Prince Voronov's Virgin

Paige forced herself to remain calm even though her heart was pounding a million miles an hour. “That’s fast,” she said. “You can hardly know this man.”

“Oh, Paige,” Emma said, her face glowing with happiness. “I wasn’t going to tell you just yet, because I knew you’d worry, but it’s Chad.”

Paige blinked. “You’re in love with Chad? But you barely know him—”

“I’ve been seeing him for a month.”

Paige sank onto the closest chair. A month. One month of lies, obfuscations and going behind her back. No wonder Chad hadn’t needed her to send flowers or make reservations.

And she was beginning to understand why he’d taken her for lunch.

“I had no idea,” she said numbly.

Emma came over and knelt before her, took both of Paige’s hands in her long-fingered elegant ones. “I’m sorry, but Chad thought you might be upset if you knew. We wanted to keep it a secret until we knew how we felt about each other.”

Paige’s hands were so cold inside Emma’s warm ones. One sister had all the life and heat while the other was cold and empty. It didn’t seem fair. “Isn’t a month awfully quick to know if you love someone or not?”

Emma’s smile said that it clearly was not. “Sometimes you just know.”

In spite of her pain, it warmed Paige to see her sister so happy. She’d always wanted the best for Emma. Though there were only five years between them, she often felt more like Emma’s mother than her sister.

But Emma’s beatific smile worried her, too. Paige squeezed her hands. “I’ve worked for Chad Russell for two years, Emma. He dates a lot of women.”

“I know that. But he loves me. He wants to marry me.”

Her heart was splintering into a million jagged pieces around her. She hadn’t realized until that moment that she’d been living for Emma. What would she do when Emma was gone?

And what should she say now? Emma was looking at her so hopefully, but all Paige could do was worry. Was Chad serious? Would he really put aside his playboy ways and make her sister happy? Or was he merely leading Emma along with no intention of marrying her? He was so rich. He moved in different social circles, circles that Emma had never been in before. Was this real, or was it simply another affair?

“Have you set a date?”

Emma shook her head as she stood. “When we get back to Dallas, we’ll start discussing it. He’s just so worried with this deal right now.”

Paige’s heart flipped. But whether it was from her misgivings about Chad’s true intentions or about the deal that held Russell Tech’s future in the balance, she wasn’t sure. Because when she thought of the reason they were here in Moscow, she also thought of Alexei. He’d helped her when she needed it, held her while she cried, and kissed her so expertly that she’d practically begged him to take her to his bed—though of course she hadn’t done it right since he had not complied.

But he wasn’t just any man. He was Prince Voronov, and he was out to destroy Russell Tech. If he succeeded, then he also destroyed Chad and Emma’s possibility of a happy future together.

Paige stood and hugged her sister tight. “I’m glad you’re so happy and I hope Chad realizes how lucky he is to have you. Because if he doesn’t,” she continued, pushing Emma back to look at her, “I’ll castrate him.”

Emma laughed and hugged her back. “Don’t worry about me,” she said fiercely. “I’ll do it myself if necessary.”