He didn’t react.
“He told me about your last conversation. That you’re angry with him because you lost your son. Vincent, you haven’t lost him.”
When he spoke, he was so quiet I could barely hear him. “I have lost him.”
“He’s not dead. You always have a chance to make things right as long as you’re both alive.”
He shook his head slightly. “We can’t make it right now. Not now. Not ever.”
“Why?”
He massaged his knuckles absentmindedly. “We just can’t.”
“So your response is to destroy his life?”
“I didn’t destroy his life. He shouldn’t be sleeping with a woman engaged to another man.”
“You don’t know anything about my relationship with Diesel or Thorn, so don’t pretend that you do.” I held my finger. “That’s the first lesson I’m going to teach you today. Here’s the second. By acting this way, you’re only pushing him further away. If you have any hope of reconciling with him, you need to end this war. Call a truce.”
His eyes shifted away from me. It was the first time he’d looked away when we’d had a conversation. Most of his power was in his natural style of intimidation. But he dropped those tricks.
“I know you love your son.”
After a long pause, he turned his eyes back to me.
“You both need to forgive each other and move past this.”
“You really came down here today to talk about this?” he asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t add up.”
“I love your son. I want the best for him.”
“I know you went your separate ways. Or the two of you are the best actors I’ve ever seen.”
“Just because we’re no longer together doesn’t mean I don’t love him. Just like the two of you are no longer speaking, it doesn’t change the fact that you love him and miss him.”
Vincent held my gaze but stopped massaging his knuckles.
“You need to make the first move.”
“Why?”
“Because you started this whole thing by turning your back on Brett.”
He released a loud sigh, his eyebrows furrowing. “Now it’s your turn to stop pretending to know something you don’t understand.”
“Okay, maybe I don’t understand,” I said simply. “But I know you lost the past ten years with Diesel. Do you need to lose another ten?”
His hard features softened slightly.
“I’d give anything to have another ten years with my father. He left way too soon, and it hurts me to see the two of you alive and well but with no contact. Whatever your problems are, settle them.”
“I don’t think we can.”
“Well, you have to. Because you’re his father, and he’s your son. Diesel tells me you’re a man that can make anything happen. So make this happen.”
He shifted his chair slightly as he sat up and rested his hands on the desk. “Not so simple, Titan. But I appreciate your effort.”
I felt like I’d made a small dent in his exterior. It was nearly insignificant, but it was something. Perhaps Vincent would take my words to heart and reconsider his approach with Diesel. “Did you blackmail him for Megaland?”
His coldness returned once business was back on the table. “Why don’t you ask Diesel?”
“Because I want to hear it from you.” I couldn’t go to Diesel and ask this question now. When I pressured him about it before, he wouldn’t talk about it. Now that we weren’t seeing each other anymore, I didn’t have the luxury of calling him whenever I felt like it.
Vincent brought his fingertips together and regarded me with that comely but cold expression. Age hadn’t affected him the way it did others. His features were still sharp and his complexion was vibrant. He must have committed himself to a healthy lifestyle of diet and exercise. I knew Diesel would look the same in twenty years. “Yes.”
I needed more than that. “Why?”
“Megaland should have been mine. It was my find, but he took it before I could even have my meeting with the creators.”
“Sounds like he was the better businessman,” I said coldly. “Shouldn’t take it so personally.”
He smiled again. “And where do you think he learned it all?”
“The apprentice always becomes better than the master.”
“I wouldn’t take it that far…”
“And how did you blackmail him?’
His smile faded away. “The same as last time. I told him I would send all those photos to the newspapers if he didn’t cooperate.” He opened his drawer and pulled out the folder. He tossed it on his desk, and they slid toward me.
I didn’t look at them. All I cared about was what he said. My eyes focused on his face, seeing the coldness Diesel sometimes wore. Now I knew what Diesel had sacrificed to protect me. He gave away his company, which was worth a fortune, just to protect my reputation. He never told me about it, and that was probably because he knew what my reaction would be.
I would have told him not to do it.
I would have taken the hit rather than let him be manipulated by his father.
I rose to my feet without thinking about it, my feet having a mind of their own. “Thank you for your time, Vincent.”
“Anything else you wish to discuss?”
I headed to the door, not bothering to look at him.
“You know, the two of us could do big business together.”
I turned around in the entryway. “Vincent, when you die, you can’t take that money with you.”
His arrogant smile slowly faded away.
“But you can take your son’s love.”
* * *
I walked up to Natalie’s desk, feeling weak for the first time in heels. I wanted to kick them off and just be barefoot. My first instinct was to march into Hunt’s office, but I realized that would be totally inappropriate. “I need to see him.”
“Mr. Hunt is in a meeting right now.”
“Oh…” I was so anxious that I couldn’t wait. But I was sure he was working on something important, far more important than anything I had to say.
“But you can wait here until he’s finished.”
