I didn’t know if that was sad or impressive.
“You think I care what he thinks of my ass?” she asked calmly. “This ass has made me the richest woman in the world. I’ve busted this ass for everything that I have. He can admire it all he wants.”
I grinned, surprised she would take something like this so well.
“He says he won’t work with me unless you apologize.”
The laugh that escaped my throat actually hurt my ears. “Baby, you know that’s not going to happen.”
“Yes…I know.”
“You don’t need him. You can figure this out on your own. I have some contacts, so I can make it happen too.”
“Fine. But you could not make enemies with people too.”
“He made enemies with me.” I stepped out from under the water to get closer to her. She was naked and beautiful, and I felt my cock slowly twitch to life even though I’d just had her. “If you think I’m gonna hear someone talk about my wife like that and just look the other way…then you’re going to be disappointed.”
“I’m not your wife, Diesel.”
“I’ve committed to you for the rest of my life—same fucking difference. If I ever hear anyone slight you in any way, you bet that peach of an ass they’re gonna get what’s coming to them. If I want to make lifelong enemies with someone, that’s my choice. There’s no better way to spend my time. Now you need to tell him that if he wants the best business partner in the world, he can fucking apologize to me.”
Chapter Two
Autumn
Lance Palmberg and I sat together at a table in the bar of the hotel. The festivities for the day had died down, and now everyone was enjoying their evening. People tended to network after the conference ended, and when I ran into Lance, we decided to get a drink. He’d stopped by my office a few times in an attempt to recruit me to work for his company. It was a lot smaller than mine, but at the same time, it was a chief competitor.
“So now you are partners with Tatum Titan.” He shook his head and didn’t touch his beer. The bubbles continued to rise to the surface, and the foam remained on top. “Pretty incredible accomplishment. How did that happen?”
“She offered to buy me out. I said no.”
“And then asked to partner with you?” he asked in surprise.
“No. I asked her. I told her I wouldn’t sell for any price.”
“Wow,” he said with a chuckle. “She obviously thinks your company is the real deal.”
I spent all of my time in the lab, constantly reworking numbers and improving projects as I worked on them. I didn’t just want to produce something for the world to consume. I wanted to make the best possible innovation. I wanted my name to be revered, just the way Titan’s was. “I think she values my work.”
“Of course, she does. You’re the most brilliant student out of MIT.”
“I dropped out after the first semester.” I couldn’t take credit for an education I never received. To be accepted at such a prestigious university was a compliment, and a lot of people thought I was crazy for dropping out.
“Oh, that’s right. I remember.” Lance was young, an apprentice at his father’s company. He’d slowly moved up in the ranks, and now he was in the process of heading the company.
It was unfortunate because it would be out of business in the next five years.
“So I’m guessing there’s no chance for me to recruit you anymore?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“And there’s no price?” he asked. “Because I can pay anything.”
I shook my head. “It’s not about the money.”
“Now that you’re working with Tatum, money is the last thing on your mind.”
“You want my advice?”
“Advice on what?” He finally took a sip of his beer.
“If I were you, I’d break into another niche while you still can. Titan and I are going to break into this space and monopolize it. There are a lot of other specialties you could focus on. I would improve solar energy for houses since Tatum and I are more focused on commercial progress…just an idea.”
“I’ll consider that.”
“Or, if you’re going to sell…do it now. Don’t wait until we go public in a few weeks.”
“My dad is pretty stubborn. He’s been working in energy since he was young. It’s not something he can just walk away from.”
“Well…you need to adapt or die.” It was the cold and hard truth, but that was how it was. Sometimes you had to take the deal you didn’t want to take just to survive. But that was how the world worked.
He gave a slight nod. “I suppose.”
“You’re young. You have a lot of time to figure out your place. Don’t be discouraged.”
“That means a lot coming from a genius like you,” he said with a smile.
I hated being reduced like that. People labeled me based on my intelligence, but I was more than just a scientist. I was a woman with hobbies and a nice laugh. I was someone who enjoyed sports and a brisk jog in the park. But that wasn’t what people saw. They wrote off all my difficult decisions as easy because I was so intelligent…but no amount of intelligence could make things easy. “How are the wedding plans?”
“Easy.”
I chuckled. “Then your fiancée must be doing everything.”
“Exactly,” he said. “That’s why it’s easy.”
I looked past Lance’s shoulder and spotted a man step into the lobby from the elevator. In dark jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, he displayed a chiseled, muscular form. With dirty-blond hair and blue eyes, he was a beautiful man. Tall and rigid, he had a lean, athletic build just like a soccer player.
My heart immediately began to race. Even at this distance, I knew exactly who it was. I wished my stomach didn’t tighten with butterflies. I wished my thighs wouldn’t press together so tightly. My cheeks flushed with heat, and I suddenly felt his kiss without touching his lips. That man had reduced me to a woman desperate for passion—desperate for him. I’d never felt the shake in my hands like I did with him. I’d loved Max with all my heart, but he never made me tremble the way Thorn did. With Thorn, I felt like the most beautiful woman in the world—even if he didn’t say it.
