Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife

‘When you told me off for shouting at the checkout attendant, it was a wake-up call. When you looked like an angel in the church on our wedding day. When you insisted I send Greek postcards to Yelena and you refused even to consider having a child and giving it away.’

‘You liked that even though it meant I couldn’t do what you wanted?’ she queried in amazement.

‘I’m naturally perverse and when you got all dirty and bloody rescuing Mattie I was even more impressed. You have a big heart and I love that side of you most of all, angil moy,’ Sergei confided, unzipping her dress so that it fell at her feet. ‘But I wasn’t impressed when you ran out on me tonight without even telling me what was wrong.’

‘I couldn’t bear watching Alexa flirt with you—’

‘I couldn’t bear listening to her put you down,’ he countered.

‘I was scared to tell you about the baby. I sort of assumed it would end everything between us and just start up a horrible dispute about custody so I saw no point in staying to talk,’ Alissa admitted ruefully.

Releasing the hooks on her bra, Sergei curved her back against his muscular chest, closed his hands to her breasts and breathed raggedly. ‘I won’t ever let you go. You’re the woman I never thought existed, the woman I believed I would never find. When my lawyers told me to prosecute and divorce you, I ignored their advice. They thought I was insane, and love must be a kind of insanity because I didn’t really care what you had done. I was too busy being grateful that I didn’t get the wrong sister.’

‘But you’ve forgiven me so much.’ Overwhelmed by his generosity and understanding and the strength of his love, Alissa swivelled round in the circle of his arms. ‘I really, really love you, Sergei.’

With all their defences down and their mutual joy in the baby she had conceived, they had so much to share. Alissa had never known such happiness could be hers. Sergei told her about the abortion that his first wife, Rozalina, had had without consulting him and how that discovery had led to their divorce and the loss of a good part of his wealth back then. Alissa wrapped him tight in her arms and fully understood his longing for a child, a family, a secure circle of people he could love and trust and work hard to support and spoil. They made passionate love and talked far into the early hours before Sergei decided that the honeymoon should be extended by one more week.

The next day she rang her mother just to tell her how deliriously happy she was and that she had conceived. Jenny, shaken by Alexa’s recent announcement that she had lost her baby, was overjoyed by the discovery that she was going to be a grandmother after all.

Just over a year later, Alissa was putting the finishing touches to the giant Christmas tree she had had erected in the drawing room. She was humming a carol under her breath as she attached delicate baubles and ornaments to the branches.

Mattie was snoozing by the fire. Alissa and Sergei’s infant daughter, Evelina, was in an equally restful mood and dozing in a baby seat. Evelina had the arresting combination of her father’s luxuriant black hair and her mother’s light eyes. Once Alissa had got over the nauseous phase, she had had an easy pregnancy. In every way it had been a very busy and eventful year.

They’d had a second wedding in London, for Sergei had confided that his lawyers were not one hundred per cent certain that their Russian marriage was fully legal when Alexa had forged Alissa’s signature on certain documents. Alissa had fully enjoyed that ceremony and her mother had enjoyed it even more. The big glitzy party that had followed had proved to be the social event of the year. Jasim and Elinor had attended and their other friend and former flatmate, Lindy, had also put in an appearance. That had been very welcome, for neither Elinor nor Alissa had seen much of Lindy recently as the younger woman was very much focused on her small crafts business and worked long hours.

For a good deal of the year, Sergei and Alissa based their lives in St Petersburg, but they were planning to live mainly in the UK once Evelina reached the age for school. Alissa’s parents had reconciled, although it had been quite a few months after her father’s affair with Maggie had ended before Jenny was prepared to invite her estranged husband to move back in with her again. Alissa’s father had returned the money he had been given and in turn Jenny had insisted on returning all of it to Sergei. For a while Alissa had found visiting her reunited parents rather like walking on eggshells, but time had healed the worst wounds and the older couple currently seemed to be rediscovering happiness. She had also managed to regain her former closeness with her father after Sergei had pointed out that it really wasn’t fair to punish people for being less than perfect.

