“First, I’d have to have him as a son—which I don’t.”
I was grateful Diesel would never hear that comment. I’d take it to the grave. “I know you love Diesel. You can backpedal all you want, but I already know the truth.”
Aggressive silence.
“You have a chance to take a step forward in the right direction.”
“I have nothing to say to that arrogant asshole.”
“You don’t have to say anything at all,” I said gently. “But you can do something that will mean a great deal to him.”
Vincent Hunt watched me with the same dark expression Diesel sometimes gave. It was guarded but absorbing at the same time.
“Diesel would do anything for me. So, if you hurt me, it hurts him more. If you release those photos, people aren’t going to care about him as much as me. People will question my integrity and my credibility. Women see me as a role model, and soon the people who once looked up to me will call me a whore. They’re getting a version of the story that’s inaccurate. You’re sending my reputation to the grave, making me serve a sentence for a crime I didn’t commit. If you publish those photos, Diesel will never forgive you for it. He’ll hate you for the rest of his life. But if you don’t publish them…it’ll mean something to him. It’ll change the way he thinks of you. It’ll give you a chance to make things right between you…eventually.”
Vincent Hunt shifted his gaze away, thinking about my words without letting me see his reaction. He kept his hands on his knee, his fingers shifting slightly in their hold.
“Take the first step, Vincent. Call him and tell him you won’t publish those photos.”
He rubbed his jaw, his thick stubble grown into a full beard.
“It won’t happen overnight, but your relationship will start to change. You’ll leave the door open for reconciliation.”
“You’re forgetting that I already crossed a line by obtaining the photos to begin with. I purposely went out of my way to blackmail my own son. I’ve taken a company away from him, and I threatened to ruin your life if he didn’t cooperate. Why the hell would you want Diesel and me to work things out? You should despise me, Titan. Any self-respecting person would.” He looked away, staring at the other window inside his office. His jaw tensed and relaxed as he rubbed his fingers across his chin. He hid his vulnerability the same way Diesel did, bottling it up inside.
“I don’t despise you, Vincent.”
He shifted his gaze back to me.
“I can’t justify your actions, but I can understand them. You love your son, and you’re hurt that he turned his back on you. He hurt your pride and broke your heart at the exact same time. You don’t know to handle that, and your wife isn’t here to help you. You’re lost. I see it when I look at you.”
His voice erupted as a whisper. “You don’t know me, Titan.”
“Then correct me if I’m wrong.”
He only gave me his silence.
“I know it’s complicated. If it weren’t, I could sit the two of you down and have you talk it out. But this is going to be difficult. You need to start somewhere, and I think this is where it should begin. Don’t publish those photos.”
He stared at me hard.
“Diesel is just as angry as you are. I can barely get him to talk about you without him storming off. He has a lot of issues he needs to take care of. But beneath all of that, he just wants you to be his father.”
“He said that?”
I couldn’t lie to him. “No. But I know that’s how he feels.”
Vincent put up his guard again.
“Which means you also need to make things right with Brett. Not right this second…but eventually.”
“He’s a grown man and doesn’t need me. I doubt he wants anything to do with me.”
“You’d be surprised. Every person needs their parent—no matter how old they get.”
“You never explained why you’re doing this,” he said quietly. “You’re going out of your way to reunite me with my son, but I don’t see what you get out of it.”
“I don’t get anything out of it,” I said honestly. “But I love Diesel, and I want him to have his father in his life. My father has been dead for ten years. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him. The both of you are still alive and healthy. Every minute you’re angry with each other is a wasted opportunity. I don’t want Diesel to wait until the last minute and live in regret. I don’t want both of you to wait until it’s too late.”
If Vincent took my words to heart, he hid it. He kept up the same stone face as he did before. He blocked me out just the way his son did when he was angry. He wouldn’t let me cross a line, and I suspected he wouldn’t allow anyone to. “You remind me of my late wife.”
That was the last thing I’d expected him to say.
“And Diesel reminds me of myself. I loved her the way he loves you. I saw the way he looked at you from across the room…and it reminded me of the way I looked at her as she walked down the aisle toward me.”
It was a precious thing to say, and he chose to share it with me. He spoke so plainly, but there was a hint of emotion in his eyes. “I apologize for ever for jeopardizing your relationship. That was wrong of me.”
An apology from Vincent Hunt. I’d never thought that was possible. “I accept your apology.”
He gave me a slight nod. “I’ll consider your advice.”
I took that as a dismissal. I’d done the most I could under the circumstances. I had chipped away at his stone wall, but there were still feet of concrete to get through. I had to quit while I was ahead. “Goodbye, Mr. Hunt.” I walked to the door.
“Titan.”
I turned around and faced him, unsure what he might say now.
“My son is a lucky man.”
15
Hunt
I had a plan to reunite Titan and Thorn, but I knew Titan wouldn’t go for it.
She’d be pissed, actually.
But I wanted her to be happy, to have both of us in her life. Tragedy was the only thing that brought people together, and that was the only thing that would make Thorn forget his anger and come running.