It was smart to walk away from him when I did. If I stayed any longer, I would have drowned. Right now, I was still hurting like someone punctured one of my lungs. I tossed and turned when I slept because he wasn’t beside me. In a short amount of time, I’d become attached to a man I’d vowed to never fall for her.
I broke that promise.
Flings were fun. Getting dressed up and having dinner with a pretty man was always a good time. Hot and meaningless sex was always great too. There was no meaning behind it, but that’s what made it so wonderful.
But fucking Thorn was never meaningless.
I wished we were still fucking.
“Ms. Alexander?”
I stopped staring at Thorn and returned my look to Lance. “I’m sorry…I just remembered something.”
“I have to make a call real quick. Do you mind if I step outside?”
“Of course not.”
“Be right back.” He smiled before he walked to the other side of the lobby.
I turned my gaze back to Thorn, who was walking this way. He was dressed casually, my favorite way to see him. He filled out his suits like a model on a billboard, but his body looked the best in t-shirts. His body stretched the fabric in all the right places. His arms stretched the sleeves until they nearly ripped. He was all muscle and no fat—dreamy.
He walked toward the bar, obviously not seeing me yet. He looked just as irritated as he had earlier that morning. His hair was combed now, but he still wore a pissed look in his eyes. Diesel told me Thorn was miserable too, and now that I stared at his depression, I actually felt bad for him.
Even though I felt a million times worse.
His eyes snapped in my direction, and he couldn’t contain the surprise on his face. He slowed
down his pace, taking me in a little longer. We hadn’t said more than a few words to each other since we saw each other that morning. It wasn’t awkward to be together.
It was just painful.
Our last night together kept coming to mind. I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t want to go in the morning. I had to force myself to leave, to walk out of his penthouse with dignity.
But I was getting tired of holding on to my dignity.
He considered just walking by, but something pulled him in my direction. He walked up to my table then noticed the nearly full glass of beer beside me. I was drinking scotch, so he knew I was with someone else. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Just saying a single word to him hurt. I wanted to return to a normal relationship, but that didn’t seem possible anymore. Thorn was such a beautiful man that I couldn’t look at him without feeling my entire body float in midair. Ever since the first time I’d laid eyes on him, I’d thought he was the sexiest man in the world—not one of the sexiest. Sleeping with him was like being with my celebrity crush. I thought I would get him out of my system, but I found myself wanting him more. “Lance Palmberg and I were talking about work. He had to step away to talk to his fiancée.” Truth be told, I had no idea who he was talking to, but I didn’t want Thorn to think I was on a date or something. Diesel recommended trying to make Thorn jealous, but I didn’t want to do that. Playing games wasn’t my style.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Lance talking away in the corner, pacing back and forth. He slowly turned back to me, his hands sliding into his pockets. “Still working, huh?”
“Lance and I have a history.”
“What kind of history?” he asked.
“He tried to recruit me to work for his company a few years ago. That was before my company took off. Now we’re talking about my working relationship with Titan, and I’m giving him advice about what to do about his father’s company. I don’t think they’ll last with the competition, and I’m not just saying that out of arrogance. They’re a good, family company, and I don’t want to see them lose everything.”
“That’s nice of you. People in business are a lot more cutthroat than that.”
“Money isn’t everything,” I said quietly. “I know Titan would have done the same thing.”
“She adheres to a different code of ethics than the rest of us.”
“And I wonder where she learned it…” I took a drink to cover up my nerves. He always made me nervous. I wondered if he’d ever noticed before. Keeping my confidence was always important when I felt intimidated, but I wasn’t sure how effective I was.
“Not me. I’m ruthless.”
“You’re full of it.”
He gripped the chair he stood behind and continued to stare at me. His angry look slowly morphed into an expression of sorrow. The second he walked me out of his penthouse, he seemed morose. Now he was still in the same state of sadness.
I crossed my legs just so I had something to do.
Thorn didn’t walk away even though our conversation had died away. Now we had nothing to talk about. We didn’t always have much to say, but when we were alone together, it was okay not to talk.
We usually did other things.
“Are you going out?” I asked, unable to find a better conversation starter.
“Not sure. I’ve been in my room for a while and wanted to stretch my legs. What about you?”
“When we’re done with our drink, I’ll probably go to bed.”
He nodded, his blue eyes locked on mine.
The second I mentioned bed, I thought of sharing it with him. “Are you going to visit your parents?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Good. You told them you were here?”
“Yeah. Mom is all excited…”
I smiled, imagining a woman with blond hair and blue eyes. “That’s cute.”
“Titan is coming along because she’s close with my family, so she’s bringing Diesel too. They want to meet him.”
“That’s nice.”
He stared at me for another moment, the silence becoming tense. “Would you like to come?”
To meet his parents? That sounded like a terrible idea. “That’s nice of you to offer, but that’s okay.”
