“He’s not?” he asked coldly. “Well, you can kiss our arrangement goodbye. I could do everything you need for half the cost, but now the competition is going to eat you alive. Your margins will take the biggest hit.”
I wore a professional smile. “Mr. Thompson, in just a week, I’m going to be the richest person in the world. You think I give a damn about margins?”
Autumn couldn’t hide the smile on her face.
Roger’s cheeks turned red.
“Diesel is the best business partner I’m ever going to find, and I would much rather have him by my side than a sexist little swine like you. Remember what happened to the last man who insulted me?”
The redness faded, and he turned white as snow.
“You won’t be getting an apology from Diesel Hunt. But if you want to stay in business for another decade, I suggest you apologize to him. He’s a very vengeful man.” I turned away, taking Autumn with me. I had nowhere to be specifically, but I walked at a slow pace like I had all the time in the world.
When we were out of earshot, Autumn chuckled. “Oh, that was priceless.”
I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
“Fucking asshole got what he deserved.”
Thorn joined our group, his face etched with lines of concern. “Everything alright? Looked like you and Roger were having a deep conversation.” In a navy blue suit with his hand in one pocket, Thorn looked like a business tycoon and a billboard model. His dirty-blond hair was styled for a photoshoot, and his cleanly shaven jaw showed the hard lines of his masculine mouth.
Autumn’s smile immediately dropped once Thorn joined us.
“Everything is fine,” I said. “Roger and Diesel have some beef now. I tried to bury it, but I think I may have made it worse.”
“No, you put that bitch in his place,” Autumn said.
Thorn’s eyes moved to her face, and they hovered there for a few extra seconds before he spoke again. “What happened?”
“Apparently, Diesel overheard him make an inappropriate comment about my ass.”
Thorn’s head immediately snapped in Roger’s direction, and the threat in his eyes was unmistakable. His jaw tightened, and his hands formed fists. “I’ll make his face look like his ass…” He moved to the other side of the room.
I grabbed his arm and yanked him back. “What’s gotten into you?”
“No one talks about you like that,” he snapped. “That’s what. Come on, you were just shot. That’s all people have to talk about?”
I whispered, “Lower your voice.”
Thorn shut up, but he looked like he wanted to scream.
“I just got Diesel under control,” I said. “Don’t make me do the same with you.”
Autumn moved her hand to his bicep. “Titan already put him in his place.”
As if she had superpowers, the second he felt her touch, he released his anger. A deep breath filled his lungs, and the icy expression in his gaze faded away. He relaxed like a flower in the sun, suddenly at peace. It was the quickest I’d ever seen him come down from a rage. It was almost instantaneous, like her touch placed a spell over his being.
I’d never seen Thorn react that way to anyone before.
Autumn continued to massage his arm. “She reminded him exactly who he’s messing with…the richest couple in the world. And the woman who killed her attacker. So there’s nothing left for you to do.” Her hand slid down until it fell from his arm.
The second her touch was gone, the calmness in his eyes disappeared. He seemed to be angry as soon as her touch was withdrawn. Thorn had never been a moody kind of guy. He was always pragmatic and logical, but once Autumn was in the mix, he was all over the place.
The more I watched them together, the more I realized this wasn’t just some fling.
It was something more.
And I wasn’t going to let Thorn throw it away. He would never let Diesel slip out of my grasp, and I would do the same for him.
“Diesel is here.” Autumn spotted him across the room.
I thought I felt a dark cloud block out all the light. I watched him step into the conference room, a large man in a black suit. He parted the crowd on either side of him, his presence as tangible as a hand on your shoulder. With arms by his sides, an open chest with shoulders back, he was unmistakably confident. His dark eyes scanned the room as he searched for me. While he was looking for me, everyone else was looking at him.
“And I’m sure he’s looking for you,” Autumn added.
“He’s always looking for me…” My sarcasm made it sound like a joke, but there was nothing funny about it. His hand was constantly on my waist, even when we weren’t in the same room.
His eyes landed on me, and his gaze became a million times more intense. The look was packed with so much heat, it almost seemed like he hated me. He began his path toward me, ignoring anyone who approached him for a conversation. He treated everyone like they didn’t matter when it came to me. Until he greeted me first, no one seemed important.
It made me hate him, but love him at the same time.
When he reached our group, he circled his arm around my waist and pulled me in for a kiss that was completely inappropriate for a room full of colleagues and professionals, but I didn’t dare pull away because I knew he wouldn’t have allowed it. He spoke against my mouth. “You left without saying goodbye this morning.”
“I had somewhere to be.”
“The only place you should be is in my bed, unless I say otherwise.” He dropped his hand from my waist and stepped away so he wouldn’t smother me anymore. He finally greeted Autumn and Thorn with a simple nod. “Morning.”
“Titan just told off Roger,” Autumn said. “And it was awesome.”
“Did she now?” He turned to me, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “And what did she say?”
“That he shouldn’t fuck with the richest couple in the world,” Autumn said. “And she reminded him what happened to the last man who crossed her.”
