Page 22 of The Billionaire Dating Game

“We can see why he cares about you.” Katya smiled. “You have a big heart, and you look at him as if he’s the only one around.”

“Don’t get us wrong, being able to make Khrustyky is a bonus.”

Wait…what?What the heck did Alexei tell his siblings?Alexei said they knew everything, yet she felt she had to reprise her role as his fake girlfriend.There was no way she was going to lie to these two, not after they’d welcomed her into their home.

“You do know he hired me, right?” she asked skeptically, glancing from one sibling to the other.

“Yes,” Dmitri said, and she exhaled in relief. “But our brother is different around you.”

She dared not hope.Don’t do it, Candice.They’re family, the type of people that looked out for each other. She respected that. She wanted that. They wanted the best for their brother, and why shouldn’t they, but she also knew the bargain she’d struck. In three weeks, her fairytale would be over.

“Look,” Katya said, “he hasn’t brought any other woman here except for Jasmine, and we just want to make sure you’re not going to hurt him.”

Hurt…him?

Right now, she wanted to strangle his ex for the pain she’d caused. How could she betray Alexei? Was it worth it? “You don’t have to worry about me,” she assured them. “I don’t have any expectations when it comes to your brother.” It pained her to admit it to strangers when she was still convincing herself. “In three weeks, our time will be over, and you’ll never see me again.”

Dmitri and Katya glanced at each other wide-eyed, but she pushed on. Being the recipient of disappointment was one thing, hurting or misleading others made her sick.

“Candice—” Katya started.

She shook her head. “Men like your brother don’t tie themselves to girls like me. He’ll gladly pay for my time then move on.” There, she said it. Alexei was her first paid date, but she couldn't deny how they’d met. “You mean well Ka—”

“Don’t say another word,” Alexei said.

Candice cringed.

She’d heard that tone before. Low and dangerous, it sent a chill through her veins.

“Excuse us.” He took her hand, leading her from the kitchen. He didn’t stop until they were in the guest bedroom.

“Alexei—”

“Not another word,” he growled.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Alexei

The click of the bedroom door shutting resounded in the room. What was he going to do with Candice and her wrong-headed insistence that she was no treasure?

“I couldn’t have your sister believing I planned on using you.”

That genuine concern for others and the way she’d committed herself to team Alexei, as she’d called it, had ensnared his heart. He’d tried erecting a wall between them, keeping his emotions in check, but not caring for Candice was impossible. Especially when she stared at him with those innocent brown eyes.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything—”

“Not another word,” he repeated. There she went doubting herself again. He couldn’t have that. Taking her hand, he led her to the bathroom and stood behind her as she faced the mirror. “What do you see?”

Her brows furrowed. “Me and you?” she said tentatively.

He brushed the loose strands of her hair from her face. “What else?”

“You need more sun.”

“That’s not what I need,” he said in her ear, enjoying the flush warming her skin. But he wasn’t here for him. Right now was about Candice and her needs. “Don’t make me ask again.”

Her head braced against his chest. “I see me.”

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