Her Russian Billionaires - The Complete Billionaire Romance Collection

by Westwood, Susan

  The baby began to fuss at that moment. Destiny looked a little harried. Against every instinct in his body, he held out his arms. “Let me hold him while you prepare his bottle.”

  She studied him for a moment then gave up the baby. They rode up in the elevator. Derek seemed to be looking intently at Nikolai. He made a funny face at the boy. No reaction, but no crying. The baby looked at him as if he were trying to figure him out.

  “You need to get him a checkup. If your mother was using, he might have health issues.”

  “I have to get him on my plan first.”

  “I can make that call while you’re feeding him. I can have the paperwork faxed somewhere. It won’t be problem.”

  She studied him. “Do you ever not try to fix things?”

  “Not my nature.”

  She shook her head. “You aren’t making it easy to do this on my own.”

  “Why do you have to?”

  “You don’t want a baby Nikolai. I respect that. I have to take care of him. He’s family.”

  Nikolai understood that completely.

  ***

  With the baby fed, Nikolai loaded Destiny and Derek into his car. Jamal wasn’t around when they left. Nikolai had almost hoped he was. He needed more ammunition to convince Destiny to come home with him.

  Instead, they went to a store. He had no idea what half the items were. Destiny seemed to know what she was doing, so he held the little boy and his carrier. This was the first baby who hadn’t cried while in his control. He mostly slept, but sometimes Nikolai would find him looking up at him from his carrier.

  The boy’s eyes were the same shade of green as Destiny’s. He had short, wiry hair and his lips almost formed a bow. Nikolai had never been this close to a baby for this long. This one was fascinating. He could see why people fell in love with a baby. Not that he would.

  All of a sudden, the baby scrunched up its face then let out a wail. Oh shit. What had he done? He looked around. “Destiny?”

  Where was she? In studying the baby, he’d lost track of her. She’d come back. He was paying, but he couldn’t let the baby just cry. Some of the women in the store began to give him looks. So he struggled with the straps then he lifted the baby out of the carrier. He remembered Destiny holding it close to her body

  He did the same. The baby stopped crying. Okay. That was easy. He searched for Destiny. This was a large store and he couldn’t see her, and he could see over most people.

  Then the noises began again. Deep breath. He could take down bad guys. He could shoot guns accurately. He could take down opponents in the boardroom. Nikolai Alman should be able to take care of a baby.

  The diaper bag sat next to the carrier. He searched in it with one hand for the binky. Didn’t babies like that? He’d seen Destiny put one in the baby’s mouth. He found it then plunked it into the child’s mouth.

  Blessed silence. He put the diaper bag over his shoulder and the carrier on his arm. He had to find Destiny. There was now a horrendous smell emanating from the child. He’d put his money on a dirty diaper.

  Where had she gone? He sighed. The men’s room advertised a place to change a diaper. Of course there would be in a baby furniture store.

  “Well, Derek, I’m going to give this a try.”

  He entered the bathroom and thankfully there was no one in there. He put down the carrier and the diaper bag. He put Derek on the changing table while he searched for wipes and a diaper.

  “Here goes nothing, little boy.”

  Derek looked up at him as if he had the answers to the universe. It made Nikolai’s heart melt just a little bit. He cleared his throat. No getting soft over a baby. He undid the boy’s onesie then took off the diaper.

  “Holy shit.”

  Shit. Everywhere. All over the poor boy’s junk. Nikolai crinkled up his nose. “Oh, Derek. What did you eat? You poor kid.”

  He used every wipe in the box to get the kid clean. He fastened the diaper and hoped it was okay. The onesie went back on and he was sure that Derek smiled at him.

  “I wouldn’t want shit on my package either, boy.”

  He put the diaper in a pail provided for that purpose then strode out with all the accessories and the baby, proud of his job. When he walked out of the bathroom, a security guard stopped him. “Are you Nikolai?”

  “I am.”

  “You wife is looking for you.”

  His wife? He almost corrected the man. Destiny wasn’t his wife. Then he chose not to. Too complicated. “Uh, okay.”

  Destiny was looking around as if she’d lost, well, a baby. Her face showed relief then anger when she saw him. “Where have you been?”

  “He needed a diaper change.”

  She looked down at the baby in the carrier. “You changed his diaper.”

  “Yeah. The poor kid had shit on his junk.”

  She started with a snicker. Then it was a full blown laugh. “Of course you would look at it that way. He doesn’t know yet that that is his junk.”

  “Still, I can’t imagine shit on my balls.”

  She cocked her head. “Thanks.”

  “What were you doing? I couldn’t find you,” he said.

  “I was looking at some furniture. I ordered it, but I’ll have them deliver it when I find a place to live.”

  “Have it delivered to my place.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to move it. I have a portable crib for the hotel room.”

  “Are you done? Have I earned enough points on my credit card to fly around the world?”

  “Almost. You just have to produce said credit card.”

  He followed her to the register. He signed the receipt then they packed everything in his car. Thankfully, he had a backseat in this one. The sports car wouldn’t have been practical. He drove to the phone store.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “To get you a new phone. I think someone is tracking you on yours.”

