Thorn

We sat across from each other in the conference room, the damn glass doors surrounding us on all sides. I wasn’t a big fan of professionalism, so perhaps being fish in a bowl was a good way to keep me in line.

Autumn did a great job of pretending we were just colleagues. She stuck to work, discussing when the first product line would be in full effect and how it should be distributed. While she was a scientist, she was knowledgeable about her business margins. She knew the company inside and out, which was impressive because she probably dedicated most of her time to the lab.

She closed her folders when our discussion came to an end. “You aren’t very talkative today.”

“You’re distracting.”

“I’m distracting you from work when I’m talking about work?” she asked incredulously.

“I’m not really listening to you. I’m just looking at you.”

She rolled her eyes, but her slight smile suggested she liked the attention. “What happened to being professional?”

“Do you see me grabbing your ass?”

“No. But I suspect if this big table weren’t in between us, things would be different…”

“Actually, it’s the glass doors.” I nodded to the wall behind me. “I don’t know why Titan is so obsessed with being transparent. Annoying.”

“She wants the world to know she has nothing to hide.”

Secrets were underrated.

“I guess I should get back to my lab.” She gathered her documents and placed them in her satchel. She pulled it over her shoulder, the dark blue leather bag complimenting the black dress she wore. She was in sky-high heels, and I assumed she must change out of them when she was working in the lab.

I rose to my feet and came around the desk, blocking her exit. “Let’s have dinner tonight.”

“Dinner, huh?” she asked. “Will you be cooking?”

“If you want. I was gonna pick up something.”

“That’s not bad either.”

“I don’t want to spend any more time in the kitchen than necessary when I have better things to do…” I was already undressing her with my eyes, imagining the feeling of her lace panties scrunched up in my fist.

“Do I qualify as something better to do?”

“If you don’t know, I’ll show you later.” I stepped out of the way so she could get to the door, but if our walls weren’t see-through, I’d be kissing her on the mouth right now. My hands would be palming her ass and squeezing it tight.

She smiled then walked to the door. “I look forward to it, Thorn.” She pushed the door open and walked down the hallway.

I watched her hips shake as she moved, saw the way her calves tightened with every step she took. I still had hours to get through before I finally had her underneath me. That time couldn’t come soon enough.

---

Her black hair was in loose curls, smoky makeup was on her face, and she wore a sweater dress that was so tight it didn’t leave much to the imagination.

She dressed up—just for me.

I was a king.

My hands immediately lifted up her dress and kneaded her bare ass with my fingertips. She had on brown booties, but the rest of her legs were bare, tanned skin that was about to be the victim of my aggressive lips. My face lingered in front of hers, but I didn’t move in for the kiss, as much as I wanted to.

I teased her.

I brushed my nose against hers and looked into her vibrant eyes. She had the energy of an entire forest, pure and beautiful. There was something about this woman that stood out compared to all the others. Some names I couldn’t even remember, but Autumn was a name I’d never forget. Her specialness wasn’t just a derivative of her looks. Combined with the smile, that sassy intellect, and the way she carried herself, she was the most desirable woman on the planet.

I squeezed her ass tighter as I held her in my doorway. I had dinner on the table, but now I wasn’t thinking about food.

“Are you going to kiss me or what?” She spoke with a sultry voice, seducing me with the way her words grazed over my skin.

“No. Not until you beg me.” I moved my mouth against the shell of her ear, smelling the scent of her lovely hair, and I kissed the skin just below her ear, making sure she heard the way my lips brushed against her.

The fiery look in her eyes told me it had the right effect.

I grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to the table. “Rib eye steak, potatoes, and broccoli.”

Like she was in a drug-infused haze, it took her a minute to come back to reality. “How do you look so good if you eat like this all the time?”

“I don’t eat like this all the time. Just when I’m trying to impress a lady.”

She sat down and immediately sipped her wine. “I thought you said you didn’t cook for anyone?”

“I don’t. You’re the first lady I’ve actually tried to impress.”

She smiled but maintained a guarded expression at the same time. “Is that a line?”

“I already have you, Autumn. Why would I need a line?” I laid the napkin across my lap and picked up my fork.

She took a longer drink from her glass before she set it down. “Then why do you want to impress me, Thorn?”

“I like you.”

“That’s it?” she asked. “Because you’ve already impressed me in the way that matters most.”

I didn’t have to invite her over for dinner or spend time with her. With the others, we just had sex, and then they left. There was no meal or wine. I didn’t notice how differently I was behaving until she pointed it out. “I’m not sure, honestly. With the other women I’ve been with, I don’t ask them to dinner or really talk to them much. It’s just right down to business.”

“So Titan is the only relationship you’ve ever had?”

“I guess…” I drank my wine, feeling guilty for telling the lie.

“And the others were just…what we are?”

“I was never monogamous with any of them. They were just fun ways to spend my time. They liked my power and wealth, and they liked the things I did to them. Some of them were open to threesomes. Some were even open to four. I wouldn’t compare those experiences to anything we have.”

