Hate to Love You Strong Brothers #4)

by Ajme Williams

  I smiled, appreciating that he recognized my contribution to the company.

  "I'm sure it won't," Noah said, flashing me a grin.

  We were really going to do this. I had no idea what this was, but I was eager to start.

  "It is fortunate that I feel you boys are ready to tackle the responsibility of running this company," Margaret said. "The way you were all working together and were able to use your unique talents to not just save the company from a takeover, but to expand it into other areas around the world very much pleases me." She took a minute to inhale a breath and I realized that Margaret was feeling emotional.

  I reached into my bag and pulled out a tissue to hand to her. She nodded her thank you.

  "Nearly a year ago I brought you all in here and told you of my plans to retire and my hope that you would all live up to the expectations and the potential I know you all had. And you have which means that I can now retire and know that Strong Incorporated will be well taken care of."

  "What about Noah?" Hunter said.

  "Whether Noah decides to join you, or go on his own, I have no doubt that when you are in need, he will be here just as he was here when we needed him against Chen." Margaret said. She turned to Noah. "I promised that when you finished with this project that I wouldn't pester you about joining the company. I'm going to break that promise just this one time and ask you to reconsider coming on board to the company. But I will also ask that the rest of you give him space to work on the projects that he enjoys and that anything he creates, even if it's used here in the business, that he be allowed to license elsewhere."

  "It wouldn’t be very smart to let our competitors have access to technology that we use," Ryan said.

  "There's plenty of computers out there that run the same software from a single company, so I don't see how it would be such a big deal," Carter said, and I was glad that he was supporting Noah and his dream.

  "Have you even decided what it is you really want?" Hunter asked Noah.

  Noah smiled but it wasn't that smart ass one he normally gave his brothers. It was content. "Yes, I have." He looked over at Margaret. "But I will have to think about your proposal before I can make a decision."

  She nodded. "Well, that's more than you've given before."

  "You know, Noah, you were talking before about not feeling like you'd earned a spot here, and if I did anything to make you feel like you weren't valued, then I'm sorry for that," Ryan said. "You are the youngest and so of course you were coddled and razzed the most, but if that came off in your thinking that we didn't respect you, then that was wrong. We all agree that without you, we may have lost the company to Chen, and none of us would've been able to look in Gran in the eyes again if that happened."

  "I agree with all of that." Carter said.

  Ryan and Carter looked over at Hunter who frowned at them. "What? It was never a matter of whether or not Noah had the talent. It was whether or not Noah had the maturity." Hunter looked at Noah. “This is the first meeting you’ve been at where you haven't been kicked back in your chair with your boots on the table, smirking at all of us like we were a bunch of stiff idiots."

  Hunter wasn't wrong. Even so, Hunter wasn’t one to talk. "Says the guy who is running businesses outside this company and built a reputation on womanizing," I blurted out feeling like I needed to defend Noah, even though there'd been a time that I totally agreed with what Hunter had said.

  Hunter's eyes narrowed at me. "But I was always here and did my job."

  "You need to stop acting like children," Margaret said sternly. "Noah is a talented and a valuable part of the team, and it is true that his commitment to the company hasn't been what three of yours has been. And yes, he has given off the attitude of indifference. But it's also quite possible that his attitude was in part due to the fact that you all didn't give him the respect he deserved. Noah has certainly proven himself and he is sitting here as a member of the team showing respect to everyone here, so, surely you can do the same for him."

  "You and I are a lot alike," Hunter said to Noah. "I'm just trying to save you time and disappointment. It doesn't do you or us any good to be here if you don't want to be. I think you did a fucking awesome job in saving this company, but it breaks my heart every time I look over you and you're playing some sort of James Dean misunderstood bad boy. Find yourself Noah and do that."

  Noah nodded. "I will."

  "Well, with that, I'm heading back to my office. Noah, if you wouldn't mind stopping by to see me before you leave, I'd appreciate it," Margaret said.

  Margaret turned and started to the door, so I stood gathered my belongings and followed her out. She made her way to her office and I followed her there to wait until Noah arrived.

  She sat behind her desk scanning the office before looking up at me. "It's hard to believe. I started from my kitchen table and now look where we’re at."

  I smiled as I stood in front of her desk. "You're an amazing businesswoman, Margaret. I meant what I said about being honored to work for you."

  She sat back in her chair and cocked her head. "Have my grandsons offended you so much that you won’t possibly consider staying here and helping them out? I am convinced that you are an essential part of their success."

  Inside I was feeling grateful that she recognized my contribution to the success of the company. "I'm not sure what I could do. They all have their own assistants."

  Margaret shrugged. "There's nothing that says that I can't put you in on an even level with them. Some sort of chief executive supervisor."

  I laughed. "The only reason they ever listened to me is because of you. Without you they’re not going to listen to me."

  "I would." Noah sauntered in, and I tried not to blush as I watched him and all his swagger walk over to his grandmother and lean over to give her a kiss.

  "Why do I feel like you're taunting me, Noah?” Margaret asked him.

  "I would never taunt you Gran," he said sitting on the edge of her desk. "I've come to the point where I'm not completely ruling out the possibility of coming here, but my life is enough in flux that I don't want to make any decisions yet."

