Chapter 149 Sydney's eyes flicked guiltily to the jacket in Julian's hand. "Alright." Since they'd all been drinking, Marcus had taken a cab, while Sydney arranged for a driver to drive them back. Her afternoon nap had left her wide awake, but Julian-after a few extra glasses with Alan-leaned back and closed his eyes. Liquor and sandalwood clung faintly to him. Sydney usually hated the smell of alcohol on people, yet somehow it wasn't unpleasant on Julian. The car fell into silence.
Sydney turned to the window and watched the city lights flicker past, trying to remember the last time she and Julian had sat together without fighting. Years, at least-so long she couldn't recall. She still carried the weight of that unanswered question: why had he dropped her so easily? 'He... is probably still angry. Angry that I defied him three years ago, marrying Caleb and humiliating him in public. That's why every meeting since our reunion in Storia has been laced with tension,' she thought. "That root was always meant for Mr. Conton." Julian's voice cut into the quiet.
It was hoarse from the drinks, and it lacked its usual edge. Sydney froze, startled he would even bother to explain. She turned to him. "Wasn't it for Ms. Lindstrom's father...? At the auction, he had said someone wanted it badly, and that he'd be in trouble if he didn't win. Could that someone have been Alan all along? Julian didn't open his eyes. Half-lidded in the passing streetlights, he murmured, "What does her father have to do with me?" That settled it. Charlotte wasn't the woman in his heart. If she were, he would have cared about her family too. 'So then...
who is it?' The thought startled Sydney. 'Whoever it is, it isn't my business.' "Alright," she said lightly. "I didn't realize you knew Alan's tastes so well." For someone so cold, it surprised her that Julian would know what Alan liked. Julian, even slouched, still sat taller than her. He looked down for a long moment before his brow furrowed. "Who told you I was thinking about his tastes?" Maybe because they were rarely this civil, Sydney's guard slipped. Without thinking, she blurted, "Then whose tastes? Don't tell me it's mine?" After all, she had wanted that root badly.
Julian's gaze locked onto hers, sliding down to her lips. His eyes churned with something unspoken. "That's exactly whose." Sydney's breath caught. Her lips parted in shock, but before she could speak, the car jerked into a sharp turn and braked hard at the curb. The sudden stop threw her forward, tumbling into Julian's lap. His hand clamped around her waist instantly, and he held her tightly. Her skirt slipped, baring a strip of skin beneath his palm, hot and unyielding against her.
1/2 GIRIDEST BU Heat shot through her chest, searing her veins, "Sorry, someone ran a red light," the driver said quickly. The words snapped Sydney back. Flustered, she scrambled upright, but in the struggle brushed against something beneath the fabric that burned hotter than his hand. Julian's breath came rough. His grip tightened. In one swift motion, he pulled her fully onto his lap. His mouth dipped to her ear, and he whispered, "Move again, and I'll show you what a taboo relationship feels like." 2/2