Page 66 of Hate On

And as Roman listened, equal amounts of trepidation and excitement filled him.

Rising, he grabbed his trousers from where he’d flung them on the floor and pulled them up over naked hips.

“We could do it,” he said quietly, the intensity he felt vibrating in his voice.

“We could,” Julianna agreed. “I’ve been thinking about it. A lot. We could definitely do it. You and I have the experience—hell, Moira’s no slouch when it comes to sales and marketing. It won’t be easy if just the three of us make a go at it, but I’ve never backed down from a challenge.”

“You bite challenges in the throat,” Roman said, smiling a little.

She preened. Shifting around in the bed, she sat up with her back to the padded headboard and met his eyes. “If that’s what we end up doing, then I’m fine with that. But…I think we should reach out to our families. Offer them a choice.”

“My father won’t go for it, Jules,” he said, shaking his head. “You don’t understand the hatred and resentment he has for you and your family. He won’t eventalkabout it, but it goes deep.”

He turned away.

At Julianna’s soft voice, he looked back.

“I know why he hates my family. Although, really, it has more to do with my father than anything else.”

She blew out a soft breath and said, “I talked with my mother. She told me, Roman. She told me everything.” Then Julianna toldhim.

“They were friends—goodfriends,” she started out. “My dad and your dad were tight. The rivalry between the companies was a friendly one and always had been. Up until they met my mom, and both of them wanted her. But she loved my dad.”

She continued to talk until finally, there was nothing left to say.

Ending with a shrug, she said, “It sounds like your father never got over it.”

“I’d say.” Roman, feeling somewhat stunned, stood staring outside. Hands in his pockets, he closed his eyes and tried to process everything he’d just been told.

It made sense.

It madetoomuch sense.

Shit, what would Mom think about…

The thought ended abruptly as Roman realized his mother might already know.

He thought back over his parents’ relationship and the stilted, almost formal way they treated each other. It was more like a business arrangement than a marriage.

And it would be, especially for Dad, Roman realized. His father, infamous for his grudges, had never been one who knew how to let things go. Was he still holding a torch for Julianna’s mother?

That left Roman’s mother in second place.

And his mother would have known it, too.

“This makes so much sense,” he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Turning, he faced Julianna. “Your mother told you this,” he said softly.

She inclined her head. “Yes.” Under his gaze, she shifted around on the bed, reaching up to touch the locket around her neck. “Mom saw the locket. It happened at lunch today and she acted…weird. I couldn’t figure out what the deal was until Moira pointed out that I was wearing a piece with the signature MontroseMon it for all the world to see…and my mother.” She rolled her eyes and managed a smile. “Mom knows about us. And she’s okay with it.”

Roman nodded. He didn’t question why her mother would be okay with it and his father wasn’t. His father, ever the competitive bastard, would look at it as having lost—again. He’d lost the woman he wanted and now he’d view this as losing control of his son. Any sort of loss wasn’t acceptable to Michael Montrose.

“What do you think about the proposal?” Julianna asked.

“I think we should do it,” he said quietly, still thinking about his father. Slowly, he met her eyes. “My father won’t go for it though. The hate in him, it runs too deep.”

“We’ll give them a choice. Either it’s all of us or it’s you and me and Moira.”