Autumn

Lance Palmberg and I sat together at a table in the bar of the hotel. The festivities for the day had died down, and now everyone was enjoying their evening. People tended to network after the conference ended, and when I ran into Lance, we decided to get a drink. He’d stopped by my office a few times in an attempt to recruit me to work for his company. It was a lot smaller than mine, but at the same time, it was a chief competitor.

“So now you are partners with Tatum Titan.” He shook his head and didn’t touch his beer. The bubbles continued to rise to the surface, and the foam remained on top. “Pretty incredible accomplishment. How did that happen?”

“She offered to buy me out. I said no.”

“And then asked to partner with you?” he asked in surprise.

“No. I asked her. I told her I wouldn’t sell for any price.”

“Wow,” he said with a chuckle. “She obviously thinks your company is the real deal.”

I spent all of my time in the lab, constantly reworking numbers and improving projects as I worked on them. I didn’t just want to produce something for the world to consume. I wanted to make the best possible innovation. I wanted my name to be revered, just the way Titan’s was. “I think she values my work.”

“Of course, she does. You’re the most brilliant student out of MIT.”

“I dropped out after the first semester.” I couldn’t take credit for an education I never received. To be accepted at such a prestigious university was a compliment, and a lot of people thought I was crazy for dropping out.

“Oh, that’s right. I remember.” Lance was young, an apprentice at his father’s company. He’d slowly moved up in the ranks, and now he was in the process of heading the company.

It was unfortunate because it would be out of business in the next five years.

“So I’m guessing there’s no chance for me to recruit you anymore?”

“No, I’m sorry.”

“And there’s no price?” he asked. “Because I can pay anything.”

I shook my head. “It’s not about the money.”

“Now that you’re working with Tatum, money is the last thing on your mind.”

“You want my advice?”

“Advice on what?” He finally took a sip of his beer.

“If I were you, I’d break into another niche while you still can. Titan and I are going to break into this space and monopolize it. There are a lot of other specialties you could focus on. I would improve solar energy for houses since Tatum and I are more focused on commercial progress…just an idea.”

“I’ll consider that.”

“Or, if you’re going to sell…do it now. Don’t wait until we go public in a few weeks.”

“My dad is pretty stubborn. He’s been working in energy since he was young. It’s not something he can just walk away from.”

“Well…you need to adapt or die.” It was the cold and hard truth, but that was how it was. Sometimes you had to take the deal you didn’t want to take just to survive. But that was how the world worked.

He gave a slight nod. “I suppose.”

“You’re young. You have a lot of time to figure out your place. Don’t be discouraged.”

“That means a lot coming from a genius like you,” he said with a smile.

I hated being reduced like that. People labeled me based on my intelligence, but I was more than just a scientist. I was a woman with hobbies and a nice laugh. I was someone who enjoyed sports and a brisk jog in the park. But that wasn’t what people saw. They wrote off all my difficult decisions as easy because I was so intelligent…but no amount of intelligence could make things easy. “How are the wedding plans?”

“Easy.”

I chuckled. “Then your fiancée must be doing everything.”

“Exactly,” he said. “That’s why it’s easy.”

I looked past Lance’s shoulder and spotted a man step into the lobby from the elevator. In dark jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, he displayed a chiseled, muscular form. With dirty-blond hair and blue eyes, he was a beautiful man. Tall and rigid, he had a lean, athletic build just like a soccer player.

My heart immediately began to race. Even at this distance, I knew exactly who it was. I wished my stomach didn’t tighten with butterflies. I wished my thighs wouldn’t press together so tightly. My cheeks flushed with heat, and I suddenly felt his kiss without touching his lips. That man had reduced me to a woman desperate for passion—desperate for him. I’d never felt the shake in my hands like I did with him. I’d loved Max with all my heart, but he never made me tremble the way Thorn did. With Thorn, I felt like the most beautiful woman in the world—even if he didn’t say it.

It was smart to walk away from him when I did. If I stayed any longer, I would have drowned. Right now, I was still hurting like someone punctured one of my lungs. I tossed and turned when I slept because he wasn’t beside me. In a short amount of time, I’d become attached to a man I’d vowed to never fall for her.

I broke that promise.

Flings were fun. Getting dressed up and having dinner with a pretty man was always a good time. Hot and meaningless sex was always great too. There was no meaning behind it, but that’s what made it so wonderful.

But fucking Thorn was never meaningless.

I wished we were still fucking.

“Ms. Alexander?”

I stopped staring at Thorn and returned my look to Lance. “I’m sorry…I just remembered something.”

“I have to make a call real quick. Do you mind if I step outside?”

“Of course not.”

“Be right back.” He smiled before he walked to the other side of the lobby.

I turned my gaze back to Thorn, who was walking this way. He was dressed casually, my favorite way to see him. He filled out his suits like a model on a billboard, but his body looked the best in t-shirts. His body stretched the fabric in all the right places. His arms stretched the sleeves until they nearly ripped. He was all muscle and no fat—dreamy.

