Crash into Me: A BWWM Russian Billionaire Romance

by Cristina Grenier

  Katherine sucked in a breath. “I was so sorry to hear what happened to your father, Alexei. How are you holding up?” She looked like she was ready to catch him in case he burst into a fit of hysterical weeping, and Alexei sighed internally.

  He was very aware of what his mother was trying to do here, and it ticked him off not only because he wasn’t a fan of matchmaking, but also because Katherine was sweet, but not at all his type. His mother didn’t know anything about the kind of girls he preferred, and what was worse, she didn’t even care. All she wanted was him to marry someone.

  “Taking it day by day,” Alexei said with another smile. “Would you excuse us for a moment? Mother, we should go make sure the food will be ready.”

  Veronika frowned at him. “Don’t be silly, Alexei. Ferdinand has it well under control.”

  He had no doubts that their cook had the meal ready to go, but that wasn’t the point. “Mother, I’d like a word.”

  She huffed and then smiled at Katherine. “Make yourself comfortable, dear. Tell Milla what you’d like to drink, and she’ll fetch it. We won’t be but a moment.” And then she allowed herself to be nearly dragged out of the parlor and down the hall by her son.

  Alexei glared at her once they were out of earshot. “Are you kidding me?” he demanded. “What happened to me having a year to find my own wife?”

  “So you were listening, then. I just assumed you were thinking of all the ways you could be defiant about this, so I was taking matters into my own hands.”

  “As usual,” he muttered. “How old is she?”

  “Eighteen, I think. Her father assured me she was suitable. She has aspirations to be a doctor, which is all very nice if you think women should work, but that’s certainly none of my business.”

  Which, of course, meant she had an opinion about it.

  “Eighteen? You want me to marry an eighteen year old I’ve never met?” Alexei asked, incredulous.

  “Well not right now. I’m sure she’d be older by the time you’re ready to settle down. And anyway, I am...was several years younger than your father when we married. There was no problem with it.”

  Alexei pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, letting out a harsh exhale. Already he could feel a headache brewing behind his eyes, and he didn’t want to do this. “You know what? I don’t even know why I’m surprised. I came over here because I wanted to make things right with you. Because I don’t always want to be fighting with you or Vera. You’re my family, and you make me crazy, but that matters to me. Especially now. And then you turn around and do this.”

  “Oh, don’t make it sound like I’ve done something offensive,” his mother said, waving his words away. “I’m trying to help you.”

  “You know what would help me? If at some point, you would listen to me. I mean really hear what I’m saying.”

  “You are being dramatic. And rude to your guest.”

  “No, Mother. She’s your guest. I didn’t invite her. I didn’t even know she was going to be here. So you know what? You can go back and enjoy dinner with her. You could use some friends in your life, actually. Maybe it would keep you from meddling in other people’s lives.”

  And with that, he was walking away from his mother again, going to get his jacket because he couldn’t be in that house for another minute.

  “Alexei,” his mother hissed. “You come back here.”

  But he didn’t. He kept walking until he was out of the house and in his car.

  Alexei frowned as he realized he had no idea where he was. The idea had been to get in the car and drive until his head stopped pounding, and his white knuckled grip on the steering wheel loosened as he looked around.

  It was one of those small town places that always seemed self-sufficient in an interesting way, and up ahead he spotted what had to be some kind of pub or modern day tavern. Whichever, Alexei was in serious need of a drink after that dinner.

  He parked his car in the lot and locked it before heading inside.

  It was definitely different than any place he’d been to before. All mismatched woods and smoky air. There was an honest to god dartboard in the back, and a pool table to go along with it. Alexei couldn’t quite believe where he had ended up. This wasn’t the kind of place he would come to by choice, but it seemed like as good a place as any.

  With a sigh, he headed for the bar, pleased to see that there were plenty of stools available. And then he stopped. On one of the stools was someone familiar.

  He’d only seen her the one time, and now she was smiling at the bartender in a way she’d definitely not looked at him when they’d encountered each other.

  She’d been pretty before with her dark skin and her hair in waves down her back, but there was something about her smile that just made him want to go over and sit down next to her.

  So he did. After the disastrous almost dinner at his mother’s, he needed to do things that he wanted to do for the rest of the night.

  “Fancy seeing you here,” he said, playing up the accent and giving her the winning smile.

  She turned and looked at him, confusion knitting her brows together before her eyebrows jumped up and she groaned out loud.

  Definitely not the reaction he had been expecting, and he wished the smile would come back. It was rare that someone wasn’t taken by his most charming grin, but she seemed to be immune to it if the way she was scowling at him was any indication.

  Her eyes flared with irritation, but there was something else there, too, something intriguing that made him want to figure her out. That wasn’t the best idea probably, considering the way she seemed to be warning him off with her every action, but she was definitely the type of woman he was interested in.

  Not a pushover, not one to back down, full of fire. Getting her in bed would probably be amazing, and just like that, he wanted it.

  He wanted her.

  Chapter 5: Those Midnight Thoughts

  At the end of a long week, Emma could often be found at Sam’s Tavern. It was a small place, no real competition for the larger and more upscale bars and clubs that were in the city, but then it wasn’t there for that.