“Because we’re only seeing each other?”

“Yeah. And because I actually like you.”

“What do you like about me?”

“Everything,” I said with a laugh. “You’re the coolest woman I’ve ever met.”

“Really?” she asked with a smile. “I’ve always thoughts scientists were labeled as uncool.”

“Only uncool people say that.”

She chuckled then cut into her steak. “Wow, this is good.”

“My favorite place.”

“I’ll remember that. I’ll pick you up a steak if I want to butter you up.”

“You could save yourself the trip and just get on your knees instead.”

She was about to take a bite of her food, but she narrowed her eyes on my face instead. “I thought the best way to a man was through food.”

“I’m more of a sex kinda guy.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“What about you?” I asked. “Sex or food?”

“Depends.”

“On?”

“The guy. If it were sex with you or food, I’d pick sex. If it were sex with another guy…I’d probably pick food.”

I stopped eating because this woman amazed me. She complimented me so many ways I could hardly believe it. It was like she was doing it on purpose…only she wasn’t. “You’re amazing.”

“Amazing?” she asked.

“You know how to make me feel good.”

Her cheeks slightly filled with color. “Just being honest…”

We returned to eating our meal, our chatter dying down after the last thing she said. The biggest thing we had in common was our work together, but ironically, I didn’t think about it when we were together. Work was the last thing on my mind. I was far more interested in the woman than the partnership.

When we were finished, we left our plates on the table.

“Need help with the dishes?” she asked.

“No. The maid will take care of it.”

“When does the maid come?”

“In the morning when I’m at work.”

“Now, that makes sense. I thought it was strange your apartment was so clean.”

“Hey.” My hands moved to her hips, and I gave her a slight tickle. “Don’t be like that, baby.”

“Baby?” she asked, her stomach tightening against my fingertips.

“Yeah.” It was the first time I’d ever called a woman that, but I liked it. I liked giving her a possessive nickname, a name no one else called her. It made me feel closer to her, made it seem like she was mine even if she wasn’t. “Is that okay?”

Her hands moved up my chest, and she rose on her tiptoes so she could look at me better. Her eyes trained on my lips, asking for a kiss without actually saying the words. Her fingertips dug into my t-shirt, like she wanted to yank it over my head. She rubbed her nose against mine but didn’t lean in for the embrace. “Kiss me.”

“I’ll take that as a yes…”

“Then don’t make me beg any longer.”

---

I don’t know how it happened, but we ended up on the rug in front of my gas fireplace in the living room. With my arms pinned behind her knees as I held all my weight on top of her, I fucked her into the floor.

“Fuck…” The sight of her tits, her slender waistline, and the sexy expressions she made as I pleased her made this feel more like a wet dream than reality. It was too good to be true. My cock could feel the cream her pussy made for me, the slickness of arousal. I’d already fucked her twice, but now my cock was buried inside her for the third time that night. “Your pussy…Jesus.” I was hot and sticky because of the sweat, but that didn’t slow me down. I pushed through my own come and felt it drip down my balls. I kept giving it to her, but her tiny pussy couldn’t take all of it, not when I was ramming my big cock inside her.

Autumn had been lost in me since we started. She’d come around my cock more times than she ever had before, and her warm hands continued to claw at me. I knew she cut through the skin because my sweat burned when it seeped into the wounds. She’d be sore tomorrow morning, but right now, all she felt was the pleasure I gave her.

She ran her hands up my chest then gripped my shoulders as her hair stretched out behind her on the rug. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes were brighter than the northern lights. Her tits shook with my thrusts, and her nipples remained hard for the entire duration. I could feel her pussy constrict around my dick every time she came.

Fuck, this was the best sex I’d ever had.

And she just lay there. That’s how sexy she was.

“I never want to stop fucking you…”

Her hand gripped the back of my neck, and she pulled my mouth to hers for a kiss. “Then don’t.”

I felt her breath enter my mouth along with her words. My cock twitched inside her, slathered in my own come and hers. I wanted to keep going, but when this woman told me to never stop fucking her, I couldn’t control my load.

I came inside her for the third time that night, pumping my seed deep inside her tight pussy. I groaned as the satisfaction trickled up my spine. My balls tightened toward my body and gave me an extra rush of goodness. “So fucking good…”

She rubbed her hand up my chest and to my neck, the same look of satisfaction in her eyes.

I grabbed her hand and turned it to expose her wrist. I pressed a kiss against the sensitive skin, my eyes connected with hers. I’d never been with a woman who made me feel this good. No threesome or foursome compared to having my dick inside this woman. There wasn’t necessarily anything special about the sex, but there was something special about her. “I want to keep going, but I need a break this time…”

“You’re worth the wait.” She sat up and kissed my chest, running her tongue along my sweat and catching the drops.

My hand fisted her hair as I cradled her head toward me. “Sleep over.”

“Tonight?” she asked.

