Very gently, Andrii put one hand to her belly and moved her back into her tiny living space, allowing him entry into the apartment. He closed the door behind him. In one hand he had a large rectangular box that was twice the size of the one she had so carefully taped up and given to the owners of the coffee shop to hold for him.

He immediately placed the box on the small coffee table she’d bought at a secondhand store. She rather liked that coffee table, with the inlaid tree of life in wood and the glass top covering it. There were a couple of small chips in the wood on the edges, but she had found the perfect match in wood stain and covered them. The box took up nearly the entire table.

She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, trying to find the right words to get him out of her space before it was too late.

“Andrii.” She detested that she sounded hesitant.

“Before you decide to throw me out, Zelie, let me apologize for my atrocious temper. My lack of control really hurt your feelings. That’s the last thing I ever wanted to do.”

Azelie couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he moved around her small apartment easily. Even though he seemed to glide with only air under him, he took up all the space. Eventually, after going through the open-floor-plan kitchen area and sitting room and looking at the bed in the small space that was her bedroom, he flung himself into one of the two comfortable chairs she’d found at a garage sale. They both had thick cushions and were in fantastic shape. They were made with a forest-green leather that went perfectly with the coffee table.

She hadn’t expected an apology or an admission of a bad temper. He seemed so calm and in control, it was difficult to imagine that he had a temper.

“Did I scare you?” he asked when she remained silent.

She swallowed the first three things she wanted to say. None of them were true. Finally, she shrugged. “I wasn’t afraid you would hurt me physically.” That was true. It hadn’t occurred to her that Andrii might hit or slap her.

“I’m grateful you see into my character enough to know I would never abuse you in that way. You didn’t exactly answer my question. What are you afraid of? I know you’re attracted to me. I know you would like to try a relationship with me, but now you’re very reluctant, and you’re looking for reasons to throw me out without listening to me.”

She couldn’t help herself. The smile came out of nowhere because she had the childish desire to stick her fingers in her ears to keep from hearing his voice.

He leaned forward, his eyes going soft. “Baby, give me the reasons so we can talk them out. I know I want to do this with you. I want you to have the same resolve. I know I blew it for us, but I’m asking you to give us a chance to get back on track.”

Azelie struggled with her answer. She wanted to be honest, but it would be giving him too much. In the end, she could only be who she was and answer him with the truth. “I can’t afford to have you rip out my heart, Andrii. I don’t like to admit it, but the truth is I’m still very fragile. It makes sense to protect myself from heartache. You’re a heartache waiting to happen.”

“Why do you say that? My temper?”

She shook her head. “It isn’t that. A man like you can’t possibly be with someone like me without getting bored. You’ll move on eventually. I’m the investing type. I would put everything I am into the relationship, including my heart, and when you walked away, I’d be shattered.”

“Now that right there would earn you a punishment if you were mine.”

The way he said it, in that low, firm voice, sent butterflies winging in her sex. Her stomach clenched around the sudden knot of sheer desire. Her physical reactions to his declarations were frightening, but it was the emotional one that shocked her. She felt so much happiness it was astounding, joy bursting through her and radiating outward to every cell in her brain.

“What does that mean?”

He sounded like he really cared about her. She did her best to shake off the spell he was mesmerizing her with. She shook her head and held up her hand to stop him from uttering another word in his velvet voice.

“We don’t need to go there. I’m not doing this with you. I’m trying to be polite and state it as nicely as possible, but I feel it’s best if we don’t see one another again.” There. Perfect. She got it out without stumbling over the words.

Andrii’s eyes went liquid silver, and her stomach did a drop right from a roller coaster. A somersault. She watched him stand, his height and wide shoulders, along with his dominant personality, instantly shrinking the size of the room.

“You aren’t walking away from me,” Andrii declared.

She turned her back on him to walk to the door. She had taken two steps when the next thing she knew she was across the living room floor, her back pressed against the wall beside the door and Andrii tight against her front. She felt every muscle in his chest. Her heart stuttered as she gripped his Queen tee in her fist and tilted her head to look up at his face. Up that close he appeared even more masculine and intimidating. The dark bristle on his face, the strong jaw, the aristocratic nose. That mouth. So incredibly sensual.

She was aware she was alone with him in her apartment, and no one knew he was there. She’d been crazy to open her door. Crazy. Silly. Even if she screamed, she wasn’t certain anyone would hear. What was wrong with her that she was fixating on his mouth when she should be screaming for help?

“Step back, Andrii.” Her voice was a mere thread of sound. She couldn’t make her voice sound decisive and commanding.

His hands cupped her face, his touch exquisitely gentle. Looking down at her, the silver in his eyes softened to a gray, giving him the look of a man feeling tender toward his woman.

Her stomach did a slow roll seeing that look. Every single cell in her body woke up, came alive, went on full alert. There was so much caring in that look.

“I can’t do that, Solnyshkuh.” He whispered his denial to her, his thumb sliding over her right cheekbone, tracing the contour gently.

She forced herself to keep her resolve. This man was gorgeous. He was also dangerous. Not just because he could look like a predator very high up on the food chain, but because she knew he had the capability of capturing her heart. If he did that and left her—which was inevitable—she would be shattered. She was far too fragile for a man like Andrii Federoff.

“You have to go.” She tried to be firm.

“You don’t want to throw me out,” he said softly. Too softly.

His tone sent shivers of awareness down her spine. It sucked to be so susceptible to him. Azelie just didn’t have physical reactions to men. Any man. The fact that the chemistry between them sizzled, was so strong it was nearly tangible, was frightening.

“I do,” she insisted. There was silence.

She knew he was looking down at her with those eyes of his. It would be a mistake to look up at him. His thumb slid along one cheekbone, tracing the curve. He didn’t say anything. She sighed.

“Okay, I do want you to stay,” she admitted. Why she told him the truth when it was embarrassing, she didn’t know. “But you still have to go, Andrii.”

“Thank you for telling the truth when most women wouldn’t. You don’t play games, Zelie. That’s one of the hundreds of things I love about you.”

She detested that when he complimented her she melted inside. Especially when he used that voice of his. His voice should be outlawed. He should be outlawed. She needed to grow a spine.

“I need you to go, Andrii, and not come back. Take whatever you brought with you.” That was definitely firmer, even though she whispered.

He rubbed the pad of his thumb over her lower lip, sending a million sparks dancing over her skin. Heat rushed through her veins to pool low and wicked.

“I need you to explain why you’re so afraid of me, Solnyshkuh. You’ve already conceded that you know I’m not a man to beat a woman. Punish my woman when she fucks up, yes—beat her, no.”

She inhaled sharply, eyelashes fluttering in the hopes that he couldn’t read her expression. Should she even ask? She didn’t dare chance prolonging their conversation. She had to get right to the point. Still, she couldn’t help herself.

“Punish her?”

“You,” he clarified. “I’m spelling it out quite clearly that I want you to be my woman.”

She tilted her chin. “You aren’t making a great case for yourself, throwing around words like punish.”

“We’ll get there. Right now, tell me what you’re most afraid of.” He poured command into his voice. He didn’t raise it, but it was a definite order.

Azelie refused to be embarrassed. She had the truth on her side. “Men like you don’t stay with women like me, Andrii. And I’m not built for flings.”

His hands once again cupped her face, forcing her head up.

“Look at me.” There was steel in his voice.

He waited until she raised her lashes and met his slashing silver eyes. Instantly, there was that same roller coaster wreaking havoc in her stomach.

“I want an explanation of what you mean. Exactly, Azelie. Men like me? Women like you? What does that mean?”