“And that badass woman is going to be my sister-in-law…pretty damn cool.” The second he mentioned our familial bond, things became tense. We hadn’t said more than a few words to each other in a decade. We’d lost so much time over something so stupid. My mother wouldn’t be happy about it if she knew.
I sipped my drink and avoided his gaze for a moment, feeling the awkwardness intensify. A silent conversation passed between us, but we knew it couldn’t stay silent much longer. It had to be addressed eventually. I didn’t blame Jax for what happened. He seemed to be stuck in the middle of it all. But the outcome of the war still ripped us apart.
He addressed it first. “I’m not sure where to begin…”
“It doesn’t matter where we start. We’re going to end at the same place.”
He placed his salad on the table beside him. “I never disliked Brett—”
“I know you didn’t.” Jax didn’t have hateful feelings toward anyone. He’d never been that way.
“I saw the things Dad did to him, but I never interfered. Then when you walked away, I didn’t know what to do. I’d always been close with Dad, and we were already doing business together. No matter what side I picked, I knew I would lose. I never anticipated it becoming a decade of war…”
“I didn’t either.”
“I’m sorry about a lot of things.” One ankle was positioned on the opposite knee, and he rested both arms on the armrests. His cuff links were visible, metal squares that reflected the light from the ceiling. He hadn’t shaved in a while, so a full beard covered the bottom portion of his face. He was two years younger than me, so we were both over thirty. But in my eyes, I always saw him as my younger brother—one who was naïve and innocent. “I’m sorry I didn’t stand beside Brett when I should have. I’m sorry I cut you out of my life just because Dad did. I’m sorry I let so much time pass.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me, Jax. I’m sorry too.”
“I do,” he said quietly. “I should have done the right thing.”
“The right thing wasn’t so simple. Brett is your family, but so is Dad. It was a complicated situation. I don’t hold it against you.”
He stared at me with a similar expression to my own. We looked so much alike, it was like staring at a mirror. His emotions were easy to read because I made the exact same expressions. “Why are you being so easy on me? We both know I don’t deserve it.”
Maybe I was being easy on him. I was harsh with my father because I expected more from my hero. But I viewed Jax in a completely different light. When I looked at him, I thought of our practice in little league. I thought about the dinosaur toys we would share. I thought about hooking up with girls from different schools at parties we didn’t belong at. “Because you’re my brother.”
12
Thorn
After I hugged Titan, I looked around the penthouse. There wasn’t a big, territorial man there, the guy who had resembled a bear more than a human lately. “Where’s Diesel?”
“At work.” She was in leggings and a loose sweater. When she walked to the bar and made me a drink, her movements were a little more graceful. Her strength was increasing every single time I saw her. She made me an Old Fashioned before she set it on the coffee table and took a seat. “Which makes me happy.”
I sat beside her and drank from the glass. “Thanks for the drink, but you don’t have to make me anything.”
“We always drink together when you’re over here. Why would that change?”
“Because you aren’t drinking.” I leaned back against the couch and rested my arm over the back.
“Well, I would be if I could…it’ll be a while before I’m allowed the luxury of alcohol.”
“Then I won’t either.” I pushed the glass away.
“Then what are we supposed to drink together?” she asked with a laugh. “Water?”
I grinned. “Yeah…that doesn’t seem like us.”
She got comfortable in the chair, her skin full of color unlike it was before. “So, what’s going on at Illuminance?”
As a friend, I would normally tell her about all the dirty shit I did with Autumn. When I shared my stories, it was never in a bragging manner, just a friend talking to another friend. She didn’t refrain from telling me about her sexual conquests either. I knew Diesel in a way he didn’t even realize.
But I didn’t mention anything to her. Something kept my mouth shut. I didn’t know what it was. If Autumn and Titan were going to work together, it seemed like a conflict of interest to share the details of my bedroom adventure. It might make Titan view her differently, and that wasn’t fair. So I bottled it up inside like a gentleman, even though I didn’t want to. “Everything is going well. Nothing for you to be concerned about. You keep everything so organized that it hasn’t been difficult to jump in.”
“Thanks. I’m relieved it’s going so well. It’s unfortunate that things didn’t work with Ms. Alexander. You’re sure you can’t change her mind?”
No doubt in my mind that I couldn’t. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”
“I’m listening.” Titan adopted her serious mood anytime business was on the table. Even in her relaxed attire, she looked like she belonged in a conference room.
“Ms. Alexander isn’t going to change her mind. She has a very interesting character. But you can’t afford to have her as a competitor. With any other person, I’d say you could destroy them. But since she’s the source of innovation, it’s a different scenario. She has a brilliant mind, and you aren’t going to recruit a scientist of her caliber. I say you revisit the idea of a partnership. I think it could only benefit you, Titan. And rejecting her offer could only hurt you. That’s my take on it.”
