Diesel

My baby never showed weakness.

She stared in the mirror and finished her makeup with the same calm she always possessed, but now she seemed even more certain of herself. Her spine was a little straighter, her shoulders were back farther. She looked herself in the eye with the same respect every woman should show herself on a regular basis.

But now that I knew her better than anyone, I knew it was just a mask.

The stronger she seemed, the more vulnerable she was. She tried to compensate for the nerves by pretending they didn’t exist at all. The only reason I knew that was because I knew her better than anyone now—even Thorn.

I came up behind her and smacked my large palm against her perky ass in her skirt. My lips moved to her ear, and I stared at her reflection in the mirror, seeing the way she stiffened at my touch. She held my gaze with the same intensity I showed. “A queen has no reason to be nervous. All the peasants in that room should be nervous.” I gripped her ass harder before I let go.

“I’m not nervous.”

“Let’s not lie to each other. Not now and not ever.” My hands moved to her waistline, my fingers resting right under the curves of her tits in her black blouse. I felt her body expand with every breath she took, and I could feel her erratic heartbeat too. Sometimes it raced because of me. But now I knew it was racing for an entirely different reason.

Her hand glided across my forearm, my mother ring’s sitting on her left hand.

I wanted to lift her leg onto the counter and fuck her against the bathroom sink, but I knew she was short on time.

When it came to making love, I didn’t like to be rushed.

“Alright,” she whispered. “No lies.”

“Tell me why you’re nervous.”

“I always get nervous with big crowds. The more impressive I am, the more people despise me. The taller you stand, the more people look up to stare at you. The more eyes on you, the more problems. It’s just how it is. When a man stands up there and dominates, he inspires people. But when a woman does it…people question whether she deserves it.”

“I know you deserve it,” I whispered against her ear. “And so do a lot of people. Don’t concentrate on the assholes. It’s the quickest way to live an unhappy life. You’re better than them, so who cares what they think. You know the truth.” I squeezed the area around her ribs slightly. “Now, don’t be nervous. Pretend I’m the only one out there.”

The corner of her mouth rose in a smile. “Can I pretend you’re naked?”

I pressed a kiss to her neck. “Pretend all you want. But I want you to see the real thing as soon as you’re finished.”

“You’ve got yourself a very perverted deal.”

“Well, you are a pervert.” I smacked her ass again before I walked away.

---

I sat beside Thorn in the second row. He looked well rested despite the night he must have had. He wore gray slacks with a black collared shirt, dressed casually but not informally. I flattened my tie against my chest and caught a blond woman staring at me from the end of the row.

My engagement to Tatum was public information now, so I didn’t understand why eyes lingered on me longer than they should. Perhaps they didn’t take it seriously, or perhaps my commitment to a woman made them wonder if they could get that same commitment from me. Whatever the reason, it annoyed me.

I hoped men didn’t stare at her so much anymore—with that big rock on her finger.

“How’s it going?” I rested my ankle on my opposite knee then glanced at my watch.

“No complaints.” His grin indicated there was a much bigger story behind his words.

“That’s all you’re gonna give me?”

He chuckled. “I’m a gentleman.”

“Since when?”

“Since I found the right lady to turn me into a gentleman.”

“Fair enough. So things are good?”

“Oh yeah.” He gave a nod. “Let’s just say we haven’t gone to bed yet. Well…we haven’t gone to sleep yet.”

I’d never seen Thorn smile so many times in a single interaction. He was usually serious to the point of boredom. But now his body was relaxed, his grin was constant, and he had the look of true happiness in his eyes. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Autumn is incredible. I know I’d be miserable picking up some random woman somewhere else…so I thought I would give it a try. And if she were with some other guy, it would drive me absolutely insane.”

If a man even looked at Titan wrong, I’d bite his head off. “I think you made the right call.”

“I’m not single anymore…it’s strange.”

“You’ll get used to it.” I’d lived the single life for my entire adulthood, and once Tatum came into my world, I knew those days were over. I hung up my former self and said goodbye to those days for good. I’d never looked back once. “It’s a new kind of happiness, a kind that you need…when you’re ready to accept the responsibility.”

“Responsibility?” he asked.

“Yeah. It’s your job to take care of this woman twenty-four seven.”