  She let him buy her a new phone. Then he took her to his house. “Why are we here?”

  “Because someone is after you. I’m protecting you. Now that you can’t be tracked, you should be safe here.”

  “I don’t appreciate you bullying me into this.”

  “I’m not bullying. I’m concerned and you’re being stubborn,” he said as he unloaded the baby’s stuff.

  The baby started crying.

  “You go feed Derek and I’ll unpack this stuff and put up the crib. He can have his own bedroom.”

  “I’m not staying. Don’t unpack.”

  She left to warm the bottle. He chatted with Derek while he unloaded everything then he brought the baby in. “Welcome home, Derek. This will be where you’ll sleep for a while despite what your sister is insisting.”

  Chapter14

  Destiny warmed the bottle for Derek as she fumed in Nikolai’s kitchen. She could take care of herself. She could take care of Derek. As much as she appreciated Nikolai buying things, he couldn’t buy his way into her life. He didn’t want a baby around. She didn’t blame him, but she didn’t understand this Neanderthal attitude.

  Her phone was changed. No one could track her. She had to set some ground rules here.

  She heard Nikolai unloading the stuff and that made her even madder. He wasn’t listening to her. He brought Derek in. The boy was fussing, but not badly. Nikolai seemed to have a calming effect on him. Odd for a man who didn’t like babies.

  Nikolai put Derek’s carrier on the floor. “You want me to get him out?”

  How could she be mad at him since he was being so sweet? His sweetness didn’t change that he’d hijacked her to come to his house. Now she was without her car and no way to get it.

  “Leave him.”

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  She tested the formula on her wrist, then picked Derek up to feed him. “You insist on us staying here, but you’ve made it clear that Derek isn’t welcome. You’re not making sense and you’re being a bully.”

 
“I need to protect you, Destiny.”

  “We’ll be fine. My phone is new. It can’t be tracked. He won’t find us.”

  “He will. You don’t understand the resources that Luis Esposito has.”

  “Not many if he’s using Jamal, a junkie and dealer,” she said.

  She sat on a chair, cradling Derek, the bottle in her hand. He ate from it hungrily. At least his presence calmed her. She was pissed at Nikolai.

  “Destiny, you don’t know what he’s capable of. I’ve seen it.”

  “I’ll find a building with security, but I’m not staying here. Not out of pity.”

  “I don’t pity you.”

  “You have some strong idea that you’re required to protect me. I grew up in a tougher place than you did. I can take care of myself.”

  “Then take the company’s penthouse. It has security and an underground garage.”

  Nikolai crossed his arms. She knew he was settling in for a long fight. She was up for it as the baby snacked away. She burped him once then put the bottle back in his mouth.

  “I’m not going to rely on you, Nikolai. You will be gone once the threat is over. I want to end this on my terms.”

  “On your terms?”

  “Yes. On my terms. We both knew this wasn’t going to last. Let’s just end it now. I’ll have nothing to offer Luis,” she said.

  She wasn’t completely sure, but she knew she could afford a building with security. That would make a difference. She needed to look for one right away. “Now take me back to my hotel when I’m done feeding Derek. I need to get that crib set up for tonight’s lack of sleep session.”

  “You’re not going to budge on this are you?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  She wasn’t going to raise Derek in a loveless home. What would they become in a few months? When the obligation wore on Nikolai? Her mother had felt that way. She didn’t want Derek to experience that. It wasn’t his fault he was born any more than it was Destiny’s fault she was born. At least Destiny’d had her grandmother. Now Derek had Destiny.

  She’d love him and raise him up the way he should be raised. She wished fervently that someday she’d meet a man who could be a father to the boy, but Nikolai wasn’t it. He wasn’t done playing around. He wasn’t ready to commit.

  Sticking around with him was a losing proposition. Derek would be hurt the worst. She didn’t want him to ever feel anything but loved. That’s how a childhood should be. Things wouldn’t be perfect since he won’t have a father, but she’d do her best to make him feel secure.

  Her mother had spent enough time bouncing in and out of her life that Destiny knew that wasn’t what she wanted for her son. She already thought of him as her son, not her brother. When he would know the truth didn’t matter now. All that mattered is that she was going to raise him.

  She had the money. She’d be okay.

  Nikolai sighed as she began to put Derek in his carrier. She rinsed out the bottle he’d drank from so she could use it again. They’d bought powdered formula and some new bottles. She was set for now on equipment for a baby.

  “Fine, but let me come with you to look at apartments.”

  “You think I can’t do it by myself?”

  “It’s not that. I just want to make sure that the place is secure.”

  She pondered this. It might be good to have another set of eyes. He might notice something in an apartment that she didn’t.

  “Fine, you can come with us, but I get the final say.”

  He nodded.

  “Now go put all that stuff back in your car so I can take it back to the hotel where my car is,” she said.

  She had to be firm with Nikolai. He could run her over like a freight train if he wanted to. He was strong-willed, but so was she. She could stand her ground as well as he could. He didn’t say anything else, but left her in the kitchen.

  She buckled Derek into his carrier then gathered up anything else that pertained to him. She had to pack some clothes, too, but she could come back for those. She had a few things with her. Enough to get to work.

