Free A Very Russian Christmas by Roxie Rivera

hero with a stand-up reputation.
    If it wasn’t Kelly who stole her away from the protective bubble he had placed around her, it would be someone else. She was starting to make forays into the art scene in Houston and rubbing shoulders with wealthy patrons from all around the world. How long before one of them noticed the same qualities he did and decided to make a move on her?
    There was so much he couldn’t offer Vivian that other men—better men—could. Wasn’t it best for her to find a man that could make her proud? A man who lived his life totally in the light of day? Wasn’t that what he had always wanted for her? To escape the hell she had known when she had been all tangled up in her father’s crimes and orphaned by her sick mother?
    He wanted Vivian to have a good life. That meant he had to accept that his complex feelings toward her—the love he dared not confess—would remain forever a secret. She would marry, have children and embark on a journey filled with laughter and light and love.
    And he would stay in this dark underworld, running Houston’s criminal element and keeping the lid on the violence that always threatened to erupt. He would die alone, without a wife, without children—and he would be forgotten.
    “Are you all right?” Vivian stood in front of him now and gazed up at him with such concern. “You look so sad.”
    He flashed her an empty smile. “It’s nothing. Let’s get you home.”
    She looked like she wanted to press him on the issue, but thankfully she let it drop. He took the coat from her arms, shook it out and helped her into it. While she buttoned the front, he grasped the silky strands of her loose hair and gently pulled them free from the back of her coat. The tantalizing lavender fragrance of her shampoo and the light scent of her perfume sorely tried his control.
    Dropping his hands to his sides, he waited for her to slip into her gloves before escorting her outside to the idling SUV where Kostya loaded her gifts into the cargo area. He helped her into a seat and moved to the front passenger side. “Do you need to make any stops tonight?”
    “No.”
    “Well I need to make one so you’ll have to bear with me.” He hoped she would like the gift he had picked out for her.
    “That’s fine.”
    Kostya got behind the wheel and made a stealthy adjustment of the weapon he carried everywhere. As Nikolai’s right hand man and the family cleaner, Kostya was always prepared for the very worst. It had been a calm year around Houston’s underbelly, all things considered, but the seedy world they inhabited had a way of turning violent in a flash.
    The drive to the nearby parking garage he owned was quick enough. The roads were wet but not icy as he had feared. After her old car had died last year, Vivian had chosen to use public transportation. She was too much out of practice for wintry conditions, but a little rain, he thought she could handle.
    Round and round, they climbed the levels of the garage until they reached the last covered floor. Only half the spaces were filled and the far wall was entirely open except for the brand new sporty luxury coupe topped with a bright red bow. In the backseat, Vivian had her head down as she messed around with her phone and seemed totally oblivious to the surprise that awaited her as Kostya pulled into a space.
    Glancing at Kostya, Nikolai climbed out of the vehicle. He walked around the back of the SUV and opened her door. Vivian looked perplexed. “Kolya?”
    “I want to show you something.”
    She frowned. “In a parking lot?”
    With the SUV facing away from the car, she couldn’t see it. Amused by her reaction, he held out his hand. “Humor me, Vee.”
    “All right.” She placed her gloved hand on his, the leather cool against his skin, and slipped out of the backseat to join him.
    “Grab your purse.” She would need her wallet while she drove. Shooting him an odd look, she did as instructed. He walked her toward the back