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another two and a half hours, but she couldn’t look at him.
    Alexei Voronov. A prince. She’d been kissing a prince. Trying to seduce him when her feelings were hurt, and he’d turned her down flat. Of course he had! Not only was he a Russian prince, but he was also gorgeous on top of that. Not at all the sort of man to be interested in her.
    Paige’s face grew hot as she thought about how he’d kissed her in Red Square, the way his body ground against hers, the way she’d nearly splintered apart simply from the delicious pressure.
    A game, she reminded herself. A necessary act to save them both.
    But the man who’d rescued her wasn’t just any prince. He was Prince Voronov—and Chad seemed to hate him. According to Chad, Prince Voronov was determined to absorb Russell Tech into his vast operations—which he would be in a prime position to do if he acquired Valishnikov’s land.
    If he succeeded in his quest, Russell Tech would cease to exist.
    Jobs would be lost, people displaced—including herself. She wasn’t unemployable, but in this current economic climate, how long would it take to find a new job? And how would she make her rent and utilities until then?
    Worse, would she find new work in time to make Emma’s tuition payment next semester?
    Last night, she’d had plenty of time to think as she’d tossed and turned in the guest room Alexei had shown her to, and she’d realized that though she was hurt, it wasn’t Emma’s fault at all. Paige had never said she had a crush on Chad, and it wasn’t fair to be mad at Emma. Her sister couldn’t help being beautiful and vivacious; of course Chad had been attracted to her!
    “You are very quiet, Paige.”
    She turned her head slowly, steeling herself to meet Alexei’s gaze. Would she still see pity in his eyes? It was nothing but wishful thinking to hope he’d forgotten how she’d thrown herself at him after he’d told her about Chad and Emma. She wanted to sink into the leather cushions and disappear, but since that wasn’t happening, she forced herself to be cool under pressure.
    “I’m just thinking,” she said. “We don’t get snow in April where I’m from.”
    His smile made her heart thump. “Ah yes, it is quite tropical where you live.”
    “I wouldn’t say tropical.”
    He shrugged. “Compared to Moscow?”
    Paige swallowed. He was too handsome, this man. Too easy to look at. She found herself wondering what it would have been like if he hadn’t pushed her away.
    Mind-blowing, no doubt.
    “I see your point.”
    “You should see my home in St. Petersburg,” he continued. “It is an old estate dating back several hundred years in my family. The snow is pristine, undisturbed. There are wolves that howl during the night, and the stars shine so brightly you cannot believe. It is perfect for a troika ride.”
    She had a vision from a movie, of a couple bundled under a fur and riding through the snow in a sleigh with jingling bells. It seemed so romantic, though of course he hadn’t mentioned it for that reason.
    “That sounds lovely,” she replied.
    “Perhaps I will show it to you someday,” he said, and her heart thumped harder.
    Was he flirting with her?
    Impossible. A man like him dated movie stars and models, not plain secretaries who were so pitiful they could only admire a man from afar.
    “I don’t see how,” she replied truthfully, “though it’s a nice thought. We are leaving in a few days, and St. Petersburg is not on our itinerary.”
    His gaze glittered strangely. “Do you intend to take your lover back after what he did?”
    Shock zapped her like an electrical current. “Chad Russell is my boss, not my lover.”
    “Is that so?”
    She thrust her chin forward. “Yes, it is.”
    He laced his fingers between hers, brought her hand to his mouth. She was too stunned to pull away as his lips touched the back of her hand. “Then that is really too bad for him, isn’t it? But it’s excellent for me.”
    When he