I was angry.

About everything.

I was angry that I let myself go soft for Tatum Titan. I was annoyed that Thorn was integral in her rise to success. I was pissed that this ex of hers made her question if real love existed.

And I was livid she didn’t pick me.

There was still time—and lots of hope. Whether she would admit it or not, I knew how she felt about me.

And I only knew that because I felt the exact same way for her.

What we had was rare. It was true. It was something I’d never felt before—and I’d been with a lot of women. She and I had a connection that was stronger than blood. There was no way she could marry Thorn and let me go.

No way.

She caved to me in the first place, gave me the control in the relationship. She wouldn’t do that for anybody—only me. I knew she would realize Thorn was the safe bet and I was a wild card—but she needed my passion.

She couldn’t live without me.

She couldn’t live without the sex, the quiet conversations in bed, the trust and friendship…and everything else we had. I was just as good a life partner as Thorn, but I was even better. I could give her what he couldn’t.

I could give her everything.

I sat at my desk for an hour straight and got nothing done. I put my feet on the desk and looked out the window, staring at the shadows from the buildings as the sun progressed in its path across the sky. I never let anyone distract me from what I needed to get done, especially a woman, but Titan was the only thing on my mind.

Natalie’s voice entered my office. “Sir, Brett Maxwell is here.”

My brother had a bad habit of stopping by whenever he was in town showing off a car to someone. We usually got a beer when I left the office, but if he was only around for the early afternoon, he usually swung by. “Send him in.” Even if I had a meeting, I usually pushed it back to accommodate him.

Because he was family—all I had left.

Brett walked inside, wearing a smile along with his beard. He was in a long-sleeved black shirt and dark denim jeans. He gave me a high five before he dropped into the chair facing my desk. “What’s up, little bro?”

My feet were still on the desk. “Just taking in the sights.”

“You look like you’re being lazy to me.”

I flipped him the bird.

He chuckled then put his own feet on the desk.

“You wanna die, big bro?”

“Just run me over with one of my cars. I’ll die happy.”

My smile immediately dropped.

It took Brett a moment to realize his insensitive comment. His eyes immediately fell, and he sighed through his teeth. “I’m sorry—”

“It’s fine.” I brushed it off, knowing he didn’t mean to offend me. “What’s new with you?”

“I just sold a car to a VIP.”

“Who’s this person?”

“Thomas Wade.”

Wade was one of the most famous golfers on the planet. He had the endorsement of most companies. He had three TV commercials on the air right that moment. “How does he like it?”

“Fell in love the second he looked at it. Can’t blame him.”

“They are beautiful.” I looked out the window again, the world beautiful making me think of a specific person.

“What’s got you down?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because you look like you haven’t slept in three days.”

No, I hadn’t been sleeping. I was spending time away from Titan, giving her space to really think about her decision. I had enough confidence not to feel threatened by other men, but Thorn had bent over backward for her. Not only did he start her first business, but he actually murdered someone for her.

I couldn’t top that.

“I just need a haircut.”

“Bullshit. What’s wrong?”

He would eventually ask about Titan, so I got right to the point. “I told Titan how I felt…”

“Didn’t go well, I take it?”

“She says she’s still committed to Thorn.”

“Really?” he asked incredulously. “If she’s been fucking you for so long, the guy obviously doesn’t satisfy her.”

My brother hit the nail right on the bed. “I told her to think it over.”

“I’m surprised you even gave her the option.”

It was a testament to how much I liked her. The idea of going back to the bars and meeting random women to hook up with sounded unappealing. The sex was good, but they always overperformed, trying to be exactly what they thought I wanted. But with Titan, she did what she wanted. And when a woman knew exactly how she wanted a man to please her…that was the sexiest thing of all. “She’s exceptional.”

“I could have told you that. Hope it works out for you, man.”

“Me too.”

“I’ve never seen you like a girl…not even when we were kids.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“You know what I mean.”

No, I never showed romantic interest in anyone. Women were sex on legs. But with Titan, I didn’t see her legs. I saw a powerful woman with a brilliant mind. I saw someone with a soft soul and a hard outer shell. I saw someone so deep that there was no bottom. I viewed her in a way I never saw anyone else. She wasn’t just a beautiful woman I enjoyed pounding into the mattress. I saw her as a partner, as a friend, as someone who was such an innate part of who I was that I couldn’t imagine my life without her.

“Want my advice?”

“No.”

He grinned. “Keep fighting for her. War is just a series of battles. You have to win them all. And anyone will tell you that love is the biggest war we’ll ever fight.”

---

When she didn’t invite me over for a few days, I knew she was taking my final message seriously.

She was thinking it over.