“You’re thinking of marriage.”

“No,” I corrected. “If she’s your woman, she’s your responsibility.”

“I guess that’s true,” he said in agreement. “I want to make her happy, so I guess I don’t mind.”

“And that’s how you know you’ve found the one.”

His eyes shifted away as he thought to himself. His face hardened once more, the smile gone and the seriousness set in place. “When did you know Titan was the one?”

There wasn’t a specific memory that came to mind. We screwed for a while before feelings began to develop. But right from the beginning, I respected her in a way I hardly respected anyone. She was an admirable woman, always taking the high road, even when other people tried to cut her down. She earned the respect of her peers with her poise and success. She was the smartest person I’d ever met, and that was obvious the first time we spoke. My obsession started at the same time. I pursued her relentlessly, unsure what I even wanted at the time. “I guess the first time I met her.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Not possible. You didn’t know anything about her.”

“I don’t think I needed to know anything. I just knew she was one-of-a-kind. It takes a lot to earn my respect, but she did it instantly. Not too many people can say that.”

“Respecting someone and loving them are two different things.”

“But you need to respect someone before you love them. What drew you to Autumn in the first place?” I didn’t know Autumn very well, but I knew her allure was her intelligence and success. Thorn responded to it because he was impressed by it. “She’s playing with the big boys and kicking ass. She earned your respect the first time you met her. And that’s why you’re head over heels and stupid in love.”

“I never said I was in love with her,” he said quietly.

“You aren’t?” I challenged.

Thorn looked away this time, avoiding my gaze like the answer was written in his eyes. He focused on the stage, and as if luck was on his side, the presentation began. Tatum and Autumn walked to the podium, possessing the elegance of two world leaders and the beauty of two models. With perfect poise, professional smiles, and enough confidence to make everyone else in the room feel unsure of themselves, they started right away.

I got comfortable and watched my fiancée rock the room.

And I was hard the entire time.

---

Once the presentation was over and people swarmed Tatum to introduce themselves or pick her brain about her new product launch, she was swallowed up the attention she’d been anticipating. Autumn was in the same position, being pulled in different directions as people battled for a moment of her time.

I wasn’t going to wait until everyone else was done to talk to my woman.

I walked right up to her, ignored the suit she was talking to, and wrapped my arm around her waist. “You did great, baby.” With fifty pairs of eyes on us, I leaned down and kissed her on the mouth.

She immediately kissed me back, despite the conversation she was in the middle of having. “Thank you.”

I moved my lips to ear. “Your legs make me hard.”

She smiled at the comment and brushed it off. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“I’m going to get a drink. Join me when you’re finished.”

“Alright.”

I kissed her on the cheek before I let her go. Now that I was finished with her, people could have her attention. But since I was the man marrying her, I got to have her attention anytime I wanted it.

Thorn came to my side at the bar. “Aren’t our ladies sexy? People are hanging all over them right now.”

I ordered my scotch then turned to look at them. They were both swarmed by people at the massive gathering. Autumn and Tatum weren’t standing together, so they drew two individual crowds together. “Very.”

“No one even cares about us,” he said with a chuckle. “Kinda nice.”

“I guess we’ll both have to get used to sharing the spotlight.”

“I don’t mind in the least,” Thorn said. “The spotlight is overrated.”

“True.”

We enjoyed our drinks, watching our ladies control the room and everyone in it.

“I forgot to tell you…” Thorn set his drink on the bar. “There hasn’t been time, and I didn’t want Titan to know about it.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” I sighed as I stared at my drink.

“Bridget came by my office a few days ago.”

I’d hoped Bridget would only make the one appearance before she faded away. Tatum didn’t want anything to do with her, and I wasn’t sure what Bridget wanted. Tatum had already been through a lot, and I didn’t want to stack anything else on her plate. “What did she say?”

“She was looking for Titan.”

I pivoted my body toward him, my back facing Tatum and Autumn in the center of the conference room. “What does she want?” After what Bruce did to my woman, I’d become a very paranoid man. Everyone seemed to be a threat.