Unhappily she had yet to reach the same accommodation with Alexa, whose own life had admittedly suffered a number of disastrous ups and downs in recent months. After a history of violent quarrelling with Harry and his family, and having had an affair with her married boss, Alexa was now in the midst of a bitter separation. While she had flatly refused to repay the money she had accepted for signing the contract with Sergei’s lawyers, she now had to fight Harry’s attempt to take a good share of it off her in a divorce settlement.

‘What goes around comes around,’ Sergei had commented cheerfully.

Alissa had not seen much of her twin over the past year but the sisters did make a point of being pleasant to each other when they met at family gatherings, for Alissa did not want her parents upset. Alexa had also made an effort to attend Evelina’s christening while avoiding getting within thirty feet of Sergei’s sardonic tongue. Alissa had found it easier to forgive her twin’s flaws once she’d realised that Sergei was never going to be one of Alexa’s admirers. At present, her strongest hope was that Alexa would stop rating the acquisition of money above everything else in her life and appreciate what was really important.

‘It’s good to be optimistic,’ Sergei had quipped on that score, deaf to Alissa’s protests. ‘But please don’t introduce her to any of our single male friends. I don’t want anyone putting that on my conscience.’

Yelena was a frequent visitor and was arriving the following day to share her second Christmas with them. She would stay until the Russian New Year had been welcomed in. Alissa could now speak enough of her husband’s native language to make herself understood and she got on very well with her husband’s grandmother. Yelena positively worshipped Evelina and seemed to have no greater happiness than to sit quietly attending to her first great-grandchild.

The slam of the front door alerted Alissa to Sergei’s return and wakened Evelina and the dog. Mattie trotted over to welcome Sergei home while Evelina kicked her legs in expectation of the attention she was accustomed to receiving from her father. As the door opened Alissa felt a leap of wicked anticipation flare and she studied the tall handsome male in the doorway with loving eyes and a wide smile. She had never known until she met him that another human being had the power to give her such ha

ppiness. Sergei stowed parcels on the table, contrived to pat the dog and scoop up Evelina on his way past, tucking his daughter deftly below one arm to keep the other free to reach for his wife.

‘A week without you all is a week too long, angil moy,’ he groaned, bending his proud dark head to steal a hungry kiss from her soft pink lips. ‘I’ll have to keep you in bed for a month before I recover from that amount of self-denial.’

Alissa moaned a little beneath the urgency of his sensual mouth, both thrilled and embarrassed by that candid warning.

Evelina let out a cry of complaint because she was being crushed and Sergei lifted the little girl playfully aloft to study her with loving attention before lowering her and smoothing her little dark head with a gentle reassuring hand. Replacing her in her seat, he turned back to his wife.

‘I even missed the dog,’ he groaned. ‘What have you done to me?’

Alissa linked her arms round his neck and smiled up at him. ‘We missed you too…’

He kissed her again, passion stirring so that her slim body welded to the lean, hard angles of his. ‘I almost forgot,’ he said, freeing her to lift the parcels.

Evelina got an ingenious toy to keep her amused and Alissa got a fabulous diamond eternity ring. ‘It’s an expression of my love and appreciation, angil moy,’ Sergei breathed, turning the ring at an angle so that she could see the words ‘For ever’ etched in flowing script on the inside with their names.

‘It’s wonderful,’ Alissa sighed happily sliding the ring into place beside her wedding ring. ‘I’ll think of you every time I look at it.’

The last parcel contained a little box with a tree ornament that bore a remarkable resemblance to Mattie, or at least a four-legged version of him. Glowing with contentment, Alissa hung the thoughtful gift on the tree. Their nanny came down to collect Evelina for her bath and Sergei and Alissa enjoyed a leisurely evening meal catching up on news. Jasim and Elinor had invited them to visit Quaram in the spring and they were looking forward to the trip. On their return they would as usual be spending Easter Day with Yelena.