I walked into the room at ten in the evening, refreshed from sleeping in my own bed and taking a hot shower. I carried the vase of lilies into the room and placed them on the table directly beside her bed.

The second Titan looked at them, her face lit up with excitement. “They’re beautiful…”

I’d picked them up on my way home, and I knew they would liven up her hospital room. There was nothing she loved more than a fresh vase of flowers. They were always in her office and always in her home.

“Lilies…”

“Your favorite, I know.”

She sat up in bed, that usual look of adoration in her eyes. “How did you know?”

The corner of my mouth rose in a smile as I walked to the bed. “Because I know you better than anyone.” I leaned down and kissed her on the mouth, feeling my heart speed up the second my lips were connected to hers. My father was still there, but I didn’t care. I’d almost lost her, and I was going to kiss her whenever the hell I felt like it. I rubbed my nose against hers before I pulled away. “How are you?”

“Good. Your father kept me company all day.”

My father rose from the couch and patted me on the back. “Don’t worry, I didn’t tell her too many embarrassing stories.”

“Better not,” I threatened.

He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

“Bye, Vincent.”

My father walked out and shut the door behind him.

I noticed how close Titan and my father had become over the last few months. They seemed to have their own relationship, their own connection. Most of the time, it didn’t seem like it had anything to do with me. Even if I weren’t the connection between them, they would still be compatible. “How was your day?”

“Good. Thorn came by in the morning. Some of my friends stopped by too.”

“A lot of visitors then?”

“Yeah. It was nice.”

I walked to the couch on the other side of the bed and took a seat.

“Thorn has been helping me with work. He called me from the office today. He’s been running the show for the past few days.”

That didn’t surprise me. “That was nice of him.”

“I know,” she said with a sigh. “He’s a good guy.”

“I don’t know about that. I just think he loves you.”

She smiled. “Yeah, true.”

I moved to the edge of the bed and took a seat, just so I could be close to her. My fingers found hers, and I looked into her pretty face. She hadn’t been wearing makeup for a while, but I preferred the look. I liked it when she was most vulnerable, when she opened up her entire heart to me. “Any news from the doctor?”

“They’re still observing me.”

“How’s the pain?”

“Excruciating when the medication wears off,” she said with a chuckle. “But I do feel better, overall.”

“You look good.” My hand moved into her hair, and I gently brushed some strands away from her face.

“You’re sweet.”

“I mean it.” My fingers trailed down her arm to her elbow. “Anything I can get you?”

“You already brought everything I could possibly need—flowers and you.”

My look intensified. It was impossible for me not to stare at her possessively, no matter what the context was. “I can’t wait until you’re better.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t wait to marry you.”

Her eyes softened the second the words were out of my mouth.

I leaned in and kissed her on the mouth, feeling the comfort only her lips could bring. When we were connected like this, I forgot she was in a hospital room. I forgot everything she’d been through—everything I’d been through. It was just us, and that told me everything would be okay.

“Is this a bad time?” Thorn walked in, his feet tapping against the tile floor.

I didn’t pull away from her out of principal. I took another second to finish my kiss before I pulled back. I got off the bed and faced him. “Come in, Thorn.”

In a navy blue suit and a matching tie, he approached Titan’s bed. Both hands rested in his pockets. “Since you guys are always kissing, I guess it’s always a bad time.” He looked at the vase at her bedside. He probably figured out they were from me because he never asked. “I know it’s late, but I just wanted to stop by before I turned in for the night.”

She grabbed his arm and gave it a squeeze. “I’m always happy to see you, Thorn—even if I’m kissing my fiancé at the time.”

“You say that now, but when you’re back at home, you’ll feel differently,” he said with a chuckle.

I sat on the couch wearing jeans and a t-shirt. I knew Titan would be going to sleep soon, and I would stay awake most of the night watching the silent TV or looking at her. But I’d much rather be beside her than anywhere else in the world.

“How’d it go with Ms. Alexander?”

He stared at her for a moment before he released a quiet sigh. “Not well.”