“She said Titan’s near-death experience made her realize she wanted a relationship with her. She wanted the opportunity to apologize and possibly start over. She wants to know Titan…”

All of that sounded nice on paper, but Tatum wasn’t as sympathetic. She didn’t need a relationship with her long-lost mother because she was a grown woman who didn’t need anything anymore. She was still connected to her father’s spirit, hallucinating about him under anesthesia. She’d never felt empty because her mother walked out on her. “Do you believe her?”

“I told her she wouldn’t get a dime from Titan. She said she wasn’t looking for money, that she has plenty of it. You never really know when it comes to stuff like that…and I can’t read her. She seems genuine, but you never know what someone’s intentions are.”

“This was the second time she tried to speak to her. There will probably be a third.”

“Maybe.”

Tatum did everything she could to bring my father and me back together. My father did a lot of terrible things, but now I didn’t think about his sins anymore. When I looked at my father, I saw a man I admired—and loved. Love was the most powerful thing in this world, and it could nullify even the worst crimes. I wondered if I should do the same for Tatum, to make her reunite with the one parent she still had left. But the situations were different. My father never abandoned me. My mother died, and he did the best he could without her. Bridget took off and left. “I’m not sure what to do.”

“Me neither.”

“I think they should sit down together and talk.”

“Really?” Thorn asked in surprise.

“If Bridget is just going to keep coming by the office unannounced, it seems inevitable. At least we can do this on our terms if we plan for it.”

“I guess.” He drank from his glass then licked his lips. “But Titan will never go for it.”

“I’ll talk to her.”

“Titan won’t agree even to make this woman go away. She doesn’t negotiate with anyone, and after what happened with Bruce Carol, she’ll be even more stubborn about it—which I respect her for.”

“This is different. It’s her mother.”

Thorn shook his head. “That’s not how she sees it. This woman isn’t her mother. She’s just someone who shares her DNA.”

“And she has two brothers. I’d want to know if I had a brother.”

“But since she doesn’t see Bridget as her mother, I doubt she’ll view them as brothers.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But I know Titan understands Bridget’s the only family she has. Other than you and me, she’s completely alone. If she were to get to know her mother and her two brothers…she wouldn’t be the last of her line.”

“I don’t know…” He shook his head. “Titan has never needed anyone.”

“Bullshit. She needs you and me.”

“That’s different,” he said. “We’ve earned her trust. This woman walks back into Titan’s life almost thirty years after she left her. You don’t just get to do that. She left, so she forfeited her right to stop by Titan’s office whenever she feels like it.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said. “But I keep thinking about my relationship with my father. Tatum put us back together, and now I’m so grateful she did. I was so angry with him. I even hated him. And now…I’m grateful he’s in my life again. Tatum may feel angry or indifferent about her mother. But if she really could start a relationship with her, it might make her happy.”

“It might…but it might not too.”

Now that Tatum was going to be my wife, I viewed our relationship differently. Like a guardian, I tried to decide what was best for her. I respected her decisions, but sometimes I felt the pressure to override her to do the right thing. Was reconnecting with her mother the right thing to do? Or was Tatum right not to care? Should I just leave it alone? Or should I jump in?

“What are you going to do?” Thorn stared at me, knowing I was thinking about it deeply.

“Not sure yet.” I dragged my finger around the rim of my glass.

“Whatever it is, you should wait until after the wedding.”

“Definitely.”

“Can you believe you’re gonna be a married man in a week?” Thorn asked incredulously. “Did you ever think that would happen?”

“Not once.” I thought I would be a permanent bachelor. I’d never been against relationships, but I’d never met a woman I wanted to spend more than a week with. And then I met Tatum, the hardest woman I’d ever met. She fascinated me right from the beginning…and I never looked back.

“Nervous?”

“About?”

He shrugged. “Marriage in general.”

“Marriage in general makes me nervous. Marriage to Tatum does not.”

The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “Not a single doubt?”

“Nope.” Tatum was the one. I didn’t believe in the one until I met mine. She was the only woman I would ever give my name to. She was the only woman strong enough to wear it. The fact that she agreed to take it despite her stubbornness was a torch of her love for me.

“You sound pretty certain.”

“Come on, it’s Tatum Titan. A lot of guys would kill to be in my shoes.”

He nodded in agreement. “Very true.”

I wasn’t referring to Thorn specifically when I said that, but he didn’t seem to take my words offensively.

