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Chapter Five
Julius
They walked quickly downthe hallway. Julius felt like he was barely staying calm, even though it was over.
“She dismissed the case,” Hudson said, trying to reason with his mate. “And she heard the case in record time, too.” Their long legs strode over the granite.
“They still wasted my entire afternoon,” Julius said. “I could be doing something important right now, but instead, I’m listening to two assholes claim, in front of a judge, that I’m a pervert.”
Julius wanted to grab one of the marble busts that dotted the hall at intervals, lift it, and smash up, but he kept himself — and his bear — in check.
Don’t prove to them that you’re an animal, he thought.
“Wait!” came a voice from behind them, its sweet sound echoing from the walls.
Julius and Hudson both stopped mid-stride like they’d hit a wall, and they turned in unison.
There she was, rushing down the hallway, walking as fast as she could manage in heels and a skirt.
Deep inside, Julius felt his bear roar, and he grit his teeth, forcing himself to adjust his suit coat and stand, calmly, in the hall. He didn’t have to look to understand that Hudson was having the exact same struggle.
If Julius had thought that Quinn looked mouthwatering on the day she’d been protesting him, he thought she looked stunning now. The skirt hugged her cushioned hips, perfectly accentuating her curves and her smaller waist. She’d tucked a white button-down shirt into it, and as she walked just a little too fast, he could see the buttons around her generous bust start to strain the tiniest bit.
Ripping one of those buttons off would be the easiest thing in the world, he thought, struggling to control himself. I could do it with my teeth, and then watch it bounce off the wall as I buried my face in her—
Next to him, Hudson emitted a low, quiet growl, barely audible even to Julius standing right next to him.
“Hey,” said Quinn, catching up to them. Her face was a faint pink and she sounded just a tiny bit out of breath, her chest rising and falling quickly.
Her face, look at her face, Julius thought.
He raised both eyebrows, trying to act every inch the cool, calm, collected lawyer.
“Yes?” he asked, forcing himself to sound as chilly as possible.
Next to him, Hudson clasped his hands in front of himself, subconsciously assuming the bodyguard pose.
“I, um, well...” she said, her voice trailing off slightly, her eyes flicking from Julius to Hudson and back.
Then, she seemed to collect herself. She stood up straight and looked Julius in the eye.
“I just wanted to apologize for my parents,” she said. There was the faintest tremor to her voice, and from the way she held her hands together, Julius could tell that he and his mate made her nervous. “I’m really sorry for the things they said back there, and I’m sorry that they sued you at all, and I wish they hadn’t dragged me into it.”
Julius nodded.
“Thank you,” rumbled Hudson.
“My wrist is fine,” she went on, the words tumbling out of her now. “I don’t know why they won’t just leave you alone, I thought you were going to be animals or something, but actually seem okay and I don’t know what everyone’s problem is.”
“Some people can’t abide what they don’t understand,” Julius said. He was still doing his best to stay calm on the outside, but inside, he trembled with lust for this girl — her perfect, curvy body, her verve at defying her parents, her bravery at talking to the two of them at all.
Hell, he could tell that she was still shaking slightly.
She’s probably been raised to think we eat babies or something, Julius thought. She’s brave as hell to talk to us.
“Thanks, Miss Taylor,” he said.
He held out his hand for her to shake it, and for a moment, she eyed it nervously, as though it might be some kind of trap.
