Fixing Broken Hearts Read online

  Viktor pulled her to his chest and said something in Russian, and there were murmurs of approval in the room.

  She asked, “If you had one wish, what would it be, Viktor?”

  He thought for a moment and realized he always had a secret wish to be loved as a man, and as a person. He dreamed of a beautiful woman he could talk to about his feelings and fears. He wished for someone who would understand and not think less of him for his few weaknesses. In Russia, men were expected to maintain a strong exterior. He had been watching that stone cold exterior slowly seep inward, taking over his soul over the years. He desperately needed a woman to warm his soul, and help him keep some small bit of his humanity intact. This was a dream he had sought after and been disappointed in so many times he had long since given up on it. It was the one secret desire that he could never speak out loud in front of his family. Men were not supposed to long for such things.

  He didn’t want to lie to the one person who might be able to find some love in her heart for him, but he did. It felt like a cold knife turning in his soul. He was spitting in the face of lady fate, just when she was doing him a favor by bringing the beautiful doctor into his life. He replied in a low, cold voice, “I have always wished for my daughter to have a mother who loved her dearly, and would be a good role model for her.”

  “Then why did you not pressure my brother to locate her mother?” she asked cautiously.

  “She is not a mother to be proud of. She forgets to feed and bathe our daughter. I have forced her into rehab for drugs many times, but she each time she goes crawling back to them. This is not the behavior I wish my daughter to emulate.”

  “You can’t just take away a woman’s child. She has rights.”

  “Would you like to know what I think happened to Sylvika? I think she left the hospital looking for drugs and got herself into trouble. I have trusted her with what is most precious to me far too often and been disappointed. It is a mistake I do not wish to make again.”

  “I suppose you have a right to protect your child.”

  “You are a reasonable woman. It is a noble quality for a person to have. In fact, you have many qualities to recommend you. I think you would make a wonderful mother for my darling Viktorija.”

  “I’m surprised you are entertaining the idea of letting her live in America with me,” Cassandra quipped.

  He looked down at her, and said with some irritation, “You will stop pretending you’re returning to America.”

  She glanced up and asked casually, “Was that a command or a question?”

  He paused and rephrased it in the form of a question as he turned her face so she could see his daughter.

  She sighed. “Fine, I will stop pretending I don’t secretly want to stay at your side.”

  He looked momentarily mollified, and pulled her close again. He could tell she was struggling with the idea of living in Russia. Would that be something he was willing to negotiate to keep her? As soon as the question formed in his mind, he knew that he would. Having a loving and faithful wife who treated his child as her own was his primary goal in life. All else would be a secondary consideration.

  Her head suddenly jerked up. He said soothingly, “I know what you are going to say. You want to continue to perform surgeries for children while you are in Russia. You are the doctor who fixes little broken hearts, after all.”

  She laid her head back on his chest. Viktor knew all too well what would motivate a woman like Cassandra. She wasn’t self-serving, like so many of the women he knew. She needed to do good works in order to settle in.

  Viktor smiled at his family. No man in his family had ever tamed a beautiful woman into marrying them in front of so many males. Though it was strange, it was also thrilling in a way he never expected. It was an impressive feat because everyone knew he had not even had to resort to bribing or sexing her into compliance. She had agreed to stay with him, and be in his life, simply because she wanted to be with him and his daughter.

  He had a good mind to take her into the back cabin and brand her with his love, but she was made of finer stuff than that. He would probably play sexy games with her, but save the sex for after they were married. Unless she actually asked him, then that would be an entirely different matter.

  He looked down at her delicate face and wondered what it would look like in the throes of passion. He suspected she would be even more beautiful. The flight attendant who assisted her with Viktorija had already complimented him on her beauty, saying that her flawless skin was totally unmarked by scars to tattoos.

  Viktor was hard just having her close. He loved the casual, understated clothing she chose for the flight. She was a classy lady. Her refined style and the fact that she was already wealthy communicated to his family she was not just interested in him for his money.

  He looked down when she was drawing away from him and noticed it was because Viktorija was growing sleepy. She pulled the child between the two of them and cuddled her to sleep. He liked having them cuddled in one large double seat. It felt warm, special, and right. He motioned to his flight attendant. She adjusted the seats so they were reclining and gave them a large throw and pillows. He motioned for her to turn out the lights. Cassandra reached out and took his hand as she tumbled off to sleep. Viktor thought to himself she was possibly the most perfect female for him and his daughter.

  Chapter 12

  Over the Top Sexy

  ~ Cassandra ~

  The next morning, Cassandra found herself sitting in his home with the child and his housekeeper, Sagrin. The night before, she had fallen asleep in the child’s bed, reading to her. Viktor had just put a warm blanket on the two of them and let them sleep. She decided to take the child to the park and then to go shopping. Thank God she normally kept a credit card in her medical bag. It meant she didn’t have to worry about money.

  She spoke to the housekeeper, who made arrangements for a car and accompanied them to the park. Cassandra was not surprised that Demetrius showed up. Viktor had introduced him as the head of his security team. Cassandra was getting the impression that Demetrius was going to be her personal security guard. He was her shadow—quiet, professional, and unobtrusive, but always there.