“Yeah.” I didn’t invite women to spend the night with me, but I knew I would start my day off right with some morning sex. “I didn’t ask. I’m telling you that you’re spending the night.”

“Not sure why you think I respond well to orders.”

“You don’t.” I tilted her head back and looked into her eyes. “But you respond to me.”

I knew it was the right answer when a soft smile stretched across her face. “I have to warn you, I snore.”

“Don’t care.”

“And I hog the blankets.”

“I’m usually too hot anyway.”

“And I may unexpectedly ride you in the middle of the night.”

I grinned. “Even better.” I was still inside her, but my dick had softened throughout our exchange. I could feel my warm come surround me because I was still buried deep inside her. I leaned down and kissed her, enjoying the taste of her lips in front of the quiet fireplace. My hand dug into her hair, and I felt the rush of excitement when she agreed to stay with me.

I’d have her all night.

The intercom on my elevator beeped. Then Titan spoke. “Hey, Diesel and I are coming up. Is that okay?”

My lips stopped in mid-kiss as disappointment rushed through me. It was the first time Titan was out of the house, and while that excited me, she couldn’t have picked a worse time.

Autumn pulled her lips away, her face full of surprise at the sound of Titan’s voice.

Ugh, I hated Titan right now.

I pulled out of Autumn quickly and walked to the elevator with my dick still wet. I pressed my hand to the button and tried not to sound like a complete dick. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

“We have some great news we wanted to share with you,” Titan said. “We’re coming up.”

“Whoa, hold on.” I watched Autumn climb to her feet and pull on her clothes. I didn’t want her to hide somewhere like a dirty secret, but I also didn’t want to tell Titan to leave because she probably had something important to say. “Just give me a second, alright? The place is a mess.”

“Since when did you start caring?” Titan asked with a laugh.

“Just hold on.” I left the intercom and walked up to Autumn. “I would just tell them to leave, but they wouldn’t stop by unless it was important. I haven’t seen Titan leave her place in over a month, so this is probably big.”

“That’s okay,” she said. “I understand.”

I thought she was taking this surprisingly well. “Well, just wait in my bedroom until they leave. I’ll try to get them out fast.”

“Whoa, what?” After she flicked her hair back, she stared at me with fiery green eyes. “You want me to hide?”

“If she sees you here, she’s going to know what we were doing.”

“And does it matter if she does?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you embarrassed by me or something?”

“Are you kidding me?” I countered. “Look at you. Hell no, I’m not embarrassed.”

“Then why is this a secret? You didn’t tell her we were seeing each other?”

“No. I thought that would be unprofessional.”

“How so?” she asked. “You used to sleep with Titan. Why can’t you sleep with me? You’re only helping her temporarily.”

“I thought you wouldn’t want me to tell her,” I argued. “A gentleman doesn’t blab about his conquests to people.”

“But I thought she was your friend?”

“Of course she is.” This was turning into a nightmare, and the time was ticking. “She told me not to get involved with you since she’s doing business with you. She told me that after I was already seeing you…so now I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to drop this bomb on her right this second.”

“Why would she tell you not to see me?”

“Conflict of interest, I guess.”

“So you told her you wanted to see me?”

Titan spoke through the intercom again. “Thorn? Everything alright?”

Autumn continued to stare at me suspiciously.

“Can we finish this conversation after they leave?” I asked. “I’m not happy about this and I feel like an ass, but I don’t know what else to do. Cut me some slack.”

She pulled on her shoes then snatched her clutch off the table. Then she walked down the hallway and entered my bedroom.

Fuck, my perfect night was ruined.

I pulled on my clothes then hit the button. “Come up.” I dragged my hands down my face and tried to fight the migraine that started behind my eyes. The last thing I wanted to do was push Autumn away. I wanted to share my bed with her and enjoy her tomorrow morning. If Titan and Diesel weren’t family to me, I would tell them to get lost.

The elevator doors opened a moment later, and they stepped inside.

Titan was in great shape. She was dressed nicely, she was smiling, and her hand was held in Diesel’s.

“It’s nice to be outside again, huh?” I asked with a laugh.

“It’s nice to get out of the house,” Titan said. “I haven’t felt fresh air in so long.”

“And it’s nice of you to let her get out of the house.” I shook Diesel’s hand.

“I think it’s time.” The second he dropped my hand, he returned it around her waist.

“We hope we aren’t interrupting anything,” Titan said.

“No, don’t worry about it.” I hoped they wouldn’t notice the empty dishes on the kitchen table or pick up on the obvious odor of sex from the living room. I didn’t invite them to the couches because I was trying to keep them away from the opposite side of the penthouse. I didn’t want Autumn to overhear something she shouldn’t. “So, do you have any big news?”

“Yes,” Titan said. “We’re finally getting married.”

“Yeah?” I asked. “When?”

“It’s kinda short notice but…next weekend.”

“That’s not bad,” I said. “You know I’ll be there. Where?”

“Thailand,” Diesel answered. “It’s a far trip, but we’re only inviting about a dozen people.”