Titan never panicked in any situation. She could be losing all of her businesses, but she would still remain calm. I’d only seen her lose her temper once—and it was justified. Even when a gun was pointed at her face, she thought logically to solve the problem. That was one of the reasons she was the powerhouse she was now. “What happened?”

“I made the offer, but she wouldn’t look at it. She said she only wants a partnership—not your money.”

“What else did she say?”

“That’s it,” Thorn said. “The conversation was short. I told her to reconsider, but she refused. Then she got up and left.”

Titan turned to the TV, her face stoic as she considered everything she’d just learned. Her lips pressed together tightly, her chest rising and falling at the same pace. “I would talk to her myself, but I’m in no condition.”

“Honestly, I don’t think even you could change her mind, Titan. This woman…” He shook his head slightly as he thought about it. “She knows exactly what she wants. She’s not going to change her mind. We either have to fold or let her walk away.”

She turned back to him. “Thorn, everything I’ve learned I’ve learned from you.”

He held her gaze, his blue eyes unblinking.

“Change her mind, Thorn,” she said. “Offer her more money.”

“How can I offer her more when she wouldn’t even look?” he questioned.

“Then you don’t make her look,” she countered. “You tell her the number. Then you keep going up until she changes her mind. I need her business in order for this to be a success. Unless I acquire her or run her out of business, my goals will never be reached. She’s reputed to be one of the brightest scientists of our generation. I need her to cave, Thorn.”

He held his impassive gaze, listening to her without giving anything in return.

“I’ve already invested billions into this company,” Titan said. “This is the second piece I need for complete domination.”

Thorn didn’t move. “Having a partnership is out of the question?”

“I don’t do partnerships,” she said firmly. “You know that.”

His eyes moved to my face before they turned back to her.

“That’s different,” she countered. “He’s going to be my husband. He’s the one exception.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the way she referred to me. Her one exception.

“I’ll talk to her again,” Thorn said. “But I’m telling you, this woman is different. You haven’t seen her. You don’t know what she’s like. Honestly, she reminds me a lot of you. She’s tiny, but her presence takes up the whole room. She knows what she wants, and she won’t settle for less. For her, it’s not about money. It’s about making a difference. I think this is a battle you won’t win.”

She stared at him, her gaze hardening just the way it did when she was in a meeting. “Then you win it for me, Thorn.”

---

The next three days passed by slowly.

I was anxious for the doctor to give her permission to go home. Not only did I want her all to myself, but I wanted the final obstacle to be overcome. If the doctor said she was free to go home, then that meant she was truly okay.

We would get through this.

The worst of it was over.

“Diesel.”

I loved hearing her voice, no matter what she was saying. She could speak in a different language, and I would enjoy just listening to her. It wasn’t just the deep and sexy sound of her voice; it was the fact that she was the woman I loved. No one else could soothe me the way she could. Every day we were in that hospital room, she was the one comforting me—not the other way around. “Yes, baby?” I turned my gaze on her, seeing her sit with the sheets pulled to her waist.

“You should get to the office today. I know you have stuff to do.” She constantly pressured me to go back to work, to get back to my regular routine because the work was piling up. All my meetings were rescheduled, and everything I’d been working on was halted.

“I couldn’t care less about work, baby.” I hadn’t thought about it once since this tragedy had happened. All I cared about was the woman beside me. Money didn’t matter to me anymore, not when I had this brilliant diamond in my life.

“Diesel, I’m going to be okay. I’m going home tomorrow.”

“Doesn’t matter. As long as you’re in here, I’m in here too.”

Her eyes tightened with emotion, and a small smile stretched across her lips. “You’re sweet, Diesel. But you really don’t have to stay with me.”

“I know I don’t have to.” I looked into her beautiful green eyes, getting lost in their vibrant color. I loved staring at them every morning and every night. They were beacons that guided me to happiness every single day. “I want to.”

---

Her team of doctors finally gave her permission to be discharged from the hospital. She was still on pain medication, along with a serious strain of antibiotics. She wouldn’t need physical therapy because her injury hadn’t jeopardized her mobility. But she was still required to get lots of rest, to spend most of her time in bed, and schedule follow-up visits to monitor the wound in her chest.