  The people who spent their time at Sam’s place were locals and most of them knew Sam personally or knew Sam’s father before him, so they were loyal. They spent their hard earned money every weekend, enough so that there had never been any danger of Sam’s going out of business.

  She’d had her first drink as a twenty-one year old there, and she knew that there were a lot of people in the town who could say the same thing. She hadn’t been born and raised here in the small town of Camper’s Ferry, but she’d gone to college very nearby. The town and this tavern had been a haven for her when she’d been stressed about school and whatever else.

  It was the only place Emma drank outside of her house, and she sat on her stool faithfully at least once a week. Typically making small talk with Sam himself and sipping her Long Island Ice Teas slowly enough that she wouldn’t be too drunk to drive home long before midnight.

  It wasn’t the kind of place to go to get trashed and find people to hook up with, which, if she were being honest, was one of the reasons she liked it so much.

  So, of course, when her usual Friday night routine was interrupted by a much too smug Russian with too much money, she was none too pleased. He was grinning at her like he’d been looking forward to seeing her again, and she was unhappy to see that he actually looked presentable this time around.

  His clothes were immaculate (and honestly who wore waistcoats in this day and age), and his hair was shiny and fell around his head in a curly mop. His eyes were bright and he was clean shaven, and everything from the way he was smiling to the way he was holding himself screamed money.

  And arrogance.

  “What are you doing here?” she said, propping her arm up on the bar and resting her head on her hand. “Are you stalking me now?”

  He laughed, and she was alarmed to see that the mirth made
his face even more attractive than it had been before. “No, no. Nothing like that. I just found myself lost and in need of a drink.”

  “I think you have a problem,” Emma muttered, turning away from him to sip at her drink. “And you shouldn’t be behind the wheel of a car when you’ve been near alcohol. I think you’ve already proven that.”

  “You don’t like me very much, do you?” Alexei asked, tilting his head and looking at her.

  She could feel his eyes on the side of her face, and it made her want to shiver, even though she ignored the urge. “Well, the first time we met it was because you had just run into my car, so. Other than that, I don’t know anything about you.”

  “And I know even less about you,” he pointed out. “So really, this hostility seems uncalled for.”

  “Did I forget to mention about how you hit my car with money mobile?” Emma said, arching an eyebrow.

  He laughed again, shaking his head. “No, you didn’t. Can I have your name, at least?” When she hesitated, his smile only grew. “I do still have to pay for the repairs to your car, you know. Unless you’d like me to make a check out to ‘the angry woman in the Toyota’.”

  “You’ll be making the check out to my mechanic,” Emma pointed out, and then sighed. “Fine. I’m Emma. Is that good enough for you?”

  “Quite. It’s lovely to meet you, Emma.” And he actually bowed from his stool. “What do you recommend here? I’ve never been in a place like this before.”

  Emma snorted. “I don’t doubt it. You’re a bit out of your tax bracket here, I bet.”

  Alexei shrugged and then turned his smile on Sam when he came over. “Hello,” he said. “What do you recommend for a first timer?”

  Sam looked at Alexei and then looked at Emma. “Friend of yours?” he asked.

  “Hardly,” Emma said, rolling her eyes. Clearly that was going to happen a lot when she was in this man’s company.

  “You too good for beer?” Sam wanted to know, and Emma was amused at the face Alexei made. Apparently he thought he was too good for beer.

  “He’s Russian,” Emma explained. “You know how they are with vodka.”

  “Er...no?” Sam said. “We have vodka. You want vodka?”

  “He’ll have a vodka cranberry, and he’ll like it,” Emma put in. “Or he can go somewhere else.” Her words were pointed and she looked at Alexei as if daring him to argue. He held his hands up in a gesture of peace, still smiling at her.

  “That sounds lovely. Can I buy you a drink, Emma?”

  “Nope.”

  “You’re...what’s the expression? A tough nut to crack?” Alexei said once Sam had gone to make the drink.

  Emma shrugged and gave him a sweet smile. “Or maybe I just don’t like you.”

  It continued like that for a few minutes, quips back and forth and barbed comments flying. Sam seemed bewildered. Possibly because Emma rarely talked to anyone when she came here. She usually kept to herself and had her drinks, and she certainly didn’t take to men in fancy clothes who drove cars that were probably more expensive than her house.

  And the worst part about it was that it wasn’t terrible. Alexei was funny, actually, and no matter how many times she tried to shut him up with a sarcastic comment or insult, he just came back with a rejoinder and made her want to laugh all the more.

  She drank another iced tea, which she allowed him to buy her, reasoning that he was rich and could easily afford it. He had made her extremely late for work earlier that week, and watched as he finished his first drink and then ordered another, arching an eyebrow. It seemed restrained for him, even though she didn’t know him at all. Unless his alcohol tolerance was lower than she’d assumed, he wouldn’t be getting wasted that night.

  When she brought it up, he just shrugged. “I don’t need to be drunk every night,” he said.

  “You could have fooled me.”

  “You’ve met me once,” Alexei protested. “Granted, not under the best circumstances, but still. Only once.”