“Oh, I love Thailand. You know I’m down for that.” It was a beautiful country with gorgeous beaches. I’d been there a few times. “I’m excited for you guys. This has been a long time coming, and now it’s finally happening.”

“We’re very excited about it.” Titan shared an affectionate look with Diesel.

Diesel mirrored her gaze. “Thank you for encouraging her to take my last name. Best gift she could have ever given me.”

“I didn’t have to do much convincing.” I slid my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “She’d always wanted it. I just had to make her realize how much.”

“Thank you anyway,” Diesel said. “I’m counting down the days until I can call her Mrs. Hunt.” When he turned his gaze on her, he rubbed his nose against hers.

It reminded me of Autumn for some reason. “Thanks for stopping by to tell me in person. I’ll hunt for my swim trunks after you leave.”

“There’s one other thing.” Titan stepped away from Diesel and came toward me, and judging by the affection in her eyes, she had something to ask me. Her look was full of emotion before she even said anything. “Thorn…you know what I’m going to ask you.”

Yeah, I did. “And you know what my answer is going to be.”

“You’ll give me away?” she asked. “There’s no one else I want more.”

The media wouldn’t be able to comprehend why we would do such a thing. Would I really give away my ex-fiancée to her new lover? It didn’t sound plausible. But I knew this was important to her because our relationship was so much deeper than anyone realized. “I’d be honored.”

“Thank you.” She moved into my chest and hugged me. “You’re the closest thing to family that I have.”

“I know.” I held her back. “You’re my family too.”

She stayed there for a while, holding me longer than she ever had before.

When Diesel watched us, there was a hint of jealousy there. I was the last man he should be jealous of, considering she backed out of marrying me. The love between us was purely familial. Just because it wasn’t romantic didn’t mean it wasn’t deep.

She pulled away and regarded me with the same emotional eyes. “You’ve always been so good to me. Even when I broke our arrangement because I fell in love, you still came back to me.”

I hoped Autumn didn’t hear that. “It’ll always be you and me. The only difference now is we also have Diesel…so there’s three of us.”

“Yeah…we’re a family. You’ve been my best friend for ten years. And I know we’ll be best friends forever.”

I didn’t say anything because I was scared to egg her on. I needed to tell Autumn the truth, but I wanted to be the one to tell her. And I needed to talk to Titan about it first. “Of course.”

She moved back to Diesel. “I’m going to get my dress tomorrow. You want to come along and help me out?”

Dress shopping wasn’t my thing, but I couldn’t say no. “Sure.”

“Make sure she picks out a good once,” Diesel said. “The more skin, the better.”

“I’ll try,” I said with a chuckle.

They said their goodbyes and then left my penthouse. When the elevator doors were closed and they were finally gone, I headed to my bedroom and hoped I’d find Autumn in a better mood than when I left her.

When I saw her face, I realized my wish hadn’t come true.

“She wants you to give her away?” she asked incredulously.

I knew this was going to be bad. “Her father passed away when she was young.”

“I know that, but I think that’s strange… You don’t?” She cocked an eyebrow.

No, she was right. It was strange. “I—”

“I wondered if she was still in love with you, and then when I heard that, it makes me think she must be… I can’t think of any other explanation for that.”

She was so far off she was in an entirely different galaxy.

“I’ve always admired Titan because of the smart and savvy businesswoman she is. She wouldn’t be where she is today unless she was a genius. But all of this confuses me. She either still has feelings for you, or she’s totally insensitive by asking you to give her away. I mean, that’s just rude. To even expect you to be at the wedding…is cold.”

Now that Titan’s image was taking a hit, I couldn’t let this go on any longer. I didn’t want Autumn to question her business relationship with Titan. If she pulled out of the deal, it would hurt Titan considerably. “We need to talk…” I sat on the edge on the edge of my bed and patted the seat beside me.

She eyed it warily before she sat. “What is it, Thorn?”

“What I’m about to say is going to confuse you…but I’m telling the truth. I don’t want you thinking Titan is some kind of emotional psychopath, so I need to come clean. But I really hope you keep this between us.”

“Okay…” She crossed her legs on the bed and rested her hands in her lap.

Something in my chest told me I could trust Autumn. She wouldn’t betray Titan’s secret to the world. It would hurt Titan as well as me. We’d look like the biggest liars on the planet. “Titan and I never had a real relationship. She and I have been friends for over a decade now, and she’d come to the realization that she didn’t want to have a relationship with anyone. I didn’t either. But she wanted to have a family, as did I. So we thought we would get married and have a family. Our relationship wouldn’t be based on romance. It was an arrangement based on trust, loyalty, and honesty. She would be free to have her physical relationships, and I would have mine. But at the end of the day, we were committed to each other. I’d love her and protect her like any husband should, but I would never be in love with her.” I stared across the room at the floor-to-ceiling windows that showed the city. Looking at Autumn’s face didn’t seem appealing, not when I dropped this heavy truth on her.

