“No,” I snap.

“Coffee?”

“Stop that,” I shout. “Stop pretending like this is normal.”

“I’ll make us coffee.” He smiles and puts the book he was reading down.

He stands up, and I am disbelief at his attitude. I stand up too and follow him through to the kitchen.

“So, you do want coffee?”

“I want to know what is going on in your head. Are we playing house here? Pretending to be friends?”

He chuckles and it grates against my last nerve.

“Was there enough sugar in the cup I made for you this morning?”

“Stop, Alexei. Oh, for crying out loud. I don’t even want coffee. And if I do, I’ll make my own.”

I do want coffee, and the coffee he made this morning was divine, but there's not a fucking chance in hell I'm going to tell him that.

“No problem. So, I was thinking of making some tagliatelle for dinner, mushroom and bacon with cheese sauce. I am really good at it.”

Oh my word, how am I supposed to handle this man?

I stare at him as he stares back down at me, his cool blue eyes filled with mischief and something else. Something suggestive.

No.

Stop that.

That’s just my imagination running off again.

But now I am staring at his lips, that gorgeous smile. The light shadow of stubble across his jaw. Why the hell does he have to be so damned good-looking? And why the hell do I have to be trapped in this house with the sexiest man alive?

Alexei steps towards me, close, close enough for me to smell his scent and feel his heat. He grins at me. I look up at him, half expecting him to try and kiss me, almost wanting him to—but then with a flush of embarrassment I realize I am standing in front of the fridge, and he just wants to get the milk.

I duck away from him to hide my glowing cheeks.

I hear his laughter, a low rumble.

He makes me a coffee anyway, even though I said no.

And once I catch the scent of the warm, rich coffee I can't even pretend I didn’t want it.

Reluctantly, I follow him back to the living room and sit on the sofa sipping it, watching him, wondering what his plan is for me.

My uncle doesn’t even know where I am. He has no idea why I’ve been taken, either. Unless I am wrong about that and there is already a whole thing happening in the background. Maybe Alexei was just tasked with keeping me secured. Maybe his brothers are the ones negotiating.

I sigh loudly.

“Try and relax, little fox.”

“For how long? For what? What is happening? When do you demand ransom?”

“Ransom?” He laughs loudly as though I’ve said something hilarious.

I wait, but he doesn’t explain why it’s funny. He just looks back down at his book and carries on reading.