by Lynne Graham
‘I don’t want “try”, I want will,’ Sergei emphasised. ‘And don’t try selling anything I’ve given you to pay me back with my own money.’
Alissa stiffened even more at that warning. ‘I wouldn’t do that. I know you probably won’t believe me but I’m not a dishonest person.’
Sergei subjected her to an astringent appraisal. He was wondering if it was possible that her sister had duped her as easily as she had evidently duped his lawyers. He could see that Alissa was still in shock. He could see that she hadn’t slept well. He could see that she was trembling and upset. His angular jaw line clenched and he averted his attention from her slight figure. He would have no pity for anyone who cheated him. She was in shock because she was being called to account and distressed because she feared punishment. And naturally she would want to awaken his sympathy.
Sergei straightened to his full commanding height. ‘Do not doubt that I am prepared to bring the police into this.’
‘I don’t doubt it. But you did say that you wanted me to agree to stay as your wife for the next year,’ she reminded him anxiously.
‘I refuse to upset Yelena with the immediate breakdown of our marriage,’ Sergei said coldly.
‘Okay…I’ll stay,’ Alissa mumbled, feeling that it was the least she could do in the circumstances.
‘My priorities have changed, though.’ Sergei studied the faithful fit of her sweater over the swell of her rounded breasts before raising his darkly appreciative gaze to the wide soft fullness of her mouth. Desire was already roaring through him like a hurricane force and he marvelled at the reality that he wanted her as fiercely now as he had wanted her before he had consummated their marriage. He was amazed by her continuing pull on his libido.
‘How?’
‘I want you in my bed whenever I want you, and with no more nonsense about not wanting to be with me.’ Sergei lifted his arrogant dark head high, his glittering golden eyes hurling a challenge. ‘If I’m not going to get a child out of this arrangement, that will be my compensation.’
Aquamarine eyes wide with alarm at that bold demand, Alissa was wildly aware of the burning heat of his sensual scan of her body and she slowly turned a painful pink shade.
‘And that is not negotiable in any way,’ Sergei intoned soft and low. ‘I will only let you go free if you return that money.’
Alissa sent him an anguished look. ‘I couldn’t just go on sleeping with you as though nothing has happened!’
Sergei shrugged a broad shoulder in a show of outrageous nonchalance. ‘I think you’ll find you can, just like you did yesterday when you were the only one of us aware of the deception,’ he reminded her with a sardonic curl to his handsome mouth. ‘I’m leaving for London in an hour but you’re staying here.’
‘Why?’
‘I’m giving you three days to decide what your next move will be. And if you’re staying on my terms, I expect you in my bed waiting for me when I get back, milaya moya.’
Incensed by that cutting little speech, Alissa took a hasty step forward.
Sergei reached for her in almost the same movement. He hauled her bodily into his arms and tasted her parted lips with a hot, driving hunger that took her by shock and storm. She shivered against his unyielding masculine contours, her straining breasts crushed by his powerful torso, a firestorm of response flaring like a shameless fever in her pelvis and leaving her legs weak.
‘I think that after you’ve considered your position you’ll make it a honeymoon to remember, angil moy,’ Sergei breathed in a tone of strong satisfaction.
Her fingers crept up to touch her tingling swollen mouth. ‘A honeymoon?’ she echoed blankly.
‘On my yacht, where we’ll have perfect privacy. Smile,’ Sergei urged with sudden raw impatience, exasperated by her lack of enthusiasm. ‘Giving you a choice between a prison sentence and my bed is very generous of me, more generous than you deserve.’
And Alissa saw that he did indeed believe that her apparent wrongdoing fully excused him for using the most unscrupulous tactics against her. She also knew better than to call Sergei’s bluff. He wasn’t joking. He wasn’t making empty threats. He would be within his rights if he made an official complaint to the police through his lawyers. She pictured her pregnant sister being arrested and charged, closely followed by herself. As the prime instigator, Alexa might well receive the heavier punishment, but what consolation would that be to either of them? The same cold fear infiltrated Alissa again. She had to persuade her sister to return the money she had received for signing that contract.
