I stepped onto the top floor of Stratosphere and made my way into Titan’s office. She sat behind her desk, her hands perfectly aligned on the keyboard with her eyes directed at the screen. She finished her email even after I stepped into the room and took a seat.

I crossed my legs and looked over my portfolio as I waited. No one ever made me wait, but Titan wasn’t the kind of woman who waited for anyone either.

I loved that about her.

She finished before she turned to me. “How’s your day?”

“Good. Yours?” Just a few hours ago, she’d spotted me with one of my most competitive applicants. McKenzie was a Harvard graduate who’d had a year-long internship at a respectable software company. Her grades were impressive, and her demeanor was exceptional. I could see her leading an entire building of workers and handling complicated cases.

When I’d looked at Titan in that restaurant, I knew she was uncomfortable. She didn’t trust me, feared I was on a date with McKenzie. It pissed me off that she thought so little of me, that I would be fucking her every night but still run off with another woman behind her back. I reminded myself I needed to be understanding due to our sensitive situation, but that didn’t dim my annoyance.

Like I could ever want another woman but Titan.

Ridiculous.

Titan took a minute to answer my question. “It’s been long.”

I didn’t bring up our earlier encounter, and I knew she wouldn’t either. There wasn’t anything to say. I could point out her obvious jealousy, but it seemed like a moot point. I started from the beginning and discussed the figures for this past week. We’d just launched our holiday marketing program, and all the retailers were shifting to meet our needs.

We went back and forth for forty-five minutes straight. Titan was always to be on top of things even though she seemed busier than I was. Her insights were genius, and she could juggle a huge amount of information without getting things confused. She did all of it with a smooth persona, never giving any indication she was stressed. In fact, she seemed almost bored.

She was an excellent businesswoman.

When we finished, there was nothing more to say. This was the time I excused myself to my office or I returned to my building. But I chose to sit there instead, spinning the pen in my fingertips as I watched her. My eyes roamed over her body, wishing I were looking at her naked instead of covered in designer clothes.

Titan met my look, her guard up high. “Yes?”

“I hope you felt stupid today.” I’d thought I could swallow my anger, but it slipped out anyway.

She knew exactly what I meant, judging by the way her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t. Thorn was the suspicious one.”

“And you were the jealous one.”

Instead of denying it, she flipped through the papers on her desk. “I have a lot of work to do, Hunt. I’ll see you later.”

“No reason to be jealous, Titan. You’re the only woman I want. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“Enough times to make me forget about that picture of you kissing that woman.” She fired back with the same rage while keeping her voice at a low level.

I didn’t explain the photograph because I already had a million times. I kept spinning the pen, giving my fingers something to do. “You shouldn’t feel threatened by anyone, not when you’re Titan.”

“But Tatum is threatened by a gorgeous woman Thorn can’t stop staring at,” she countered. “And if he can’t stop thinking about fucking her, then neither can you…not that I should care.”

My eyes narrowed in offense. “That’s not what I was thinking.”

“Whatever, Hunt.”

I wasn’t lying. “I was thinking about her qualifications for the position.”

“Whatever you say,” she said dismissively.

If the desk weren’t in the way, I’d grab her by the neck. I slammed my fist onto the wooden surface, making everything shake like an earthquake had struck. “Look at me.”

She stilled at my violent reaction and shifted her gaze to mine.

“I won’t hire her if that’s what you want.”

That seemed to piss her off more because she rose to her feet, trembling like she was about to launch her own earthquake.

I stood up, towering over her to ensure I had the upper hand.

“Don’t insult me like that ever again.”

“Insult you?” I asked, having no idea what pissed her off so much.

“If she’s qualified for the position, you’d better hire her. Disqualifying her just because she’s attractive is unacceptable. I wouldn’t respect you for discriminating against someone over something so petty.”

That was my girl.

“You understand me?”

I tried not to smile. I loved her pride, her feminism. She put aside her own jealousy because she knew she was being self-centered. She didn’t directly admit her wrongdoing, but it was pretty much a confession. “Then I’m going to hire her.”

“Good.” She returned to her seat, shrugging off the conversation.

I remained on my feet and placed my hand against her desk, invading her space. “You want to know what I was thinking about when I was interviewing her?”

She wouldn’t meet my gaze, pretending to read a document instead.

“I was thinking about texting you.”

“To say what?” she whispered.

I leaned farther over the desk so my lips were near her ear. “That I missed you.”

---

I drank from my glass while one hand rested in the pocket of my tuxedo. Pine talked about the work he was doing with his father, pushing papers around and crunching numbers. When a beautiful woman walked by in a ball gown, his eyes always followed her until she was gone from sight.

I didn’t notice any of them.

“How’s work?” Pine asked.

“Same old shit.” I didn’t discuss business outside of work often. It seemed like a conflict of interest, and it was also boring.

“That can’t be true if you’ve partnered up with Tatum Titan.” He nudged me in the side.

“She’s just like another executive.”

“But she’s hot.”

My eyes shifted to him, a warning in my gaze.