But spending every evening alone in front of the TV was getting lonely. I drank a lot, didn’t eat much, and hit the gym a little harder. I did a lot of work from my laptop and lightened the load during the workday.

But nothing was powerful enough to distract me.

It made me fear what my life would be like if she picked Thorn.

It would be back to this.

I’d never minded my life before I met her. It was fulfilling at the time. But going from something spectacular to something so mediocre was…depressing. I finally gave in to my desire and texted her. Miss you. I’d never texted that to a woman in my life. It was something a pussy would say. But I sent the message the second the words were on the screen, no thinking twice about it. Tatum Titan made me into a man, but she also made me a romantic.

Her reply was instant. Miss you too.

Then invite me over.

You know you don’t need an invite, Diesel.

That was the only invitation I needed. I left my penthouse behind and headed to her place a few blocks away. We both lived in Tribeca, the part of Manhattan with the wealthiest real estate. The streets were quiet, full of businesspeople with their families. I walked into her building and took the elevator to her penthouse. The doors opened and revealed the empty living room with the glow of the TV.

She stood there in my gray collared shirt, a sea of emotions on her face.

I stepped into the room and listened to the doors shut behind me.

Her face was impossible to decipher. She looked like she wanted to smile and cry at the exact same time. Suddenly, she ran to me and jumped into my chest, her legs wrapping around my waist as her arms hooked around my neck.

I caught her effortlessly, a smile forming on my lips. “You really did miss me.”

She ground against me, her panties rubbing against the bulge in my jeans. “I think you missed me more.”

My eyes darkened, and I carried her into the bedroom down the hall. “I’ve missed you every single day since I left.”

“Then you must have been really uncomfortable.” She smiled at me with her red lips, flirtatious and sexy.

“I relieved myself when necessary.” I set her on the bed and tugged her panties down her long legs.

“Oh…that sounds sexy.”

“Me beating off is sexy to you?” I pulled her shirt over her head before yanking mine off.

“Really sexy.”

“And I was beating off to the thought of you.”

She squeezed her thighs together and pulled her knees to her chest. “Ooh…”

Like I wasn’t hard enough, she was driving me crazy. I pulled my jeans and boxers off and positioned myself at the foot of the bed, the same place where I fucked her in the ass for the first time. “Now you’re going to get a live show.” I slid inside her wet pussy, feeling her arousal surround me. She must have got wet the second I texted her and told her I was coming over.

“Diesel…” She was already into it, her head rolling back as she bit her bottom lip.

Good thing she wouldn’t last long. I wasn’t going to either. I pushed myself entirely inside her then leaned over her, looking down into the face that haunted me in my dreams. “You’re beautiful when my cock is deep inside you.”

“What about when it’s not?”

“Still beautiful…just not quite as.” I dug my hips deep and rocked deep inside her, wanting her to feel my entire length. I wanted to watch her lips quiver, listen to her moan, hear her beg me to fuck her harder.

Her hands locked around my wrists as usual, and she looked straight into my eyes, her mouth already gaping open. She moaned in tune with my thrusts, so loud and so sexy. She uttered my name every few seconds, enjoying me like she hadn’t had me in years rather than days. “I missed your cock so much…”

“He missed you too, baby.” I pumped into her, sliding through her increasing wetness.

Her nipples hardened like the tip of a knife, and a pink flush covered her chest. The color spread to her cheeks, giving her a sexy fire. “I’m gonna come, Diesel.”

“I know.”

“Harder.”

I quickened my pace and shook the bed, hitting her wooden headboard against the wall. The loud tapping matched the movement of my hips, getting in tune with the sexy moans she made. She screamed louder and louder, her nails biting me like they had teeth. When she hit her threshold, her head rolled back, her hips bucked upward, and she bit her bottom lip with the strength to draw blood. “Diesel…yes…yes.”

I rocked her world, sending her to the moon and the stars. I rubbed her clit just to give her an extra push, a heightened experience to make her writhe underneath me. She already missed me, but I wanted her to know what she would be missing if she walked away from me.

Her moans and screams continued, slowly dissipating as the intensity trailed off.

I wanted to keep at it, but after this drought I’d been in, I wouldn’t last. I shoved my entire length inside her and released, dumping all of my seed deep within her. The muscles of my chest tightened as the explosion ripped through me. It felt right being buried all the way inside her. It felt like home.

She grabbed my hips and pulled on me harder even though I already took up every inch of her body. “Yes…” She loved taking my come even more than I loved giving it. She was folded underneath me, her legs spread wide apart and a look of satisfaction on her face. She never looked so beautiful, thoroughly fucked and pleased.