‘Why did you want a baby? Just to make Yelena happy?’ she asked Sergei on impulse as she turned to leave the room.
Sergei glanced at her in surprise. ‘That was my main motivation when I first came up with the idea,’ he admitted. ‘But I do genuinely like children and I would like a worthy cause to work for, other than myself.’
Alissa went upstairs and phoned her sister again. When she received no response she called her mother instead and found herself having to talk at length about her wedding and the guest lists for the London party her mother was eagerly planning before she could ask how to get in touch with her twin.
‘That could be a problem,’ Jenny Bartlett replied ruefully. ‘Harry and Alexa are staying in a Turkish villa and she told me not to expect her to ring.’
That night Alissa lay in bed thinking about Sergei, who wanted a family of his own even though he wouldn’t admit it in those terms. A worthy cause to work for, other than myself. In the darkness she blinked back tears and wondered what on earth she was going to do and whether it would be possible for her to go on sharing a bed with Sergei without getting emotionally involved. She was convinced that eventually he would wake up to the awareness she was really nothing that special and his desire for her would die.
For the first time she was remembering that Sergei and his lawyers had chosen Alexa to be his wife, not Alexa’s more ordinary twin sister. Alexa was the sophisticated, witty twin, the one the men always went for in Alissa’s experience. How long would it be before Sergei suspected that he had been short-changed in the most basic way of all with a woman who could not equal his original choice? It was a very long time before Alissa got any sleep…
Chapter Eight
‘SO WHAT’S all the fuss about?’ Alexa demanded sulkily down the phone.
After a wait of almost thirty-six hours for a return call in response to her many messages, Alissa was so relieved to hear her twin’s voice on the line that she felt momentarily dizzy and sank down heavily on the side of the bed while she spoke to her. ‘For goodness’ sake! Sergei has found out what we did.’
‘I should have known you couldn’t keep your mouth shut.’
‘That had nothing to do with it! How could you not tell me that having a baby was part of that contract?’ Alissa snapped back, angry disgust girding every syllable of her response. ‘You must have known I would never agree to anything so outrageous.’
‘You said you’d do anything to help Mum. And obviously you could have taken contraceptive pills to make sure it didn’t happen.’
Alissa felt a surge of disbelief at that suggestion. ‘How could you let me marry Sergei on false pretences? It was a rotten thing to do! It wasn’t fair to me and it wasn’t fair to him either!’
‘Since when did being fair to Sergei become an ambition of yours?’ Alexa demanded. ‘Are you trying to make brownie points at my expense?’
‘You’re just not taking this seriously, are you?’ Alissa censured tightly. ‘Sergei is very angry and he is threatening to have us both prosecuted for fraud. What you did was illegal, Alexa…’
Alexa giggled. ‘He’s never going to go public with a story like this! Can you imagine how embarrassing that would be for him?’
‘I think you should know that Sergei doesn’t embarrass easily,’ Alissa inserted sharply.
‘He’s just trying to scare you when he makes a threat about prosecuting us, Alissa. He doesn’t mea
n it.’
Alissa realised then that the belief that Sergei would never risk the story of that contract getting into the newspapers had always been her sister’s insurance policy against retribution. ‘You’re wrong. He’s deadly serious and he wants his money back.’
‘Well, he’s got no hope of that!’
‘Alexa, I now know that you got a huge amount of money for signing that contract. You landed me into this situation and you can get me out of it again. You have to sell that car and return as much of the rest of that money as you can put together to Sergei’s lawyers in London.’
‘Or what?’ Alexa sniped.
‘You cheated him, you cheated me. Don’t you feel any shame about that? Sergei kept his side of the bargain but you didn’t and I can’t. Keeping that money when you didn’t earn it is the same as stealing and I’m shocked that you can’t see that!’ Alissa condemned angrily. ‘Sergei thinks we deliberately set out to defraud him and he blames me for it. What’s got into you, Alexa?’
‘What’s got into you? You’re my sister. Where’s your loyalty?’