Judging by her silence, she didn’t know what to say.

“She met Diesel before we got engaged. She fell in love with him, but they broke up over a misunderstanding. When they got back together, I had already proposed to her. She said she had to break it off. I was angry about it because she made me look like an idiot, but we managed to get through it. Now here we are…still friends.” I turned to her to watch Autumn’s reaction.

Her expression hadn’t changed at all, but she opened her mouth slightly to speak. She closed it again and cleared her throat. “So…it was all a publicity stunt?”

“I guess. But we weren’t doing it for the publicity.”

“Did you guys ever…?”

“Not once. I’ve never even kissed her.”

“But you could picture yourself spending your life with her?”

“As a partner, yes. Like I said before, I was never in love with her. I was happy when she met Diesel. He’s a great guy. I know they’ll be happy together for a very long time.”

“Why did she agree to this arrangement? Titan is beautiful and successful…she could have any man she wanted.”

I didn’t want to betray Titan’s secrets, but her history was a matter of public record now. “She was in an abusive relationship when she was young. Messed her up mentally and she had trust issues. She wanted to be with someone she could depend on, someone she could trust implicitly. She knew I would always look out for her, never raise a hand to her, and I could be everything she needed. I’d be a great father to her kids, and I come from a good family…all of that stuff. And then she could continue to have her physical relationships too. It was perfect for both of us.”

“Why was it perfect for you?”

“I didn’t want a relationship either. Having Titan as a wife solved my problems. It made my parents happy. Financially, it was a good move. I enjoy her company and trust her with my life. True friends that will always remain loyal to you are hard to find…especially in a cruel world like this.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, pulling the dress tighter against her body. She must have fixed her hair with her fingertips while I was in the living room with Diesel and Titan because it looked nice again.

I waited in silence, practically walking on eggshells. “Autumn?”

She cleared her throat. “I’m sure you and Titan aren’t the first ones to make an arrangement like that…but I’m just caught off guard. I told you stuff about my personal life because I thought you would understand… I feel a little stupid now.”

“No, don’t feel stupid.” My hand gripped hers. “Please.”

She wouldn’t look at me.

“Baby.”

She fought the nickname initially, but after ten seconds, she finally turned to me.

“I don’t want you to feel that way. I feel guilty because I misled you, but I’m glad you shared that with me. I feel like I know you better because of that…and I feel closer to you.”

“I told you something honest and personal about myself. Now I want to know something about you.”

“Anything. What do you want to know?”

“What is the real reason you don’t want a relationship?”

I didn’t want to sugarcoat the truth. She told me something that was difficult to share, and it would be insulting if I didn’t expose my truth to her. “I just don’t feel anything. I’ve been with a lot of women, but I’ve never come close to falling in love with someone. I’ve never had my heart broken. I just like having meaningless flings, and I like being with women that allow me to control them…to do what I want.” As the words left my lips, I knew I sounded like an asshole. She didn’t want a relationship either, but at least it was for a legitimate reason.

Her expression didn’t change, and she didn’t seem to view me judgmentally.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not a gentleman. It doesn’t mean I’m not honest. It doesn’t mean I don’t care. Titan is the only woman I’ve had a close relationship with besides my mom. Titan’s an incredible person, and obviously, she’s beautiful…but I’ve never felt anything. It makes me wonder if I’m incapable of feeling romantic love. Maybe there’s something wrong with me, I’m not sure. When I see the way Diesel looks at Titan, I know I’ve never looked at anyone that way.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“I know how that makes me sound…but I hope that doesn’t chase you off.”

“It doesn’t,” she said simply. “But I’m not sure if your assessment of yourself is completely accurate.”

“How so?”

She tucked her hair behind her and took her gaze off mine. “Maybe I’m going out on a limb here…but I feel like you care about me.”

“Of course I do.” I knew I did. I couldn’t get enough of her. I’d never asked a woman to stay over before. I’d never cooked for someone before.

“But, I think you care about me differently than you do with other women.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You’ve never made dinner for someone. You’ve never had anyone sleep over. It just seems like…maybe I’m different.”

I’d never given it much thought. I hadn’t been seeing her that long.

“You’re a very jealous man…I know that much.” She chuckled.

“Yeah…you’re right.”

“You’re the one who wanted to be monogamous.”

That was true too.

“Maybe you’ve grown. Maybe seeing Titan in love has influenced you.”

“Yeah, I guess it’s possible…but you don’t want a relationship anyway, right?”

She looked down again, a smile on her face. “I mean, if I met a good guy I really trusted and it felt right…I’d keep an open mind.”

Why did that make me happy? Why did that bring a smile to my face? I interlocked her fingers with mine then brought her hand to my lips. I rested my mouth there for a moment, treasuring her warm skin. “And if I met an amazing woman…I’d keep an open mind too.”

---

I didn’t know how Titan would react.

But I suspected she was going to be pissed.