Diesel’s grin widened, and there was more pride in his eyes than my father ever showed for me—and he had always been so proud of everything I did. “That’s my woman—fucking badass.” He gripped my ass as he kissed me on the corner of my mouth. “She’s gonna make an excellent Hunt.” He patted my ass before he walked away and joined a group of suits he knew. Taller than almost everyone in the room, he stuck out noticeably. A lot of the women nearby couldn’t help but turn their gazes in his direction to check out the perfect man that filled out his suit so well.
I didn’t give a damn how much they looked. He was marrying me, not them. Staring was as close as they were going to get. Drool all you want, ladies. In just a week, I would be Mrs. Hunt.
Thorn drifted away too, joining Diesel and the group of suits he was speaking to.
Autumn’s gaze lingered on Thorn a little longer than it should before she turned back to me. “You’re very lucky. I’m not jealous you have Diesel. But I’m jealous you have a man who loves you more than life itself. Love like that is hard to find…”
I glanced at Thorn before I turned my gaze back to her. “It’s not as hard as you think.”
She looked down into her mug before taking another drink of her coffee. “Thorn invited me to his parents’ for dinner tonight.”
Why wasn’t I surprised? “Good. His parents are very sweet.”
“I thought so. He’s a great guy, so it makes sense.”
I enjoyed listening to her speak so highly of him. “I know this is none of my business and I should butt out…but I can’t. Please be patient with Thorn. I know he’ll come around.”
She smiled at my bluntness. “We don’t need to talk about this. I’m here for the trade show. I don’t want you to think all I care about is Thorn.”
“All I care about is Diesel, but it doesn’t interfere with my work.” I didn’t judge a woman for loving a man. If a man claimed he loved someone, he was considered romantic and brave. But if a woman did it, she was obses
sive and pitiful. It was ridiculous. “Please be patient with him. I know he’ll come around.”
“Honestly, waiting around for a guy to treat me right isn’t the best way to utilize my time,” she said with a sigh. “I’m not the kind of woman who waits around for anyone. I would judge myself if I did.”
I completely understood that and didn’t disagree. No woman should wait for a guy to be ready. They should find someone who treated them right from the beginning.
But I knew Thorn would come around. I knew he would realize Autumn was someone he had to take a risk on. “Do you love him?”
She nearly did a double take at my question. “Uh…”
“I’m sorry. I know that’s personal.”
“I…I think I could love him. That’s what scares me. I was with this guy a few years ago, and I thought we would get married. But then he left me for someone else…it hurt pretty bad. So the idea of being with a guy who doesn’t know what he wants right off the bat isn’t appealing to me.”
“Understandable.”
“That’s why I decided to end things before they could get any worse. An easy hookup is impossible when it comes to Thorn…because I actually like him.”
Women like Autumn were as rare as flawless diamonds. If you ever came across one, you should snatch it while it was still there—otherwise, someone else would. I knew Thorn felt something for her. That couldn’t be denied. But if he dragged his feet for too long, he would lose her for good.
I couldn’t let that happen to my friend.
He wouldn’t let it happen to me.
Thorn left a conversation with a group of men and headed into the hallway toward the restroom. Autumn was on the other side of the room catching up with acquaintances, so she was preoccupied. I walked over to Thorn and intercepted him before he could reach the restroom. “I need to talk to you.”
“Everything alright?” He smoothed out the front of his tie, his bright blue eyes narrowing in concern. He wore a serious expression most of the time. It was rare to see him smile, but I suspected he did it around Autumn all the time.
“No.” I grabbed his arm and directed him to the other side of the hotel, where they had a different restaurant and bar area, away from prying eyes at the conference. It would be less than a minute before Diesel realized I’d left the room.
“Can I pee first?”
“No.” I took a seat at the table and ordered scotch for both of us.
“Did Roger say something to you?”
“I don’t give a shit about Roger. I want to talk about Autumn.”
His eyes immediately fell in irritation. “We talked about her in the car.”
“We’re talking about her again.”
His heavy frame thudded against the chair when he leaned back. He ignored his scotch and didn’t make eye contact with me.
“The second she touched you, you were a different man.”
“I always act that way when a beautiful woman touches me.”
I called him out on his bullshit with just a look.
“I like it when she touches me…obviously.”
“Thorn, someone else is going to take her if you don’t swoop in now. That woman is insanely intelligent, gorgeous, and just awesome. I don’t want you to regret losing her for the rest of your life. She’s hung up on you just as badly as you’re hung up on her. End this life of permanent solitude and be with her.”
He shook his head slightly. “I’ll just hurt her.”
“Then don’t hurt her.”
“Not so easy. She’s already had her heart broken, and I don’t want that to happen again.”
“Then make sure you never break it. Take care of it.”
He sighed. “Titan—”
“You miss all the shots you never take.”
He rolled his eyes. “Stop acting like a motivational poster.”
“It’s cheesy, but it’s true. If you do nothing, then you definitely will lose her. But if you at least try, you might keep her forever.”
