Thorn

When I arrived in the lobby, Autumn was the first one there. She was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and skintight denim jeans, and all of her lovely curves were amplified. She wore short booties and had her hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. Most of the time when I saw her, her hair was down and perfectly framed her face. This was the first time I’d seen it back, revealing her slender neck and clearly displaying all of her beautiful features.

I liked it.

She hadn’t noticed me yet, so I took advantage of the moment just to stare at her. Titan made her opinion about the matter perfectly clear, that Autumn meant something to me, and it would be stupid to let her go.

It would be stupid.

And she did mean something to me.

But I cared about her so much that I wanted to protect her.

From myself.

But watching her stand there alone made me wonder if I was protecting her at all. By refusing to give her what she wanted, I was just hurting her anyway. I was hurting too.

She turned slightly and noticed me out of the corner of her eye. She pivoted more, her eyes locking on to mine in intense connection. She didn’t smile the way she used to. Now we just shared constant memories back and forth, swapping them in our silent expressions.

I walked across the lobby and joined her. My eyes raked over her body, seeing the way the fabric hugged her beautiful figure perfectly. Her eye shadow was different this time. She wore a single band on her right hand. Her hair was in a high ponytail, off her neck so she could show off all of her natural qualities. I didn’t say hello or make small talk. “I like your hair…” It was a stupid thing to lead with, but it was the best I could do. I’d always felt intimidated by her sexiness. How could a woman be so perfect?

“Thanks. You look nice too. I like it when you wear t-shirts like that.”

I looked down at myself because I couldn’t recall what I was wearing. “Thanks.”

She looked at her watch then glanced at the painting on the wall. “Not sure where Titan and Diesel are.”

I had a good idea. “They’ll be here soon.” When I looked out the front window, I saw the black SUV with tinted windows. A man stood on the sidewalk in a suit, and I assumed he was our driver ready to take us to dinner. “Thanks for coming.”

“Of course. I can’t say no to a home-cooked meal.”

I smiled when I remembered the one time I cooked for her. She seemed to have enjoyed it. “My mom is pretty good around the kitchen.”

“I can imagine, since you learned from her.”

I slid my hands into my pockets so I wouldn’t touch her. Now the urge to grab her was even stronger than before. I loved it when she smiled at me. Made me feel like the luckiest guy in the room. I wished I wasn’t sleeping alone in a hotel room this weekend. I wished I was making love to her on every piece of furniture in the place.

I wished I was sleeping beside her tonight.

“Are you enjoying the conference?”

“For the most part. There’s a lot of arrogance swirling around when you have so many suits in one room.”

“True.”

“And drama seems to follow Titan wherever she goes.”

“As long as there are sexist assholes in the world, that will always be the case.”

“But I made some good connections and spread the word about our new company. I think people are excited to see our presentation tomorrow. Titan will blow them out of the water.”

“As will you.” I wouldn’t even pay attention to Titan. I’d heard her speak hundreds of times, and I tried not to fall asleep during her presentations. Not because they were boring, but I just didn’t care all that much. But if Autumn were on a stage, I’d watch every move she made. I’d memorize every single word.

“You’re sweet.”

“I’m not trying to be.”

Her eyes softened, and she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to keep her hands to herself just the way I was doing. She cocked her head to the side and released a sigh.

It was so hard to be this close to her without touching her.

I missed her—bad.

Titan and Diesel finally joined us. “Sorry we’re late,” she said. “My meeting ran long.”

Diesel walked slightly behind her and shook his head.

Autumn’s face bunched up, and she tried not to laugh.

A meeting, my ass. “We’re all adults here, Titan. You can just say you were getting laid.”

Titan turned around and flashed Diesel a glare.

He shrugged and didn’t wipe away his grin.

We headed outside and got into the SUV. Titan and Diesel sat in the front, so Autumn and I sat in the back. A seat was in between us, but it wasn’t enough space. I felt like I was sitting too close to her, so close I could smell her perfume. Vanilla and summer mixed together in the intoxicating smell. I missed that scent on my sheets. Now my bed just smelled like me…and it was the smell of loneliness.

Diesel wrapped his arm around Titan’s shoulders and scooted close to her, his face pressed into hers. They shared whispers and kisses on the drive, in love and oblivious to everything else.

I had to watch Diesel love Titan.

And I was jealous. Not jealous he had Titan, but jealous I couldn’t even grab Autumn’s hand.