“Sure…how long will it be?”
“I’m not sure. Mr. Hunt just made a big acquisition, and he’s working with a team right now.”
It could be hours, then. But I couldn’t go back to work, not when I was this anxious. I’d get nothing done anyway. “I’ll wait, then.”
“Okay. Take a seat.”
I took a seat in one of the armchairs and tried to steady my racing heart. It was beating a million miles a minute. My palms were sweaty and my clothes felt too tight. My heels were killing my feet when they normally felt comfortable.
The large doorway behind his assistants led to the rest of the lobby. There were other offices and departments all over the building. He could be on a completely different floor. I stared at the glass doorway and saw a man in a suit head in this direction. He had the same build, and the suit fit him so perfectly.
He walked up to the doorway while scrolling through his phone. His eyebrows were narrowed like he was deep in thought. The stark lines of his face showed the masculine structure of his jawline.
It was definitely him.
He finally put his phone away and opened the door. “Natalie, I need you to find everything I have on the—” He stopped talking when his eyes settled on me. Dark brown and intense, he immediately stared at me like I was the only person in the room. It was the same way he used to look at me. But then it abruptly changed, like he realized what he was doing and deliberately altered his expression. “Titan.” He moved around the desks and walked toward me. “You need something?”
I got to my feet, unable to stand tall and perfect like usual. My heart was still beating out of control. “I need to talk to you…but I can wait until your meeting is over.”
He stared at my face, examining me with prying
detail. He grazed over my anxious eyes, the tightness of my mouth, and the difference in my posture. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah. It can wait.”
Hunt must have known that was a lie because he turned to Natalie. “Tell them I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Hunt, it’s fine—”
“Come on.” He moved his hand to my lower back and escorted me into his office. He shut the door, giving us privacy so we could speak freely. He tossed the folder he’d been holding on his desk and turned his full attention on me. “I know there’s something wrong. Talk to me.” He didn’t put feet between us like he did last time. Now it felt the way it used to, when there was intimacy…and more.
My fingertips almost touched his chest, but I reminded myself he didn’t belong to me anymore. “I just saw your father.”
His eyes narrowed the way they did when he felt threatened. His dark eyes suddenly seemed sterner.
“I asked him about Megaland. He told me everything.”
Hunt didn’t change his expression, and he seemed angry by the revelation. “I would have told you, but it wouldn’t have made a difference. If I told you as it was happening, you would have told me not to do it.”
“You’re right. I would have.”
He moved his hands into his pockets. “Then why are you upset right now? I’ve sacrificed a lot for you in the past. This isn’t any different. That company meant a lot to me, but you…you’ve always meant more to me than all the money in the world.”
My chest tightened just the way it did right before I cried. I could feel the burn in my throat as well as my heart.
His eyes shifted back and forth as he looked at me, seeing the emotion play out right in front of him. “You always speak your mind. But right now, I can’t read you. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“What I’m thinking… I’m scared.”
“That can’t be right,” he whispered. “Because you aren’t scared of anything.”
“Things change.”
He stepped closer to me, as if I weren’t speaking loud enough for him to hear. He cocked his head slightly, the intensity returning to his gaze.
“I’ll probably never truly know what happened months ago. I’ll never get a suitable explanation for the papers in your drawer. I’ll never really know if you went home with that woman from the club. I’ll never know if you were the one who leaked my story to the papers, but…”
Hunt held his breath, his jaw clenching.
“But I don’t care anymore. I believe you, Diesel. You may not be able to prove it to me, but I trust you. I’ll take a leap of faith for you. If I end up regretting it, so be it. But I’m willing to take that risk to find out.”
He obviously hadn’t been expecting me to say that, because his eyes softened in a way they never had before. His jaw lost its tightness, and his shoulders relaxed and became straighter. The sigh he released was mingled with a soft moan. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and hung his arms by his sides. Both of his hands tightened into fists, but not out of anger.
“I’m scared that I’m too late. I’m scared that I—”
“Never too late.” He closed the gap between us and slid his hands across my cheeks. He cupped my face and pressed his forehead against mine. His chest expanded against mine with the deep breaths he took, and the intensity was evident in the gentle tremor of his hands. “I knew you would believe me if I didn’t give up.”
“When your father told me you gave up Megaland for me…it didn’t surprise me. You’ve done so much for me, Hunt. That made me realize I couldn’t let this slip away. It made me realize I do trust you. I don’t know who was really behind those attacks, and I’ll probably never find out…but I know it wasn’t you.”
“Baby…that means the world to me.” He leaned into me and kissed me softly, an embrace full of tender love and adoration. “You have no idea.”
“I’m sorry that—”
“Don’t apologize to me. I understand. I knew this would take time, but I told myself you were worth it. I told myself you would realize the truth on your own. And you have…that’s exactly what I wanted.”