She stared at me with that icy expression, absorbing the ghosts of my words as they drifted across the room. Her brilliant mind was working furiously, dissecting my words with invisible knives. The longer she stared, the more I feared she knew about my fondness for Autumn. I suspected she was about to accuse me of it right then and there. Thankfully, she didn’t. “I’m surprised you feel that way.”
“It’s the only solution. The only thing stopping you is your pride.”
“I don’t work well with other people.”
“I realize that. But you’ll have to make an exception if this is a path you want to follow. You’ve already accomplished so much that you could abandon this and still retain your professional power. But if you pursue it, you could be securing one of the greatest innovations the world has ever seen. Wouldn’t you rather share that responsibility with someone than lose it altogether?”
Her piercing gaze turned more forceful. “I’ve never heard you speak so highly of someone, Thorn. You speak of Ms. Alexander like she’s made a significant impact on you.”
Her impact was more than significant. “I’ve met a lot of people in this business, and most of them are full of bullshit. They’ve been handed their wealth from their families, and they’re as stupid as an ox. But Ms. Alexander is just like you. She pursued her dreams in a storage shed until they came true. She doesn’t have just the intellect you need, but the ambition and drive. You two are a lot alike—in many ways.”
“That’s not necessarily a good thing…”
“In this case, I think it is. You should take this compromise, Titan. You’ll regret it more if you don’t.”
She finally turned away, her lips pursed as she considered it.
I waited for her to make her decision. Titan considered propositions from every single angle. She anticipated the least likely events so she was prepared for anything. After a few minutes, she returned to the conversation. “I trust you, Thorn. So I’ll give it a shot.”
I smiled in response, glad she was on board. “Great. I’ll speak to her.”
“But I want to speak to her myself. Can you have her come here so we can speak face-to-face?”
I saw an issue with that. “What about Diesel?”
“What about him?”
she countered.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to be working.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s just one meeting. He’ll get over it.”
“Do you not know Diesel?” I asked incredulously.
“Well, I’ll make him get over it. Did you talk to Vincent about Kyle and me doing business with him?”
I let her change the subject. “Yeah, he mentioned it. I’m meeting Kyle tomorrow.”
“Great. You really are on top of things.”
“Of course. Your best interests have always been my best interests.”
She smiled at me. “You’ve always been so good to me. I hope one day I can reciprocate.”
She’d given me more than she realized. Just having a loyal friend in this cruel world was more than enough. “You already have, Titan.”
* * *
Nearly a week had come and gone since I’d last seen Autumn.
We had a great night together, and she slipped out the following morning before I woke up—the second time.
After one-night stands, I usually forgot about the woman and moved on with my life. They were moments that only existed at that particular instant in time. Once it was completed, it was just a memory I could barely recall.
But I hadn’t stopped thinking about her.
Her kiss.
Her touch.
Her perfect pussy.
She was a lay I wouldn’t forget—not anytime soon.
I knew she wouldn’t forget about me either. She was the recipient of a long night of pleasure. I fulfilled fantasies she didn’t even realize she had. She begged me to fuck her because I was so good at it. She’d wanted my big cock from the moment she laid eyes on it, and her expectations were never let down.
I gave it to her good.
Whether she was thinking about me or not, she didn’t contact me.
I wasn’t sure if I expected her to or not.
Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t.
After I spoke to Titan, I knew it was time for me to seal the deal with Autumn. I purposely waited a few extra days so our last interaction would feel fainter. When I walked into her office, I wanted it to be about business. I didn’t want her to think I was making some kind of move on her.
After I had my appointment scheduled, I went to her facility on the other side of town and waited in the lobby. It looked exactly the same as before, sleek and simple. I was offered water and a pastry, but I declined both.
The glass walls of her office were completely blacked out so I couldn’t see a thing.
But she could see me.
Was she looking at me right at that very moment?
I hoped I could keep my dick under control because she had no problem staring at it. It was a declaration of my innate attraction to her. Now that I’d had her, it was difficult for me to view her as just a potential business partner. Now I thought of her in dirty scenarios, of the way she said my name when my dick was buried inside her.
I couldn’t think about that right now.
Her assistant led me inside, and I walked into the large room with the desk near the back. Her long hair was pulled back, and she wore high-rise jeans with a blouse. She was dressed far more casually than usual, so I assumed she’d been doing lab work rather than business at her desk. “Hello, Thorn. How are you?”
I stopped in front of her desk and didn’t shake her hand. She never extended the greeting, so I didn’t either. Despite our attempts at being professional, there was no denying our last interaction. Could we really shake hands after the passionate night we’d had together? It seemed beneath us at that point. “Good. You?”
“I’m great.”
I eyed one table near the opposite wall, which was scattered with papers and tools. “Long day?”
“Just working on a few things. I had a few issues, but that’s what my life is…trial and error.”
I sat down and crossed my legs. “Working on anything interesting?”