We left the center of Chicago and receded to the outside of the city center. After twenty minutes, we started to reach the quiet suburbs, where there were more fields than houses. Snow was caked on either side of the road, and the fields of white made the world looked like it was covered in a single blanket.

I tried not to stare at Autumn.

Now we were just five miles away from the house. My mom would be bustling in the kitchen, my dad would be watching TV in his favorite armchair, and my brother would probably be texting a new woman he’d picked up.

Autumn stared out the other window, careful to avoid my gaze.

Now I couldn’t help it. I turned my gaze and stared at her. I pictured my hand running through the strands of her ponytail and then latching on to it. I pictured her swollen lips after a long night of sucking face. I imagined how her pussy tasted on my tongue. There were so many things I wanted to do with her. Just sitting in the car with my arm wrapped around her shoulders would make me happy.

But I didn’t have that.

Now there was a seat between us, but it felt like a mile. I kept the distance between us on purpose even though I could have her whenever I wanted her. By keeping my restraint, I protected both of us. But one day, some charming guy would grow the balls to sweep her off her feet.

She wouldn’t even remember my name.

I’d be in my penthouse with some woman I wouldn’t remember. The sex would be good but not memorable.

She’d get married and start a family.

I might be lucky enough to find a woman who was willing to have a partnership rather than a marriage.

Her life would be full.

Mine would be empty.

Without my even realizing it, we pulled up to the roundabout driveway of my parents’ three-story mansion in the countryside. White with green shutters and a big blue door, it was a dream house. Tall pillars established the large porch that had a perfect view of the horizon.

We came to a stop, and the doors opened.

Diesel and Titan got out first.

Then Autumn went.

I stayed back for a second, my mind overrun with endless thoughts. I wasn’t sure what I was thinking because I was thinking so many things at once. I finally got out of the vehicle and saw Titan and Diesel admiring the house.

Autumn had her hands in her pockets to stay warm, and she was looking up at the house. “Wow, it’s beautiful.”

I didn’t care about the house. Now I was only staring at her.

Diesel and Titan walked up the stairs to the porch. “This place is nice, Thorn,” Diesel said. “I like it.”

I ignored him. My heart was beating so hard I felt winded. My heart and lungs couldn’t work at the same time. I had to choose one or the other, but I needed both to survive. Just as I needed Autumn to survive.

She walked up to the house.

My mom opened the door and screamed when she saw Titan. “Oh, honey. It’s so nice to see you.” She wrapped her in her arms and hugged her. “And who is this you brought with you?”

I quickened my pace to catch up to Autumn. My mom was too busy paying attention to Titan and Diesel to notice her right away, so I still had time. I jogged slightly then reached her at the bottom of the stairs.

I pulled her hand out of her pocket and placed it in mine.

She looked down at our joined hands, confusion on her face.

I squeezed her fingers and pulled her with me.

She didn’t pull away despite how confused she was.

I had been confused the entire drive here, but now I wasn’t.

Titan and Diesel stepped out of the way so I could greet my mother.

“Thorn! My baby—” She stopped when she saw my hand joined with Autumn’s. Her jaw was practically on the ground, and her hands were pressed against her chest.

“Mom, this is my girlfriend, Autumn.”

The look on Autumn’s face was priceless. Her eyes softened in a way they never had before. She squeezed my hand back, a beautiful smile on her face. Her cheeks didn’t redden like they usually would, probably because it was freezing outside.

Titan grinned wider than anyone as she hugged Diesel’s arm. “Aww…”

“Girlfriend?” Mom asked. “I had no idea…”

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” I turned to Autumn. “This is my mom, Liv Cutler.”

Autumn shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Cutler.”

Mom pulled her into a hug instead. “Sweetheart, you’re so beautiful. Please call me Liv.”

“Okay,” Autumn said with a chuckle. “I will.”

“And this is Thorn’s father, Thomas.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Autumn couldn’t stop smiling, probably because of the stunt I had just pulled.

“Let’s get out of the freezing cold and inside.” Mom ushered us inside and helped us with our coats. “Dinner is almost ready. Take a seat at the table. Titan, can I make you a drink? Scotch or whiskey?”

Titan and Diesel moved with her into the kitchen.

Autumn and I were finally alone, and she stared at me, clearly speechless.