“My mom is a great cook. And Titan insists they’re both great company. We could have some fun…you should come.”
It was the second time he’d asked me, and now it didn’t seem like he was doing it out of politeness. Maybe he really wanted me there. I would love to see his parents, to see where he came from. He was an incredible man, so he must come from a wonderful family. “Okay, I’ll come.”
“Great. My brother will be there, so just ignore him.”
“Why would I ignore him?”
“Because he’ll think you’re hot and try to land you.”
“Really?” I asked in surprise.
“He’s a bigger manwhore than I am, if you can believe it.”
“I can’t, actually.”
He grinned then looked away. “I guess I’ll let you get back to your conversation.”
I didn’t want him to leave. “Alright. Have a great night.”
“I’ll try…but I’m sure it’ll be boring.” He held on to the back of the chair as he stared at me. His knuckles turned white from gripping it so hard. A quiet sigh escaped his lips, and he finally released the chair. “Good night, Autumn.” The last time he’d said my name, it didn’t sound right. Now it didn’t sound right again. I was used to hearing him call me baby. Knowing he would never call me that again brought on another wave of sadness.
“Good night, Thorn.”
He finally walked away, turning his back on me. His muscles shifted under his t-shirt, and his jeans were tight on his ass. He was a powerhouse of a man, beautiful from head to toe.
I stared at him until he was gone from sight. When I couldn’t see him anymore, I let out a sigh…dreading going to bed alone later that night.
Chapter Three
Titan
Diesel was still in a terrible mood the next morning.
When he woke up, he moved on top of me and gave me a quick fuck that was just about getting off. He was barely awake, and his hands grabbed at me aggressively, pulling my hair and gripping my neck. He came inside me with a grunt, like he was claiming me in a way that everyone would notice at the conference.
Because he was a psychopath.
I got ready then left without waiting for him. Whenever he was pissed off, the mood lasted days. Even when he didn’t say anything, I could feel his rage through his silence. People made sexist comments about me all the time, even some of the most respectable men. No matter what I did or how successful I was, I was still defined by the perkiness of my ass. My appearance would always be more important than my work ethic, unfortunately. I’d come to terms with that a long time ago, and I didn’t waste my time being upset about it. Diesel still had to learn that, and it was taking him a while to catch on. If he fought every person who insulted me, he would have no time left to do anything else.
I walked into the conference and spotted Roger Thompson speaking with some of his colleagues. I pretended I didn’t see him and walked to the coffee table. I hadn’t had a chance to enjoy my morning joe because I was too focused on getting away from Diesel. Once he got out of the shower and realized I was gone, he’d get pissed off all over again.
“Morning, Titan.” Autumn appeared at my side, a cup of coffee in her hand. Her black hair was straight and shiny, and she wore a black dress with five-inch heels. Her striking green eyes stood out against the darkness of her hair. She appeared to be younger than me, but she possessed the grace of someone who had lived much longer.
“Morning, Autumn. How are you?”
“Good.” She wore a smile that was so convincing I almost believed it. But since I knew she and Thorn were no longer an item, I understood that smile was just a cover-up for the pain throbbing beneath the surface. I’d never spoken to her about it because it didn
’t seem professional. I didn’t know her on a personal level. “Hope everything with Diesel is alright.”
“We’re fine,” I said. “He’s just driving me crazy.”
She chuckled. “I thought what he did was sweet…he loves you.”
“I know he does.” It was impossible for me to say that without smiling. “But he needs to understand I don’t need a man to defend my honor. People are going to say some very cruel things. He needs to learn to ignore them.”
“That’s not gonna happen, and you know it,” she said with a chuckle. “Not only does he love you, but you’re going to be a Hunt. You’ll be family to him. And if someone said something about his family, you know fists would be flying.”
When she put it that way, it made perfect sense. “Yes, but if he fights off all my attackers, he’ll never have time to do anything else.”
“I don’t think he wants time to do anything else.”
Diesel was like the fiercest guard dog I’d ever had. He growled, barked, and bit on command. He circled me like a shark, ready to take a piece out of anyone who crossed me. He understood I could fight my own battles easily, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to intervene. I’d shot a man in the neck and the face just to survive.
I certainly didn’t need someone to protect me.
Roger Thompson noticed me and moved in, adjusting his navy blue tie with a hint of arrogance. He was livid when he spoke to me. Diesel had embarrassed him in a room full of his peers, and he couldn’t let the slight go. Now he refused to work with me until he got a public apology.
Like that would ever happen.
“Titan.” He stopped in front of me, just as hostile as he was yesterday.
“Roger.” I sipped my coffee. “How are you?”
“Am I going to get that apology today?”
I sipped my coffee again so I wouldn’t laugh. “Sorry, Roger. That’s not going to happen.” There was nothing I could do to change Diesel’s mind, and I wouldn’t want Diesel to cave anyway. It would be ridiculous to apologize for defending your fiancée. I didn’t need his business that much.
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