I kinda lied to her about seeing Autumn, and then I told Autumn the truth about my false relationship with Titan. It was a betrayal on a few accounts, but hopefully, she wouldn’t care that much since she was getting married in less than two weeks.

Titan’s driver drove us down the street toward the fashion designers’ studios. I’d left the office a little earlier than usual so we’d have plenty of time to get the right dress. I suspected Connor Suede was making something just for her. “Does Connor know your ideas?”

“Connor?” Titan gave me a blank look. Back in elegant clothes with perfectly styled hair, she was back to her usual self. The only thing that was different was her feet. Now she wore flats instead of heels, still not quite strong enough to wear them on the slippery sidewalk after a long day of rain.

“He’s designing your dress, right?”

“No,” she said with a chuckle. “God, could you imagine the massacre?”

“I’m not following.”

“Diesel knows I slept with him…so he’s not a fan.”

I nodded my head slowly. “Gotcha…”

“I’m going with Chase Cruz. He specializes in wedding dresses anyway. Connor’s talents are better suited to office and resort clothes.”

I was relieved I didn’t have to see him. He wanted to fuck my woman, and I wasn’t too happy about it. Of course, if he’d known I was seeing Autumn, he would have backed off because he was a gentleman, but his ignorance didn’t make me hate him less. “Do you have any idea of what you want?”

“Yes. Mermaid fit but with lace sleeves. Something simple but elegant. And I want the back to be open. Diesel likes my back…” She smiled then looked out the window.

“TMI, Titan.”

“You’ve told me worse things, Thorn. Don’t act innocent.”

I had mentioned my threesome on two sex swings. It was a graphic tale. “True.” I wondered when I should tell her about Autumn and me. I was planning on doing it today because I couldn’t keep it a secret anymore. While my personal life was none of her business, this pertained to her. “Thanks for bringing me along.”

“Of course. According to Diesel’s orders, you have to make sure I look hot.”

I chuckled. “You always look hot, Titan. You could be dressed in one of those inflatable T-rex costumes and Diesel would still think you’re stunning.”

She smiled. “Yeah…you’re probably right.”

I’d never really noticed how happy she was when she talked about him. I knew she loved him, and I was aware enough to see their intense and passionate relationship. But the depth of their connection was deep and meaningful. Their story was written all across her face—and her heart.

Was Autumn right? Was there hope for me?

We arrived at the office and were escorted into the design room. Chase Cruz greeted Titan with a kiss on each cheek then shook my hand. A handsome man that could model his own clothes if he wished, Chase Cruz spoke with a Puerto Rican accent that would floor any woman he tried to impress. “Lovely, as always. Thank you so much for allowing me to design your dress. Truly, it’s an honor.”

Titan patted his shoulder. “You’re too sweet, Chase. I’m excited for you to make me beautiful.”

“And I will,” he said. “It’ll be no challenge. Mr. Hunt is a lucky man.” He handed her a nude slip, a thin material that would barely conceal her breasts if she wore it. “Put this on, and I’ll get your measurements.”

Titan walked into the changing room and shut the door.

I sat in a chair outside the room, a glass of champagne with a plate of chocolate covered strawberries beside it. It was an elegant touch, but I was more of a scotch-soaked fruit kinda guy. “I’m surprised Diesel let you out of the house today.”

“He doesn’t let me do anything, Thorn. Let’s get that straight.” Her voice grew quiet then loud as she removed clothes and pulled the slip over her head. “And he was comfortable with it because he knew you were coming along.”

I’d already killed a man for her. What else wouldn’t I do?

She came out in just the slip then stood on the platform in the center of the room. The dress covered everything, but it was still showing most of her skin. I directed my gaze to my phone to give her some privacy.

Chase took her measurements all over her body then pulled out different dresses to see what she liked. All the big puffy ones were rejected, and the simple ones were the clear winners. Together, they examined the lacework and determined what Titan liked the most.

“What about diamonds?” Chase asked. “Real diamonds?”

“No,” she said. “I want the only diamond to be the one on my finger.”

Chase nodded in understanding. “Then I think the lace would be better. I could do simple sleeves, open in the back, and I’ll have it fitted perfectly against the small of your back. You have natural curves, and it’ll make the dress seem like a second skin.”

“That sounds perfect.”

“It’ll take me some time, but if I start today, I should have it done in a week.”

“Thank you, Chase. I know I’m asking for a lot.”

“For Tatum Titan, anything.”

She kept her smile, but her eyes slightly crinkled with a hint of sadness.

Soon, no one would call her by that name ever again.

---

We returned to her penthouse, and Titan showed me the suit she wanted me to wear. It was my favorite designer, and it was a color I’d worn many times. But since this was her day, I didn’t care what she asked me to wear.

I even would have worn a clown suit if she asked.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“I like it.” It was navy blue with a black tie. “What will Diesel be wearing?”

“Black suit.”

“So I’ll be the only one in blue?”

“Yep.” She pulled the plastic back over the suit and laid it over the back of the couch. “I had my assistant make most of the arrangements. I got you one of their best suites at the resort. Will you be taking a date?”

