I was sitting in my office when Titan called on my cell phone.

I quickly ended the call I was already having just so I could take it. There wasn’t a business opportunity lucrative enough for me to make her my second priority. She wasn’t my wife, but she felt like family.

The rest of the world could wait.

“Hey, baby.” I turned in my chair so I could look out the window and see the overcast sky. It was a cold afternoon in the city, and the forecast anticipated a bit of snow.

“Hey…”

That simple word told me everything. “What happened?”

“I was having lunch with Kyle when Thorn walked in…”

This wouldn’t end well.

“He walked by my table, and I stood up to greet him. He said hello to Kyle but ignored me…then walked off.”

He was already hated in the media. Ignoring Titan in a room full of people didn’t sound like smart publicity. But he obviously didn’t care about that, and neither did she. All she wanted was her friend back. I knew Thorn felt the same way, even if he wouldn’t admit it. “I’m sorry.” I meant those words deeply. They seemed so hollow, an automatic response to sad news. But I meant them every single time I said them to her. I just wished there were something better I could say.

“It doesn’t get easier. It only gets harder. I miss him more every day.”

If I weren’t so secure in my relationship with her, I might be jealous. But she loved me in a way she’d never loved anyone else. She picked me over him because she couldn’t live without me. She walked away from a safe and convenient relationship to give our intensity a real chance. “I know you do.”

“I have to do something.”

“What?”

She never gave me an answer. “I’m sorry to bother you at work. I know you’re busy, Diesel.”

“Never too busy for you,” I whispered into the phone. “You can call me for anything.”

“I know…I just don’t want to abuse my power. I’ll see you later.”

I wanted to keep her on the phone a little longer, but my silence wouldn’t help her. Sometimes my kisses and touches did the trick, distracted her so she would stop thinking about her pain. But I couldn’t do that now. “Alright. Love you.” I always held my breath as I waited for her to say it back. I was never afraid she wouldn’t repeat the phrase, but I also anticipated how it would make me feel.

It made me feel special.

“Love you too.”

---

“Sir.” Natalie spoke into the intercom. “I know you told me to send Vincent Hunt away if he shows up, but…he’s refusing to leave.”

It’d been a few days since my last conversation with my father. I thought it over a lot, thinking about it while I watched TV on the couch or washed my hair in the shower. I assumed the ball was in my court, and if I wanted to speak to him, I would decide when and where.

I guess not.

“You can send him in, Natalie.”

“Alright, sir.”

I quickly finished the email I’d been writing and sent it off just as he walked through the door. Back to his aura of natural intimidation, he disturbed the air around him, bringing in silent strength that blanketed everything in his vicinity. He had no reason to be hostile with me, so this was normal with him.

I knew that was how I was with other people too.

He approached my desk with both hands in his pockets. He looked at me straight on, wearing an expression so similar to mine it was strange.

I rose to my feet so we were level with each other. I didn’t extend my hand to shake his. Too soon.

“Hey, Diesel. How are you?”

The phrase was so casual, I almost didn’t believe it came from him. Most of his greetings were silent threats. It caught me off guard and took a few extra seconds for me to come up with words. “Good. You?”

He didn’t answer. “I came by to see if you wanted to have lunch.”

Lunch? With Vincent Hunt? Last time we spoke, I agreed to leave the door open. I agreed to give this relationship a chance before shutting the door on the opportunity altogether. But I didn’t expect him to come by and ask me to lunch like everything was normal.

We were anything but normal.

I hesitated in my answer, unsure what to do. I hadn’t eaten yet because I’d been too busy working. Taking a break for food sounded nice, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go out with my father like the past was behind us.

It wasn’t behind us.

My father stared at me as he waited for me to come up with an answer. “I’ll accept no for an answer. Just thought I’d stop by because I just finished a meeting across the street.” He pulled his hands out of his pockets and adjusted his watch. “Maybe next time.” If he was hurt, he covered up his reaction well. He gave a slight nod before he turned to the door.

Something gnawed at my stomach, a wave of guilt I shouldn’t even feel. He was the one who’d made me suffer just a month ago, but now I felt terrible for turning the man down. Watching him try to have a relationship with me made me feel like shit for denying him. “I can spare thirty minutes.”

My father instantly turned around, still wearing the exact same expression as before. “That’s great. What are you in the mood for?”

---

I sat across from my father at a table in the corner, our drinks in front of us and our entrees on the way. Like the other night, he was staring directly at me, giving me his full focus as if nothing else in the room mattered.

Kinda reminded me of the way I stared at Titan—but different.

My father ordered a scotch even though it was barely past noon. He had always drunk a lot, at least, after my mother died. He drank wine with dinner, but most of the time, he preferred hard liquor. He reminded me of Titan in that regard. His tolerance had built up until the level of being legally drunk had no effect on him.