“So, did you guys decide how you’re combining this empire? Prenup? How are you handling your businesses that are in competition? Is she selling her place, or are you selling yours?”

Thorn spoke about the legal ramifications of a lifetime so casually. “Don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” he asked in disbelief. “You’re getting married in seven days. You should figure it out.”

I’d been dreading the conversation, and since Tatum hadn’t brought it up, I knew she was too. She was constantly focused on important matters, so her disregard for our legal union was clearly on purpose. “I realize that.” I shook my glass then downed the rest of it.

“Any couple with money always has a prenup,” Thorn said. “It makes sense for the two of you.”

“I suppose.”

“It’s not like Titan will get upset about it. She has an entire empire to protect, so do you. If you got divorced, she would technically get alimony because you make a few billion more than she does, but she would never take it. She’s a very proud woman like that.”

The word divorce hurt my stomach. I’d lost her once, and I never got over it. And when I almost lost her again…it nearly killed me. Divorce was a word that should be prohibited from our marriage. I never wanted to hear it out of her mouth, and I’d never let it fly out of my mind.

“I’m sure you have a good lawyer for the prenup, but I know a great guy if you need one.”

I didn’t have anyone in mind, but I didn’t ask for the contact.

Thorn drank from his glass then eyed me. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah…I just don’t like thinking about these things.”

“Trust me, Titan won’t get upset. I promise you, she wants a prenup. You aren’t gonna offend her.”

“She said that to you?”

“No, not technically. We agreed to have one in ours.”

That was a different situation. “That’s not why I don’t want to bring it up.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

I wanted to spend my life with Tatum because I was madly in love with her. Her money didn’t mean anything to me, but the work she did to earn it turned me on. She was independent and fierce, but underneath that hardness, she was so soft—for me. I wanted to be the man to take care of her, to be the powerhouse partner she needed. Only a strong man could handle such a capable woman. “I don’t want a prenup.”

---

We returned to New York late that night. Thorn’s driver took Autumn and him home, and Tatum’s took us back to her penthouse. We hadn’t discussed where we would live as husband and wife, but it didn’t make a difference to me. Our penthouses were about the same size, and they both had extraordinary views. The only reason we were at her place most of the time because she had been recovering from her injuries.

But I’d live wherever she wanted.

I carried the bags into the bedroom and peeled off my jacket. Too tired to put it where it belonged, I tossed it over one of the armchairs in the small living space in front of the TV.

She immediately kicked off her heels and left them on the floor. She was a neat freak, so her abandonment obviously meant she was just as exhausted. She disappeared into the bathroom and washed her face.

I tossed my clothes on the floor and looked at my watch before I set it on the dresser. It was two in the morning, and we both had to go into the office in a few hours. As the owners of our respective companies, we could do whatever we wanted. But having the right kind of discipline was what got us here in the first place.

I got into bed and set my alarm on my phone. My eyes were heavy with exhaustion, but I didn’t close them just yet.

Titan came out of the bathroom after her nightly routine. She washed her face, used a special microdermabrasion machine to cleanse her face, and then she had a line of creams that she applied to different areas of her face, like the corners of her eyes, her eyelids, and her cheeks. It must be her secret to radiant and young skin because she looked just as beautiful without makeup as she did when she had it on.

In one of my t-shirts, she crawled into bed beside me. A sigh escaped her lips as she moved to the center of the bed, soaking in my body heat the second she was against me. She closed her eyes and rested her hand on my chest.

I rolled her onto her back and moved on top of her.

“Diesel, I’m so tired…and I washed off my makeup.”

“You think I care if you’re tired?” I sank her into the mattress with my size and widened her thighs with my knees. “And you look fucking beautiful without makeup.” I held myself on my forearms and shoved myself inside her. She wasn’t as wet as she normally was, but after a few seconds, it would be there. I started to thrust, our bodies moving together with momentum due to my size. It was a lazy fuck, about getting off as quickly as possible before bed. It would be easy to skip sex and just go to sleep, but now that I’d almost lost her, I didn’t take anything for granted.

I loved her like it was the last chance I had.