  “And you were hungover clearly. That implies that you’re fond of your drink. And considering it was a Monday morning, you obviously spent Sunday night in the bottle.”

  “Are you judging me for it?” he asked. “Because I could list all the reasons I have to want to drink my way through the week, but I don’t think you have time for that.” He gestured around to the quiet pub that was already emptying for the night. “What time does this place close, anyway?”

  “Two,” Sam said as he walked by. “Not that anyone ever stays that long.”

  “Not even on a Friday?” Alexei asked, scandalized. “What do you people do for fun around here?”

  “Don’t try and change the subject,” Emma cut in. “I wanna hear this list of yours. All the things that make being rich and good looking so hard.”

  Alexei frowned for a moment and then smiled at her. Emma could actually see that he had forced the smile to cover up whatever expression was going to be on his face before that. Interesting. She hadn’t expected him to have layers, even though logically, she knew that there was probably some good reason for his drinking besides him being bored.

  Emma tried to tell herself that she didn’t want to see what else was there under the surface of that rich, playboy exterior, but she kind of did.

  “You think I’m good looking,” he said with a smirk. “I knew I could get a compliment out of you eventually.”

  She rolled her eyes at that. “It wasn’t a compliment. I was accusing you of whining for no reason. And also having no substance.”

  “Sure, sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself.”

  “How did we even get on this subject?” she wanted to know, even though she totally knew that it was her fault. But she didn’t want to dwell for too long on just how attractive she thought he was.

  Maybe it was the drinks or the low lighting or the fact that he looked put together, but he was better looking than anyone else in the pub right then. She kept looking at his mouth, with its full lower lip and perfect bow shape, and she had to clear her throat and look away.

  “What would you like to talk about instead?” he asked her, voice soft.

  Emma looked up once more and he was very close, and she yanked herself back and nearly toppled off of her stool in the process. “I...uh. M-my...my car!” she said. “My car. I would like to get back to the point and talk about my car.”

  He gave her an amused look, but nodded. “Okay. Have you taken it in yet?”

  “No, I was going to do that tomorrow. Get an estimate and see what all needs to be repaired after you demolished it.”

  “I hardly demolished anything,” Alexei defended himself. “But you know...why don’t I just come with you tomorrow? I’m assuming that your mechanic is somewhere near this tavern.”

  It was just a few blocks down, actually, but Emma wasn’t going to admit that. Not when he was giving her that smug look again. “Why would you want to do that?”

  “Cut out the middle man. Now you don’t have to call me, and I don’t have to mail a check or anything. I’ll be right there. I also know a bit about cars, and I can tell you if you’re being overcharged.”

  “You’re a fan of cutting out the middle man, aren’t you?” Emma said sardonically. “What did he ever do to you?”

  Alexei laughed at that, and it was a low, throaty sound. “You’re very funny. I just like efficiency. So? Have we got a plan, then?”

  Emma wavered for a moment, but she had to admit it was the best solution. Best case scenario her car was fixed and ready to go the same day, and she wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. Worst case scenario, Alexei drove her mad, but she still had her car repair done and paid for.

  “Fine,” she agreed after a bit of thought. “We have a plan. I’ll just meet you there, then? It’s just a few blocks up from this place. You can’t miss it.”

  “I don’t even know how I got to this place,” Alexei pointed out. “I was just driving and the next thing I knew, I was here
.”

  “Well, I can give you the address. I’m sure your fancy car has GPS.”

  “Of course it does,” he said like it was only common sense that his car would have something as common as that. “But…”

  Emma arched an eyebrow, wary. “But what?”

  “I have a foolproof way to make sure I don’t get lost trying to get there. I can just follow you there.”

  She snorted in amusement at that. “Oh, no. You can forget that. Unless you plan on meeting me here, and if you can find your way here, you can find your way there. I’m not telling you where I live. I still haven’t ruled out you being some kind of crazed stalker.”

  “You wound me,” Alexei said, but he was still smiling.

  He had a nice smile, Emma decided. Balanced. His mouth was the perfect shape, and she caught herself staring at it again, at his lips and straight, even teeth when they were flashed in his grin. If she had even been thinking about having another drink, this train of thought was talking her out of it because the last thing she needed was to go all gooey for this idiot.

  But of course, things could never be simple. Not for her, anyway, it seemed, and Alexei noticed the direction she was staring and his grin only widened. He watched her for a moment and then turned his head to look at something else, leaving Emma confused and startled.

  She exhaled hard and shook her head, knowing that she needed to get out of there before she did something stupid.

  “Well,” she said. “I should be going. We’ll meet around two tomorrow afternoon?”

  Alexei nodded. “Sure, sounds good. Let me walk you out.”

  “I think I can make it the several feet to my car, Alexei.”

  “I’m being a gentleman,” he insisted, getting up from his stool and offering her his arm. Emma ignored it and rolled her eyes, making her way to the door quite aware that he was following her. She didn’t think he meant anything by it, probably got some thrill from annoying her like some of the people she worked with did. Apparently making short people angry was some kind of sport in some people’s heads.