‘Loyalty doesn’t come into this. You have to repay the money!’
‘You’re being so stupid! I can’t possibly repay all that I’ve spent. Don’t phone me again, just leave me alone—this is supposed to be my honeymoon and I’m not about to let you wreck my marriage or my bank balance with your accusations and threats!’ Alexa blazed back at her in a fury and the line went dead.
Shaken by that final exchange, Alissa breathed in deep and wondered if anything she had said had hit home hard enough to influence her headstrong sister. She had not said half of what she would have liked to have said. But then it would have been counterproductive to tear too many strips off Alexa at the same time as she was striving to persuade her twin to redress some of the damage she had done. Pushed too hard Alexa would only rebel and take easy refuge in geographical distance and silence.
Alissa went downstairs for breakfast and received a personal visit from the chef, who wanted her to choose meals for the rest of the week. He was quickly followed by the housekeeper, who had several concerns to discuss with her. With one of Sergei’s aides brought in to act as an interpreter, Alissa realised that she really did need to learn enough of the Russian language to make herself understood if she was going to be in St Petersburg for much longer. She picked meals without knowing what they were and agreed, after a tour of inspection, to the redecoration of a smoke-stained bedroom damaged by a guest who had fallen asleep with a cigarette in his hand. Afterwards, she fingered the heavily etched wedding ring she wore. With Sergei on her mind night and day without cessation and his household staff coming to her for instructions, she was beginning to feel as if she was really and truly married to him.
And since there was nothing further she could do at present to change her current situation, shouldn’t she be doing more in one of the most scenic cities of the world than sitting behind closed doors and worrying? That decision reached, Alissa informed Borya, who suddenly seemed to be constantly hovering around her, that she wanted to go out and where. She wondered why the older man hadn’t accompanied Sergei to London. Having donned a purple wool dress and a ravishing full-length coat and boots, Alissa left the house with Borya and his team in tow and commenced her sightseeing tour.
The rest of the day just vanished in the vastness of the baroque green and white Winter Palace and the State Hermitage Museum. Countless art collections were housed within the magnificent cluster of buildings that overlooked the Neva River. Alissa wandered from room to room, dazzled by the priceless works of art and fabulous antiquities on display, grateful for the distraction from her troubled thoughts. In the gardens that lay opposite, she decided that it was too cold for a walk when it began snowing. Big, fat, fluffy snowflakes were drifting down. Even though she had carefully layered her clothing and taken every precaution to keep warm, the icy air pierced her to the bone. She was hurrying back to the limousine when someone shouted her name and she stilled in surprise and spun round, only to notice the camera angled at her too late to avoid it. Borya let out a roar and two of his team set off in hot pursuit of the paparazzo. She was relieved to get back to the house, where she delighted the chef by eating a substantial meal and slept like a log through the night.
The following day, determined not to sit around awaiting either Sergei’s or Alexa’s next move or phone call, she set off doggedly for Peterhof, a palace complex outside the city. The park of golden statues and elaborate fountains was white with snow and the temperature chilled her to the bone. Her security team had taken the hint from the day before and wore hats and heavy overcoats. When she slept that night she dreamt of wolves chasing her through the park and the endless ornate rooms.
The afternoon of the next day, she was flown out to Sergei’s yacht, which was anchored at Antibes, where the weather was considerably milder. The long sleek craft was called Platinum and the crew was almost entirely English. She was given a tour of the incredibly opulent vessel and the name seemed peculiarly apt for the lavish décor. The facilities ranged from a home cinema to a gym and a disco bar and sunbathing area that boasted a swimming pool. The master suite in particular was an amazing space with private terraces and seating areas and a marble bathroom of such staggering opulence that she wanted to leap straight into the bath and pretend she was Cleopatra.
