Julian (Members From Money Book 31)

by Katie Dowe

  He shook his head and moved back from the window. Maybe he would decide when he got back.

  *****

  “He's down for the night,” Julian said as he climbed into the bed next to her. “How are you?”

  “Tired but really happy,” she murmured as she curled into his arms. She'd insisted on feeding her son and getting him ready for bed but he'd woken up two hours later and Julian had volunteered to go and put him back to bed.

  “I cannot believe that I'm a mother,” she whispered

  “Why not?” he asked her mildly as he curled one hand around her waist and held her to him.

  She shrugged. “A baby was the last thing I was thinking about. I was determined to be the best banker there ever was.”

  “And now?” he asked her with a tinge of amusement.

  “Now I'm determined to be the best banker and the best mother around.”

  “I'm sure you can do both,” he told her seriously.

  “Thank you sir,” she eased up and looked down at him. He'd showered and was just wearing a pair of shorts and nothing else. She spread her hands over his muscled chest and felt him tense.

  “You should get some sleep,” he murmured as he started to ease away from her.

  “I'm not sleepy.”

  “Then I should get some sleep.” She was too near to him and he was starting to feel desire curling into the pit of his stomach.

  “Dom never got all the milk from me so now I'm feeling pain again,” she whispered.

  “I can’t,” he told her raggedly.

  “I already expressed some but they're still heavy and so sensitive,” she whispered.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Trying to ease some of our discomforts.” She eased away and dropped back onto her pillow. His eyes flared as she unbuttoned the small pearl buttons of her nightgown and unhooked her bra, causing her breasts to spring free. His greedy gaze moved over them and the puckered nipples. He lifted a hand and cupped the one nearest to him, feeling its weight before bending and taking the nipple between his teeth, using his tongue to swirl against the tight bud. Sydney jerked and cried out sharply. Julian suckled in wonder, the milk tasting funny to him but sliding down his throat easily. She clasped his hair, digging into his scalp with her nails as he continued to gorge. He moved to the next one and Sydney felt the heaviness in her lower stomach. He lifted his head suddenly and before she realized what he was doing he climbed off the bed and walked out of the room into the bathroom. Sydney waited a few seconds and then followed him.

  “Go to bed Sydney,” he said tightly.

  She glanced down at his erection poking through the shorts he was wearing and knew he was the one in pain now.

  “Why?”

  “Please, just go to bed.”

  She clasped him around the waist and dipped her fingers into his shorts, feeling the warmth of his penis against her fingers.

  “What are you doing?” he hissed.

  “Making things right,” her fingers were busy pulling the foreskin back slowly at first and then increasing the pace. He tensed and his hands curled into fists on the beautiful marble counter. His eyes met hers in the mirror and held. She used her fingernail to force its way into the slit there and his groan echoed around the room. Sydney smiled at the squirt of liquid that came out and she used it to rub over the tip. She let him go suddenly and he turned to face her, his eyes narrowing as she got on her knees before him.

  “No,” he said hoarsely.

  She ignored him and taking him into her mouth she gave him the satisfaction and release he'd been craving.

  *****

  “Lina, this is my mother Elena Gessner,” Julian stepped aside so that his mother could see the shy blonde hiding behind him. He'd arrived late last night and had gone straight to the apartment he kept when he was in town. He'd then gone over to get Lina and assured her that it would work out.

  Elena stared up at the petite girl who had her husband’s eyes and his blonde hair. “You came to see me one time,” she said with a frown.

  “I'm so sorry,” Lina’s eyes darted to Julian for a moment before settling back on the beautifully elegant woman. “Julian had told me that I shouldn't come but I just wanted to see if you were okay.”

  Elena watched as the girl looked at her son and realized that they had a bond. With a determined smile she got to her feet and stretched out a hand. “Nice to officially meet you.”

  “Thank you,” the girl shook her hand enthusiastically.

  “I've asked Mia to prepare refreshments for us,” her eyes slid to her son’s. “You have time to stay and eat darling?”

  “Yes Mother, of course.” He guided her to the small table in the living room and pulled the chair out for her and then did the same for Lina before taking a seat.

  “When are we going to see that delightful child?” his mother asked as Mia hurried away to get the meal.

  “I wanted to sort out—” he gestured as he looked at them both.

  “We're fine darling,” Elena’s eyes went to Lina’s and admired the girl’s fresh beauty.

  “Yes we are Julian,” her eyes went to him and Elena watched as she touched his arm briefly. If she didn't know that they were siblings she would have sworn that Lina was in love with him.

  As if she knew what Elena as thinking she looked at the woman and spoke. “When Mama died I thought I had no one and then Julian came along and I realized that I had the most handsome brother in the world. I was no longer by myself.”

  “You never knew that Erik was your father?”

  Lina shook her head hastily. “Mama told me that my dad died a long time ago.”

  “It must have been a wonderful surprise to find out that Erik Gessner was your dad,” Elena’s soft cultured voice was tinged with bitterness.