I was still thinking it over when Natalie spoke through my intercom. “Mr. Vincent Hunt is on the line.” She didn’t shake in fear this time. That was a good sign.
“I told you not to take his calls anymore.” I wanted nothing to do with my father. The only reason he was calling now was to threaten me with those photos. He knew Titan and I beat him to the punch by breaking up her relationship with Thorn. He wasn’t happy that I outsmarted him—again.
“He was insistent.”
“I don’t care.”
“And he said he would just come down here if I didn’t patch him through…”
A phone call was definitely preferable to a personal visit. “I’ll take it.”
“Line one.”
I grabbed the phone and slammed my finger onto the button. “What?” I wasn’t going to be tactful anymore. I was just going to be rude and loud. My father had bullied me for too long, and I wasn’t putting up with it anymore. Titan and I were together, and now he had nothing to manipulate me with anymore. “What the fuck do you want?”
My father didn’t rise to my anger. “Having a bad day?”
My eyebrows arched at his cool attitude. “It was great until you called.”
“I’m sorry I dampened your afternoon. I’ll make it quick.”
“Please do.”
“I won’t release those photos of you and Titan.”
I heard what he said, but I waited for more. There was always something more when it came to him, some kind of catch. “If I do what?”
“You don’t need to do anything, Diesel. I’m just telling you I won’t be using those photos against you.”
Now my suspicions were higher. “Why?”
My father paused for a long time. “I don’t want to.”
“I don’t understand.” All my father cared about was sabotaging m
e. Now he didn’t want to?
“I’ve destroyed them. I had them on a hard drive, which I just mailed to you. The physical copies have been shredded. Just thought it would give you peace of mind.”
Ordinarily, it would. But when it came to my psychotic father, it just put me on edge. “It doesn’t give me peace of mind. You expect me to believe you’re calling a truce when all you’ve done is sabotage my life?”
My father was silent.
“Sorry if I’m a little hesitant.”
He was still quiet.
So I turned quiet.
“Make of it what you will. I won’t be using those photos against you. That’s all I wanted to say.”
“You—”
Click.
* * *
When I went home after work, I packed an entire suitcase of clothes. I hung up my suits carefully, packed my workout clothes, and brought along everything else I needed. By the time, I walked out of there, I had two different suitcases stuffed with my things.
I wasn’t leaving Titan anytime soon.
My driver dropped me off, and I rode the elevator to the top floor. I wouldn’t have to ask for a key because she didn’t have a front door. The doors slid apart, and I stepped into her penthouse, smelling the mixture of flowers, perfume, and power. “Baby?” I stripped off my jacket and hung it on the coatrack.
She emerged out of the kitchen, barefoot because she kicked off her heels the second she was out of the public eye. Her eyes glowed like it was Christmas morning, and her smile was even more touching.
It was exactly what I wanted.
She ran across the floor and jumped right into my arms.
I caught her and held her against me, my smile matching hers. Her hair tickled my neck, and her perfume overcame my senses. She was lighter than a pillow, and soft just like one too. My arms locked around her waist, and I held her feet above the ground, staring at the woman who’d claimed my heart the second I laid eyes on her. “I missed you too.”
“What were you doing in the kitchen?”
“Making dinner.”
“For two?” I asked hopefully.
“Yes.”
I was loving this already. “I hope it doesn’t burn.” I carried her into the bedroom down the hall, leaving my suitcases behind as I headed straight for the bed. I dropped her on top, unzipped her pencil skirt, and peeled away her layers until she was naked underneath me.
Perky tits.
Tiny waist.
Womanly hips.
And a perfect pussy.
My clothes were gone an instant later, and I climbed on top of her. The rest of the world melted away as I looked down into her beautiful face. Her legs were already spread, and her thighs hugged my hips. Her hands moved up my chest and around my neck, the desire heavy in her eyes.
It felt like our first time, the beginning of a lifetime of lovemaking. I wasn’t ashamed to admit I wanted her for the rest of my life. I didn’t care if she thought it was too soon or too fast.
She was the one.
I fucking knew it.
My dick slid into her soaked pussy immediately, and I was greeted by the tightness I’d become used to. There was no other pussy on the planet like this. I’d had many, and none of them compared to hers. No other woman compared to Titan, the strongest and proudest woman I’d ever known. She would give birth to my sons, who would grow to be real men. She would give me daughters who would be just as smart and strong. She would give me everything that money couldn’t buy.
“Oh god…” She pulled me harder into her, her nipples sharpening like the edge of a knife. Her mouth was open, revealing her small teeth and sexy tongue. The second I was inside her, she was a mess underneath me. She whimpered and moaned, her nails digging into my skin. She breathed hard before she bit her bottom lip. “I’m already going to come…” Her hands dragged down my strong chest, her pussy tightening around me.
I pushed her harder into the bed, making her sink into the mattress as she took my enormous cock. I was a little harder than usual, aroused after my long dry spell. And I was harder because I finally had the woman I wanted.
She believed me.
That was the biggest turn-on of all.
Her hands moved to my ass, and she tugged me into her as her head rolled back. “Yes…”
I pounded into her harder, driving her into an orgasm that was full of screams.
