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“Then it should be,” Sergei snapped. “I’m23,not thirteen—-”
“Even so—-”
“Being older than me doesn’t make you wealthier or more experienced than I am.” His voice turned sarcastic. “Or are you saying you’re either?”
Even as Fredericka felt herself flushing at the truth in his words, she insisted, “It just won’t work.”
“Bullshit.” His gaze captured hers. “You want me. You know you do.”
She forced herself not to look away even as his dark, possessive stare had her body trembling at the sudden, vivid memory of how his touch felt.
Sergei shook his head. “You can’t even take your eyes off me,pchelka.That’s how much you want me.”
“It will go away—-”
The billionaire cut her weak protest with a jeering laugh. “No, little bee. I’m sorry to tell you, but it won’t work that way. Can’t you see the chemistry between us is off the charts?” he demanded, his gaze boring through hers. “You won’t forget me easily.”
She shook her head jerkily. “Iwillforget you.”
“I’m not the type of man you’ll find easy to forget.”
“Don’t underestimate me.” The way her body continued to ache for his touch mocked her, and she dug her nails hard into her palms. “I’ll do everything possible to forget you, even if I need to find another guy—-” Cold fury flashed in the billionaire’s eyes, and her voice petered off.
“You’re mine.” Sergei stared at her hard, challenging her to deny the truth. “No other man can touch your body,” he said savagely, “so don’t let me hear you say otherwise ever again.” Sergei knew he was being too damn demanding and possessive, but he didn’t care. The mere thought of Fredericka being with another man was enough to have him seeing red, and that she was the one to suggest it—-
He would commit murder before that happened.
When Fredericka didn’t say anything, he warned in quiet emphasis, “Do not test me on this.”
Forcing herself to look away, Fredericka mumbled, “You don’t understand.”
“Then make me understand,” he snapped.
Still not looking at him, Fredericka started to speak, her voice thin.
A story unfolded, about a girl who had used to babysit for the wealthiest couple in the neighborhood. Years later, the girl ended up marrying the boy. She was twenty-five. He was eighteen.
And they were Fredericka’s parents.
Everything became clear then, and Sergei’s face turned expressionless as he waited for the rest of the story.
“He ran out on her, and she was forced to quit her office job and raise me on her own. She started taking odd jobs, and she ended up working herself to an early grave.” Fredericka bit her lip hard, remembering how devastated her sixteen-year-old self had been at her mother’s death.
If there was one lesson to learn from her mother’s life, which had been cut too short, then it was that falling for a younger man would never work.
Never, never, never!
But when the billionaire looked at Fredericka, she still couldn’t help catching her breath.
“I am not your father,pchelka, and you are not your mother. What happened to her is unfortunate, and I am sorry that you suffered so. But be that as it may—-”
Sergei’s gaze captured hers.
Oh.
He didn’t even have to tell her what was on his mind since she could read it so easily in his eyes—-
Even knowing that she came with baggage—-