  She also had to find a day care for Derek. She might have to take a few days off to sort it all out. Hopefully, Derek wouldn’t mind.

  He had no choice in the matter.

  ***

  Nikolai took a vacation day to help Destiny find an apartment and a day care close by for Derek. He wasn’t going to let them live just anywhere. He still felt responsible for them. And the little boy was working his way into his heart.

  He’d never been around babies all that much, but this one didn’t seem so foreign to him. He picked them up from the hotel Destiny was staying at. He’d already talked to the hotel detective and given him a heads up on her situation. Professional courtesy had the guy keeping an eye on her.

  Destiny was waiting for him outside with Derek in his carrier. Nikolai had bought a car seat for his car to make it easier. Destiny loaded the baby into the back of the car then climbed in the front seat.

  “You have your list ready?” Nikolai asked.

  “I do. I even have them organized and a list of day cares near each one.”

  “Sounds good.”

  He knew from working with her that she was highly organized. Her lists shouldn’t surprise him. He was just happy to be spending the day with her. He had to admit that to himself, even if he didn’t know what it meant for the long term.

  The first place had a doorman. Nikolai took the man’s name and would call the security office later to get the names of all the doormen. He could do a background check on all of them to make sure she was safe.

  Destiny would be pissed if she found out, but he didn’t care. He held Derek while they walked around the apartment. As usual, the boy stared at him as if he were trying to figure him out. The boy was getting bigger even in the short time he’d been with Destiny.

  “This place has two bedrooms. The kitchen has been updated recently,” the real estate agent said.

  Nikolai wasn’t sold on the neighborhood. There had been some young men hanging out on the street corner. He wished Destiny would just take the company’s penthouse. This would be so much easier. He knew the security on that building was top notch.

  He wouldn’t have to worry about her there.

  “Is there parking nearby?” he asked.

  “There’s a deck in the next block. Residents get a discount on a yearly spot,” she said.

  The woman chattered on until Nikolai wanted to ask her to shut up. Destiny just nodded. They finally left he place. The agent had to make a call so they waited for her in the lobby.

  “I can’t see you walking in the rain with the baby and groceries. It wouldn’t be convenient,” Nikolai said.

  He had planned on finding something wrong with every place they looked at. Hopefully, Destiny wouldn’t catch on. She eyed him. She was really beautiful. Why did she have to be that sexy? He wanted to finish this task then take her back to his place and do naughty things to her while the baby slept.

  She would probably have none of it. She was on a mission. He’d seen that look on her face when she’d taken on a difficult task at work. There would be no stopping her.

  “I can’t think of an argument against that. It would be a trial to juggle Derek and bags of food. Though I could get food delivered if I wanted.”

  Curses. She’d thought of a way around it. “You’d still have to walk Derek in the rain.”

  “True, but he’d live.”

  “Probably, but you’d get wet. Then you might get sick. That wouldn’t be good.”

  “Always looking out for you, Nik? You don’t want me out of work for long,” she said.

  That hadn’t been his thought. “That’s not what I was thinking Destiny.”

  She shrugged as if she didn’t believe him.

  “I’m not that selfish, Honey. I did take the day off,” he said.

  “You just can’t give up control.”

  “It isn’t that simple, Destiny,” he said. “Y
ou know this.”

  The real estate agent rejoined them. Nikolai drove the group to the next destination. This one had better security. The residents had to have identification cards to get into the lobby then another card to get on the elevator. Nikolai figured he’d be hard-pressed to find something wrong with this one.

  The elevator moved fast. He felt as if he’d left his stomach on the ground floor. He once again held Derek. The boy was beginning to fuss. He was probably hungry and needed a diaper change.

  Destiny held out her hands. “Let me take him.”

  “No, you go with her. I’ll get him sorted out.”

  There was a microwave in the apartment so he used it to warm up the formula. He could hold Derek and feed him while they walked around. The diaper would have to wait until the boy was fed.

  He was getting good at shifting the baby onto his shoulder for burping. What would his bachelor friends think of him? Sacha would just laugh. He found Destiny and the agent in the larger of the two bedrooms. The view was of a brick wall. He didn’t think Destiny cared about that, but he would.

  He wanted to step back and remember that this was her place, but he still felt responsible for her. Maybe even a little more than that because he was beginning to have feelings for her. He wasn’t sure about the baby being in the picture. He didn’t know if he wanted a family so soon.

  Either way, he had to look after Destiny. That was his responsibility.

  “The view isn’t great,” he said finally.

  The real estate agent eyed him, but didn’t say anything. Destiny just shrugged. He figured she wasn’t sold on the place and that was okay. They had several more to look at before the day was done.

  Hopefully, Destiny would listen to his advice, though what he had to say was to live in the company penthouse.

  Chapter15

  Destiny wasn’t sure that Nikolai was going to let her live anywhere. He’d found something wrong with every place they looked at. She shouldn’t have brought him along. Her search was getting nowhere and Derek was fussing, not to be consoled. The poor kid probably just wanted to be in one place for a few hours.

  Destiny felt the same way. The day had been exhausting.