  “Mother—”

  “It’s okay Julian. I know it can't be easy for you to know that the man you loved for so long and was faithful to was actually unfaithful to you. But if it's any consolation he never came around when I was growing up.”

  “Actually it’s not, but that's my cross to bear.” She smiled suddenly. “I'm sorry my dear to be taking it out on you. You and I are both victims here. Your mother must have been a lovely woman.”

  “Nothing compared to you. That’s why I wonder—” she broke off abruptly and reached for her glass of wine.

  “You wonder why he cheated on me,” Elena supplied, feeling surprisingly pleased at the compliment. “Men have a way of thinking that they can have their cake and eat it too.” My husband was quite charming and irresistible, quite like Julian here, and considered himself quite a ladies’ man.”

  “I'm sorry,” Lina murmured.

  “Don’t be my dear. I'll get past this and even something as shocking as this would never stop me from loving him. I think he knew that too.”

  *****

  “Darling, you came back!” Elena said in surprised delight as her son came into her bedroom.

  “I dropped Lina off and came back to make sure you were okay.” He sat on the edge of the bed and peered at her. “Are you?”

  “I am actually.” She had a bunch of letters in her hands and it was obvious she'd been reading them. “She is quite a charming young lady.”

  “She thinks that you are the most beautiful lady she's ever met,” he told her gently.

  “How sweet.” She glanced at the letters in her hands. “Your father used to write the most romantic letters and I saved every one of them,” she smiled whimsically. “Listen to this one: “My darling Lena, you are the star that lights up my sky and the sun that brightens my day. When I think of you I get all soft and fluttery inside. I love you darling with every part of me and no matter what happens between us I will always love you. Nothing will ever change what is between us and I want you to know that.” She blinked and folded the paper. “He was such a romantic.”

  “You still love him after what he did?” Julian asked her with a frown on his brow.

 
; His mother looked at him in surprise. “Of course darling. Love is not something that you turn off at the drop of a hat. If he was still alive I would scream at him and try hitting him over the head with a skillet, but I would still love him and eventually I would take him back into my bed.”

  Julian stared at her for a moment and looked away. “He didn't deserve a love like that.”

  “What do we really deserve?” she mused. “He took care of me, never make me lack for anything. He came home to me every single night and never held himself away from me.”

  “You would have forgiven him,” Julian mused.

  “In a heartbeat.” She put away the letters and reached for his hands. “Go home to your lady and that adorable child of yours darling and make a family.”

  “I'm not ready,” he said, shifting a little.

  “What are you waiting for?”

  “I have to be sure.”

  “You are sure,” his mother told him firmly, squeezing his hands. “Don’t allow what your father did to spoil things for you.”

  He lifted her small hands to his lips and kissed them softly. “Are you sure you're okay?”

  “I am,” she told him firmly. “I'm just fine darling. I suspect I'll be seeing a lot more of Lina now?”

  “Do you want to see her?”

  “Of course darling! She's your father’s daughter and a part of both him and you. I want to get to know her.”

  “You are a remarkable woman,” he told her softly.

  “Just a woman who loved a man very much and a very grateful mother.”

  “Thank you.”

  *****

  “I saw her downtown with her baby,” Brian said moodily as he held his nephew gently in his arms. He'd called her and had come over to pay her a visit. Dominick was two weeks old and this was his first time visiting. “I wanted to just walk past her but something made me stop. She's married to the guy now and wearing his ring. The kid is almost two months old. A son!" he looked down at Dom moodily and she could see the agony on his face. Brian had been doing better over the months but there was still an air of defeat around him that seemed to be stamped on him forever. “It brought back so many old wounds that I almost disgraced myself and started crying. She asked me how I was doing and I wanted to shout at her and ask how did she think I was doing?” He rocked Dominick in his arms and his expression softened. “When is that man of yours going to make an honest woman out of you?” he asked, switching the topic.

  “We're not ready for that yet,” she told him lightly.

  “We or just him?” he asked her intuitively.

  “Drop it Brian,” she told him.

  “He's a fool,” he muttered darkly as he turned his attention to his nephew.

  *****

  “We were just talking about you, Gessner. When are we going to see that son of yours and your lady?” Walter looked up as Julian came into the sauna with a towel wrapped around his waist.

  “We're beginning to think that you're ashamed of them,” Steven said with a grin as he leaned back against the hot tiles.

  “My son happens to be the most adorable kid there is,” Julian told them loftily as he sat across from the men.

  “Is that why we haven't seen him in person?” Ryan asked as he sauntered into the room.

  “Give me a break. He just turned two months.”

  “The wives are clamoring to meet him, and of course Sydney. Speaking of which, when are you going to make an honest woman out of her?” Walter asked him.

  “You sound just like my mother,” Julian muttered. “There are complications.”

  “When aren't there?” Ryan asked him. “We all had our issues man, but somehow we worked it out. Are you in love with her?”

