Crash into Me: A BWWM Russian Billionaire Romance (6 page)

“I’m pretty sure he’s Russian,” Emma said. “And a pain in the butt.”

After studying the card for another few seconds, Patricia passed it back and smirked. “Was he cute at least?”

“Are you serious?” The earnest look on her friend’s face and the nod Emma received told her that she was. “He was...fine? I mean, I wasn’t checking him out or anything. He was hungover, obviously. His eyes were all bloodshot, and he was in definite need of a shave and a shower. But, I guess he wasn’t bad to look at. He’d probably be okay if he cleaned himself up.”

Patricia giggled and sipped her soda. “You know what this is like?” she asked. “One of those cheesy pornos. Like, if it had been your fault and you’d run into his car, you could have offered to pay for the repairs by sucking his dick.”

Emma gave her a scandalized look. “On the side of the road?”

“Sure, why not? Or in your car. Or in his car.”

“You’ve been reading too many of the smutty stories again, Pat,” Emma said, shaking her head. “I’m not going to suck his dick, and it wasn’t my fault, so it doesn’t even matter.” She drank her water a bit defensively. “And anyway, even if I was attracted to him, which I’m
not,
he’s a train wreck. I don’t do train wrecks. I don’t have time for them.”

“You don’t know that he’s a train wreck,” Patricia pointed out. “He could be just having an off day. Everyone has those.”

“Maybe. But it doesn’t matter. Once he pays to have my car fixed, I’m probably never going to see him again. I don’t even know what he was doing around here in the first place.”

“If you say so,” Patricia said. “I still think it’s a missed opportunity. I mean. Who knows how rich he might have been.”

Emma couldn’t help but laugh. “Probably filthy rich if he didn’t mind paying for the repairs right out without going through insurance. I’m sure he’ll make some airheaded trophy woman very happy one day. Or maybe he already is, who knows?”

When the food arrived, she changed the subject to something less likely to make her irritated and put the whole thing out of her mind. Dwelling on people like that never did anyone a bit of good anyway.

Chapter 4: Matchmaking

If there was one thing Alexei hated, it was feeling guilty. He’d been doing fine with how things were going, or as fine as he could be doing, given the circumstances. But then he’d gone and run into that woman’s car, and his guilt hit him hard and annoying right in the face.

It was one thing for him to wallow and pout and be petulant (which were things he was well aware he was doing, thanks very much), but he hated when he impacted other people’s lives negatively with his moods.

All week he thought about the angry look on the woman’s face and how he’d probably ruined her morning. Since he had no idea how to get in contact with her, he called his mother.

Of course the two things were different, and Alexei felt like he had been completely justified in storming out of his mother’s house like he did, but he needed to do something to make amends with someone or his head was going to explode. He’d considered Vera, but as she wasn’t returning his calls, it was clear that he was going to have to wait for her to be the bigger person there.

His mother, on the other hand, was only too pleased to listen to him apologize and invited him over for dinner that Friday night.

“I can only imagine what you’re eating these days,” she’d said with a sniff. “Probably take out every night.”

Alexei had merely sighed. “I can cook, you know, Mother. I’m capable of feeding myself.”

That was only one step up from eating fast food in his mother’s opinion, though, considering she’d probably never cooked a meal for herself in her life. Either way, he wasn’t going to argue with her. There would be plenty of time for that later, he was sure. It just came with the territory of his family.

On Friday night he drove to the estate, wondering as he parked and made his way inside why his mother needed so much space. With his father...gone, it was just her and Vera in the massive house. He knew that it was possible for the two of them to go entire days without seeing each other, and the whole thing seemed ridiculous to him. His mother was probably hoping that he would move back in once he’d taken a wife, but that whole notion was ridiculous, and he wasn’t entertaining it.

Instead of being met by one of the maids at the door, his mother was there, looking resplendent in a black silk dress and a diamond necklace. More diamonds sparkled from her ears and around her wrist, and Alexei was instantly wary.

“Mother,” he greeted, leaning in and kissing her cheek. “This isn’t some charity function in disguise, is it?” he asked.

She laughed her ‘polite society laugh’, as Alexei liked to call it, all cascading and light, and his hackles went up even more. “Of course not, darling,” she said, waving him forward. “Come in, come in. Take off your jacket and let me look at you.”

He did as she asked, bewildered. His mother’s sharp eyes gave his ensemble a once over and then her nose wrinkled.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting to be dining with royalty or whatever’s happening tonight,” Alexei said before his mother could get a word in about his clothes. He thought he looked nice, actually. Pressed black slacks, a dark grey button down paired with a black waistcoat, not a color in sight. His hair was brushed and tamed, and he’d shaved just for the occasion. But leave it to his mother to find fault somewhere.

“You’ll do, I suppose,” she said, heaving a dramatic sigh before motioning for him to follow her.

Alexei had no idea what the big deal was, but he knew if he asked her it would just turn into them arguing about it, so he just sighed and followed her into the Rose parlor. To his surprise, Vera wasn’t there.

She rarely missed out on an opportunity to have one of these dinners that usually ended in Alexei getting told off, so he was instantly suspicious and on his guard.

“Where’s Vera?” he asked his mother once she had instructed one of the maids to bring them drinks.

“She had something else to do tonight,” his mother said airily.

“So it’s just the two of us?” Alexei
knew
that wouldn’t be the case. He hadn’t spent time alone with his mother without his father or sister or some guest being there as well since he was a small child, and he knew his mother wasn’t going to start some heart to heart meal between them now. No, there was definitely something else going on.

When Veronika avoided looking at him, he knew he was right. “No, not exactly. There’s-” She was cut off by the doorbell ringing, and her face nearly split in its grin. “Ah, she’s here.”

And there it was.

He watched as his mother walked off, presumably to go with whichever of her maids was going to get the door and huffed. Part of him wanted to climb out a window and end this night already, but he was actually curious to see who his mother had invited.

He didn’t have long to wait.

A moment later his mother returned with a young woman that Alexei had never met before. She was pretty enough, he’d say that for her. Creamy skin, long brown hair that shone in the lights of the parlor. She was tall and thin and dressed in a shimmery dress that he already knew his mother would approve of even if it was champagne colored.

When she looked up and noticed him watching her, she smiled and lowered her eyes to the floor. “You must be Alexei,” she said. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

Alexei shot his mother his best ‘
Are you serious right now?’
look and then stepped forward, letting his manners and good breeding take over. He took the young woman’s hand and kissed the back of it, smiling at her. “That would be correct. May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

She giggled and blushed, holding her hand to her chest when Alexei released it. “I’m Katherine,” she said. “Katherine Devere.”

The last name was vaguely familiar in the way that all last names belonging to other people in their social circle and tax bracket were, but his mother was quick to fill in the gaps. “She’s the daughter of Lucas Devere,” Veronika said. “He’s an associate of your father.
Was
an associate of your father.”

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.