I stuck with iced tea. I’d told Titan not to drink so much, so I had to stop too—even if she wasn’t around.

Now it was quiet like the other night, awkward as hell.

Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to this. “Jax has broken into the solar energy sector.” He made the announcement with no warning at all, beginning a conversation like it was strictly business. “He’s working with a few engineers from Stanford. They think they have a way to reduce the cost of solar panels by fifty percent.”

My eyebrows rose. “That’s an insane margin.”

“I agree. But he thinks they can do it.”

“Have they proven it?”

“In a few ways,” he said. “They’re still in the developmental stage. It was a risky purchase, but Jax has always been interested in clean energy. He’s even proposed a couple of things I can do for my companies all over the world, making them completely green with renewable energy. It’ll cost a lot up front, but it’ll save me money down the road. Science has always been his interest.”

Jax always naturally excelled at science and math when we were in school. I did well in my courses, but I had to work a little harder to understand the same things that came easily to him. Like me, he was quiet and intense, but he had a brain bursting with constant stimulation. He combined his interests in business and science for his corporate pursuits. “He’s a smart guy.”

“Extremely.” His voice held a tone of pride.

Did he talk about me like that too?

“What are you working on now?”

It seemed like this entire conversation would stick to our common interest—business. I was relieved we wouldn’t have another repeat of the other night. I couldn’t talk about my feelings anymore. “Titan bought me out of Stratosphere, and we’re planning on having me return.”

“That’s a strong company.”

“We made a lot of progress together. We both turned it around, and she has ideas that constantly amaze me. If the world knew how smart she really was, people would be even more intimidated.”

A slight smile came over his mouth. “I’m already intimidated.” My father didn’t hide his fondness for her. He seemed to adore her the same way he did Jax.

“She’s an amazing woman…” That didn’t even scratch the surface of who she was. She lived in a world where she had to work three times as hard to be respected, but not once did she let it get her down. She’d been through a lot for a woman so young, but she never let her past heartbreaks destroy her. She kept her head held high and kept going.

My father took a drink from his glass before he returned it to the table. “When are you going to ask her to marry you?”

It was a very personal question. So personal, I wasn’t sure if he even had the right to ask.

My father must have read my mood because he said, “It’d be a mistake not to.”

“I don’t know, honestly. It’s not the best time right now.”

He nodded slightly. “Because of Thorn.”

“Yeah…” Did she tell him about Thorn?

“She mentioned it to me. We both agree that the only thing that will make Thorn come around is if she does her own interview to take the spotlight away from him. It’s not ideal, but her friendship with Thorn is important enough that she’s willing to risk her reputation to get him back.”

I couldn’t keep a straight face because this was all new to me. “When did she say this?”

“A few weeks ago.” He kept his eyes on me as he took another drink.

“She never told me that.” I felt wounded that my father knew something about her before I did. Why would she tell him and not me?

“I’m sure she was getting around to it. Doesn’t seem like she likes talking about him.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I can’t believe she even told you.”

He shrugged with a slight smile on his face. “I think she likes me.”

I didn’t know what made me more upset, the fact that she talked to my father about it and not me, or the fact that she had a close relationship with my father at all.

My father dropped his smile as he watched my mood sour. “It wasn’t my intention to make you upset.”

“What exactly does she plan to say in this interview?”

He sighed, his tone heavy with regret. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“But you did,” I snapped. “So now finish it.”

“Alright.” He finished his drink and returned it to the table. “I told her she should tell the media that she fell in love with you, and while she loved Thorn, you were the man she couldn’t live without. Thorn became upset, like any other man would, and he lost control. It’ll distract everyone from Thorn and bring the focus on to her.”

“And make her look like a cheater and a liar.” My voice rose even when I tried to keep it down. “It’ll ruin everything she stands for. She has an untouchable image. This will destroy that.”

“I know. I warned her of that.”

“And she still wants to do it?” I asked incredulously.

He nodded. “We both think it’s the only thing that will make Thorn forgive her. She’d be proving to him that they’re still in this together, even if they’re apart.”

When it came to Thorn, Titan always turned emotional. Just an hour ago, she’d called me and had spoken with a heartbroken tone. She would never be truly happy unless she had both of us in her life again. “I don’t want her to ruin everything she’s worked so hard for.”

He nodded. “I don’t either. But Thorn means the world to her.”

Now my anger was no longer directed at my father. All I cared about was Titan and how much pain she was in. To even consider this was a suicide mission. “Fuck.” I rubbed the back of my neck as I turned my gaze out the window, wishing this nightmare would just end. My love for Titan was still a secret because of this bullshit. Titan didn’t deserve to have all of her hard work ruined because she wanted to spend her life with me. It wasn’t fair—at all.

My father didn’t flinch at my profanity.