He walked toward the bar, obviously not seeing me yet. He looked just as irritated as he had earlier that morning. His hair was combed now, but he still wore a pissed look in his eyes. Diesel told me Thorn was miserable too, and now that I stared at his depression, I actually felt bad for him.

Even though I felt a million times worse.

His eyes snapped in my direction, and he couldn’t contain the surprise on his face. He slowed down his pace, taking me in a little longer. We hadn’t said more than a few words to each other since we saw each other that morning. It wasn’t awkward to be together.

It was just painful.

Our last night together kept coming to mind. I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t want to go in the morning. I had to force myself to leave, to walk out of his penthouse with dignity.

But I was getting tired of holding on to my dignity.

He considered just walking by, but something pulled him in my direction. He walked up to my table then noticed the nearly full glass of beer beside me. I was drinking scotch, so he knew I was with someone else. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Just saying a single word to him hurt. I wanted to return to a normal relationship, but that didn’t seem possible anymore. Thorn was such a beautiful man that I couldn’t look at him without feeling my entire body float in midair. Ever since the first time I’d laid eyes on him, I’d thought he was the sexiest man in the world—not one of the sexiest. Sleeping with him was like being with my celebrity crush. I thought I would get him out of my system, but I found myself wanting him more. “Lance Palmberg and I were talking about work. He had to step away to talk to his fiancée.” Truth be told, I had no idea who he was talking to, but I didn’t want Thorn to think I was on a date or something. Diesel recommended trying to make Thorn jealous, but I didn’t want to do that. Playing games wasn’t my style.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw Lance talking away in the corner, pacing back and forth. He slowly turned back to me, his hands sliding into his pockets. “Still working, huh?”

“Lance and I have a history.”

“What kind of history?” he asked.

“He tried to recruit me to work for his company a few years ago. That was before my company took off. Now we’re talking about my working relationship with Titan, and I’m giving him advice about what to do about his father’s company. I don’t think they’ll last with the competition, and I’m not just saying that out of arrogance. They’re a good, family company, and I don’t want to see them lose everything.”

“That’s nice of you. People in business are a lot more cutthroat than that.”

“Money isn’t everything,” I said quietly. “I know Titan would have done the same thing.”

“She adheres to a different code of ethics than the rest of us.”

“And I wonder where she learned it…” I took a drink to cover up my nerves. He always made me nervous. I wondered if he’d ever noticed before. Keeping my confidence was always important when I felt intimidated, but I wasn’t sure how effective I was.

“Not me. I’m ruthless.”

“You’re full of it.”

He gripped the chair he stood behind and continued to stare at me. His angry look slowly morphed into an expression of sorrow. The second he walked me out of his penthouse, he seemed morose. Now he was still in the same state of sadness.

I crossed my legs just so I had something to do.

Thorn didn’t walk away even though our conversation had died away. Now we had nothing to talk about. We didn’t always have much to say, but when we were alone together, it was okay not to talk.

We usually did other things.

“Are you going out?” I asked, unable to find a better conversation starter.

“Not sure. I’ve been in my room for a while and wanted to stretch my legs. What about you?”

“When we’re done with our drink, I’ll probably go to bed.”

He nodded, his blue eyes locked on mine.

The second I mentioned bed, I thought of sharing it with him. “Are you going to visit your parents?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Good. You told them you were here?”

“Yeah. Mom is all excited…”

I smiled, imagining a woman with blond hair and blue eyes. “That’s cute.”

“Titan is coming along because she’s close with my family, so she’s bringing Diesel too. They want to meet him.”

“That’s nice.”

He stared at me for another moment, the silence becoming tense. “Would you like to come?”

To meet his parents? That sounded like a terrible idea. “That’s nice of you to offer, but that’s okay.”

“My mom is a great cook. And Titan insists they’re both great company. We could have some fun…you should come.”

It was the second time he’d asked me, and now it didn’t seem like he was doing it out of politeness. Maybe he really wanted me there. I would love to see his parents, to see where he came from. He was an incredible man, so he must come from a wonderful family. “Okay, I’ll come.”

“Great. My brother will be there, so just ignore him.”

“Why would I ignore him?”

“Because he’ll think you’re hot and try to land you.”

“Really?” I asked in surprise.

“He’s a bigger manwhore than I am, if you can believe it.”

“I can’t, actually.”

He grinned then looked away. “I guess I’ll let you get back to your conversation.”

I didn’t want him to leave. “Alright. Have a great night.”

“I’ll try…but I’m sure it’ll be boring.” He held on to the back of the chair as he stared at me. His knuckles turned white from gripping it so hard. A quiet sigh escaped his lips, and he finally released the chair. “Good night, Autumn.” The last time he’d said my name, it didn’t sound right. Now it didn’t sound right again. I was used to hearing him call me baby. Knowing he would never call me that again brought on another wave of sadness.

“Good night, Thorn.”

He finally walked away, turning his back on me. His muscles shifted under his t-shirt, and his jeans were tight on his ass. He was a powerhouse of a man, beautiful from head to toe.

I stared at him until he was gone from sight. When I couldn’t see him anymore, I let out a sigh…dreading going to bed alone later that night.