For fucking her every night.
We got into the shower when we were finished, our nightly routine that had been established long ago. I rubbed the soap into her body, enjoying the touch of her ultrasoft skin. Her petite shoulders were rounded and slender, her neck was elegant, and she had the most beautiful arch in her back. Her spine moved straight down, the muscles noticeable on either side of the divide. Her body was feminine and strong, and I loved gripping it with my hands.
The truth of our situation hung over both of our heads, but neither one of us mentioned it. There was nothing more to say about it. She’d have to make her decision on her own, not listen to me explain why picking Thorn was a mistake. Titan was logical to a fault. Every decision, no matter how personal it was, was a business decision. That was how she would treat this dilemma as well.
She scrubbed the shampoo into her hair then turned around to rinse it out. She tilted her head back but moved her eyes to my face.
I gripped her tits, feeling the soap drip everywhere. She had the greatest rack, not too big and not too small. They were firm, round, and soft. My callused fingertips loved to feel the beautiful flesh in my hands. I could get off just from feeling her up like this.
She arched her back farther, her hands lathering the conditioner into her hair. “You’re good with your hands.”
“They just love your tits.” I gave her a gentle squeeze before my hands trailed to her waist. “You have a beautiful body.” My thumb moved over her belly button, feeling the small little slit.
“Thanks.”
“Not eating really pays off.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” She tilted her head back and rinsed the conditioner from her hair.
I loved watching her in the shower. She looked sexy in her office, in one of my t-shirts, when she was riding me on the couch, but nothing compared to this. Her hair was molded to her scalp from the water, and her face was clean of any makeup. When she didn’t have mascara or eyeliner on, her eyes looked smaller. But the fresh look made her appear naturally beautiful. She could go anywhere without a drop of makeup and men would still turn their heads just to glance at her.
We finished in the shower, dried off, and then headed to bed. Her hair was slightly damp because she didn’t dry it all the way with a blow-dryer, but I liked the casual way her hair fell around her face. She picked up my shirt off the ground and pulled it on.
Would she still wear that if she chose Thorn?
We got into bed even though it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. I lay beside her, my arm hooked around her slender waist. I looked at her beautiful face, my chest loosening from the strings that constantly restricted it. Art brought peace to anyone who looked at it. That was exactly how I felt about the muse right in front of me. Just looking at her made me feel better, made me exist in a state of quiet.
She ran her hand up my chest, her fingertips drawing circles over my heart. She watched what her hands were doing, obviously not the least bit tired even though we were in bed together underneath her soft sheets.
“How have you been sleeping?” I wondered if my absence had affected her. I wondered if she had any more nightmares. I wondered if her life had been just as impacted by my absence as I was by hers.
“Haven’t been sleeping much, honestly.”
“Me neither.” Most of my nights were spent alone. I slept in a king bed all by myself and never had had trouble falling asleep the second my head hit the pillow. But now that I was used to this sleeping companion, the silence of my bedroom frustrated me. I missed her quiet breathing, the way she made little sighs just as she fell asleep. She’d been in my life for a relatively short amount of time, but that span had more effect on me than any other experience. It seemed like she was always there…even though she wasn’t. “That’s why I’m here.”
“So I can help you sleep?” she asked with a smile.
“Yeah. I thought I could do the same for you.”
“It’ll definitely help. I’ve reached out in the middle of the night to touch you a lot this week…and then I remember you aren’t there.”
My fingers tightened on her waist, feeling her pain because I felt it too. “I’m here now.”
“I know…”
“And I can always be here…if that’s what you want.” I didn’t want to talk about the painful situation between us, but it escaped my lips on its own. Titan would be risking a safe lifetime if she chose to be with me instead. She would mess up her plans, the time she wanted to start having children, everything she and Thorn had worked toward. It was a lot to ask, actually. I couldn’t offer her any guarantees since the future was always unpredictable. But I could give a few things. “I’m loyal to you, Tatum. You already know that. I would never betray you. I would never lie to you. And I have your back—through and through.”
Her hand moved up to my neck. “I know, Diesel. If I didn’t, this would be a much easier decision to make.” Her thumb brushed along my jaw, feeling the stubble from days’ worth of not shaving.
My hand tightened around her wrist, and I brought her palm to my mouth for a kiss. I kissed her fingertips and her knuckles, wanting to worship this woman who had affected my life so deeply. I was asking her to take a risk for me, but I was taking a risk for her too.
I was willing to completely change my life—just for her.
10
Titan
I was working at my desk when Thorn stopped by for a visit.
He entered my office and dropped into the chair facing my desk. He got right to the point of his visit, talking about business. We didn’t officially share ownership of any of our companies, but we still worked together to make our assets as successful as possible. If we were going to combine our holdings, we wanted to bring as much to the table as we could.
Thorn scrolled through his phone as he ran off numbers to me.
I recorded what he said then discussed Stratosphere. It was a slow launch in the beginning, but Hunt and I were seeing success immediately. Bruce Carol was arrogant, and he’d thought he could coast by doing the bare minimum. That was his downfall—along with outright stupidity.