“I can’t let her do this.”

“She’s not the kind of woman that you can let do anything.”

“I’m not letting her destroy her credibility over this. Thorn should forgive her because she deserves his forgiveness.”

My father gave me a look of pity.

I leaned back in my chair as I considered what to do. Once Titan did that, everything would be an uphill battle for her. I could protect her in a lot of ways, but my influence could only do so much. Besides, she wasn’t the kind of woman who needed to hide in my shadow anyway. She needed her independence, her own credibility.

Unless I took her place. “I’ll do it instead.”

“Do what instead?”

“I’ll give the interview.”

“And say what, exactly?”

“That I was the one who came between them. That I fell in love with her and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I couldn’t stay away from her, and I made her fall in love with me too. That way, I look like the romantic asshole, people forget about Thorn altogether, and Titan looks like a woman who was swept off her feet.”

“I don’t think that would have the same effect.”

“Why not?” I asked. “It gets the attention off Thorn.”

“But that doesn’t mean it’ll earn his forgiveness. I admire what you’re trying to do, and I find it even more admirable that you’re both so loyal to each other in every way possible, but it won’t mean as much coming from you. It has to be her.”

I bowed my head, the defeat washing over me. “She doesn’t deserve it…”

“I know. But their friendship means more to her than what the whole world thinks of her.”

“Maybe I can talk to him again.”

My father shook his head. “Don’t interfere with this one. This is about the two of them.”

I was definitely going to confront her about it at the very least. “I can’t believe she didn’t tell me.”

“I’m sure she will. Or maybe she was afraid you’d convince her not to do it.”

“And she’d be right. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

“There’s one bright side to this,” he said gently. “Once the world knows her side of the story, there will be no more hiding. You can finally have what you want, Diesel.”

That was the only good thing that would come out of all of this. I could have lunch with her whenever I felt like it. We could jog through the park together. I could ask her to be my wife whenever I chose. When we went to conferences together, I could hold her against my side so the world would know she was mine—and the women would know I was taken. “I suppose…”

The silence stretched on until the waiter arrived with our food. He placed the entrees in front of us before he walked off again.

I picked up my fork, but I didn’t have much of an appetite.

My father dug in, cutting into his chicken and taking a bite. He watched me eat, not having to watch his own movements to be precise. “I’ll say something to Thorn after she gives her interview…to give her a little extra help.”

I wasn’t sure what effect he could possibly have, but I was surprised he would even offer. “You would do that?”

“I would do anything for that woman,” he said simply. “I’ve always liked her, even before I knew about the two of you. She reminds me of your mother. It’s the way she carries herself…the way she talks. She has a natural strength and elegance that your mother always possessed. Something about her comforts me, I can’t really explain it. She seems confident that she’s going to be a part of your life for a long time. If that’s the case, I want to do everything I possibly can to make her feel comfortable. She doesn’t have a father of her own…perhaps I can be one to her.”

My fingers suddenly felt numb, and I couldn’t keep my grip on my silverware. I felt the utensils slightly slide against my moist skin. My father had been a great parent, even after my mother died. But once he pushed Brett aside, all of that changed. Titan had always felt lost without her father. I knew there was nothing she would love more than having someone make her feel like she had family. That was the reason Thorn was so important to her. “Thank you…” The best way to get under my skin was through Titan. Whether my father did that on purpose or not, it was effective. I wanted to give her everything she wanted, and I was willing to do anything to make that happen.

He stopped eating and gave me an emotional look. “You’re welcome, son.”

---

When I returned to the office, I made the call.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Voice mail.

Why didn’t she pick up my call? Maybe she was in a meeting right now. I was certain she would call me back the second she saw my missed call, so I set my phone down and turned to my computer. The second I went to the homepage, I saw the news.

Richest Woman in the World, Tatum Titan, Finally Opens Up About Her Broken Engagement to Thorn Cutler.

Fuck.

I was too late.

I clicked on the link, and I was taken to a live feed. Titan was giving the interview at that moment with one of the biggest broadcasting companies in the nation. She looked exactly the same as she had earlier that morning, in a tight black dress with a white gold necklace around her throat. Her hair was straight today, a curtain of soft hair around her shoulders. Her makeup had been slightly changed for the cameras, but she still looked like the gorgeous bombshell she was.

I turned up the volume.

Denise Thomas was the interviewer, a veteran in journalism. “The entire nation was shocked when we heard the news that Thorn Cutler cut off the engagement. Shortly after that, he was seen with another woman. And we saw your first interaction in Rio’s just the other day, where you rose from your seat to greet him and he brushed you off.”

Of course, someone recorded that.

Titan kept the same expression, giving nothing away.

“How did that make you feel?” Denise asked.