“Diesel…” Her eyes opened, and she looked right into my face, her cheeks red and her eyes on fire. Her tits shook up and down from my thrusts, making her look like my ultimate fantasy. Her pussy clenched around me, and the stars reflected in her eyes. She whimpered like she was crying, tears of pleasure streaking from the corners of her eyes. She gripped my lower back and released another moan as her climax intensified.
I loved watching her come.
When she finished, she kissed me hard on the mouth and ran her fingers through my hair. She clung to me harder as if that orgasm wasn’t enough for her. Now she wanted me more, wanted me deeper and harder. “Give it to me, Diesel. I want it.”
Instinctively, I gripped the back of her neck and released a carnal groan. If she wanted me to last a long time, she should have held back those words a little longer. Nothing I enjoyed more than pumping my woman full of come. “Wider.”
She opened her legs for me, pinning them back until her knees touched her rib cage.
I pushed myself in there deeper, harder. Her slickness increased with her orgasm, and I felt my lungs shake because it felt so incredible. I wanted to give it to her as forceful and good as I possibly could. There was going to be a lot, mounds of it.
“Please…” She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and tugged me into her body, bringing us as close together as possible. She moaned every time I thrust inside her, and her legs shook as she waited for me to release.
When I came, it was so damn good. A colossal orgasm that could bring me to my knees. I released inside her perfect pussy and gave her everything I had. I stuffed her completely full, forcing some of my come to push around my cock and out of her entrance. She was too small, my dick was too big, and I gave too much. “Baby…” Sex had never been so great with anyone else. She wasn’t just amazing in the sack. I adored this woman with everything that I had. I worshiped the ground she walked on, cherished her with endless kisses of devotion. She’d taken every piece of me, keeping my heart and soul for her to enjoy. She would have them forever, as long as I lived and even after I died.
Even if she left me, she would still have them.
Because I could never give them to someone else.
* * *
We showered, had dinner, and then got ready for bed.
I was used to being kicked out once the fun was over. She dismissed me with just a look, silently telling me I shouldn’t even try to sleep over. We used to sleep beside each other almost every night, but once the shit hit the fan, I was only welcome in her bed for one reason.
But now all of that had changed.
I unpacked my suitcases and hung up my clothes in the closet. She made room for me in one of her drawers, so I placed my dress socks and boxers inside. The nightstand on my side of the bed was emptied, so I could put whatever I wanted inside.
She shared her space with me.
I lay beside her in bed and listened to her gentle breathing. I’d missed that sound, the beautiful melody that helped me drift to sleep. She cleared my thoughts with her presence, bringing me a swell of peace I couldn’t find anywhere else.
She turned on her side and faced me, dressed in one of my black t-shirts. Her makeup was gone, but she was still the most gorgeous woman in Manhattan. I loved her fair skin, her perfect complexion. I loved the way her green eyes remained bright even without mascara. I loved that her inner beauty was visible to me at all times.
I held her close to me, taking the position we always took when we were in bed together. Her leg was hiked over my hip, long and smooth. My hand rested on her ass, the beautiful flesh
I always wanted to sink my teeth into. Her arm was hooked around my neck, her face just inches from mine.
My father kept his word and didn’t leak those pictures to the world. Our relationship remained a secret, and we enjoyed every second of our privacy. I didn’t know what to make of my father’s abrupt change in behavior, but I thought I should share it with her. “My father called me today.”
Instead of looking surprised or concerned, her expression didn’t change—at all.
“He said he wouldn’t leak our photos to the press—but he didn’t say why.”
Her hand slid down my bare chest, feeling the muscles underneath her fingertips. “That was nice of him.”
“Nice?” I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know about that.”
“He didn’t ask for anything in return, right?”
“No. He even sent his drive of the photos to my office.”
She continued to rub my chest. “Maybe he realized he was wrong. Maybe he’s trying to make amends with you.”
My father had ignored me for the past ten years. We’d stand in the same room together, and he would pretend I didn’t exist. How could a father ever treat his son that way? I didn’t go out of my way to heal the relationship either, but I wasn’t the one who did something wrong. “Unlikely.”
“Then what other explanation is there?”
My eyes shifted back and forth as I looked into her gaze. A conclusion didn’t come to mind. “My father is a psychopath. I won’t pretend to understand the way he thinks.”
“Well, I think he’s trying to take a step in the right direction.”
“Why?”
Her hand slid down to my stomach, her fingers tracing the grooves of the muscles in my abdomen. Her eyes turned down as she watched her movements.
She never looked away—unless she had something to hide. “Baby?”
After a sigh, she shifted her gaze back to me. “I stopped by your father’s office yesterday.”
Alarms went off in my head, feeling betrayal. Titan went behind my back and spoke to my father. My nostrils flared in rage, but then I quickly pulled myself back to a state of calm. She was free to do whatever she wanted. She’d become part of this feud because she’d been the recipient of his revenge too. And whatever actions she took, I knew she would keep my best interests at heart. “And what was said?”
Boss Alpha Page 19