But Titan had her own interests—and I had to protect them. “I respect your decision, but I won’t change mine. As much as Titan is interested in your engineering, she’s interested in being the sole enterprise in this country. Take the money, make a counteroffer, or walk out as her competitor. But let me warn you…you don’t want to be her competitor.”
Ms. Alexander didn’t shift her position in her chair. With a straight posture and poised shoulders, she held herself like a queen. If a tiara were on her head, it would be sitting perfectly straight. Her tanned skin looked great with that pink blouse, and the classy watch on her wrist gave her another touch of elegance. She had the most beautiful poker face I’d ever seen, and now she used it against me. Her expression was no longer transparent, her thoughts an empty black hole of mystery.
My hand continued to grip my armrest, anticipating what she would say. Would she stick to her guns and walk away? Would she leave such a fortune sitting on the table? Or would she come to her senses and realize this was the best option she was ever going to get?
She broke the silence with her beautiful voice. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Cutler.” She rose to her feet and approached my desk. “But I’m not interested in anything less than what I came here for.”
6
Diesel
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