“Terrible, obviously,” Titan said coolly. “Thorn and I have been very close for a long time. Losing him is like losing a piece of myself.” Even though this topic made her emotional, she managed to keep a straight face the entire time. She didn’t show weakness to the world, only me.

“Then his actions are even worse. He hurt someone he claimed to love.”

Titan still didn’t react, but she shifted her eyes as if she was about to say something important. “I don’t want the world to think Thorn is a bad guy. He’s definitely not. The world only sees one aspect of the story, just a sliver of what really happened.”

“Then what happened?” Denise crossed her legs and leaned forward.

“The truth of the matter is, Thorn and I were very happy together. He was my best friend…still is. I was very close to his family. Honestly, losing them has been really difficult. But Thorn isn’t the one who left. I am.”

Denise’s eyes narrowed.

“I never meant for this to happen. I love Thorn and always will. We have a strong bond that I can’t explain…but then I met my soul mate. I tried to brush it off for a long time, but I couldn’t fight it forever. As if something beyond my control was yanking me in a different direction, I had no control over my own actions. With every passing day, my heart began to beat for another man. When it got to the point that I couldn’t stop it, I had to tell Thorn the truth. I told him I’d fallen in love with someone else.”

Denise didn’t keep a straight face as well as Titan did. “Who?”

I moved closer to my computer screen, hoping she would drop my name. I didn’t need her to protect my identity from this scandal. I wanted the truth out in the open. People could hate me all they wanted. I didn’t give a damn. All I wanted was to be with the woman I loved, no more secrets.

Titan took a long pause before she spoke. “Diesel Hunt.”

My lips automatically curved into a smile. Hearing her say my name to the entire world was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. Warmth washed over me, the soft touch of a tropical tide. There was no going back now. The world knew she loved me, and I loved her.

Denise couldn’t contain her shocked expression. “Diesel Hunt?”

Titan nodded. “It happened once we started working together on Stratosphere. At first, I thought it was just chemistry. We did amazing work together. But then the connection strengthened. I could barely be in a room with him without feeling the pull. I kept fighting it, even having him leave the company so I could get him out of my head. But there was no stopping it. I loved Thorn and wanted to spend my life with him…but then I met my soul mate. I didn’t know what to do. When I told Thorn, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. No one can blame him for acting out like that. Anyone who judges him for his behavior is coldhearted. He’s one of the greatest men I’ve ever known. I could sit here all day and share a million reasons why I love him from the bottom of my heart. He’s a gentleman, he’s compassionate, he’s honest… I would have been very happy with him.” Her eyes started to water. “I don’t want the world to hate him for something he didn’t do. I don’t want people to judge him for being upset. I was the one who did something wrong. I was the one who screwed everything up. I’m the one everyone should hate, not Thorn. I’m risking the greatest relationship I’ve ever known for something that’s new and passionate. Leaving Thorn wasn’t easy, and I don’t want people to think that it was. I still want him to be in my life…because I can’t live without him.”

Even I was moved by her interview, and I already knew all of this. Titan was speaking from the heart, pleading directly to Thorn. She didn’t care about Denise or the rest of the world. This was her last attempt to get Thorn back, to take the media’s hatred and relieve it from his shoulders. She spoke so highly of him, made it seem like she was the one missing out on something wonderful. It was a good tactic, and she pulled it off well.

Thorn would have to be made of stone not to care.

---

When I stopped by Thorn’s office, I bypassed his assistant altogether and pushed through the doors. It happened so quickly that his assistant didn’t realize what had happened until my body had crossed the threshold.

Thorn was on the phone when I stepped inside, and his eyebrows immediately jumped to the top of his forehead when he saw me barge in. “Steve, let me call you back. A shithead just walked into my office.” He hung up and continued to stare at me aggressively.

“Did you see it?”

Thorn stayed behind his desk, his shoulders hunched with tension.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” I didn’t help myself to a seat. Instead, I stood directly in front of his desk, invading his space like I had every right to do so.

Thorn continued to watch me from behind his stoic mask. Something filled the air between us, a gentle hostility.

I didn’t understand why he kept his silence over this. He had to say something.

He finally spoke. “Yes. I saw it.”

Judging by his cold demeanor, it didn’t move him the way it moved me. “Then why are you on the phone with Steve instead of Titan? She’s earned your forgiveness, so you need to give it to her. Call her.” I thudded my fist against the surface of his desk.

“I would much rather look like an asshole than some pussy shit who got left for another man. If you ask me, I look worse.”

“Then think again, Thorn. From what I saw, she made you look amazing. She said a lot of wonderful things about you, and she said she only left because she found the person she was meant to be with. It doesn’t make any of us look bad.”

He rested his fingertips against his temple.

“When the headlines start rolling in, you’ll see. And then you better give Titan what she deserves.”

“What?”

“Forgiveness.”