Alek looked over to see Sydney laughing up at something Maks was saying. There was a marked height difference between the two, as there always was when someone stood next to Maks, because he was something of a monster. They were standing close, both in their formal wear with Maks in a tux—as all the men were—and Sydney in a sequined emerald dress and heels. Her hand was on his waist, his huge mitt an inch from her ass. The protective stance was unmistakable. As was the stay-back vibe being thrown off.
Gabriel’s demeanor with his wife wasn’t much different. Eva, wearing classic black, was behind his right shoulder, head bent, dark hair hiding the fact that her cell was at her ear. She looked rather Goth-like, reminding Alek of Morticia Addams but without the hooded gaze searching for victims. Her Gomez had his big hand resting on the swell of her belly and, seriously, Gabriel’s expression couldn’t have been more unwelcoming. His eyes continuously scanned the crowd even though Jak was a few steps behind them. Quan was off to the right, looking debonair and serene as shit as he did the same. Alek could use some of that serenity right about now.
“Yours is over there,” Markus said casually.
Alek almost got whiplash looking to where Markus had motioned with an almost imperceptible tip of his chin. He cursed under his breath. She was going to kill him. She really was.
Sacha was standing next to Sheppard, wearing pale gold and looking as if she’d just descended from the heavens. There should be a sea of admirers groveling at her feet with Alek front and center. Her pedestal was polished and ready, and he wanted her back up there by night’s end. He was through waiting. She would hear him out, he would beg for forgiveness, and they would wake up tomorrow morning cursing the time they’d lost being apart for so long.
It was too bad that dress was going to end up in a ball in the corner of their room, he thought as he took in the way it paid homage to her frame, accenting her narrow rib cage and drawing the eye to hips a man couldn’t help but wish he was gripping as he drowned in her heat. Her wet, tight heat. Mmm.
She stepped forward to shake a steely-eyed woman’s hand and the hidden slit in the long skirt revealed her leg all the way up to her goddamn luscious inner thigh.
Great. Hello, hard-on. Goodbye, sanity.
“Alek?”
He blinked and looked to a smirking Markus. “Sorry. Go ahead.”
“I was just saying that Lucian is here. He was watching me shuffle things around and got that interested gleam in his eye. He’s probably grilling your team right now.”
Alek looked over to see Lucian Fane talking to Gabriel. The Romanian stood out. Not because he was the only man in attendance dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit rather than a tux, but because he wore an impervious air of power that clearly said he feared nothing. He was about Alek’s height, had hair blacker than night, and he’d just lifted an elegant brow at Vasily’s appearance. Appearing mildly annoyed, he looked at Dmitri, then to Maks and Sydney, and then cast his gaze around the room, pausing on Micha and Anton, who were lingering near the entrance, before circling around until he found Alek. With a light touch to Vasily’s arm and a nod to Gabriel, Lucian left them. The crowd parted for him, the men looking on with a mix of fear and respect, the women with appreciation.
“Truth be told,” Alek said to Markus, wondering at his brother’s behavior. “Hiding the fact that I’m chasing her isn’t a priority for me. Come on.” As Alek led him over to join the others, he mentioned one last thing he would need.
“No worries. I’m sure I’ll be able to find something.” Markus smiled a greeting at Eva and bent to kiss the back of her hand. “I’ve been hearing great things about this conference. Seems a few of the ladies from last year’s graduating class from Columbia impressed a lot of people.”
Eva beamed as Markus addressed Gabriel.
“I’ve also heard talk of poachers moving in. Word is, there are three companies looking to take your Executive Director out for an expensive lunch. They’re so impressed, they don’t even care that she’s expecting. Normally, that brings down the guillotine. Not in her case.”
“Really? Do you know who they are? Are they based in New York?” Eva asked excitedly.
“Not that it matters,” Gabriel added under his breath, earning himself a light slap on the hip from his wife whose eyes widened when Markus told her the names of three companies that impressed even Alek.
“Isn’t the last one under your brother’s umbrella?” he asked when the name rang a bell.
Markus grinned. “Yeah. I haven’t had a chance to ride him about it yet. He’ll have no idea one of his top brass is going after an unspeakable’s wife.” He chuckled, wholly entertained.