As soon as she boarded the yacht set sail. After dining at a table with panoramic views of the sea, she sat down on a sofa in the master suite and switched on the evening news on the wall-hung television screen. She tensed at the sound of Sergei’s name and turned up the volume. A photo of their wedding was briefly shown, followed by a view of Sergei standing at a podium in a crowded function room while half a dozen journalists shot questions at him. Evidently he had just taken over some international company. The screen then flipped to a solo shot of Alissa in the snow in St Peterburg. She frowned as she realised it had to be the picture stolen by the paparazzo who had taken her by surprise earlier. The voiceover sounded serious and indeed Sergei was—a wedding one day, big business on the other side of the world the next…and his bride abandoned to find her own amusement…
Sergei flew in to the yacht later than he had planned. His ears were still ringing from Yelena’s censorious phone call an hour earlier. His grandmother had seen Alissa on television alone in the park and had been aghast that Sergei could have left his bride to her own devices so soon after the wedding. Alissa had definitely been a big hit with Yelena, Sergei conceded wryly, for never before had Yelena attempted to interfere in his relationship with a woman.
A bottle of champagne and two glasses were brought out to the terrace where Alissa was watching the sun go down. The yacht was moored off a Greek island studded with little white buildings and arrow-shaped green cypresses. The sea glimmered in the fiery glow of sundown. By the time she heard a helicopter coming in to land, darkness had fallen and only the stars lightened the heavens.
Alissa sat as stiff as a stick of rock on her comfortable sofa. Sergei hadn’t even bothered to phone her to tell her he would be coming, but the incredible industry of the crew rushing about cleaning and polishing throughout the afternoon had forewarned her of his arrival. And while she wasn’t demeaning herself to the level of a nonentity by waiting in bed for him as instructed, she wasn’t wearing jeans and a sweater and a scrubbed bare skin either. He had not given her a choice and she was playing it safe, not least for her mother’s sake for, whatever else might have gone wrong, Alissa had not allowed herself to forget that her beloved parent’s future had been secured by Sergei’s money.
Powered by a strong sense of anticipation, Sergei strode away from the helipad and took the private steps up to the master suite two at a time. She was on the terrace, dressed in something glamorously long and blue and silky. Her golden hair was loose on her shoulders, framing an exquisite face dominated by her lucid aquamarine eyes and the rosebud perfection of her lush mouth. His desire ignited with satisfying urgency and
he smiled down at her.
After the manner in which they had parted, his unexpected smile knocked Alissa for six as it lit up his stunning dark eyes and added a bucket of compelling charisma to his arrestingly handsome features. Sergei was always such a very unpredictable force of nature, she reflected ruefully. But his sheer physical impact pinned her to her seat. Everything about Sergei was larger than life and powerful. Crackling with high-voltage energy, he towered over her, all broad shoulders and lean hips and long legs. In a sleek black pinstripe suit that had the tailored perfection of fit that flaunted expense and exclusivity, Sergei Antonovich was as stunningly goodlooking as he was white-hot sexy. Something tightened low in her pelvis and her nipples lengthened into straining points. Her mouth was dry as a bone and breathing was a challenge as she stared at him.
‘Champagne?’ Sergei uncorked the bottle and let the golden liquid cascade down into the elegant flutes before extending one to her.
‘Are we celebrating?’ Alissa enquired helplessly.
Sergei quirked an ebony brow. ‘You tell me. I assume your presence here means you’re staying for the foreseeable future.’
Alissa thought of a dozen replies, all of which would have pointed out that she really had very little choice unless she was prepared to sacrifice pretty much her entire family’s future as well as her own. But just as quickly she recalled his insistence that she stop hiding behind what he regarded as excuses rather than admit that she found him wildly attractive. When she looked back at him, an awkward little silence had fallen. Her complexion reddened and the flute between her fingers shook a little. ‘Yes,’ she said flatly, suppressing all her misgivings as well as the pretences she was used to hiding behind.
‘Common sense has triumphed, milaya moya,’ Sergei quipped. ‘We both have need of each other.’
Bubbles burst beneath her nose and dampened her skin as she sipped the champagne.
‘But now you’ve deprived me of having wonderfully erotic dreams about chaining you up as a prisoner at the foot of my bed,’ Sergei husked in completion, golden eyes glinting from below the luxuriant fan of his black lashes in raw sensual challenge.