My arms circled his neck, and I brought him closer to me, feeling my hands and legs shake at the exact same time. “I just had to tell you that. I’m sorry I interrupted your meeting—”
“Nothing is more important than you.” He cupped my cheek as he looked into my face. “Nothing.”
I kissed the corner of his mouth. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby. So damn much.” He rubbed his nose against mine before he pulled away.
“I’ll let you get back to your meeting. I just had to tell you that so…you wouldn’t make plans with someone else.” I didn’t want to say those words out loud, but that I needed to get them out. He went out the other night, and I didn’t want him to do the same again.
“I kissed them. That was it.”
The idea of him kissing another woman made me sick to my stomach, but it wouldn’t have happened if I’d believed him sooner. And I knew he wasn’t hiding anything from me. If he said that was all he did, that was all he did. He didn’t sleep with them. “Okay.”
“I’ll come over as soon as I’m finished.” He kissed my forehead before he stepped away.
“Actually, we can’t…”
The love in his eyes died away, immediately replaced by annoyance. “Why?”
“Your father is watching us, remember?”
“You’d better not tell me we’re going to be a secret again,” he hissed. “Because I’m not putting up with that anymore.”
“We do need to be a secret…for a little while.”
His arms rested by his sides, thick and tense. He gave me a terrifying expression, his eyes looking like cold dirt. “You’d better have a good reason.”
“I have to figure it out with Thorn. I can’t throw him under the bus, Hunt.”
His anger slowly faded away.
“If your dad releases those pictures, I look bad. But Thorn looks even worse. I can’t let that happen.”
He finally nodded. “You’re right.”
“So let me figure that out first.”
“Alright,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll call you when I get home, then.”
“Okay.”
He gave me a final look before he walked out, and I immediately recognized it.
It was intense, powerful, and full of love.
* * *
I was lighter than I air, I felt like I could breathe again. The hole that was left inside my chest had finally healed over. My tears were long gone, replaced by my smile. I was taking a major risk by committing to Hunt, especially when there were so many unknowns, but I couldn’t keep living apart like this.
I’d rather give it everything and hope for the best.
If he betrayed me again, it would ruin me. I wouldn’t be able to get back on my feet after my gut led me in the wrong direction.
But I couldn’t stand on my own two feet as it was.
Hopefully, I was right about this.
I sat on my couch in my penthouse and slipped off my heels. There was a kink in the back of my neck, and I absentmindedly rubbed it with my palm. The weight had been lifted off my shoulders, but now I had a new burden to carry.
Thorn.
How would this work?
I’d made a commitment to him, and I didn’t see it as anything less than a betrayal for calling it off. He would be upset. I knew he would. I wanted to believe we would still be the close friends we were now, but I really had no idea.
We’d never been in a situation like this before.
My phone rang, and Hunt’s name flashed on the screen.
Thorn was immediately forgotten as I took the call. “Hey.”
“Hey, baby.”
I melted at his endearment. Once upon a time, I told him not to call me that. But now, I loved the affectionate nickname. I loved the way he said it when we were in bed together. It was simple and uno
riginal, but it made me feel thoroughly possessed. “I miss hearing you call me that…”
“And I miss calling you that.” His masculine voice drifted through the phone and wrapped around me. I could feel his muscular arms securing around my waist even though he wasn’t in the same building.
I lay back on the couch and placed my feet on the armrest, feeling my dress slide up as I bent my knees. “I’m sorry, Diesel…” I wished it hadn’t taken me so long to come to that realization. Something about Megaland made me understand that I needed to take a chance. Ever since Hunt had been accused of betraying me, he’d been nothing but loyal to me. He’d done things for me, sacrificed so much for me. I couldn’t ignore any of that.
“It’s okay, baby. Let’s forget about it.”
“I know I hurt you.”
“You have the rest of your life to make it up to me.”
I smiled as I stared at the ceiling, imagining the blow jobs in the morning, breakfast in bed, and the other nasty things he’d demand I do for him. “True. Where should I start?”
He answered immediately. “On your back. Legs around my waist. My hand in your hair.”
I closed my eyes as I felt the shiver run up my spine. It’d been nearly two weeks since the last time I had him between my legs. It felt like an eternity since the last time I’d had a climax, since the last time I’d had a beautiful man on top of me. “I wish you were here.”
“Me too. When this is over, I’m never leaving.”
“That sounds nice.”
It turned quiet, the two of us silently thinking about the same thing. My desire for him wasn’t just physical, and his need for me was exactly the same. I could sit on the phone with him all night, getting off to the sound of his masculine breathing. I could feel his testosterone through the phone, picturing the way his hands formed fists in irritated restraint.
Time passed, and before I knew it, it’d been ten minutes. I wanted to show up at his penthouse and not care about the pictures his father leaked to the press. I didn’t care what anyone thought of me, even if I was a two-timing heartbreaker.
But I could never do that to my best friend.
Boss Alpha: Boss #5 Page 15