STEFAN

Marina Cordoba Madeira took one last look at the full length mirror in her bedroom. This would be her second date with Sergei Kadavicz, the gorgeous stranger she had only met the previous day. Sergei Kadavicz. He was a man like none she had ever met and he literally took her breath away. There had been nothing spectacular about their meeting. She’d run into him on her way out of a grocery store and he’d broken her fall. He’d helped her gather her groceries which had dropped on the side walk.

She had taken in his appearance at a glance. He was at least 6”4 or 6”5. Lean, yet muscular; long black hair and thick eyebrows over sexy eyelids. Long lashes over silver blue eyes and an aristocratic nose all conspiring to make him a natural heart breaker.

‘Thank you’ she’d told him.

And like the true gentleman that he was, he offered her a ride home, insisted on it. And she really did not want to protest. Not that she could have anyway judging from her immediate reaction to him. By the time he’d dropped her off, she’d agreed to have dinner with him that night. And after dinner, Marina was hooked. Never in her 24 years had she felt so in tune with a man as she did Sergei. They had so much in common. They both loved kids and like her, he was also an orphan. She had heard about falling in love at first time and until she met him, she had believed that it was something which only happened in romance novels and movies.

She loved the simple things about him. His faint foreign accent, the way he listened to her; the way his hand brushed hers unconsciously sending tiny shocks of electricity through her; the intensity of his gaze, the gentleness of his voice. And the kiss they had shared had been out of this world. So intense that she would have given herself to him without a thought. For the first time, Marina believed that there was such a thing as love at first. She’d dreamt of him the previous night and thought of him all day. She hungered for him; desired him; wanted to hear that dark, velvety, hypnotic voice which ran over her like warm milk. He oozed sex appeal and she wanted to see him again. She needed to see him again. She had to know if he was THE ONE.

‘Marina Cordoba Madeira, I believe you are in love’ she told herself.

He made her feel like Dr Stefan Răzvan Romanescu had never been able to make her feel. She had met the young doctor two months earlier. He was the easily the best looking man who had ever walked the face of the earth. He was the perfect Mr World material and could make a woman, no matter her age, swoon. Marina had actually swooned the first time she ran into him. He had the kind of looks no man had a right to have. He was tall, dark and gorgeous; mysterious; otherworldly.

For some reason, although he inspired a lot of trust in others, he frightened her. Perhaps it had to do with his unusual eyes. Silver - purple eyes. Sometimes the silver seemed more prominent and it was like looking into the eyes of a wolf. Or perhaps it had something to do with the possessive look he gave her. He looked at her like he owned her, like he wanted to possess her until there was nothing left of her. She had gone on a few dates with him and was yet to make a commitment.

She hadn’t believed him when he told her he was her true mate. Her destiny. Her beloved. Her true mate. He haunted her dreams; her thoughts. She could hear him speak even when he wasn’t in the room with her. It was as though he was hell bent on making her go crazy. He was kind, a good listener. But he had a very possessive streak. If she gave herself to him, she would lose her independence; her identity. He would swallow her whole. And that was unacceptable.

And then she had met Sergei.

Sergei was the first man she had let kiss her on the first date. She had let Stefan kiss her on the second date and although his kiss had left her gasping for breath, his kiss hadn’t affected her like Sergei’s had. Sergei’s kiss had curled her toes. His voice sent butterflies swimming in her stomach and heat running through her body. Sergei made her feel less threatened. Sergei was comfortable and she liked comfortable. Stefan was a no go area. He was dangerous and confused her. He frightened her.

Only last night Sergei had confessed that he had fallen in love with her, not that he expected her to feel the same so soon. He had wanted her to know how he felt and didn’t want her to feel pressured. And she believed him. He lacked Stefan’s forceful nature. He was so sweet. His gaze told her that his feelings were sincere. His lips made promises of happily ever afters. His touch made promises of pleasures to come. She had never felt like she had to take a date to the next level after a first date but she was seriously considering it with Sergei. And to think that they had only just met.

She doused a subtle dose of perfume and gazed at her reflection. She liked what she saw. A tall, slim woman with long black hair held up in French curls. Thin well curved eyebrows, dark lashes over dark eyes, small nose over full sensual lips in an oval shape face. She was dressed to kill in a white gown with a plunging neckline and fitted bodice. It had a thigh length slit exposing perfect thighs and legs. Her jewelleries weren’t flashy and went with her stiletto heeled sandals and tiny clutch bag. She was certain to get her date’s full attention if she didn’t already have it.

The door bell rang and her heart raced with anticipation. It had to be Sergei. She almost raced out of the room in order to let him in. without a thought as to her safety, she unlocked the door stopping short when she saw the gorgeous man in the black tuxedo.

‘You!’ She gasped.

That was her last thought before everything went black.