The thought hadn’t crossed my mind. The only person I would take was Autumn, but I couldn’t blurt that out right this second. “I’m not sure yet. So…who is all invited?”

“Just some of my friends, Diesel’s family, and a few other people.”

“How about Ms. Alexander? You don’t know her that well, but you guys will probably be good friends eventually.”

“I’m not sure,” she said. “It’s a tricky situation, and I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

I might make it up for her.

“You want anything to drink?” she asked as she walked into the kitchen.

“I’ll have whatever you’re having.” I took a seat on the couch beside my suit.

“I can still only have water,” she called back. “So are you sure about that?”

I cringed. “Give me a single malt.”

She grabbed her glass and made my drink at the bar before she returned. “I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen you drink water since I’ve known you…”

“Because I don’t,” I teased.

“I can imagine how your conversations go with your doctor…”

“Not well,” I said with a chuckle. I took a long drink, feeling the burn down my throat and all the way into my stomach. The heat followed immediately afterward, giving me a jolt of energy to push through this. “Titan, I’ve got something to tell you. I’m gonna be up front with you…you aren’t going to like it.”

She crossed her legs and set her glass on the table. “Too bad I can’t have an Old Fashioned to prepare for it.” She leaned forward and rested her arms on her knee. “What is it, Thorn? And please tell me it has nothing to do with Diesel.”

“Actually, it doesn’t.”

She sighed in relief. “Well, that makes it a little easier, I guess.”

I rubbed my palms together and tried to find the right sentence to start with, but there wasn’t a good option.

Titan looked at me expectantly.

I felt her hard gaze. “I’m sleeping with Autumn.” Now it was out in the open. My secret was no longer a secret, and it actually felt good to get off my chest. “It started almost a month ago.” I avoided her gaze because I already knew what her expression would look like.

She was pissed. “Since before I made her a partner?”

I nodded. “I went to her office to negotiate your terms, and…the attraction was there. Every time I was around her, it kept building. Then we were both at a party, and she made a move on me.” I didn’t tell her the specifics, that Autumn stared at my package without shame and became a big admirer of my dick.

When Titan sighed, I knew she was livid. She wasn’t the kind of person who screamed her head off when she was angry. Her silence was sharper than a steak knife. It cut through the air with the sting of salt on an open wound. “This is unbelievable…I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

“I don’t need to tell you every single detail of my personal life, Titan.” I rounded on her, reminding her that we had our own lives despite how close we were. “I didn’t want you to think less of her because she wanted to sleep with me.”

“I don’t care about what you do with your dick, Thorn. But I relied on you to tell me if she was a good fit for the company. You were my eyes and ears. And now I find out your objectivity was compromised because you were screwing her the entire time. I trusted you.”

This was something I wasn’t prepared for. I didn’t even realize she would feel that way until she said it, and now I realized it was a legitimate concern. “My objectivity was never compromised. Autumn is a humble genius. You couldn’t find anyone better. And frankly, you couldn’t compete against her. This was the only option.”

She jumped to her feet then started pacing across the room, her arms crossed over her chest. “You didn’t tell me to protect her privacy, but you didn’t protect my goals. Your allegiance should have been to me, Thorn. Not her. And you really think I would judge a woman for wanting to sleep with a man? Come on, you must not know me at all.” She shook her head and released another sigh.

“I thought it would be a one-time thing, so I didn’t think I needed to tell you that.”

“And when did it stop being a one-time thing?”

Immediately. “I can’t recall.”

She stopped walking and glared at me.

When I had Autumn once, I wanted her again. I knew it the second I fucked her. “A few days afterward…”

“So this became a relationship?”

“Not a relationship. An arrangement. She didn’t want a relationship, and neither did I…but we didn’t want to see other people either.”

“Which makes it a relationship,” she snapped. “If it were a one-time thing, it probably wouldn’t matter. But you actually know this woman. You share thoughts and feelings. It clouds your ability to make valid decisions. You could have pushed for it just because of your infatuation.”

“Give me more credit than that, Titan.” I stood up and started to pace. “I’m not some idiot that will fall for anything a woman will say. I can keep things separate. I know she’s the perfect partner for you, and regardless of what happens between us, that will never change. That’s not just a gut instinct. That’s a claim backed up by evidence.”

Titan shifted her weight to one leg, her arms crossed and the fiery look still in her eyes. She tapped her fingers against her arm as she considered what I said. I knew she was thinking because of the focused look on her face. She was debating with herself, going over everything that was said with a critical approach. “In the end, it doesn’t change anything. This is where we are now, and we have to make the best of it…I suppose.”

“It’ll be great, Titan. Autumn is the supergenius you need to rise to the next level.”

“I sincerely hope you’re right.” She finally looked at me again, calm but irritated.

We’d gotten through the first obstacle. Hopefully, we’d get through the next one. “There’s something else…”

She sighed in preparation.