“What?” he asked innocently. “You don’t think she’s hot?”

I thought she was damn hot, but I was the only person who had the right to say it out loud. “Don’t talk about her like that.”

“Geez, chill. Didn’t mean any harm by it.”

“Then just stop talking.” I drank from my glass again. We were gathered together for a charity fundraiser. They’d asked me to give a speech since I was responsible for the largest charity donation of the year. I didn’t do it for publicity, and now it was biting me in the ass.

Pine peered across the room. “There she is.”

I’d been expecting her. She told me she was coming with Thorn, and I gritted my teeth in silence. I didn’t like seeing them together even if she spent all her nights with me. Just watching him hold her hand irritated me. He got to claim her for the world to see when it should have been me.

She wore a black dress with a deep cut in the back. It showed her spine all the way to the top of her ass. It highlighted the small muscles of her frame, her perfect posture, and her flawless skin. The steep curve of her back made her ass more prominent, and I’d have a hard time staring at it this evening. Her hair was pulled up in an elegant updo, allowing the skin of her neck to be revealed. I couldn’t see her face because she was turned the other way. But I could see the way her dress reached the floor.

She looked like a queen.

Pine whistled under his breath. “Jesus Christ…”

My hand rested in my pocket, but it automatically tightened into a fist. “Be very careful, Pine.”

He took my warning and swallowed his next words.

“Oh, shit.”

“What?” I asked.

“Did you know your father was going to be here?”

My eyes moved to the doorway, and I saw him step inside in a black tuxedo. He greeted people at the door, wearing his charismatic smile. A woman in her twenties was on his arm, beautiful and exotic.

My father and I crossed paths rarely, and we pretended the other didn’t exist. But this was the first time I’d seen him since he threatened me in my office. He wouldn’t make a move toward me out in the open, but he wouldn’t hide his hostility.

Tonight would be interesting.

---

Thorn became preoccupied talking to his acquaintances, so I appeared at her side with a flute of champagne. “You look beautiful.”

She dropped her smile momentarily when she realized I had joined her. She knew I would be there, so it couldn’t have caught her off guard. She took the glass, looked into my eyes in a way she never looked at anyone else, and then took a drink. “Thank you.”

I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, taking my time feeling her skin with my lips. In a few hours, I’d be the one peeling off her dress and tasting her everywhere. Both of her nipples would be in my mouth, sucked until they were raw. My tongue would explore her folds and taste her arousal for me. I would make love to her for the night, convincing her she was the only woman who existed in my thoughts—and my heart.

She held her breath when I kissed her, feeling the wave of chemistry the instant we touched. We could both feel it as soon as we were in the same vicinity. I could take her breath away so easily. And she could bring me to my knees with the snap of a finger.

I pulled away, resisting the urge to wrap my arm around her petite waist. I wanted to drag my fingertips down her bare back, feel the smooth skin that my chest would soon be pressed against.

We stared at each for a solid minute. The crowd enjoyed their evening with good company and fine liquor. Laughter erupted in different areas, loud and fake. People passed us as they ventured to greet someone they recognized. We remained absolutely still, just looking at one another.

I savored the look of her red-painted lips. Her makeup was done heavily for the evening, creating sultry eyes, gorgeous cheekbones, and a plump mouth. It didn’t matter how she dressed herself up or how she did her makeup. She looked beautiful every time I saw her.

“You look nice,” she whispered back, her fingertips still around the stem of her glass.

“Thank you.”

“You look good in a tuxedo.”

“I bet it’ll look better on your bedroom floor.”

A slight blush entered her cheeks while a smile emerged. She covered it up by taking a drink.

“Vincent Hunt is here. Wanted to warn you.”

“I saw him a few minutes ago. Has he spoken to you?”

I shook my head. “I doubt he will.”

“I don’t know what to expect from him.”

“Don’t be afraid of him.”

“Who said I was?” she countered.

My eyes softened at the hardness in her voice. I couldn’t wipe away the slight smile that raised the corner of my mouth. “I love you.” The thought entered my brain less than a second before it left my mouth. I hadn’t planned to say those words to her. They just came out unexpectedly, straight from of my heart and into her ears.

I dismissed myself from her company and ventured elsewhere. If I spent too much time at her side, it could make things suspicious. The last thing I wanted was for people to think she was a two-timing liar. People didn’t understand we were in love, but I hoped one day they did.

I took my seat beside Pine at the table.

“They’re supposed to serve dinner soon.”

“Is that all you care about?” I asked.

“Other than women and booze, yes.”

---

My speech was short and sweet, and I took the liberty of staring at Titan the entire time I spoke. She sat in the center of the room, so it was easy to appear to be looking at everyone. A blush entered her cheeks, a reaction she only made for me. Affection was in her eyes because she knew she was still the center of my focus—even in a room full of a thousand people.

The applause sounded, and then I took my seat.

Pine clapped me on the shoulder. “That was a great speech. Who wrote it?”

“No one.”

“So you did?” he asked.

“I just made it up on the fly.”

He gave me an incredulous look. “Ugh, I hate you.”