She still had a long road ahead of her until she was back to normal, but everything would be easy in comparison to what she’d already been through. My woman was the strongest and fiercest one in the entire world. She killed the man who attempted to murder her. I had no doubt she could get through this.

My woman was a badass.

I got her back to her penthouse, and she didn’t have an issue walking. If she was in pain, she purposely didn’t show it. She walked a little slower than usual, and when we stepped inside the lobby of her building, she purposely looked at the spot where she’d hit the floor after she’d been shot.

After a short pause, she kept walking.

We rode the elevator to the top floor and then stepped inside her apartment. It was exactly the way she’d left it, her heels next to the couch along with a glass of scotch. The ice had melted long ago, and now it was just a watered-down drink.

I hoped her home wasn’t too close to her trauma. I hoped she could feel safe here, that her sanctuary hadn’t been ruined by Bruce Carol. “We can go to my place if you’d prefer.” We would have to choose a place to live together anyway. My place was similar to hers, about the same size. Or we could pick a whole new place altogether and start over.

“This is fine.” She hit the lights, dimming them to her desired level. She looked around at her penthouse, taking it in like it was the first time she’d ever truly looked at it. She placed her hand against the wall and felt the smoothness. “I thought I would never see this place again…” She walked into her bedroom.

I followed behind her and joined her in the large bedroom.

She slowly pulled off her clothes, the change of clothes I had brought to the hospital. It was a t-shirt and sweatpants, and she slowly stripped everything away.

I got on my knees and helped her undress, knowing she was unsteady even though she refused to show it. When she was in just her panties, I tried not to look at her in a way I shouldn’t. But my lips couldn’t be controlled, and I pressed a kiss to the inside of her thigh. I quickly turned my face away and stood upright, pushing the thought from my mind. Even with the enormous gauze wrapped around her chest, covering her wound and her tits, I still thought the naked sight of her was undeniably arousing. “How about I make you something to eat?”

“I’m not hungry. But thank you.” She looked at me with her pretty face, her cheeks a little more hollow because she seemed to have lost some weight. The color had returned to her cheeks, and the affection in her eyes was undeniable. The second I’d kissed her inner thigh, the same thoughts had come into her mind.

I grabbed one of my t-shirts from the drawer and pulled it over her lithe body. I covered her beautiful skin, her toned stomach and her sexy hips. My fingers couldn’t resist touching her panties, so I moved them across the band before I pulled them away.

“Could you grab my laptop?” she asked. “It’s my bag in the living room.”

I knew exactly what she wanted it for. “No.”

Her eyebrow immediately rose. “Excuse me?”

“No working.”

She flashed me an incredulous look. “Diesel, I have a lot to catch up on.”

“Yes—your health.” I turned away from her and pulled my shirt over my head before I tossed it in the laundry basket. “That’s all you should be focusing on.” I pulled a t-shirt out of my drawer and pulled it over my head. When I turned back to her, her eyes were erupting with lava.

“Let’s get something straight, Diesel. You don’t tell me what to do, whether you’re my husband or not.”

“Actually, I do. And you’ll do the same for me when I need to hear it.”

Her anger didn’t dim.

“Thorn is taking care of the office, so there’s nothing for you to do anyway.”

“There’s always something for me to do. Thorn has his own work to handle.”

“He wouldn’t offer if he couldn’t handle it. This discussion is over.” I dropped my jeans and placed them in the basket.

Now she looked terrifying. Her eyes narrowed on my face like she was about to take me down. “This discussion isn’t over just because you say it is. If you want to marry me, you’re going to have to—”

I shut her up with a kiss. I wrapped my hands around her waist, and I pressed my mouth to hers. I kissed her slowly, my lips feeling hers sensually. I breathed into her mouth; she breathed back. Our mouths fell into place, and we embraced each other slowly. My tongue moved into her mouth and was immediately greeted by her own. I slipped my hand into her hair, and I deepened the kiss. Out of my control, my cock hardened, and I pictured her on her back, her legs open around my waist as she moaned with every thrust I gave her. My sexual desire wasn’t lustful in nature. I just missed being with her, being connected in the most intimate way possible. I’d asked her to be my wife and I’d made love to her for the rest of the night, but then the following day, everything changed.

