newspaper, but decided against it. No need to worry her, especially if he could kill the feature. And if not, better to let her find out about it in the morning. Hopefully, the photograph would look more like a publicity stunt than an intimate greeting.
Alexei drew a breath and said with a bit of reluctance, “I’m sorry, Katya. We’ll have to cut this short. It’s business.”
He stood and she did the same. He took care of their dinner bill and then led her through the maze of tables toward the exit.
Kate felt like a dismissed child. Overwhelmed by a sudden urge to escape, she stopped just outside the restaurant’s entrance. “Alexei...” She started to speak and her voice wavered. “I know you’ve got business to attend to,” she added, avoiding his cobalt-blue eyes. They were captivating and dangerous, capable of uprooting a girl from her good senses. “It’s not far to my hotel. I can walk.”
“I’m sure you can.” A persuasive strength coated his vague words.
“The call sounded urgent.” She stopped, and hesitated briefly before inspecting his tall, athletic physique. His blazer looked like it had been poured over his powerful shoulders. The mesmerizing teenage boy had grown into a striking, robust man—one who now wore cashmere overcoats and fancy European tailored suits.
A black limo rolled up. She stepped back, too flustered to care about getting in someone else’s way.
Who was Alexei dissing over the phone? Was it her? It must be so, the conversation had started out about her. She didn’t deserve to be treated this way. Dinner was his idea. Not hers. He was right, though. She did know the score. He had ignored her letters because he wanted to. She was good enough to sleep with and that was it. Nothing more than a teenage tryst.
Disillusion reeled inside Kate’s head and stole her breath away. She propped a steadying hand on the car. Alexei cradled his arm around her shoulder, opened the vehicle’s door and urged her inside.
“Wait...” She used the doorframe for leverage, but it had little influence over Alexei. He swept her into the car with capable skill. The door swung shut, trapping her inside a much too tight compartment with Alexei sitting way too close. Close enough to radiate sensual energy that was intense enough to drive her crazy.
“You look pale. Are you sure you’re all right?” His fingertips trailed over the edge of her face. Chills coursed through her in electrifying waves.
Kate laid her purse on the seat and inched some space between herself and Alexei.
Be strong. One moment of pleasure with Alexei was not worth the pain it could bring their daughter. He’d already rejected Katya once—when he ignored Kate’s letters. She couldn’t risk that happening again.
“I can’t do this.” She scooted toward the door and secured the handle in her hand. “Call me tomorrow, okay?” Her suggestion was half-hearted and it came on the heels of her flinging the door open and scrambling out of the other side of the car.
Instinct pushed her to run, but her legs dragged as if they had weights attached. The idiot in her wanted to look over her shoulder to see if he had gotten out of the car, but she didn’t dare. A single come-hither glance from Alexei could send her back into his arms.
Kate hurried along the sidewalk, telling herself she could cover the distance—two blocks—and disappear inside the building before Alexei caught up to her.
“Katya...” His voice carried on the brisk night air, and she trudged on. Closing in on the US Residence, the quicksand-like tension bogging her legs eased.
Turning up the sidewalk entrance, her dignity started to return. As long as she couldn’t see him, she wasn’t in danger of his charms.
The car pulled up beside her, engine purring. It wasn’t him. Couldn’t be him. She heard no door closing, just Alexei calling after her with that name.
“Katya.”
Fear stiffened each muscle and every nerve, freezing her like a statue. Their daughter was tucked away inside the hotel before her, and Alexei was mere steps behind. Kate was the only thing standing between them. If she didn’t get rid of him pronto, things could get ugly.
Move. She commanded, but the icy sidewalk slicked her feet right out from under her. Kate fell to the ground in a blur of slow-motioned terror, landing on her butt. The pain rippled out in waves but it was quickly overshadowed by her head bouncing off the frozen walkway.
Ouch, flick
ered through her mind just before everything when blank.
Coming to, Kate’s first conscious insight was the scent of Alexei’s intoxicating aftershave crowding around her like a fog. After a few seconds she realized where she was—on the cold, hard ground with her head in his lap.
Sitting up, she clamped her hands on her head and muttered, “No...no...no.”
“Katya, are you all right?”
“Yes. I’m fine,” she said, wincing.
Alexei hopped up as quick as a Pop Tart jetting out of the toaster. “Here,” he said, extending his hand toward her. She scrutinized it with caution. “Come on. I’ll escort you to your suite.”
She slipped her hand in his and leveraged herself off the ground. “That’s not necessary.”
He clasped his fingers around hers, but she slid free. Alexei chuckled. “Come now, Katya. Let me be the gentleman that I am.”
She had to get rid of him, and she was done being cordial. She wouldn’t risk Katya suffering the same fate that she had as a child.
Kate knew a thing or two about being an unwanted child—and none of it was good. Ugly labels haunted her still. Like undeserving, unsuitable, unloved. She’d heard and felt them all as a child, having been abandoned by her own father at the age of three.
Damned if she’d let the same fate befall Katya.
A pair of steps backward aided her in convening the courage to send him on his way. “Shouldn’t you be going?” She stopped at the main entrance, reaching for the door behind her. “Don’t you have some business to attend to?” Simplicity and the voice of reason sugarcoated her tone.
His mouth gaped open into a slow grin. She gave him a hard stare and hoped it said, don’t follow me. Seconds passed and Alexei stayed put. Bold courage moved Kate inside.
Quickening her pace, she hurried for the elevator. Alexei wasn’t following her. He couldn’t be. If he was, she was doomed.
The elevator doors opened. Kate’s heart thumped and thudded against her chest, squeezing the air from her lungs as she stepped inside. The doors closed, eclipsing a distant and silhouetted figure of Alexei vanishing inside the limo. Knowing he was leaving gave her overworked heart a much needed respite.
Saving Katya Page 3