  Cassandra slid on a pair of jeans and a silk blouse. She asked Demetrius if he carried a straight razor and looked at her rather strangely but reached in his pocket and gave it to her. She flipped it open, made two tiny slits in the seam running down her jeans about six inches from the waist on either side. She gave him his razor back and then went to her black bag and rummaged down in the bottom until she found her two long knitting needles and slid one down each seam.

  It was her weapon of choice in an environment that didn’t afford her an opportunity to carry a weapon. Being a doctor, she knew exactly where to puncture a person to stop an attack. Not that she ever thought she would need it. However, there was something about being responsible for such a vulnerable child that made her want to take extra precautions.

  Demetrius just stood watching and didn’t comment. She was glad, because she really wasn’t in a mood to explain her strange security needs to him. She normally carried her needles with her when she went out on her own as a last ditch security measure. She tucked her credit card in her pocket and they headed to the park.

  Demetrius stood near the vehicle, smoking. He monitored everything with his eagle eyes. Cassandra pushed the child slowly on the merry-go-round and let her play at a sand table, but threw the breaks on the sliding board and monkey bars. She had Sagrin explain she could do that in a few weeks. The little girl seemed to understand. Cassandra squatted down and drew the child into her arms for a short hug.

  As they stood up to leave, two younger males approached them. Cassandra smiled and greeted them as she gently shoved the child behind her. One stepped into her personal space, and the way he did it felt very familiar. Looking up at him, she saw the same cold stare as the Russian at the hospital. As a matter of fact, the young man’s facial features loo
ked very similar to Ivan Issiak’s. Her eyes widened and just when she began to panic, he leaned over and grabbed her wrist, whispering, “You are never quite as safe as you think you are. Always remember that, Dr. Cassandra Nash.” Cassandra could see Demetrius stalking over to them, his large legs eating up the ground between them.

  Before she even thought about what she was doing, she flipped her wrist free, pulled him off balance, and kneed him hard in the face. When he stumbled forward, she immediately released him. She brought her foot around the back of the second male’s knee, grabbed him by the hairone hand, whipped out one of the needles from her side seam, and had it pressed to his eardrum before he could react.

  Demetrius was on top of them inside of two minutes. By the time he pulled the second young man aside and zip tied him, the first had escaped. Demetrius pulled the man to his feet and had a brief conversation with him before shoving him away.

  The little girl did not seem particularly fazed, since Sagrin had turned her away from most of it. It left Cassandra wondering if Ivan had tracked them all the way to Moscow or if his son was already here and stalking Viktor. Pulling Demetrius aside, she explained what the first guy had told her and how much he looked like Ivan. She watched his features darken with anger. He immediately pulled out his phone and growled gruffly into it in Russian, clearly giving a report to Viktor.

  As they slid out of limo to go into the shopping center, Cassandra turned to Demetrius and asked, “Do you think Ivan’s here in Moscow?”

  He looked at her strangely. “I think not. If he were, he would have confronted you himself. I believe he simply wishes to keep Viktor off balance by making him think his family is in danger. If he had truly wanted you and the child today, he could have arranged more men and put up a better fight.”

  “What would that have looked like?”

  “I have machine guns in the trunk. I shoot, and if there are many, I get you in two in a vehicle and we leave. When I call, it takes men five minutes to get to us from anywhere in Moscow.”

  “So we only ever have to last five minutes on our own and then help will arrive?”

  Nodding, he asked curiously, “How did you learn to fight? Your father?”

  “No, my father would never think that necessary. I had people for that. My brother spent years teaching me to fight and sparred with me. He worried that I would one day find myself all alone and unprotected.”

  Demetrius gave a short nod and responded, “Smart man.” His face returned to stone as he surveyed their surroundings.

  Cassandra thought of all the times she had gotten bruised in her little sparring matches with Tony. She’d had to make up excuses to her father about how she walked into something or tripped over something. All the trouble was proving worth it. She felt very little fear in her new environment.

  They headed into the store. Cassandra bought a new wardrobe from a fancy women’s department store while Sagrin played a handheld video game with the child. It seemed like a Neiman Markus type establishment. She stopped at the cosmetics counter and the two of them had makeovers. Viktorija seemed to love that. She bought a metric ton of cosmetics and skin care products for both of them then went to shop for lingerie. That was about the time Viktor showed up.

  Cassandra couldn’t resist teasing him. “Finished asserting your male dominance already?”

  Viktor looked amused. “I must not be quite as forgettable as I feared. There are times when my fierce persona works to my advantage.”

  Cassandra immediately slid her arm through his and responded sweetly, “Trust me, you are anything but forgettable. I imagine you leave more of an impression on females than males though. I like the real you, if not your fierce persona, by the way.”

  Viktor wrapped his arm about her waist and drew her close to his side. “That’s only because you haven’t sampled all my fine qualities. I do think you will approve of my bedside manner, Dr. Nash, even if you don’t come to care for the whole package.”