I ended the embrace before I lost my self-control altogether. “No fighting. We’ve been through too much to fight.” I rubbed my nose against hers and stared at the calmness in her eyes. “I know you aren’t the kind of woman who can be bossed around. It’s one of the reasons I want to marry you. But we’re in a different circumstance right now. We need to focus on getting you better. Work is just work. It’ll still be there when you get back.”

---

Titan dropped the fight and didn’t revisit it again. She took it easy as I asked, spending her time watching old classics like I Love Lucy. Showering was difficult because of her gauze. It had to be protected from the water, so I covered her with a waterproof garbage bag.

Seeing her naked didn’t help my restraint.

I worked from the penthouse, taking care of most things with my assistants through email. I had meetings over the phone, using her home office so I could have the space and privacy. Going to the office would simplify everything, but I refused to leave her unattended. I stayed by her side every hour of the day, monitoring her health like I was her private physician.

I walked into the living room and saw her sitting on the couch with a blanket over her thighs. The TV was on and she watched it, but she didn’t have the same vigor in her gaze that she usually possessed.

I leaned over the back of the couch and kissed her on the shoulder. “Everything alright, baby?” I was shirtless and in just my sweatpants, the attire I wore around the house. I’d never been indoors for such a long time. I didn’t even go to the gym. I tried to do some workouts at home, doing sit-ups and push-ups in the living room.

She leaned her back and looked up at me. “I’m not the kind of person who sits around and watches TV…not a fan of it.”

“Just be patient.”

She growled before she raised her head again. “I miss working…”

“I know.” I kissed the back of her head.

“I miss fucking.”

Immediately, my cock hardened in my boxers. It went to full mast surprisingly fast, breaking my best record. Sex was on my mind just as heavily. Sharing the same bed all night was pretty much torture. We used to make love every night before we went to sleep. Now, that routine was gone. “Everything will be back to normal soon.” It took all my strength to say those words and not pin her to the couch and fuck her then and there. I stepped away from the couch and walked to the dining room table. My laptop was sitting there, so I opened it and got to work.

She turned around and looked at me over the back of the couch. “Diesel, you can go into the office. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

“Baby, I’m fine.”

She sighed in annoyance. “I get you don’t want me to work, but life goes on. You need to take care of your companies. If you think I’m gonna work the second you walk out, I won’t. If I say I won’t do something, I won’t.”

“That isn’t why I want to stay home with you. You know that.”

She turned back to the TV. “Alright…my offer is still on the table.”

I spent the rest of the day working, and I made dinner toward the end of the night. We ate at the table together, and Titan stared at my chest without hiding the intent in her gaze. The drought between us was affecting her just as deeply as it was affecting me.

Maybe our restraint wouldn’t last much longer.

When we got ready for bed, Titan took her clothes off instead of putting them on. She stood in front of me in just the gauze that was wrapped around her chest. She pushed her thong away and stared at me with a commanding gaze, telling me she was going to get what she wanted no matter how hard I fought it.

But I didn’t want to fight it.

Her fingertips played with the strings of my sweatpants, and she yanked the knot free. Then she pushed my pants and my boxers down together until my rock-hard cock emerged. He was thicker than he’d ever been before, suffering from the deepest drought of his life. She pushed my boxers past my thighs, letting my balls come free too. “Diesel.” She stepped closer to me, her lips nearly touching mine. Her fingertips cupped my balls and gently massaged them.

I let out an involuntary breath. Her warm fingers felt perfect against my balls, touching them exactly the way they should be touched.

“You’re gonna make love to me. That’s the end of the discussion.”

I didn’t want to say no, not when my balls felt so good in her fingertips. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t.” She moved her lips to mine and kissed me slowly.

The second her mouth was on mine, I was gone.

“Be slow. Be gentle.”

I moved my hand into her hair, and I deepened the kiss, my balls tightening in her hands. I wanted to sink between her legs, move through her slickness and enjoy that overwhelming tightness. I wanted to show my woman I loved her, fall into the deep abyss of intimacy. I wanted to enjoy her body, touch her soul.