“We both know I’m not a one-woman kind of guy.” He adjusted his Omega watch on his wrist, the shiny metal reflecting the fluorescent lights. “In the ten years you’ve known me, have I ever been with the same woman for more than a few weeks?”
“No.”
“Have I ever even mentioned a woman I’m seeing to you?”
“No.”
“Then I rest my case.”
“Actually, no.” I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “Everything you’ve said is true…but none of that applies to Autumn. You’ve been seeing her for a month. You’re still obsessed with her. You’re miserable without her. For the past ten years, there’s never been a woman who’s ever meant anything to you…until now. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
He bowed his head.
“It means she’s the one, Thorn. She’s the one woman you’ve been waiting for.”
He still wouldn’t look at me.
“Diesel hasn’t loved any other woman but me. And he didn’t meet me until he was thirty-five. Sometimes it takes a long time before we meet that special person. Autumn is your special person, Thorn. Be a man and fight for her.”
He raised his head slowly and looked at me. “Maybe you’re right. But I’ll still hurt her. I can’t do that… I’ll kill myself if I hurt her.”
“The fact that you don’t want to tells me you never will.”
He clenched his jaw as he stared at his scotch. “When she told me her ex left her for someone else…I was so angry. The guy must be an idiot to think he found someone better than Autumn. There is no one better.”
How could he say that to me and not fight for her?
“And turning her down makes me feel like an idiot.”
“You are,” I said honestly.
“But it doesn’t change anything. I’m afraid I’ll do the same shit and break her heart. I’m afraid I’ll hurt her even more than that asshole did. I’ve spent the last thirty years of my life as a single man. Can I really change?”
I’d known Thorn for a decade, and I considered myself to be the closest person to him. He’d never been so down, so vulnerable, as he was right now. Only someone special could make him that way. “We can get your answer.”
“How?”
“By answering this question. Do you want to see other women?”
He stared at me in silence.
“If you can picture yourself with someone else, then you have your answer. But if the only woman taking up every inch of your brain is Autumn, then you have your answer. You’ll never want to be single again if she’s the only woman you want. That’s your answer, plain and simple.”
I touched up my makeup then clasped the gold necklace around my throat. I wore skinny black jeans with black booties and a long-sleeved gold cardigan. It was cold in Chicago with snow everywhere since they just had a storm blow through.
Diesel stepped into the bathroom in the same suit he’d been wearing all day. He came up behind me and moved his hands to my hips. His face was reflected in the mirror, but he didn’t make eye contact with me in the glass. He stared down at me instead, his lips at my hairline.
His hands snaked around to the front of my jeans, and he undid the top button.
“We’re leaving for dinner soon.”
He nibbled on my earlobe. “You think I give a damn?” He pulled down the zipper next.
I shouldn’t succumb to his touch, but it was impossible when the man was so unbelievably handsome. With a strong jaw and chocolate eyes, he was exactly the fantasy I would touch myself to.
He pushed my jeans down. “Guess who apologized to me.” He moved to his knees and yanked my jeans down until they were off my feet.
“Roger?”
He got them over my heels then rose to his feet again, this time dropping his slacks and boxers. “Yep. Looks like he came to his senses.” He grabbed the back of my knee and pinned it against my chest, opening me wide in front of the bathroom mirror. He guided his cock to my entranc
e and pushed his massive girth inside, stretching me before my body had a chance to even take him.
I gripped the sink for balance, moans escaping my throat.
Diesel thrust hard, hitting me deep as he pounded into me. He grabbed a fistful of hair and shoved his massive dick inside me over and over. “Watch me fuck you, baby.”
I kept my eyes on the mirror, watching the intense expression in his eyes. He didn’t just fuck me, but possessed me. He made me entirely his, filling my small pussy with his enormous length. He pushed deep and hard, sliding through my wetness.
My phone started to ring on the counter, and Thorn’s name appeared on the screen.
They were probably waiting for us in the lobby.
I didn’t dare touch the phone.
Because Diesel never would have allowed me to.
Chapter Four
Thorn
When I arrived in the lobby, Autumn was the first one there. She was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and skintight denim jeans, and all of her lovely curves were amplified. She wore short booties and had her hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. Most of the time when I saw her, her hair was down and perfectly framed her face. This was the first time I’d seen it back, revealing her slender neck and clearly displaying all of her beautiful features.
I liked it.
She hadn’t noticed me yet, so I took advantage of the moment just to stare at her. Titan made her opinion about the matter perfectly clear, that Autumn meant something to me, and it would be stupid to let her go.
It would be stupid.
And she did mean something to me.
But I cared about her so much that I wanted to protect her.
From myself.
But watching her stand there alone made me wonder if I was protecting her at all. By refusing to give her what she wanted, I was just hurting her anyway. I was hurting too.
She turned slightly and noticed me out of the corner of her eye. She pivoted more, her eyes locking on to mine in intense connection. She didn’t smile the way she used to. Now we just shared constant memories back and forth, swapping them in our silent expressions.
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