All she did was smile and sit down. “I’m assuming your visit means Titan had a change of heart?”
So she didn’t think I was there for any other reason. That was good. “She has. She’s given it some consideration and thinks working with someone with your strengths will only benefit her.”
Now the smile she wore seemed genuine. “That’s great news. I’m very happy to hear that.”
“Titan is looking forward to your collaboration.”
“When she’s back on her feet, right?” she asked. “I can wait until she’s well again.”
“Actually, she wanted to know how you would feel about meeting in her home. She would like to meet you in person. She knows you by reputation, but not by introduction.”
“I would love to. Just let me know when and where.” With the same sultry voice she used before, she commanded my respect so easily. But the tone reminded me of the way she begged me to fuck her, the way she dug her nails deep into my back.
I stopped breathing for a moment, treasuring the memory. Of course, my dick swelled to life when I wished it wouldn’t, but just the sound of her voice turned me on. I liked her casual outfit and the way her hair was pulled back. Something about seeing her work was a turn-on too. I guess I liked a strong woman who called the shots.
That was strange because I liked to be the one in charge.
Now that the business conversation was over, there was nothing left for me to do. All I did was stare at her.
She stared back.
I didn’t want to stand because she was bound to notice the hard rod in my slacks.
Dammit.
“I’ll set it up with her. She lives pretty close to my place.” Autumn knew exactly where I lived because it’s where we’d hooked up. It was the closest I’d ever gotten to mentioning the actual event we were both thinking about.
“Great. Will you be there?”
“Yeah. I’ll be part of the conversation.”
“Great.”
Now the silence was back, her wordless dismissal evident. She obviously had things to do. So did I.
But I didn’t want to stand.
My jacket was buttoned in the front, but that wouldn’t hide all of it. The shaft was so thick it was incredibly noticeable. Normally, I wouldn’t care if a woman saw how hard I was, but I didn’t want to extend an invitation.
Our hookup was over.
I rose to my feet. “Thank you for your time. My assistant will call you.” I turned my body slightly, casually hiding my front so she wouldn’t have a clear view of my package.
She walked around the table, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor. Her fingers dragged across the desk as she made her way to my side. I could walk away, but her presence commanded my stillness. She stopped directly in front of me and looked up into my face.
Those plump lips. Those bright eyes. Those high cheekbones. Those freckles on her cheeks.
Fuck, I was a goner.
She had so much power over me—and I liked it. I loved her confidence because it didn’t cross into arrogance. I loved the way she owned the room, even if I stood in it. I loved the way her eyelashes were so thick.
This woman was more than most men could handle.
Not me.
Her fingers pressed against my chest, her fingertips stroking down my silk tie. Her perfume smelled of vanilla and summer flowers. She watched her fingers caress me before she looked up into my face again.
Sexy.
“Come over tonight.” She didn’t ask. She only told.
I thought that was even sexier.
But I wasn’t looking for a relationship, even with a gorgeous woman like her. I’d love to fuck her a few more times, but if it led to a conversation about commitment, I wasn’t interested. “I’m not looking for anything serious. The other night was supposed to be a one-time thing. I’m sorry if you misunderstood.”
Instead of softening her eyes in heartbreak or narrowing them in rage, she pressed her lips tightly together as she tried to suppress a laugh. She dragg
ed her hand down my chest until she pulled it away entirely. “Wow, you’re arrogant.”
“Arrogant? I just want my intentions to be clear so you aren’t disappointed.”
This time, she really did laugh.
My eyes narrowed.
“Thorn, there’s only one thing I want from you. The second I saw your toolbar, I wanted to see you use it. You exceeded my expectations beautifully, and it’s nice to be with a man who can make my toes curl. A lot of men say they have the same talent, but that’s all bullshit. You, on the other hand, are not bullshit.”
Now I felt like an idiot for spitting out those words. I wished I could take them back and shove them back down my throat.
“A relationship is the very last thing I want from you.” She turned away, brushing her hair behind her shoulder. She sat down behind her desk and didn’t look at me again. “You should get going. I have a lot of things to do.”
She dismissed me coldly, obviously not interested in having me over anymore.
I fucking blew it.
* * *
I didn’t know what possessed me to act like such an idiot.
Why did I even say that to her?
She didn’t ask me out to dinner.
She invited me to her apartment. That was it.
It was obvious she just wanted a hookup.
So why did I sabotage it by acting like an asshole?
Now I was alone in my penthouse, watching TV and drinking scotch. I could be fucking a gorgeous woman, pleasing her from head to toe, but I was sitting there drowning in my liquor. When I was at the office, I considered retracting my statement and making a move.
But I’d already done enough damage.
Now I pondered what to do. I didn’t have her number because I’d never asked for it. The best solution was to find her on social media and send her a message, but that would just come off creepy.
I didn’t do creepy.
Boss Games: Boss #7 Page 14