“Get yourself under control, Christine; this is a date not an interview.” She took a deep breath and opened the door.

Dmetri Demidov stood still, patient, but his eyes swam dark and wild like a storm.

Pressing a hand over her pounding heart, she gulped and made a lame ‘come in’ motion.

But as she moved aside to let him in, he gave only a brief shake of his head then slowly came towards her. She was caught in his stare, her pulse pounding, waiting. He cupped the back of her head and brought his lips down to hers. Her heart stuttered, body froze. The kiss was hungry, unrestrained. His tongue slid between her lips and tasted hers, dueled with sensual thrusts. The kiss went on and on. It grew more passionate until their lips were wet and sliding against each other’s, heads turning to reach every possible angle.

When he finally pulled back they were both panting, and at some point she’d entwined her arms around his neck. She pulled them away slowly, loving the way his long hair sifted through her fingers like silk.

He gave her a smile that curled her toes. “I come bearing gifts.” He lifted his hands and she noticed he had a bottle of wine and small box in the other. Her heart did a cartwheel in her chest.

“Oh...that’s nice.”

This time he laughed. It was only the second time she’d heard it and still it made her shiver. He handed the wine to her and closed the door behind him.

“Come on in.” Feeling awkward, nervous, and borderline crazy, she took a seat on the couch and cradled the bottle between her thighs. The bottle was dark green, the wine inside dark red. The label was in a language she didn’t recognize. When he didn’t immediately start surveying her home as she’d expected she barely hid her surprise. And to think she did all that cleaning.

“What is this?” she asked.

“It’s from a Grecian vineyard, one of my favorites. I think you’ll like it.”

“Oh is it sweet? I love sweet wines.”

His lip curled into a smile. “Sweet, rich, the flavors settle on the tongue long after you’ve sipped it. It reminds me of you.”

This time she laughed. “Really, how so? I don’t think I’m particularly sweet and I’m sure as hell not rich.” Hell, what would he think if she told him he was sitting on a hundred-dollar couch she bought at a thrift store?

“Well I disagree with that but really it’s because you linger with me. Just as this wine does.”

A blush spread over her cheeks making her feel unnaturally warm. She couldn’t think of anything to say so she just nodded. Her eyes trailed back to the small box in his hand. It looked like the size of a box of earrings or a ring and had white glossy paper over it.

Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “What’s that?” He smiled and handed the box to her. “A gift.”

She took it and held the slight weight in her hands. She didn’t want to open it. That would ruin the perfectness of the gift, but when he looked at her expectantly, she started dutifully unwrapping the paper. Slowly.

“There will be many more gifts when you come with me.” She bit her tongue to keep from replying. She didn’t want to think about that right now.

Instead, she focused on the gift. No one ever bought her gifts, not even her mother for her birthday. Already she wanted to put the pretty white paper back on the box and keep it just like that, on a shelf where she could look at it and remember this moment.

But he was watching, and he’d bought it for her. Inside the paper was a deep purple box with a gold metal hinge at the back. She took a deep breath and opened the top. What she found stunned her.

“Are they...are they real?” She didn’t even think she’d ever seen real diamonds before.

Inside the small case was a pair of earrings, glittering bright in the light and formed from small diamonds. They were long enough to dangle from her ears and set in silver.

“Of course,” he said easily.

She snapped the box shut and thrust it towards him. “Thank you but I can’t take this.” He scoffed and leaned back. “I bought them for you and so you’ll keep them. And you’ll wear them for me. They’ll look beautiful on you.”

Her hands trembled as she sat back into the couch. The gift was too...extravagant. The earrings were beautiful with an elegant design entirely made up of diamonds.

“Here then, let me.” He took the box and only then could she breathe.

When he swept the hair from her ear, her stomach tightened with nerves. He put in the earring, and then turned her head to do the other. He admired them for a moment, assessing each carefully.

“I do have excellent taste. I knew these would look perfect against your darker skin.”

“Oh.”

He passed his hand through her hair and left it there to curl into the strands. “You like them.” It wasn’t a question. And she did, so she nodded. He laughed again, and she didn’t miss the fact that he’d been doing that more and more around her.

“I believe I’ve finally made you speechless.”

“Oh, quite.” She had to turn the conversation around because the fluttery feeling inside her was beginning to scare her. “Are you trying to bribe me into going home with you?” His eyebrow cocked. “Is it that obvious? I suppose it is and yes, I am. In a way, I suppose. I’d prefer you to agree on your own, but since that hasn’t worked I figured showing you some of what you’ll have might help.”

Christine stiffened and wanted nothing more than to yank the earrings back out of her ears. She stood and marched into the kitchen, anywhere that was away from him. She tried to control her tongue. That lasted for about two seconds, but then the lashing came.

“You can’t buy me. You can’t bribe me, Dmetri! I’ve never even had anything as nice as this...and you can’t just expect.... You can’t really think I’ll be swayed by pretty jewelry, can you? I mean look at this place,” she said, throwing her arms out to encompass her tiny kitchen.

“It’s small, quaint, and not very clean. I don’t have nice things.” He stood, coming after her. She refused to back up and stuck her chin out at him, ready to battle. He didn’t seem intimidated in the least though and merely leaned against the kitchen doorframe.

“It is just a gift, and when you come to stay with me I’ll give you much more. Not to bribe you really, but because I want to give them to you. Is that so bad?”

“You want to give them to me?” Christine spun away from him, rubbing her hand across her aching forehead. She despised drama and complications and ever since this man entered her life that’s all there’d been. That and explosions. “No, I guess not. But—” Strong hands spun her around, pulled her into his familiar chest. He looked at her with soft eyes, a grimace at his lips. “Don’t be sad now, millaya moya. I know you like me.”

“Oh please,” she said, rolling her eyes.

He gave her a hard look. “I know you do, and I know you want to be with me. This will be much easier for both of us if you just agree to be with me.” Dammit, she didn’t want to talk about this. She pushed against his chest to get away from him, but he refused to let her go. Instead he wrapped his arms around her, trapping her against his big chest. Why did he have to smell so good?

“I already told you I can’t.”

His arms tightened. “Because of your mother.”

She shook her head. “Don’t say it like that. I want to marry an Alpha. It’s not just for her.”

“Then look me in the eye and say it.”

She glared hard at the button of his shirt and slowly raised her eyes to meet his. “I don’t have to because it’s the truth.”

His lip threatened to curl into a grin. “If it isn’t a lie then look me in the eyes and say it, Christine. Tell me how badly you want to marry an Alpha, to be with another instead of me.” She swallowed hard. “I want to marry an Alpha.” She kept her voice controlled, and her eyes dead on him like a snipers.