I grabbed both of her hands and brought them to my lips, kissing each knuckle. I released them then placed my forehead against hers. “I can’t make any promises…but I want to try.”

“I want to try too,” she whispered.

“Because I don’t want to be with anyone else…and I don’t want to lose you.”

“I don’t want to lose you either.”

I kissed her forehead then pulled away. “I’m sorry I dropped that bomb on you.”

“No, it’s okay,” she said with a smile. “It was a nice surprise.”

A whistle erupted from the hallway, and Tyler appeared from nowhere. “Wow. My brother sure knows how—”

“Mine.” My brother and I got along well enough, and we teased each other a lot. He knew I had an extensive sex life, as did he. The women never meant anything to me, so I didn’t care what he said about them. But Autumn was different, and that needed to be established right from the start.

Tyler dropped his smile then stepped forward. “Pleasure to meet you, Autumn.” He extended his hand and turned into the polite man I expected him to be. “I can’t say that my brother has mentioned you, but judging by his pissed-off expression, I better not cross you. That can only mean one thing—you must be special.” He shook her hand.

“Nice to meet you too.”

“I’m Tyler, Thorn’s younger brother.”

“Hi, Tyler,” she said. “Your parents have a lovely home.”

“Thanks. It was definitely a chick magnet when we were growing up.” He winked then joined everyone else in the kitchen.

I turned back to her, calm now that the introduction was over.

“You and your brother don’t get along?” she asked with a chuckle.

“We do. I just want him to understand you’re off-limits.”

“Off-limits, huh?”

“Yeah.” My arm encircled her waist, and I pulled her into me.

“You and your brother trade women often?”

“We have.”

“Have you brought them to the house before?”

“No…you’re the first.”

Her eyes softened.

“And I wanted to make sure my brother realized that.” I pulled her into my side and kissed her on the mouth, kissing her in a way I’d never kissed anyone before. It felt different from the last time because this kiss was full of hope, not full of goodbye. It was the first time I wasn’t anxious to get naked. I looked forward to a regular evening with my family, talking over wine and gourmet food. I looked forward to just being with her.

My girlfriend.

---

Mom thought Autumn was the most interesting person in the world. “So you started this company all on your own?” My mom had hardly eaten the dinner she’d made because she’d been more involved in the conversation. It started off as a general question about what Autumn did in her free time, and it turned into a biography.

“Well, that wasn’t my intention at the time,” Autumn said. “I was just passionate about my idea, and I wanted to devote all of my time to it. So I got the biggest storage facility I could find and got to work because there wasn’t room at home…and that’s where it began.”

“That’s fascinating.” Mom’s eyes were wide open, like she couldn’t believe everything she was listening to. “Good for you. Reminds me of Titan. It’s so wonderful to hear about women making their own companies. When I was young, that’s not how things were. And I’m so glad my son has excellent taste in women.”

I shouldn’t feel the warmth in my body when my mom said she was proud of me, but I couldn’t help it. I’d always been a mama’s boy. Tyler teased me about it, but I didn’t give a damn. “I never dated Titan, so I really only have great taste in one woman…just to get that out there.” I drank my wine to cover the awkwardness that statement must have caused.

“But Titan’s your best friend, isn’t she?” Mom pressed.

“Of course,” I answered.

“And our choices in friendships mean a great deal too.” Mom rested her hand on Titan’s and gave her a smile.

It seemed like my mom loved both of the women in my life, Autumn and Titan. I was glad Titan was still a part of my family even though it didn’t work out between us. It wouldn’t be the same without her.

“You guys raised the bar pretty high,” Tyler said. “Chicks like that are slim pickings…”

“You’re gonna have to step it up,” I teased. “Women aren’t attracted to lawyers…”

He tore off a piece of bread and chucked it at my face.

I caught it with my mouth and chewed it.

My dad tapped his fork against his glass to get our attention. “Settle down.”

My brother and I tried not to laugh when Dad acted like we were still five.

“Thorn.” Mom turned to me. “Why didn’t you tell me about Autumn when we spoke on the phone yesterday?”

Mom and I talked every day, usually right after lunchtime. If I didn’t call her, she would call me. So I chose to be proactive about it. Thankfully, Mom didn’t stay on the phone longer than fifteen minutes, so it wasn’t a pain. I actually enjoyed talking to her. Dad and I had never been as close, not that we had a poor relationship. “It never came up.”

“How could this perfect woman not come up?” she asked incredulously.

