Read Online A Very Russian Christmas by Roxie Rivera - Free Book Online Page A

to be the one making her laugh and smile and the one she playfully kissed under that spring of mistletoe. All he wanted for Christmas was Vivian.
    Inhaling a slow breath, he silently listed all the reasons he couldn’t claim her as his woman. His entanglement with Houston’s criminal underbelly ranked top of the list. His history with her incarcerated father, a notorious enforcer for an outlaw motorcycle club tied in with the Guzman cartel out of Mexico, was a close second.
    And then, of course, there was the secret he had been keeping from her for more than a decade. A secret that would kill their friendship and send her fleeing from him forever…
    Young and innocent, she was a wildly talented artist with the whole wide world ahead of her. He couldn’t have what he so desperately wanted with her but he could protect and support her. Anything she wanted or needed was hers. She didn’t even have to ask. He prided himself on anticipating her needs and fulfilling them before she had a chance to seek his help. Despite knowing what was best for her, Nikolai couldn’t stop the painful ache that twisted his heart anytime she was near. Like now…
    “You’re not dancing!” A bit breathless with cheeks flushed from laughter, she came to stand in front of him. “The party is almost over. If you’re going to dance—”
    “I don’t dance, Vee.” He inhaled that soft lavender scent that followed her everywhere.
    Her smile faded and her expression grew concerned. Unlike everyone else, she didn’t fear him enough to keep her hands to herself. She reached out and placed a gentle hand on his forearm. “You know it’s all right to let yourself have fun every now and then. You don’t always have to wear the mask. You can just be you , Kolya.”
    The searing heat of her touch burned right through the sleeve of his suit jacket. His gaze settled on those pouty lips that had just issued a nickname only she dared to use in public. Outside his closest friends only Vivian had earned the right to speak to him with such friendliness and ease.
    His fingers itched to reach out and stroke the silky waves of black hair that curled around her shoulders. He shut down the need to touch her and ignored the pulsing ache in his chest. “I’m the boss. It’s not appropriate for me to dance with the employees.”
    “Which boss is that?” Those pretty blue eyes of hers were now framed by arched eyebrows. She had nailed him with that question. “Are you the boss of Samovar tonight? Or are you the boss of—”
    “Vee,” he cut her off with a stern look. “Don’t.”
    Her face fell. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kalasnikov. I won’t forget my place again.”
    Shit . “Vee—”
    But she had already spun on her heel. He took a step toward her but squashed the urge to follow her and make it right. She was his weakness, and one he simply shouldn’t indulge. Yet even as he moved onto the dance floor to give his usual speech and start the process of handing out bonuses, Nikolai understood it was impossible.
    As he let his employees know how much he appreciated their hard work and the way they continually upheld the sterling reputation of restaurant, he tried not to be aware of Vivian standing just outside his line of sight. She stood between Aaron and the sous-chef Oleg who had long had a crush on her. No doubt his curtness toward her had put her in a mindset that was favorable toward either man. Would this be the night he lost her to a worthier man without a dark past and a soul stained by sin?
    While he handed out bonuses to the line of employees queuing up to meet him, the catering staff he had hired for the night started to clear away the tables and tidy up the restaurant. The line grew shorter and shorter, but Vivian was nowhere to be seen. Aaron and Oleg were among the last to shake his hand. When Oleg grasped the envelope extended toward him, Nikolai held onto it. “Where is Vivian?”
    The sous-chef glanced around and finally spotted her.