The ceremony continued, and the host talked about the money we’d raised throughout the year. They opened the auction, the last push to raise as much as they could before the end of the year. Rare paintings, trips, and other donations were sold off.

I didn’t buy anything.

When that was over, dinner concluded, and everyone left their seats to mingle once again.

I noticed Titan excuse herself from the circle of men she was talking to and head to the bathroom.

I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity. I’d been staring at her back all night, wanting to lavish her beautiful skin with my kisses. I wanted to taste that lipstick. I wanted to hike up her dress and fuck her up against the wall.

I excused myself and moved into the hallway, trailing behind her. No one was around, so the opportunity was perfect. One stride equaled three of hers, making it easy to catch up to her without pushing myself.

My hand gripped her elbow, and I guided her past the bathroom and down a different hallway.

She flashed her hostile gaze at me and argued under her breath. “Hunt, no.”

I pulled her around the corner and pushed her against the wall. “You don’t say no to me.”

“You bet your ass, I do—”

My hand circled her neck, and I kissed her. The second my lips were on hers, she was silenced. Her mouth hesitated for an instant before she kissed me back, her body succumbing to the desires we’d felt all night. I knew this couldn’t last forever, not much longer than a minute or two. But I hated standing in a room with her while pretending she didn’t mean the world to me. I just wanted to kiss her, to fall into the fantasy that she really was mine.

Her hands moved up my chest, and she wrapped her leg around my waist.

I pinned her against the wall and gripped her thigh while holding it around me. My chest pressed her into the wall and I kissed her, pretending her back was to my mattress and I was plowing myself deep inside her. My cock was wedged right against her clit and I ground slowly, touching her in just the right place.

She moaned into my mouth as she gripped my shoulders.

I wanted to do this forever, but minutes had already passed. If I waited too long, I was asking for trouble. I sucked her bottom lip then kissed the corner of her mouth before I pulled away, full of remorse that I had to stop.

She wore the same look of disappointment.

I hated this.

She licked her thumb then smeared it across my mouth, wiping away the lipstick stain. She kept her eyes on me as she did it, concentrating on my gaze.

I didn’t give a damn about the lipstick.

She lowered her leg then cleared her throat as she smoothed out her dress.

“I’ll leave first.” My hand moved to hers, and I gave it a gentle squeeze before I walked away. I turned the corner, relieved not to see anyone in the hallway. And then I returned to the party, still hard in my slacks.

I was surrounded by people I knew, faces that I recognized. I’d done business with these executives, partied with some, and slept with a few others. But they were just a blur of people who really meant nothing to me. I’d shared experiences with them, but that was nothing in comparison to the experiences I had with one woman.

I didn’t care about anyone there.

The only person I cared about wasn’t standing beside me.

Where she belonged.

---

I saw the crowd part before I actually saw him.

But he was a foot taller than most people, and he had a presence that made everyone else’s seem insignificant. Like a shark circling prey, he took his time getting to me, wanting my heart rate to spike just so he could listen to it in the water.

But my pulse remained exactly the same.

There wasn’t a single person in the world who intimidated me.

And the one person who could get my heart rate to spike was a woman—which she did from a single look.

He approached me with the same expression of confidence. He didn’t have a drink in his hand like everyone else, and one hand rested in the pocket of his slacks. His jaw was cleanly shaven, his eyes were dark, and he wore a subtly contentious expression. He stopped in front of me, facing me head on.

I met his look but didn’t extend my hand.

He didn’t initiate the gesture either.

Everyone was too busy with their company to notice us. Only Pine was aware of the situation because he was standing beside me. He took the cue and found something else to do.

Another minute of silence.

Hostility.

Eyes full of rage.

The standoff seemed to last forever.

He approached me, so I refused to speak first. The last thing he ever said to me was a threat—which he executed. I wasn’t going to put my cards on the table when I didn’t know what game we were playing. Maybe he wanted to play blackjack when I was only prepared for a round of poker.

He clenched his jaw slightly before he finally said something. “Excellent speech.”

I wasn’t expecting a compliment—even if it was empty. “Thank you.”

“I remember when you asked me to help you on your first speech. You were running for president of your eighth-grade class.” His eyes shifted back and forth as he looked into mine, absorbing every single expression I made. My face was a mask, but he searched for more anyway. “Diesel, do you remember that?”

Like it was yesterday. “Yeah. I won.”

He nodded. “Yes, you did. Because I raised a winner.”

His words didn’t seem like a threat on the outside, but I knew everything exchanged in this conversation would be a veiled warning. I thwarted both of his plans, and he didn’t swallow that well.

“I shouldn’t have underestimated you.”

“No, you shouldn’t have.”

He looked me up and down, as if he were sizing me up. “I won’t make that mistake again.” He prepared to walk away.

I kept my guard up, waiting for anything. He would never raise a fist to me or do something to draw attention to us both, but he was also unpredictable.

He turned back to me slightly, having one more thing to say. “Tell Titan I said hello. I’m sure you’ll see her later tonight.”