Page 45 of Taboo

She thought back to their conversations and realized he hadn’t. She had assumed.

“No.”

“Then why do you think it can’t work out?’

“He lives here. I live in England.”

“Love has a way of working those things out.”

Julienne rolled her eyes. “I am not in love. And I’m not ready to put it all out there again.”

“Why not?”

It took a moment or two to gain the courage to ask the question that had been haunting her for several days. “What if I do and it falls apart again?”

“Scared?”

“Terrified.”

Nic nodded. “Good. I got the feeling that you thought Gregor was safe.”

“Safe?”

“Yeah. He was comfortable—which is why you were bored—and you never had to worry about any bumps in the road. But you’re a Wulf and you get bored easily. You need fire in your relationship, and Gregor didn’t give you that. I have a feeling Alek would.”

“I…” she couldn’t say the words, but Nic had never taken it easy on any of them.

“You’re frightened.”

She closed her eyes in embarrassment and nodded.

“Good.” Julienne opened her eyes and waited for Nic to continue. “If it’s kind of scary, then it means he might just be worth it. Life is too short to do the easy thing all the time. Look at your brother. He’s a pain in my ass most of the time, and I love him for it.”

Julienne smiled. “And we are all thankful for that.”

Nic’s blue eyes softened. “Just think about it okay?”

“All right, if it gets you to shut up.”

“Oh, now you’re going to be mean to me? I could make you talk to Jensen again.”

“Was he just calling to bother me?”

Her expression softened even more. “He was checking up on you. I think he’s worried about you.”

Julienne frowned. “Why? It’s not like he checks on me when I’m in England.”

It was hard to even have to worry about that. With work keeping them both in each other’s pockets, they tended to see each other several times a week and usually talked daily.

“He hasn’t seen you in two weeks.”

“And? You two usually run all over the world.”

They had up until Nic’s pregnancy. “Yes, but you’re normally here and with your family and friends. Having you out and about makes him nervous.”

She snorted. “Friends. You mean the ones who abandoned me when Gregor lied about me?”

“Well, at least close to the family. You’ve always lived in London and any vacations have been short. I also think it has something to do with becoming a father.”

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