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had made him sick to think it might have been theirs had this man not stolen it from them.
    Once Katerina had died, Alexei had found the initiative to start Voronov Exploration with nothing more than bravado and a geological engineering degree from Moscow University. He’d burned with a passion to regain everything that had been lost and to destroy the Russells in the process.
    It had taken years, but he was at the pinnacle of his success now—and victory over the Russells was within his grasp. If he could turn back time, he would save his sister from the cancer that had eaten her strength and her life. He would give back all the money and give up the idea of vengeance if it was possible to have another chance.
    But there was no going back. Ever. Life moved forward, no matter how much money you had. It hadn’t helped Tim Russell when his time had come, and it wouldn’t help his son when Alexei finally gained control of Russell Tech.
    Alexei gripped Paige’s arms, gently, and set her away from him. She sucked in a breath, and for a moment he thought she might start to cry again. Instead she wrapped her arms around her waist and stared up at him, her eyes huge pools of hurt.
    He couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her. Those tears had been real, regardless of her reasons for being here in the first place.
    And maybe, just maybe, he could turn her anger and sadness at Chad Russell to his advantage. She was his secretary; she knew sensitive information about his business.
    Information Alexei could use.
    “You don’t really want to do this,” he said softly. “You are hurt and sad and you want to make it go away. I understand this. But tomorrow, you would have regrets.”
    She shrugged one shoulder, as if to say it mattered not at all to her. Yet he knew it mattered a great deal with that single movement.
    “It’s okay if you don’t want to m-make love,” she said, casting her eyes toward the floor when she said make love, as if it embarrassed her to say the words.
    Now why did that hint of innocence spike the heat in his blood?
    “Paige,” he said, waiting until she looked at him again before he continued, “I think you need to get some sleep. Tomorrow, everything will look brighter.”
    How many times had he told that lie to Katerina? They’d both known it was a lie, but it was a fiction they’d counted on to get them through the hard times.
    “I have to be back at the hotel by eight,” she said numbly. “Cha—my boss has an important meeting to attend.”
    Alexei couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear. He was the good guy here and he planned to make her see it. “Da, I know this.”
    She frowned. “I really wish you would tell me how you know these things.”
    He smiled as tenderly as he could. It was a risk, but if he wasn’t truthful with her, she wouldn’t trust him. And he wanted her trust now that Russell had broken it. It was vital to the new plan he was formulating.
    “Because his meeting is with me.”
    Her eyes grew big. For the first time since he’d met her, he truly believed she had no idea who he was. His sense of purpose redoubled. He would destroy Russell Tech when he was through, thanks to this woman.
    “You are Mr. Valishnikov?”
    He shook his head. “I am the other V.”
    If anything, her eyes grew bigger. Her fingers flew to her mouth, pressed against her lips. When her hand dropped away, her face was pale.
    “Oh my God,” she said. “You’re Prince Voronov.”
    It was snowing as the Mercedes moved through the city. Fat flakes that ghosted down and gathered on the pavement. Paige stared wide-eyed out the window. She’d never seen so much snow in her life, and it was April! Dallas was balmy this time of year, and Atkinsville, on the Gulf Coast where she’d grown up, had always been temperate.
    She wanted to turn to the man sitting beside her, to thank him for taking her back to the hotel so early when the meeting wasn’t for