Page 18 of Taboo

“Oh?”

She vaguely remembered something about him, but he hadn’t been working with the family for long. Something about being in the military.

“Ah, here he is,” Robert said, his voice filled with pride. She turned and her brain started bleeding. Just melting into nothing.

Oh, no. For a second, the room shifted beneath her feet and her knees turned to jelly. It had to be an illusion.

“About time you got here,” Robert said embracing a younger man, one with short hair, the same dimples, and she knew just how he sounded when he groaned in pleasure.

“Julienne, meet Aleka, my grandson. Aleka this is?—”

His eyes widened, telling her he had no idea of the connection either. “Jules?”

Bugger me.

chapter seven

Alek staredat the woman he’d been fantasizing about since she’d slipped out of his room two days ago. He was trying to figure out what the hell she was doing standing in the conference room of his family’s hotel.

“No, Julienne,” his grandfather said looking between the two of them.

“What?” Alek said, trying his best to tear his gaze from the vision before him. She was dressed in a gold sleeveless blouse that brought out her green eyes. Her hair had been ruthlessly straightened and it shone under the fluorescent lights. His fingers twitched to take her by her silky mane and drag her closer for a kiss. Just how he had when she had her mouth on his cock.

Fuck.

“You said Jules. Her name is Julienne.”

He could tell that his grandfather wasn’t happy with him. Alek glanced at his grandfather, then back to Jules.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured as he held out his hand. “Alek Johnson.”

She hesitated as if afraid to touch him. He could understand why. The moment he had touched her when they were in San Francisco, they had both lost control. She slipped her soft hand into his and he felt it again, that electric charge of lust. Her eyes flared but she said nothing about it. Instead, she said, “Julienne Wulf. Do you prefer Alek or Aleka?”

Her husky voice slipped over him, and he could still remember the way it sounded in the dark as he was sliding deeper and deeper inside of her.

“Either. Nice to meet you.” He held her hand just a little longer than would be expected, then released it. “You’re here representing your family?”

She nodded. “Partly, but my main area of expertise is interior design.”

Before he could ask her—no, demand—what the hell was going on, his grandfather called the meeting to order. He introduced her to the family and the rest of the department heads. Alek expected animosity. They took pride in being a family business and they preferred to hire from the islands. They were big on promoting from within. Still, he saw a few smiles as Jules greeted each person. She mentioned the couple of people who apparently had been to her brother’s wedding a few months before.

His grandfather had them at one of the massive conference tables that had been around longer than Alek had been alive. Robert sat at the head and Alek expected Jules to slip into the chair on the opposite end. Instead, she took a middle seat, facing the ocean view. He ignored the implication that he should take that head seat opposite his grandfather. Instead, he sat in the chair next to hers. As they all settled in, a latecomer slipped into the room and took the seat behind Jules. He pulled out a tablet and took notes. He was tall, blond, and definitely ahaoleto the islands. His pale skin and tie were the first indication.

The meeting continued on and Julienne said very little. Alek’s entire body yearned to touch…to taste her again. God, what the fuck was going on with him, and why this woman? She wasn’t the usual type of woman he went for. The curves…that he liked, and he’d had his fair share of shapely women. But she was skittish…no that’s not the word. She seemed unsure of herself. And the truth was, he liked a confident woman.

He pressed his leg against hers and she stilled. Her breathing hitched but she didn’t look at him. He had the same reaction, along with his cock twitching, the needy bastard. And he should stop. It was stupid to even sit next to her at the table, let alone touch her. But he couldn’t seem to keep himself from doing so. If she was in the vicinity, he would want to touch her. He certainly didn’t understand it. He hadn’t acted like this in over a decade, but she was just…he hadn’t had enough of her. That had to be it.

“Don’t you agree, Aleka?” his grandfather said.

Alek felt his face heat. He was blushing. A former Army Ranger and all-around bastard was blushing at getting caught. He cleared his throat and nodded, not willing to speak. He was afraid he would go all Peter Brady and have his voice crack.

“Good. Well, I think that was a good Monday morning meeting. Julienne, I take it the rooms I gave you and your assistant work well?”

His gaze swung to Jules, who was also blushing. She smiled at his grandfather and he had to fight back a growl. Because she smiled at another man. Albeit, it was his grandfather and there was nothing sexual in it, but for the first time in Alek’s life, he felt the need to possess a woman.

“They are wonderful,” she said.

“They aren’t suites.”

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