She got into it after a few minutes, her fingers yanking on my hair. She rocked her hips back with me, taking my dick with the same enthusiasm as she received it. Her pants filled the room, the sexy sounds that filled my fantasies. It took her longer to come than usual, but her orgasm was just as explosive as all the others. “Diesel…”

I didn’t drag it out because I’d completed my mission. I came inside her, filling my woman with as much seed as she could get. I kissed her neck and pressed my teeth against her collarbone. The most amazing woman in the world was underneath me, and I would be the only man who got to be on top of her for the rest of her life.

We would be just like this—forever.

---

I left the office, and my driver took me to Illuminance, where Tatum’s main office was.

I sat in the back seat with my phone pressed to my ear. My father had called on my way out the door.

“How’d the conference go?”

“Tatum killed it.”

“Not surprised.”

“She owned that room,” I said proudly. “People say whatever they want to say about her behind her back, but once she’s on that stage, they shut their mouths. They know she’s the queen—and they’re just fucking peasants.”

My father paused over the line. “Something happen?”

“Some asshole made a comment about her ass… I didn’t appreciate it.”

“Did you do something about it?”

“Fuck yes, I did. I poured his drink over his head and told him to fuck off.”

“Good,” my father said proudly. “Humiliate him, don’t hit him.”

“He eventually apologized to me. I knew it was just because he understood he was missing a great opportunity with Tatum, but whatever.”

“At least he apologized.”

“Tatum threatened not to work with him unless he did.”

He chuckled. “That woman doesn’t even need you, Diesel. She can handle her own.”

“And I can handle everyone else that crosses her when she’s not looking.”

“That’s what a man’s purpose is. Other than that, how did it go?”

“It was alright. They’re all the same after a while.”

“But this was the first one where you and Tatum were together.”

“That was a nice change.” People watched us the entire time, and when they saw me talking to Thorn, they were probably confused. But none of us gave a damn. “How are you?”

“Pretty good. I was hoping the three of us could have dinner this week. Something I want to talk to you about.”

“You know I’m getting married on Saturday, right?” I didn’t need any extra bullshit this week.

“It’s nothing bad. Just want to tell you in person.”

“Alright. Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow it is. I’ll talk to you later, son.”

“Bye, Dad.”

When I hung up the phone, the car was pulling up to the building. I got inside then rode the elevator all the way to the top floor. It was near the end of the afternoon, so Tatum would be leaving soon. I thought I would catch her and escort her home. If she knew I was doing it on purpose, she would tell me to take a hike. So I pretended I just wanted to see her. It was partially true, at least.

I walked past her assistants and headed right to her office. I didn’t even need to knock on the door. I just stepped inside.

She was sitting at her white desk reading a folder of papers. Her face was tilted down, and the light hit her features in the most exquisite way. If her doors weren’t constructed of glass, I’d fuck her right on her desk.

My heavy footfalls against the hardwood floor announced my presence.

She looked up, probably assuming it was me since I was the only one who had the right to step inside her office like that. “Hey.”

“Hey, baby.” I came around the desk and leaned down to kiss her.

She abandoned what she was working on and kissed me back, her lips enthusiastic. “What brings you here?” Her mouth moved against mine.

I kissed her again, giving a slight tug on her bottom lip. “You.”

“That’s all you’re going to give me?”

I righted myself then took a seat in the chair facing her desk. I unbuttoned the front of my jacket before I sat down and rested my ankle on the opposite knee. My slacks rose slightly, revealing my black socks underneath. “I don’t need a reason.”

The corner of her lip rose in a smile before she shut the folder and placed it in the drawer. “I suppose not.”

“My father wants to have dinner with us tomorrow night. Said he has something to tell us.”

“Ooh…I think I know what it is.” Her smile widened. “I told him to give Scarlet Blackwood a real chance. I hope he listened to me.”

“Who’s Scarlet Blackwood?”

“Editor in chief of Platform. Your father met her when she interviewed him.”

Tatum had mentioned it, but I didn’t get involved in my father’s personal life. It was none of my business. He didn’t stick his nose in mine either. “I see.” I rested the side of my face against my fingertips, my eyes glued to the woman who would be my wife on Saturday. I never pictured what I wanted in a wife when I was growing up, but I imagined if I had, this was how she would look. I just didn’t think I’d ever be lucky enough to score a woman like her. Sexy, smart, and with a splash of ruthlessness, she was perfect. She was the kind of woman who knew what she wanted—and wasn’t afraid to take it. “Since we’re getting married in six days, I thought we should have a talk. You know what I’m talking about.” Discussing it in someone’s office was better than doing it in our personal space. At least we could leave our anger at the door if it came down to it.