  He watched an endearing blush creep up her neck to her pretty cheeks.

  “We will have to save that for another time, my dear. Shop then sex is the proper order of things.”

  “Glad you could pencil me in.”

  Viktor then turned serious. “Demetrius checked in with me. He reported that you ladies had some excitement at the park.” His hand immediately dropped to lift the knitting needle a few inches from its seam before lowering it back down.

  He continued casually, “You are fierce. I like that quality in a woman. Rest assured, the situation has been dealt with.”

  “Thanks. Can we talk about something else?”

  Nodding, he murmured, “He also mentioned that you were shopping, so I thought I’d join you. Looks like I’m just in time for the fun part. I guess you can’t model lingerie for me with the little one present, but I plan to purchase one of everything in the store for you.”

  Cassandra shook her head. “Don’t bother. You aren’t my husband, my father, or even my overprotective brother. So if you don’t mind, I’ll hang on to my independence a bit longer by paying my own way.”

  He responded very seriously, “You are not very good at listening to me when I give directions, Cassandra. I have determined that I will purchase your lingerie. That way when I rip it off your gorgeous body, I won’t have to feel guilty.”

  Cassandra’s eyes got big. The sales clerk looked startled.

  “Could you possibly be any more alpha in a public setting?” she asked.

  His smile turned sultry. “You would be in danger of being made love to right here on the sales counter if it weren’t for my lovely daughter being present.”

  Cassandra snarked. “I am glad your daughter doesn’t speak English.”

  He smiled smugly. “No matter, I have already told her that I have to kiss you in order to turn you into her new mommy. She said she was fine with that.”

  She sighed and asked, “Are you always so over the top?”

  He smiled seductively. “Only with you, I’m afraid. Being around you causes me to think and say things I ordinarily would never consider.”

  “Thank God. I thought it was just me who had that problem.”

  “Men are much more carnal that women, so I doubt our thoughts are very similar.”

  “Don’t count on it,” she mumbled.

  He quickly made sure his daughter wasn’t looking and squeezed her rear. An involuntary squeak escaped before she could stop herself, earning her another of his guarded little smiles. She thought perhaps no one else even noticed.

  Exasperated, Cassandra shook her head. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. The child clapped her hands. Cassandra looked at him and rolled her eyes. She proceeded to purchase a ton of lingerie at the speed of light. Viktor threw in several items of particular interest and paid the bill. The sales clerk appeared to be a strange combination of afraid, anxious, amused, and unless she missed her guess, a little sorry for her. Cassandra wondered if the woman thought she was getting taken advantage of somehow. If so, she could be seriously mistaken about Viktor. The sales clerk bagged her merchandise into several huge handled shopping bags.

  Viktor grabbed the bags. “My family is having a formal party for the holidays. I have several functions requiring formalwear coming up. If you would like to accompany me, we can shop for gowns. I would love to see you in something that befits your beauty.”

  Cassandra wrapped her arm around his. “You are pretty smooth. I’ll bet you can charm the pants off a snake.”

  He replied with wry amusement playing in his stern voice. “I am usually considered the snake in most analogies.”

  She kissed him briefly on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with a passion. Again, the child clapped. Why had she thought she could sneak a little kiss with him?

  Cassandra pointed out, “Viktorija claps each time we kiss. I am beginning to think she expects me to turn into something more interesting than her new mother.”

  “She would love f
or you to turn into a dolphin. Since you two played that game with the swimming dolphins, it’s all she can talk about.”

  “I notice she draws pictures of them. Maybe I will take her to the zoo tomorrow.”

  “What would I have to do to get an invitation?”

  She touched his cheek. “Gorgeous guys are always welcome. From now on you don’t even need to ask. If we are going anywhere that piques your interest, jump in the tank with us.”

  He looked slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t think you would notice the vehicle was armored. Most people can’t tell such things by looking.”

  She replied lightly, “The ballistic windows give it away, handsome. Plus, all our vehicles are armored in my family. It’s no big deal…makes me feel safer, in fact. I guess it’s a matter of what you get used to in life.”

  They handed off her bags to Demetrius as they entered a formalwear boutique. Cassandra began trying on gowns. Viktor seemed relaxed as he watched her model them for him. He asked her to turn around a couple of times and voted yes, no, or maybe on each. Even Viktorija got in a couple of votes between video games.

  Cassandra got her selection down to about five dresses, and he just bought them all. Instead of taking them, he had them boxed and gave them to a young attractive female. Cassandra arched her brow.

  He clarified, “She is a personal shopper. She will accessorize each outfit in several ways, and stop by the house later for you make selections.”

  “You are something to behold, my dear. No American man would think of such things. The men in our family would burn in the fiery pits of hell before shopping with a woman. They would consider it emasculating.”

  He countered, “In Russia, a favorite pastime for wealthy men is taking their beautiful wives and lovers shopping for gowns, jewels, and lingerie. It is considered very dominant and masculine. Only men who literally cannot afford it forgo such pleasures. Shopping with you is a genuine pleasure, and marks you as belonging to me.”