“So, what’s new with you?” Once business was out of the way, Thorn got comfortable and regarded me with his ice-blue eyes. He cocked his head slightly, his aura of ruthlessness gone when it was just the two of us.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” he asked incredulously. “There’s not a single thing?”
“Well…I got a new rug for my living room.”
“For being the richest woman in the world, I would expect you to have a more interesting lifestyle.”
I used to feel that way, until I got stuck in this difficult position with Hunt. I’d never struggled to get out of my previous arrangements. The sex was great, but by the end, I was ready to move on. If the men wanted to stay, they never voiced their desires. Probably because they knew I would say no.
But now my future was murky. It had been lined up perfectly just weeks ago, but now there was no path. It was difficult to lead an interesting life when I was stuck at this fork in the road. I could stay with Thorn and miss Hunt. Or I could choose Hunt and be happy, but then regret it later.
Thorn was the person I went to for advice, but this time, I couldn’t.
Thorn continued to stare at me, his gaze cold and piercing. He had a particular way of examining me, looking at me like he could see right through me. It was something about the way his eyebrows shifted forward. “Titan, I feel like you aren’t telling me something. I know that’s unlikely because you tell me everything…but it sure seems that way.”
Yep, he could see right through me.
“What is it?” he pressed. “Remember you’re talking to me.”
“Well…this whole thing with Hunt is complicated.”
“What whole thing?”
“I told him you and I were going to get engaged soon…and he told me not to do. He asked me to be with him instead.”
Thorn’s expression d
idn’t change, blue and cold as ever. He was usually transparent with his thoughts, his expressions as easy to read as a book. He put his soul on display for me, having nothing to hide after everything we’d been through. “And?”
“I just…I’m confused.”
“So, you want to be with him, then?” Thorn didn’t love me. Never had and never would. What we had was stronger than that. If I didn’t want to marry him, he certainly wouldn’t take it personally.
“Yes…and no.”
“Which is it?” he asked firmly.
“I want to be with him because…I don’t want to lose him. I can’t imagine us going our separate ways. I don’t want to be with anyone else, and I certainly don’t want him to be with anyone else. He makes me happy. I trust him. He’s my friend…he’s a good man.”
“If you’re afraid that I’m going to be upset with you, you don’t need to worry about that. If that’s what you want, you know I’ll respect your decision. Will I be happy about it? No. Will I be disappointed? Hell yes. But that doesn’t matter. This is about you, not me.”
I was touched, and I felt stupid for ever suspecting Thorn would be anything but supportive. He’d been there for me through everything. We conquered the hard times just as we rejoiced during the good ones. “You’re so good to me…”
“Because I love you,” he said. “But you already knew that.”
“Yeah…I did. After everything you’ve done for me, I feel terrible for going back on our decision.”
“Sweetheart, I didn’t do those things for you because I wanted something in return. I did them because I cared about you…because you’re my friend. You don’t owe me anything, Titan. I gave you your first loan, but you’re the one who built the empire on your own. I had nothing to do with it. You took a hundred thousand dollars and converted it into billions. All you, sweetheart.”
I rested my fingers against my mouth, covering my emotion as much as possible. A thin film of moisture formed in my eyes, but I discreetly blinked it away. I’d never been good at these touchy-feely kinds of moments.
“Be with him if that’s what you want. You have my blessing, not that you need it.” He finally smiled at me, reassuring me that everything was truly okay. “But we’ll need to figure out how to sort everything out in the media. We’ll have to have a mutual breakup so neither one of us looks bad. And you can’t start publicly seeing him right away—that’ll make you look coldhearted.”
We were jumping ahead of the game here. “I haven’t made my decision yet.”
“You haven’t?” he asked. “Seems like you have.”
“I want to be with him…but I think you’re still the better choice.”
“Well, obviously,” he said with a grin. “Come on, look at me.”
I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “If I end things between us, be with Hunt, and it doesn’t work out…I know I can’t come back to you.”
Thorn didn’t disagree with that statement. “You’re right.”
“So…I’d be risking everything.”
“You would.”
“With me, you’d have stability, security, protection, acceptance, honesty, and not to mention, good sex. You could have all that stuff with him…but will it last? I don’t think either of you knows the answer to that.”
No, we certainly didn’t. “What do you think I should do?”
“You know I can’t answer that.”
“I always come to you for advice.”
“But this is a conflict of interest. And I don’t know how you feel about this guy. If you’re in love with him…you may not have a choice. Are you in love with the guy?”
I shifted my gaze down to my desk and deflected the question.
“If you aren’t sure, you need to figure it out. The truth is, if you aren’t going to be with me, Diesel Hunt is a great choice. He’s wealthy, smart, good-looking, honest, and he’s not a sexist asshole. He respects you, clearly adores you. He’d be a great partner to have, and he wouldn’t sell your secrets. But since all of this is based on passion and love…two things you oppose…I don’t know what will happen. You might have a fight one day, and everything goes to shit. You divide your assets, and everything you’ve worked for comes crashing down around you. I’m not going to lie to you, Titan. It is a risk. You have to figure out if he’s worth that risk or not.”