  Margaret looked from him to me and them back to him. "Does my assistant have anything to do with this?"

  My stomach clenched as I waited for what he would say. Would she be all right with me and Noah being together? Would he even admit to that?

  "Yes, she is." Noah turned and gave me a wink before returning his attention back to his grandmother. "Although I didn't know she'd been considering leaving the company."

  "Well, now that the both of you seem to be free of all your commitments, how do you plan on surviving?" Gran asked us.

  "Well, there's my trust," Noah said.

  I winced because I knew that wasn't the right answer. Yet when I saw his mischievous grin at Margaret, I knew he was just pulling her leg about being a slacker, rich kid.

  "Or we can live on the sizable earnings I’ll receive once you pay me for the security program I just installed in all Strong's computers."

  Margaret looked over at me. "You never struck me as a woman who would live off a man."

  "You would be right in that," I said. I looked at Noah, and those feelings of excitement fluttered in my belly as I wondered what the next step for us would be. "But I've learned so much from you Margaret that I know wherever I end up, I will find fulfilling work."

  She nodded. "I always thought the two of you would be good together."

  My jaw dropped and when I looked over at Noah's, his had too.

  "You did?" We both said at the same time.

  Margaret laughed. "I'm pretty sure it was obvious to everyone except you two that you should be together. Just remember that wherever you end up and whatever you do, there's always a place for you here at Strong, Incorporated, and of course with your family."

  Noah got up from the desk and he walked over standing next to me, sliding his hand in mine. I squeezed it tight feeling so happy. More happy than I'd e
ver remembered feeling.

  "I'm going to try one more time, Noah, to convince you to stay." Margaret looked at me. "Maybe you could show him the office that we'd set up for him."

  I nodded. "I can do that."

  "If I stay. It won't be because the office," he said.

  "Show him, anyway."

  I tugged on Noah's hand as we exited Margaret's office and I guided him down the hallway toward the office Margaret had me organize for him almost a year ago, but that he'd never used. There were times I tried to tell him about it or have him use it, but he always had insisted on using Margaret's.

  I opened the door and preceded him in. He stepped in and I shut the door behind him.

  "This is a nice office, but it's not the thing that's going to make me stay," he said to me

  I walked over to the desk and hopped up sitting on the edge. "What would make you stay?"

  "I'm still working on that."

  I ran my hand over the desk and then gave him a flirty look. "Did you say something about a fantasy on a desk here in the Strong office building?"

  His smile was wicked as he moved in a predatory manner toward me. “Tell me you locked that door.”

  “I locked that door.”

  “You’re fucking awesome.” He kissed me and his hands roamed over my body, waking every neuron in my body.

  He pushed my skirt up and yanked my panties down. “I had a hardon through that entire meeting once I saw you in your sexy fierce boss outfit.”

  “I almost didn’t wear panties,” I said, undoing his belt and pants.

  He groaned, gripping my hips as he stepped closer to me.

  “I thought your fantasy was from behind,” I said.

  “I’ve died, right. I’m in fucking heaven.” He kissed me. “Anyway I have you, is a fantasy.”

  I pushed him back and then jumped off the desk. I turned around, putting my hands on the surface top as I looked at him over my shoulder.

  “How’s this.”

  “I think I just came.” He grinned at me, kissing me as his hands settled on my hips again. He rubbed his dick through my pussy folds, making me moan. I hoped we were far enough down the hall and away from the other offices that no one would know what we were doing.

  “Don’t tease me, Noah,” I said in desperation to have him inside.

  “Never.” He pressed in, making me gasp as his size and length filled me. “Jesus, I wasted three years of this.”

  “You can make up for it now.” I rocked my hips, urging him to take me.

  He moved, in and out, in long, strong strokes. I emptied my head of everything but him. The feel of his thickness inside me, a part of me. The scent of him enveloping me. The sound of his body slapping against mine as he thrust in. He was right, this was heaven.

  “Baby, I’m gonna come…”

  “Yes,” I said, tilting my hips so he’d slide in deeper. When he did, he hit that one perfect spot inside me, and I was soaring in pleasure.

  “Fuck…yes baby…come on me…” He plunged in, ground his hips against me as his warmth filled my body. He did it again and again, until spent.

  He took a few deep breaths and then withdrew, grabbing a tissue from the box on the desk and handing it to me. “I made a mess.”

  I laughed. “So you did.”

  We cleaned up and then he pulled me to him. “Are you scared?”

  “That we don’t have jobs and don’t know what we’re doing?”

  He grinned. “Yes.”

  I looped my hands around his neck. “I should be. Normally I would be. But no. I’m excited, Noah. I'm ready to get on the back of your bike so see where you’ll take me.”

  His eyes studied me for a moment and I wondered what he saw or what he was looking for. “I wished I’d played things differently back then.”

  I shook my head. “You can’t think like that. We are here now, exactly where we want to be.”

  “You’re right. You’re so smart.”

  “Don’t you forget it.” And to make sure he didn’t, I kissed him, pouring everything I had into it.

