Crash into Me: A BWWM Russian Billionaire Romance by Cristina Grenier Page A

haven for her when she’d been stressed about school and whatever else.
    It was the only place Emma drank outside of her house, and she sat on her stool faithfully at least once a week. Typically making small talk with Sam himself and sipping her Long Island Ice Teas slowly enough that she wouldn’t be too drunk to drive home long before midnight.
    It wasn’t the kind of place to go to get trashed and find people to hook up with, which, if she were being honest, was one of the reasons she liked it so much.
    So, of course, when her usual Friday night routine was interrupted by a much too smug Russian with too much money, she was none too pleased. He was grinning at her like he’d been looking forward to seeing her again, and she was unhappy to see that he actually looked presentable this time around.
    His clothes were immaculate (and honestly who wore waistcoats in this day and age), and his hair was shiny and fell around his head in a curly mop. His eyes were bright and he was clean shaven, and everything from the way he was smiling to the way he was holding himself screamed money.
    And arrogance.
    “What are you doing here?” she said, propping her arm up on the bar and resting her head on her hand. “Are you stalking me now?”
    He laughed, and she was alarmed to see that the mirth made his face even more attractive than it had been before. “No, no. Nothing like that. I just found myself lost and in need of a drink.”
    “I think you have a problem,” Emma muttered, turning away from him to sip at her drink. “And you shouldn’t be behind the wheel of a car when you’ve been near alcohol. I think you’ve already proven that.”
    “You don’t like me very much, do you?” Alexei asked, tilting his head and looking at her.
    She could feel his eyes on the side of her face, and it made her want to shiver, even though she ignored the urge. “Well, the first time we met it was because you had just run into my car, so. Other than that, I don’t know anything about you.”
    “And I know even less about you,” he pointed out. “So really, this hostility seems uncalled for.”
    “Did I forget to mention about how you hit my car with money mobile?” Emma said, arching an eyebrow.
    He laughed again, shaking his head. “No, you didn’t. Can I have your name, at least?” When she hesitated, his smile only grew. “I do still have to pay for the repairs to your car, you know. Unless you’d like me to make a check out to ‘the angry woman in the Toyota’.”
    “You’ll be making the check out to my mechanic,” Emma pointed out, and then sighed. “Fine. I’m Emma. Is that good enough for you?”
    “Quite. It’s lovely to meet you, Emma.” And he actually bowed from his stool. “What do you recommend here? I’ve never been in a place like this before.”
    Emma snorted. “I don’t doubt it. You’re a bit out of your tax bracket here, I bet.”
    Alexei shrugged and then turned his smile on Sam when he came over. “Hello,” he said. “What do you recommend for a first timer?”
    Sam looked at Alexei and then looked at Emma. “Friend of yours?” he asked.
    “Hardly,” Emma said, rolling her eyes. Clearly that was going to happen a lot when she was in this man’s company.
    “You too good for beer?” Sam wanted to know, and Emma was amused at the face Alexei made. Apparently he thought he was too good for beer.
    “He’s Russian,” Emma explained. “You know how they are with vodka.”
    “Er...no?” Sam said. “We have vodka. You want vodka?”
    “He’ll have a vodka cranberry, and he’ll like it,” Emma put in. “Or he can go somewhere else.” Her words were pointed and she looked at Alexei as if daring him to argue. He held his hands up in a gesture of peace, still smiling at her.
    “That sounds lovely. Can I buy you a drink, Emma?”
    “Nope.”
    “You’re...what’s the expression? A tough nut to crack?” Alexei said once Sam had gone to make the drink.
    Emma shrugged and