I grinned and turned to Autumn. “The second you’re out of the room, my mom is gonna grill me hard.”

“I’ll grill you now,” Mom said.

“I guess I wanted it to be a surprise,” I said with a shrug. “Come on, you love surprises.”

She smiled before she sipped her wine. “Very true.”

Dodged that bullet.

“How long has this been going on?” Mom asked.

“Honey.” Dad chimed in, his tone clipped. “Now you’re just interrogating him.”

“It’s okay if you wanna embarrass me, Ma,” I said. “Just do it when my lady is in the bathroom or something.”

We finished the meal by talking about Titan and Diesel. My parents were interested in their love story as much as they were interested in mine. Titan was like a daughter to them, even though I would never marry her. Diesel was always pleasant company, now that I knew he wasn’t out to sabotage our every move.

“I have to admit, your father is my celebrity crush,” my mom said.

Diesel smiled, but it was full of awkwardness.

“He’s so handsome. He aged so phenomenally well.”

Dad glared at her. “Hon, I’m right here.”

“Don’t act like you don’t have a celebrity crush too,” she countered.

“But I don’t talk about it in front of our guests,” he countered. “Let alone mention it to her son.”

“It’s okay,” Diesel said with a chuckle. “I understand that he’s an appealing man.”

“He is handsome.” Titan rubbed Diesel’s forearm. “If Diesel looks anything like him at that age, I’ll be a very happy lady.”

Diesel rolled his eyes. “Baby, please don’t tell me you have the hots for my dad.”

“I don’t,” she said. “But I see where you get your good looks from.”

I turned to Autumn and lowered my voice to a whisper. “You don’t think my dad is hot, right?”

She laughed and never answered.

When we were finished, Mom collected the plates and brought them into the kitchen. “Thorn, you wanna help me with the dishes?”

“Sure.” I set my napkin down and joined her in the kitchen. The dishes were stacked and ready to be washed. Whenever we had people over, it had always been my job to wash the dishes while she saved the leftovers. Tyler was supposed to take care of the dessert and take out the trash. Anytime we visited, we were still expected to do these chores. Tyler and I could probably object, but we both refused to deny our mom anything.

I started to rinse the dishes and stack them in the dishwasher.

“Please tell me this one is genuine.”

I looked over my shoulder and saw Mom putting the leftovers in plastic containers. “It’s real.”

“Oh, thank god. You aren’t just saying that to me to keep up the façade?”

“No, Ma.” I grabbed the next plate and rinsed it off. “I’m serious.”

“Good. I’m glad you found someone—and not just anyone. She seems like a lovely woman. Very successful, bright, and beautiful. Sometimes I worry a woman will only like you for your wealth, but a woman of her talents doesn’t need you for anything. That’s how you know it’s the real deal.”

“She definitely doesn’t need me for anything. She’s out of my league.”

“Honey, that’s not true at all.” She came up behind me and rubbed my back. “Don’t ever think otherwise.”

I tried not to laugh at my mom’s inflated opinion of me. “I’m glad you like her.”

“And I’m glad you changed your mind about finding someone.”

“I didn’t change my mind…she changed it for me.”

“Aww…” She grabbed the dishes I had rinsed and set them in the dishwasher. “I hope I live long enough to see both of my sons get married. Nothing would make me happier.”

“Mom, you aren’t old. You’ve got plenty of time.”

“You’re so sweet to me…”

I finished doing the dishes, and she packed up the food. Then she brought out dessert, and Tyler came into the kitchen to help her serve the slices of pie.

I sat beside Autumn again. “Need anything?”

“No.” She kept grinning.

“Why are you smiling at me like that?”

“I walked by the kitchen on the way to the bathroom…”

“And…?”

“I heard you talking to your mom.”

God, the truth was out. “So?”

“I think it’s sweet you’re so close to your mom.”

“Told you I was a mama’s boy. Said that in the beginning, so this isn’t brand-new information.”

“I know you did.” She leaned into me and kissed me on the cheek. “I think it’s cute.”

A kiss on the cheek was below my interests, but when she did it, it made me feel special. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She took a piece of pumpkin pie from Tyler, her gaze distracted from me.

Titan was staring at me across the table. She wore an arrogant smirk and an even more arrogant gaze. She mouthed, “You’re welcome, asshole.”

I grinned then mouthed back. “Thank you. I owe you.”