Page 75 of Taboo

“My mobile was already blowing up by the time I got up this morning.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “I was also being a coward.”

“I will not allow you to say that.”

She snorted and opened her eyes. “I was. Part of it was that once my phone number leaked, it was insane. The amount of calls overwhelmed me. Not to mention the things they said.”

“What?’

“I won’t repeat them, ever.” Mainly because she didn’t want him to get too upset. “I could have called you though from the landline, or something. But I was afraid.”

“Of what?”

“I…I was worried you would hate me and while I would have understood it, I didn’t want to face it.”

“Never,” he said cupping her face, and brushing his mouth against hers. The familiar heat he always beckoned hit her with a blast, her entire body lighting up. She forced herself to pull back. “We can’t do anything right now. Jakob is probably listening at the door.”

“Oh, I know he is. So, we’re going to make out a little bit until we can celebrate tonight.”

He took her mouth again, as she slipped her hands up over his shoulders and behind his neck. This man, as corny as it was, he completed her. She felt whole when she was in his arms and she never wanted to change. Alek gave her a sexy smile, then went to lock the door to the office. Then he started back toward her. After picking her up, he sat down on the sofa and settled her on his lap.

“So, show me how sorry you are that you didn’t call me,” he said with a smile.

“Anything for you, love.”

His eyes darkened. “I like that.”

“What?”

“When you call melove.”

Her heart sighed as joy sparkled through her soul.

“I will do it all the time, love.”

There was banging on the door, and she rolled her eyes. Alek just smiled.

“You two better not be doing what I think you’re doing in there,” Jakob shouted.

She was smiling when she lowered her head to kiss Alek. Even with the mess of her life right now, Julienne knew having the right man beside her made all the difference in the world. And Alek was definitely that man. With him by her side, she would be able to be the woman she had always wanted to be.

epilogue

Alek lookedover the crowd gathered behind their house in Maui and smiled at his bride. Jules stood in a gaggle of women, some of them his family and hers, along with a few people from the Rough ’n Ready family. She glowed with happiness. The dress she wore was simple, a beautiful ivory sundress that reached her ankles. Blue flowers decorated the soft fabric. And she was barefoot. Of course, he was too.

When her brother Jensen had walked her down the aisle today, across a carpet of pink flowers, Alek realized he was the luckiest bastard in the world.

“That dopey smile is kind of embarrassing,” Jensen said, slapping him on the back. He was holding his son Justin, who had slept through a huge part of the ceremony. The youngest Wulf blinked his eyes open and stared at Alek, then a cute little smile curved his lips. He had been a big baby, over eight pounds. Nic had blamed Jensen for that.

Alek held out his hands and the baby moved closer. Jensen gave him up.

“Good lord, I think he’s gained ten pounds in the last two days,” Jensen said with a laugh, shaking out his arm. Justin settled against Alek’s chest. “You’re a natural.”

“Kind of hard in my family. Lots of little ones.” Plus, one more on the way soon. Not that he and Jules were telling anyone just yet. She was only two months along, and they had already been planning their wedding when she found out, so they thought they would wait to tell people. It was their little secret and he liked that idea.

“I hear that Shelley Lancaster pleaded out.”

He nodded. Things with Shelley had gone from bad to worse. She continued to break their ban on her at the resort until she got so wasted one night, she keyed a bunch of cars. None of them had been his though, but one of them turned out to be a rather nasty Instagram influencer who—after seeing the footage—insisted that Shelley be arrested.

“Oh, and you’ll be happy to know that Gregor is going to avoid trial too.”

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