  He frowned at that. “I'm still trying to figure that out.”

  “Figure it out before baby number two comes along,” Steven said with a grin.

  “What?” Julian looked at him startled.

  “In my estimation whenever a first baby comes along, our women are never satisfied until the second one is on its way.”

  “We're not ready for that, if ever.”

  “If you say so,” Steven said with a smirk.

  *****

  “Brian is in a funk again,” she told him softly as he came into the room. They'd both been inside the nursery watching their son sleep and she'd left him to come into the bedroom.

  He didn't respond and she watched as he took off his watch and sat on the sofa to take off his shoes. She expected him to wear one of his expensive brands but she realized that he wasn't much into fancy jewelry. He wore the simplest of their designs, a sleek silver band with big roman numerals. He also owned another one that monitored his steps. She'd stared exercising in the very modern gym he had across the hall and was determined to get her figure back.

  “Julian?”

  He looked up at her and focused. “Yes?”

  “Is everything okay?”

  He got to his feet and took off his shirt. “Do you want another child?” he asked her abruptly.

  She looked at him, startled. “I wasn't thinking about that but I suppose so. Eventually.”

  “We never discussed that.”

  “We never discuss anything. What’s gotten into you?”

  “I'm not sure I want to get married.”

  Sydney felt her heart plummet inside her breast and the feeling of hopelessness invaded her. “So you keep saying.” She turned towards to the vanity stool to brush and braid her hair for the night, determined not to cry in front of him. She'd been hoping that after the baby he would realize that they belonged together.

  He came up behind her. “I'm just making myself clear.”

  “I think you've done that several times,” she told him wearily. “I'm not in the mood for this discussion, Julian.”

  “I know you said you're in love with me, and I also know that you want marriage—”

  She spun around to face him. “Yes, Julian! I want marriage. I want to be your wife and have you as my husband. I want to have the same name as you and our son but most of all I want you to love me. I want you to realize that you feel something more than just sexual desire for me.” She got to her feet and made to move away from him but he caught her by the arm.

  “I will not be forced into marrying you Sydney,” he told her harshly.

  She stared up at him in shock. “Forced? You think I would force you into marrying me? This is the twenty-first century Julian, and this happens to be a free country. I've been shacking up with you and until my stomach cannot take anymore I will continue to do so.” Her eyes were bright with unshed tears and she wanted to leave before she disgraced herself further. She wrenched herself away from him and marched over to the bed. He stood there as if deciding whether to follow her. Sydney turned her back to him and heard his quiet footfalls as he walked out of the room. The tears leaked from beneath her closed lids and her hands clenched into fists as the sobs racked her body.

  *****

  Julian stood there, moodily looking at his son. He was lying on his back with his fists clenched at the sides of his head. His lashes made shadows on his soft cheeks and his chubby legs were slightly raised. He had a head of curly dark brown hair and when his eyes were open it was like they were staring right through you. He was such a beautiful baby, a combination of both him and Sydney. He pulled up a chair and sat there, watching him breathe. He'd hurt her but he couldn't seem to help himself. Both Walter and Steven's remarks had had him spinning in circles and he'd come home with that in mind. What the hell was wrong with him, he thought in irritation. Why couldn’t he look past what his father had done and accept the love of this wonderful woman who was lying in his bed? His mother had forgiven his father for his infidelity so what was wrong with him? He pulled the sheets over his son and hesitating at door of the bedroom he turned and went into his study instead.

  Chapter 11

  “Our son is only two months old,” Julian said tightly. “You promised to wait until he
was at least three months.”

  Things had gotten so tense between them that they no longer shared a bedroom. He was out most of the time, sharing his time between Costa Land, where the bank was being constructed, and Switzerland, where he'd taken his son with him to meet both his mother and sister. He hadn't offered to take her and she'd felt the hurt and pain of that cutting through her but had resolved not to let it bother her too much. She'd spent the nights missing him and wanting him in their bed but he stayed away.

  “It’s something that I have to deal with myself and I'm going in,” she told him firmly as she made sure the dress she had on was suitable for the office. It was going to be her first day back at work and she wanted to look good. It rubbed her nerves raw to think that people would be talking about the fact that she was living with him and he hadn't proposed marriage to her.

  “It can't be dealt with from here?” He stared at her reflection in the mirror and felt the familiar ache. He had not made love to her in weeks and he was feeling the punch of unfulfilled desire riding him.

  “No,” she told him coolly. “Our son will be fine Julian. I know I'm nothing but your son’s mother and that’s fine by me. I really need to get my life back on track.” She made to move past him and he grabbed her arm.

  “You're more than my son’s mother,” he said softly, his grey-green eyes glittering.

  She pulled away from him. “You could have fooled me.” She looked for a suitable pair of shoes and picked out a brown leather one. He'd put money into her account and she hadn't touched it, but Brian had called and asked her for a loan to expand his lawn mowing business and she'd given him some money. He provided for them so she had no need to spend her own money, but she wanted more.