Her hands wrapped around my shaft, and she gently stroked me, touching me better than I touched myself. She knew exactly what I liked, what touches ignited me into a frenzy. Any other woman could touch me the same way, but it wouldn’t yield the same reaction. The only reason why I was so hot was because she was the woman I was hot for.

My woman.

I guided her to the bed then released her when the back of her knees hit the bed frame.

She guided herself back on the mattress, taking her time as she shifted her body up toward the headboard.

The second her back was against the sheets, I kicked off my bottoms and moved on top of her. My usually calm manner was gone now that my body was situated on top of hers. I’d been looking forward to this for over a week. Like I was a teenage boy and this was my first time, my hands slightly shook in anticipation.

My arms locked behind her knees, and I pinned her legs back as I positioned myself between her legs.

Her hair was sprawled across the pillow around her, and her hands immediately reached for my biceps so she had something to grab on to. Her lips were slightly parted, her anticipation for my dick heavy.

I tilted my hips and pressed the head of my cock against her entrance. With a gentle shove, I pushed past her tightness and slowly sank into her.

She inhaled deeply, her eyes closing momentarily. “Diesel.”

I pushed until my shaft was completely sheathed. I was surrounded by her wet tightness, by her lustful love. She wanted me like a fantasy, the ideal man that deserved her beautiful pussy. I held myself on top of her, most of my weight pressed on to my arms. I took slow breaths, feeling like a king now that I was finally inside her again. It felt so good that I didn’t want to move. I looked into her face as I breathed, my eyes locked on to her heavy ones. The tops of her tits were noticeable, pressed together from the tightness of her gauze. Even when she was at her weakest point, I still found her to be the most desirable woman in the world. I loved everything about her, from the curve of her bottom lip to the hollow of her throat. She was gorgeous, inside and out.

My hips wanted to buck hard, but I stopped myself from taking her too roughly. I tightened my core and rocked my hips slowly, moving in and out of her with purposeful gentleness. I hardly rocked her at all, making sure I didn’t move her more than necessary. “Baby…” I closed my eyes again as I enjoyed her. Even restrained lovemaking was the best sex I’d ever had. My cock felt right at home buried inside her, feeling my woman in the most intimate way possible.

“God…” Her hands moved to my chest, and her nails dug into me. She didn’t rock her hips back into me like she usually did. She lay still, enjoying every inch of me. Her breathing was deep and heavy, and she moaned with every thrust I made. “Diesel…like that.”

I craned my neck to hers, and I kissed her as I moved, doing my best to last as long as I could. The second the head of my cock was inside her, I wanted to dump all of my seed into her. I wanted to claim her as mine forever. The diamond ring was on her left hand, and I felt the warm metal against my skin as she pressed her palms into me.

Fuck, this felt incredible.

She stopped kissing me as her breathing took over. Her lips were still pressed to mine, but she was so overcome with moaning that she couldn’t reciprocate anymore. She was on the edge of pleasure, about to fall into the powerful orgasm she’d begged me to give her.

I wanted to give it to her. “Come, baby.”

That was the final touch she needed, and she came around me. She started to writhe, her body stretching and moving. She carved her nails into my skin, leaving marks over my pectoral muscles. “Diesel…”

She said my name more times than ever before, and I knew I was hitting her in the perfect spot. I watched the performance she gave, the way her mouth widened like she was singing a song. I listened to her moans as they turned into screams. I watched the way she stared at me like I was the only man in the world that mattered. There was no one before me, and there would be no one after me. I was all that mattered.

That made me feel like a king.

As soon as she finished, I dropped my restraint. I shoved my dick deep inside her and released with a grunt, feeling all the stress from the week fade away as I filled her pussy with everything I had. It was one of the best climaxes I’d ever had, and I knew it was just the beginning.

I’d thought I was going to lose her, but she was still there with me. She would be the mother of my children, the wife I would love every single day of my life. She would be a partner I would admire, even someone I would learn from. And I would be the king of her heart, the man she turned to for protection and strength. I would be everything she was missing in life.

And she would be everything I’d ever needed.