I slowly pulled out of her and stared at her entrance. A buildup of my come was there, glistening against her swollen folds. I wanted to claim her like this every single day. I wanted Tatum Titan on my desk with her legs spread apart. I wanted every man in New York to resent me for having the most incredible woman in the world.

For fucking her every night.

We got into the shower when we were finished, our nightly routine that had been established long ago. I rubbed the soap into her body, enjoying the touch of her ultrasoft skin. Her petite shoulders were rounded and slender, her neck was elegant, and she had the most beautiful arch in her back. Her spine moved straight down, the muscles noticeable on either side of the divide. Her body was feminine and strong, and I loved gripping it with my hands.

The truth of our situation hung over both of our heads, but neither one of us mentioned it. There was nothing more to say about it. She’d have to make her decision on her own, not listen to me explain why picking Thorn was a mistake. Titan was logical to a fault. Every decision, no matter how personal it was, was a business decision. That was how she would treat this dilemma as well.

She scrubbed the shampoo into her hair then turned around to rinse it out. She tilted her head back but moved her eyes to my face.

I gripped her tits, feeling the soap drip everywhere. She had the greatest rack, not too big and not too small. They were firm, round, and soft. My callused fingertips loved to feel the beautiful flesh in my hands. I could get off just from feeling her up like this.

She arched her back farther, her hands lathering the conditioner into her hair. “You’re good with your hands.”

“They just love your tits.” I gave her a gentle squeeze before my hands trailed to her waist. “You have a beautiful body.” My thumb moved over her belly button, feeling the small little slit.

“Thanks.”

“Not eating really pays off.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” She tilted her head back and rinsed the conditioner from her hair.

I loved watching her in the shower. She looked sexy in her office, in one of my t-shirts, when she was riding me on the couch, but nothing compared to this. Her hair was molded to her scalp from the water, and her face was clean of any makeup. When she didn’t have mascara or eyeliner on, her eyes looked smaller. But the fresh look made her appear naturally beautiful. She could go anywhere without a drop of makeup and men would still turn their heads just to glance at her.

We finished in the shower, dried off, and then headed to bed. Her hair was slightly damp because she didn’t dry it all the way with a blow-dryer, but I liked the casual way her hair fell around her face. She picked up my shirt off the ground and pulled it on.

Would she still wear that if she chose Thorn?

We got into bed even though it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. I lay beside her, my arm hooked around her slender waist. I looked at her beautiful face, my chest loosening from the strings that constantly restricted it. Art brought peace to anyone who looked at it. That was exactly how I felt about the muse right in front of me. Just looking at her made me feel better, made me exist in a state of quiet.

She ran her hand up my chest, her fingertips drawing circles over my heart. She watched what her hands were doing, obviously not the least bit tired even though we were in bed together underneath her soft sheets.

“How have you been sleeping?” I wondered if my absence had affected her. I wondered if she had any more nightmares. I wondered if her life had been just as impacted by my absence as I was by hers.

“Haven’t been sleeping much, honestly.”

“Me neither.” Most of my nights were spent alone. I slept in a king bed all by myself and never had had trouble falling asleep the second my head hit the pillow. But now that I was used to this sleeping companion, the silence of my bedroom frustrated me. I missed her quiet breathing, the way she made little sighs just as she fell asleep. She’d been in my life for a relatively short amount of time, but that span had more effect on me than any other experience. It seemed like she was always there…even though she wasn’t. “That’s why I’m here.”

“So I can help you sleep?” she asked with a smile.

“Yeah. I thought I could do the same for you.”

“It’ll definitely help. I’ve reached out in the middle of the night to touch you a lot this week…and then I remember you aren’t there.”

My fingers tightened on her waist, feeling her pain because I felt it too. “I’m here now.”

“I know…”

“And I can always be here…if that’s what you want.” I didn’t want to talk about the painful situation between us, but it escaped my lips on its own. Titan would be risking a safe lifetime if she chose to be with me instead. She would mess up her plans, the time she wanted to start having children, everything she and Thorn had worked toward. It was a lot to ask, actually. I couldn’t offer her any guarantees since the future was always unpredictable. But I could give a few things. “I’m loyal to you, Tatum. You already know that. I would never betray you. I would never lie to you. And I have your back—through and through.”

Her hand moved up to my neck. “I know, Diesel. If I didn’t, this would be a much easier decision to make.” Her thumb brushed along my jaw, feeling the stubble from days’ worth of not shaving.

My hand tightened around her wrist, and I brought her palm to my mouth for a kiss. I kissed her fingertips and her knuckles, wanting to worship this woman who had affected my life so deeply. I was asking her to take a risk for me, but I was taking a risk for her too.

I was willing to completely change my life—just for her.