Her smile slowly faded away. “You’re right. We should.” She brought her hands together on the desk, her fingers interlocking together. As if this were a business meeting, she turned stern. The playful affection was no longer in her eyes.

It reminded me of our first negotiation, when we were both trying to get what we wanted. Neither one of us was willing to let the other have the upper hand. We were constantly trying to outsmart each other.

I didn’t want to repeat that.

Tatum still didn’t speak.

I didn’t say anything either.

The silence stretched on, our eyes locked on each other.

Neither one of us wanted to go first without knowing what the other was thinking.

She finally cleared her throat. “Perhaps we should treat this as a business arrangement. That’s pretty much what a marriage is.”

“Maybe your marriage to Thorn. But certainly not ours.” The only reason I was marrying her was for love, because I couldn’t live without her.

“That’s not how I meant it, Diesel. You know that.”

We were already off to a rough start.

“We both have a lot of personal wealth. We have our own businesses. I say we operate the same way we always have. You take care of your stuff, and I handle mine. When we leave the office, we go home to each other and have our personal time.”

“But we aren’t utilizing each other’s potential. There are a lot of things I can do for you, Tatum. And there are certainly a lot of things you can do for me. If we truly merge everything together, we could have a completely different kind of empire.”

“Yes…but it could get complicated.”

“We’re both very logical people.”

“Even so…we’re both very independent. We like having our own space.”

“I never said we couldn’t have our own space,” I said quietly. “But keeping everything rigidly separate seems unrealistic.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair, her feelings stoically hidden.

“We’re a team, baby. We should act like it.”

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t. We both have so many projects. Merging together would just take—”

“And we have a lifetime to do it.”

She sighed quietly, her painted lips pressing hard together. “It’ll make the prenup extremely complicated.”

So she did want a prenup.

I swallowed the burn all the way down to my stomach. It was just a piece of paper, a precaution that kept everything organized. It was an easy escape plan if our life together fell apart. It crossed the t’s and dotted the i’s. I shouldn’t take it so personally, but I did. “I don’t want a prenup.”

Her features remained exactly the same, but slowly, her hard expression softened. “It’s just a precaution—”

“I don’t need a precaution, baby.” I held her gaze, ignoring the throbbing pain in my chest. “I’m coming into this knowing it’s going to last forever. If you don’t feel the same—”

“I do, Diesel. But from a business standpoint, it’s just a smart thing to do. It’s not any different from getting a trust. You probably won’t get hit by a bus, but it’s good to have plans laid out just in case you do.”

I understood her opinion because I knew her thought process so well. But when it came to Tatum, I thought emotionally rather than logically. That was what this woman did to me. Almost losing her made me hold on to her even tighter. We’d been given a second chance, and I didn’t want to waste it. “If you really want a prenup, I’ll do it. But I’d rather do something else.”

“What did you have in mind?”

There was no other form of legal protection besides a prenup. My idea was something else entirely. “When you wanted to have our arrangement, you wanted to have our own contract and an NDA.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s make our own contract.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know if that would hold up in a court of law.”

“Our marriage has nothing to do with the law.” I respected Titan’s logic. She built an empire all on her own, and she had to protect it. But I was the one who had more to lose, and I was willing to gamble it all—because I knew we would win. “Our contract outlines the parameters of our relationship. It binds us together, and it ensures that we stay together. It’s not any different from when you wanted to marry me for convenience.”

Her expression didn’t change. “Diesel, I still don’t understand.”

I propped my elbow on the armrest and rubbed the pads of my fingers against my thumb. “It’s a document that binds us together. Whenever we hit a rough patch, we turn back to it and the promises we made to each other. It’s like wedding vows, but different. For instance, I promise to always remain faithful to you—no matter what. I also promise to never lie to you—not ever. I expect the same from you, as a business partner. If we have issues, we have to talk about them—no matter how painful they are. If you find yourself falling out of love with me, we need to talk about it and fix whatever problems we have. Same goes for me. The bottom line is, divorce is not an option.”