  Epilogue: Andi

  Margaret gave two-weeks’ notice of her retirement so she could complete the final transfer of power to Ryan, Hunter, and Carter. She continued to hope that Noah would come on board, but he didn’t make any decisions about his future during that time.

  I worked those two weeks, helping Margaret clean up her office and make sure that her grandsons as well as her executives felt confident in running the business. When I wasn’t working, I was with Noah. We spent a lot of time on his motorcycle riding out anywhere and everywhere from the beach to the mountains.

  We still clashed every now and then, but now that we were open about our feelings, I didn’t feel the need to lash out or retreat from him. Usually, our bouts of bickering ended in sex, so all was good.

  This weekend was his nephew, Tanner's birthday. I’d often been invited to family gatherings, but this time would be the first I’d be attending as an item. The family knew about us, of course, but we hadn't yet been at a family event as a couple.

  On the back of Noah’s bike, with my arms wrapped around him as we wove through San Diego toward Carter's house, I felt like I was in paradise. Everything was perfect. And if I played my cards right, it would always be perfect.

  I pulled into Carter’s driveway and Noah helped me off the bike. He took my hand and we walked toward the front door.

  "Carter told me that Tanner wants to marry you when he grows up,” Noah said.

  I laughed. "If I was into being a cute cougar, I might wait until he grew up."

  Noah tugged at me, pulling me flush against him. "He’d have to get past me."

  I looped my arms around him. "You don't have anything to worry about."

  The interesting thing was, for so long as we were navigating our relationship, I did worry. We’d so often been at odds, I wondered if that would eventually get in the way. But now I realized that our strong heads were part of what drew us together. We liked that we challenged each other.

  He opened the door and led us into the house, through the back out to the pool. As we stepped out on the deck, I saw that everyone else was there. Carter was at the grill making burgers and hotdogs, while Hunter stood beside him as if he were supervising. The only problem was Hunter didn't know anything about grilling.

  Jess, Natalie and Kellie were sitting over the table under an umbrella chattering away. They seem to be oohing and ahhing over Kellie and Ryan's baby, as Jess rubbed her ever-expanding belly. Ryan was sitting in a chaise chair next to my father.

  "Uncle Noah and Auntie Andi, you came to my party," Tanner came running up to us.

  Noah bent down and scooped Tanner up into his arms, and I gasped a little bit as I had a vision of him being a father, and wanting to be the woman who helped him achieve that.

  "We wouldn't be anywhere else, buddy,” he said.

  "Will you come in the pool with me, Uncle Noah? No one wants to swim with me."

  "Not even your grandpa?"

  We looked over at Noah’s father, Alex, who loved the water.

  "Uncle Ryan is taking all his time,” Tanner said.

  Noah laughed. “Well, you and I are getting in the water and you’ll see grandpa will join us in no time. I think he's part fish."

  Tanner’s eyes rounded. "Really?"

  Noah nodded. "Look on his neck. See if you don't find any gills."

  I laughed.

  "You missed all the other little people who were here," Margaret said as she came up from behind us.

  "The little people?" Noah asked.

  "Tanner's little friends. Do you have an aversion to children?" Gran studied us and I got the distinct feeling she was wondering about whether or not Noah and I would ever have children. The answer, in my mind, was yes, but we hadn't gotten that far yet.

  "No aversion. I just had some things I do take care of earlier today," Noah said.

  He hadn’t told me what his plans were, even w
hen I went down on him that morning during breakfast.

  "Have you made a decision yet to work with your brothers?"

  "Now Margaret, you said you weren't going to bother him about that anymore." I reminded her.

  "When you get to be my age, oftentimes you do not have to abide by the rules even if the ones that you set yourself."

  Noah laughed. "I'll let you know, Gran."

  I was surprised he was thinking of taking her up on the offer after so long being averse to it. I also wasn’t sure what there was to consider. But I didn’t push him. I wanted him to do the thing that made him feel fulfilled.

  Since Margaret had paid me well, and was giving me a generous bonus when she left, I didn’t feel the need to begin my next job search yet. I could wait to see what Noah was thinking and then together we could make a plan about where we’d end up.

  During the course of the party, he and I ended up in different groups, with Noah spending time talking with his dad and brothers, while I hung out with the ladies. It was embarrassing when they asked about intimate details between me and Noah, and at the same time, it made me feel even more included.

  When the party broke up, Noah and I were back on the motorcycle but instead of taking me home or to his place, he drove Highway One along the beach. He pulled off the road into a secluded area that had a few scattered homes.

  “Where are we?” I asked when he parked the bike and helped me off.

  He took my hand and led me along a path next to a cute little bungalow to the beach. "I was trying for romantic."

  "So far so good," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. The moon was out lighting up the ocean as we walked along the shore.

  "I think I made a decision about what I'd like to do in the future,” he said.

  I don’t know why, but my gut clenched. I suppose I was worried that his plans might change things for us.

  "I want to start my own company. A tech security firm and Strong Incorporated would be my client. I'm thinking that I can negotiate office space in the building with them."

  "I think that's a great idea."

  "I figure it's the best of both worlds. I get what I want, the freedom to own my own business, but I'm still there providing them with what they need."