“We’d been spending a lot of time together, and she believed the romance you and I had. It came up a lot, and she told me something very personal about herself because of it. Her opinion of you started to change because she couldn’t understand why you would ask me to give you away…or why you want me at your wedding at all. She kept evaluating the situation critically and couldn’t come up with a better explanation other than you’re a sadist and a psychopath…so I told her the truth.”

Now she let out a growl. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I slid my hands into my pockets and shrugged. “I didn’t have any other choice.”

“Yes, you did,” she snapped. “You could have just not said anything.”

“Titan, you were the one taking the hit to your reputation. It would have affected your working relationship with her.”

“Which never would have happened in the first place if you hadn’t started fucking her.” Now the fire couldn’t be put out, and she was livid. She’d kept her calmness for the first part of the conversation, but all civility was out the window. “Thorn, you can have any other woman in this damn city.”

“Well, I don’t want anyone else.”

As if a bucket of water had been dumped over her head, the blazing fire was immediately snuffed out.

“I understand why you’re upset, and it was a stupid decision on my part. But you accepted my engagement and made me look like a damn idiot to the entire world. I still get strange looks when I go out.”

Her eyes immediately fell in guilt.

“So this makes us even. You fucked up, and now I fucked up. Truce?”

She lowered her hands to her sides, her sigh accompanying the disappearance of anger. “Truce.”

Never thought I’d be happy that she screwed me over in front of the entire world, but now it had paid off. I just cashed in my get-out-of-jail-free card. But that was my one lifeline. It couldn’t have been better sent.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like you actually like this woman.”

“I do like her.”

She stepped closer to me, treating me with the softness she showed earlier that day when we designed her wedding dress. “You know what I mean? I’ve never heard you say you like someone. You usually just like her ass or something.”

“I do like Autumn’s ass…but I like everything else too.”

Titan stared at me with that knowing gaze, looking right through me like an X-ray machine. “Is she the real deal?”

“I don’t know, Titan. Right now, all I know is I like being with her, and I want to keep seeing her.”

“Monogamously?” She cocked an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

Her eyebrow relaxed, but her smile widened. “This is a first.”

“I’ll probably get bored with her like I do with everyone else. But for now, I’m happy where I am.”

She returned to her seat on the couch and grabbed her water. “If I could, I’d be having a long drink with you. The water will have to do. So tell me all the details.”

“Come on, I don’t kiss and tell.”

She almost choked on her water when she laughed. “No, all you ever do is kiss and tell.”

“But not in a situation like this. You work with her. It’s inappropriate.”

“Thorn, I’m your best friend. You tell me about all the others.”

“The others are different.”

“Because?”

“I don’t care about them.”

As if she’d just discovered a piece of gold no one else noticed just yet, she smiled. “I guess that’s everything I need to know…”

“Don’t get your hopes up.”

“Too late.”

“Because nothing has changed.”

“Everything has changed. The second you stopped wearing a condom, the second you didn’t confide the details to your best friend, and the second you told me about her was the moment it became different. But different isn’t a bad thing, Thorn. I always hoped you would find someone just like I have. There’s no greater feeling in the world.”

I saw the way they looked at each other almost every day. I saw the unflinching loyalty they had for each other. I saw their love grow as the year passed, their love deepening and never shaking despite the obstacles in their way. Anyone who found that kind of love was very lucky.

But would I be one of them?

“I’m going to give you some advice, and you better take it.”

“I didn’t ask for any,” I countered.

“Too bad, you’re going to listen to me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Advice from a woman who’s been in one relationship her entire life…”

“One phenomenal relationship,” she said. “And this is my advice. Be honest with her.”

“Titan, when am I not honest? I give it so straight it makes people dislike me.”

“Not honest in that way.”

“Then what way?” I finished the rest of my whiskey before I wiped my mouth.

“Be honest about what the way you feel.” She placed her hand over her heart. “Don’t downplay your feelings. Don’t tell her you want to see other people if you don’t. Don’t tell her you aren’t into it just because you’re scared. Put it all out there.”

I looked away and didn’t respond to her statement. Titan wanted the best for me, so she turned optimistic. She didn’t want me to be alone for the rest of my life, not that I wanted to either. “I was actually thinking about asking her something else…”

“What?” Titan asked.

“I was thinking about asking her if she wanted to have the same arrangement you and I had…”

“Why would she agree to that?”

“Because she wants the good stuff that goes with it, but not all the bad.”

“Or you could just try to have something real…”

“And maybe we will…but maybe we could do it in a different way. She’s afraid to get hurt, and I want some security. I’m getting older, and I want to have a partner. What better partner than a woman you’re doing business with. She has a lot to offer, and she would be a great person to join my holdings with. And with kids…she’d make some beautiful ones.”

“I guess I see what you mean.”

“And maybe we’ll fall in love on the way…maybe we won’t. But no matter what, we’ll be left with a relationship based on friendship, trust, and loyalty. And those are things that always last longer than love.”