She considered it quietly, her eyebrow slowly falling. “So it’s the opposite of a prenup?”

“Exactly. I don’t want an escape plan. I want a plan to make this work. No, it’s not legally binding in court, but if we have certain rules, we should never get to that point. It’s a business contract just like anything else.”

“I suppose we can talk about it more.”

So she was still considering the prenup. “Tatum.”

Her eyes shifted back to mine.

“I want all of you, not some of you. If you want to marry me, then no prenup.”

“So, you’re giving me an ultimatum?”

“I’m asking you to put everything on the line, just as I am. We’re in this together.”

She dropped her gaze again, staring at her pen as she considered it. The silence filled the space between us, the tension heavy. Two bosses fought for dominion, and one of us had to give in. “Alright.”

---

We finished dinner, and our glasses of wine remained behind at the dinner table. I already had the contract typed up, so I had two copies on the surface along with two pens. I pushed one copy toward her and watched her eyes glance over the words.

Her hair was pulled over one shoulder, and her eyelashes were thick and long from her mascara. Her tight blouse hugged the swell of her tits perfectly. The idea of their being swollen with pregnancy turned me on. I was excited to see Tatum waddle around the house because she was pregnant with my child. Nothing sexier.

She turned her gaze back to me. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” I turned to the first paragraph. “Cheating and unfaithfulness are completely disallowed. In the event there’s serious temptation, we need to speak to each other about it. But the act is outlawed. No exceptions whatsoever. By signing down below, we both promise to give each other that level of commitment.”

She read it over again before she added her signature.

I did the same.

“What happens if one of us tells the other they’re struggling to remain faithful?”

“We figure out the best course of action. Whether that’s marriage counseling, the removal of the person we’re attracted to, or we discuss having an open relationship. Whatever it may be, we need to talk about it openly. No cheating or lying.”

“I can’t see either one of us cheating…”

It was the first time she said something that cured the ache in my chest. “Me neither, baby. But these rules will ensure nothing ever happens. Divorce is something we can never allow to happen. If we’re both committed to avoiding that under any circumstance, we’ll be together forever.”

“You’re right,” she whispered.

We moved to the next paragraph. “In the event one of us falls out of love…” This section hurt even more than the previous one. I couldn’t imagine ever not loving Tatum the way I did now. The only way it would change was if I loved her more, not less. The idea of her not looking at me the way she did every single day killed me. “We talk about it and resume a business marriage. We renegotiate our terms, whether that’s marriage counseling or an open relationship. But splitting up isn’t an option. We still have a powerful alliance that we can’t lose. We need each other.”

She signed the line.

I did the same.

“This is why the prenup would be easier,” she whispered. “We don’t have to talk about the things we don’t want to think about…”

“It’s painful, but I’d rather make sure I never lose you.”

“Diesel, I can’t see myself cheating or falling out of love with you.” She shook her head. “I tried to get over you once, but I just ended up falling for you harder—and I thought you were a lying cheater at the time.”

“I can’t see that happening with me either, baby. I’m sure we’ll have a long and happy life together. But now we have some reassurance that we’ll always make it work—no matter what gets thrown our way.”

We made our way farther down the list until we got to the section about kids.

“We always keep our relationship issues separate from them,” I said. “Whether we’re fighting or struggling, they’re never included in that. If we decide to have an open relationship, they’re never to find out about it. And whatever happens between us, we always treat each other with respect when we’re around them. We’re role models to them, and they need to be exposed to a healthy relationship, even if we aren’t in love anymore.”

She signed.

I did the same. “That’s it.” The two-page contract was complete. “I’ll make a copy for you.” I gathered the papers then set them off to the side.

“Thanks.”

“All this talk of divorce has made me a bit depressed.”

“Not divorce. We’ll never get divorced, baby.”

“You know what I mean.”

I reached out my hand and grabbed hers. My thumb stroked her knuckles. “We’re going to be together forever—and we’re going to be happy. I just love you so much that I want to make sure I never lose you. I couldn’t be married to you and lose you. It would kill me.” I brought her hand to my lips and kissed it.

“I couldn’t lose you either, Diesel. I would never get over it.”