“But—”
“You know I can’t answer that for you.”
I’d always been a woman who could think for herself, seeing the path ahead when everyone else didn’t know which route to take. I analyzed situations differently from most people, which led me to acquire the best deals. But all that lifetime experience couldn’t help me now. My last relationship was a disaster that ended up in murder. I obviously wasn’t the best judge of character when it came to romance.
“But I will say this.” Thorn crossed his legs, resting one ankle on the opposite knee. “You don’t need to be afraid of the past repeating itself. What happened with Jeremy would never happen with Hunt. He’s the last guy in the world you need to be afraid of.”
“You have a high opinion of him…”
“I’ve always known he’s a good guy. I didn’t like him because I was afraid this would happen…which it did. And now that it has, I have no reason left to dislike him. He took my woman away, but I can’t blame you for falling for him. That guy would take a bullet for you as quickly as I would.”
“How do you know that?”
He shrugged. “Just do. I mean, the guy walked away from a billion-dollar company just because the owner insulted you. He could have done the deal and pretended it never happened. But he didn’t. He declared war because someone slighted you. If that’s not protective, then I don’t know what is.”
I’d never forget what Hunt did. It touched my heart. Loyalty was important to me, and it was obviously important to him too. “True.”
“I haven’t told the reporters about my proposal, so no harm done.”
“What about your mother?”
He shrugged. “I’ll figure out how to let her down easily. Don’t worry about that.”
“Thanks…”
“How long do you need to think about it?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’m just as undecided today as I was a few days ago.”
“It’s like you’re in a love triangle,” he said with a chuckle.
There was nothing funny about this. “I said I would never fall for another guy…and here I am.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. We all have weaknesses.”
“You don’t.”
“Well, I’m not the romance kind of guy. Never have been, and never will be. That’s just how I’m wired.”
“Lucky you.”
He smiled. “This whole situation is pretty ironic. The real reason why I wanted to propose now instead of later is because of Hunt. I thought if I waited too long, your relationship might get serious. I thought if I rushed in and took you now, I’d eliminate that possibility.” He shrugged. “Looks like I didn’t move quickly enough.”
“Thorn…I’m so sorry.”
He raised his hand. “Don’t be. I want to marry you for my own selfish reasons. So don’t feel too bad for me.”
My eyes fell as the guilt swarmed me.
“Take all the time you need to think about it.” He stood up and buttoned the front of his navy suit. “Seriously, Titan. There are no hard feelings. If he’s the guy you want to be with, our relationship won’t change. We’re still in this together—for the rest of our lives.”
* * *
Jessica knocked on the door before she stepped inside. “Titan, flowers came for you.”
Flowers? “Thank you. You can set them on my desk.”
She carried the glass vase to the corner, where my old vase of peonies was dying. She swapped them out and took out the wilted flowers before she left.
I stared at the small vase of purple irises. It was the perfect size for my desk, and the flowers were a beautiful
color. I wasn’t sure who sent them to me because I didn’t recall ordering any. My flowers were usually changed tomorrow, so whoever sent these to me knew it was time for a refresh.
I found the card on the side and opened it.
Baby,
I have a new arrangement in mind. See you at my place at 7.
-Boss Man-
* * *
I walked into his penthouse at seven on the dot, not wanting to be early or late. I didn’t know what he had in mind, but Hunt was always full of good ideas. He wouldn’t be so wealthy if that beautiful head of his were only full of clouds.
I walked inside and found him sitting on the couch. He was reading a book, bare-chested and barefoot. He was only in his sweatpants, and that was my favorite way to see him. I loved the way he teased me with his muscular physique but hid the best part of his package inside his pants. He slid the bookmark in between the pages and stood up to greet me.
My eyes were on his, absorbed in those coffee-brown irises. I felt weak when I was with him, but it was in a good way. No one else had any effect on my confidence. When they tried to intimidate me, I just stood taller. I was always the tallest person in the room—even when I was the shortest. “Thank you for the flowers.”
“I knew they would look nice on your desk. Irises are your favorite, right?”
My heart beat a little harder. “How did you know that…?”
“You have flowers everywhere, all different kinds. But I noticed you have irises more often than any other flower…so I took a guess.”
“Well…you were right.”
He moved closer into my body, his chiseled arms thick by his sides. He looked down at me with his short hair flat against his head. He’d obviously dried his hair with a towel the second he stepped out of the shower. No matter what he wore or how much effort he put into his hair, he was the sexiest man in Manhattan.
He leaned down and tilted his head sideways so he could kiss me. It was a warm embrace on the mouth, his hand sliding into my hair. His mouth moved with mine, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth before he released it. I got some of his tongue, some of his warm breath.
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