Page 27 of Taboo

Oh, the man didn’t like that, and Alek had to hide his smile.

“Why don’t you two take off? I’m not going out tonight.”

They both looked at Alek. “I would do whatever the lady wants.”

“He was an Army…what was it?” she asked, her gaze connecting with his. For a second, he couldn’t think straight. She did this to him, and it should scare him, but for some reason, it didn’t. The slightly heady feeling left him off balance and he kind of liked it.

Then he remembered she asked a question.

“Ranger.”

“See. He could probably kill both of you only using two fingers.”

“I would need at least three,” Alek said, smiling at her. He hadn’t taken his gaze off her. He couldn’t. She was still wearing the dress she had on earlier, but her hair was…well curlier. The humidity had really done a number on it and he liked it. A riot of curls dripped over her shoulders. Her feet were bare.

“See. I’m safe.”

They didn’t want to go, but Alek figured they’d been standing there for most of the day.

“How about you punch your number into my phone? I’ll text you if we leave the room.”

He took Alek’s phone after a silent communication with the other guard. Her reaction to the guides told him that the security had not been Jules’ idea. Soon, they were on their way and he was setting out dinners on the little table on the balcony.

She may not have one of the suites, but his grandfather made sure she had one of the ocean-facing rooms. It was that time during the day when the Hawaiian air was the sweetest and the setting sun left a golden glow to everything you could see. He’d been gone for most of the last decade and a half, only dropping by for a visit every now and then. He missed this, the look of Hawaii, the scents that you couldn’t experience anywhere else in the world.

He pulled out the food containers, happy that he picked the right thing for dinner. Most women of her financial stature would have probably turned up a nose at this dinner. But from the delighted look on her face, he had definitely gotten it right.

Once the food was set out and they had some water to drink, he waited for her to sit down before joining her.

“This smells glorious,” she said with a smile. She looked up from her food. His breath tangled in his throat. She was gorgeous, yes, but when she smiled, she literally stole his breath. It was insane to be this wrapped up in a woman he’d just met. From the moment they were brought back together, the need to be near her had been a test of his control.

“This is what all the locals call Shrimp Truck Shrimp.”

She dug into her food, moaning over the taste. The woman really had no idea what she was doing to him. His cock twitched every time she moaned over the food.

“That’s wonderful. I know that Nic loves this. Jensen is always taking her to a truck on Oahu.”

“Probably Giovanni’s.”

Her eyes widened. “Yes, that’s it. I know that Jensen makes sure she has at least one trip a week when they are on the island. Even before they were a thing.”

“So, they knew each other before?”

She nodded, taking a healthy sip of her water. “Yeah, she was his PA. Well, actually still is his PA.”

He settled back, enjoying this, this point of getting to know her. He knew so little outside of what she had told him. He tried his best to avoid any kind of information online. Her family made her a quasi-celebrity, but he wanted to know the real Jules, not the one she presented to the world. “That must be interesting. Is there any conflict of interest? I mean, for the people who work for your family?”

“Oh, you mean are they afraid of Jensen’s retaliation?” He nodded and she laughed. “I guess if you had met my sister-in-law, you wouldn’t ask that question. She’s the whole reason the Wulf family stays in line. She handles almost everything. I hope things don’t get out of whack when she has to take maternity leave.”

“What’s it like growing up famous?”

She made a face as she took another sip of water. “They ignored me for the most part. The press that is. My mother was very good at making sure the reporters left us alone at least until we were teens. Then it was hard to control us. And Jensen was his own worst enemy there.”

“And for you?”

She sighed and sat back in her chair. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you just how awful the press is to women, especially teenagers who aren’t particularly the petite English rose they like in the paps. It wasn’t fun at all.”

“I can imagine.”

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