“Then let’s choose to be happy and in love. Let’s live our lives like we’ll never be apart. I won’t look at another woman as long as you’re my wife, and I know you won’t look at another man as long as I’m your husband.”

She smiled. “I like the sound of that.”

I pushed the papers away then rose to my feet. There was only one thing to do after a conversation like that. I wanted to erase the painful thoughts and the aches in our chest. I wanted to do something that reminded both of us of the connection between our souls. I wanted to feel her love and shower her with mine.

I lifted her onto the dining table and yanked her skirt up to her waist. Her panties were peeled off and dropped on the floor. I pushed my slacks and boxers down so my dick could be free, and I shoved my massive size inside her with a single thrust.

She moaned and dug her fingers into my arms at the exact same time. “God…”

I laid her back against the cherry wood and adjusted her hips perfectly against me. Her stilettos were still on her feet, so I pressed them against my chest, bending her knees underneath me. Instead of fucking her slow and steady, I fucked her hard. I gave it to her good and deep, ramming her with my entire length. Her tightness slowly decreased as she got used to me, but her moans became louder and louder.

She broke her thighs apart and pulled me on top of her, making my face float above hers. She looked into my eyes as she screamed and moaned for me, getting off to a monster cock inside her. “Diesel…” Her fingers ran up my collared shirt, her nails sharp enough to give me deep pressure. “I want you for all my life.”

When her moments of vulnerability came out, I truly felt like a man. Not only did I conquer an unconquerable woman, but I made her trust me. I made her fall so deeply for me that she didn’t hide a single emotion. She wasn’t scared I would hurt her. She trusted me with her heart, trusted me with everything.

That was worth more than the billions sitting in my bank account. It was worth more than my penthouse, my private jet, and my collection of luxury cars. Having the love of Tatum Titan gave me more wealth than all of that put together.

And the love of Tatum Hunt would be even better.

---

Tatum had the same bedtime routine every night. She did it with perfect precision, going through the motions the exact same way every time. She put on different face masks to take care of her skin, and she applied a heavy lotion around her face to keep it hydrated and radiant.

Instead of it being a turn-off, I thought she looked beautiful.

Not too many women could look as beautiful without makeup as they could with it.

The best part was when she opened my drawer and pulled out one of my t-shirts. She did it every single night, picking whatever one was on top and sliding it over her petite body. My shirt was at least three sizes too big for her, so it reached her knees.

That was when she looked the most beautiful.

She walked to her nightstand and set her alarm on her phone.

I was already in bed, my hand behind my head as I watched her.

She turned off the lamp and got into bed beside me. The second her body hit the sheets, she was on my side of the bed, her leg hooked around mine and her arm wrapped around my waist. “Diesel?”

“Yes, baby?” My fingers moved through her hair slowly, touching the soft strands I loved to caress.

“I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”

My fingers halted when I heard what she said. At her last checkup, the doctor said she was completely healed and ready to return to ordinary life. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah. I was going to get my IUD removed.” She propped herself on her elbow and looked down at me. “They say it usually takes a few months for my body to be able to conceive, so I thought I would do it now. But it’s possible I can get pregnant immediately.”

All the stress left my body when I heard what she said.

“Do you still want to do this? Or do you want to wait a while?”

That was what I was looking forward to the most for the honeymoon, knocking her up. “I’m sure, baby. I’m going to have so much fun getting you pregnant. And you’re gonna look damn sexy pregnant.”

She chuckled. “I don’t know about the second part.”

“I do.” My hand moved over her belly on top of the t-shirt. “Little Hunt.”

She moved her hand over mine. “Then, you are sure?”

“Yes. Are you?”

She nodded. “I’ve been looking forward to being a mom for a long time now. I was so close with my father, and I want to have that relationship again, just with me as the parent. And I don’t have anyone in the world I’m actually related to…but now I will.”

“What do you want first? Boy or girl?”

“I don’t care. As long as they’re healthy.”

“I hope we have one of each. Never had a sister, so I kinda have always wanted a girl. But I also want to have a son.”

“We can keep trying until we get one of each.”

I smiled. “Sounds fun to me.”

She rose on her knees and peeled her panties off. “Want to start practicing now?”

My grin widened because it was always sexy to see Tatum want me. “Yes. I need as much practice as I can get.”