“Fuck…are you going to tell her?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“She might get mad if she knows you kept it from her.”
“I’m not keeping anything from her. She doesn’t want to know, but I can’t stay in the dark with her. If this woman tried to contact her once, she might do it again. I need to know everything so I can be prepared for it.”
“Makes sense.”
I couldn’t anticipate the way Titan would feel once she knew the truth. Her mother abandoned her twenty-five years ago, and now she’d walked into her office like she had the right to inquire about her well-being.
She’d given up that right almost three decades ago.
“That’s crazy,” Thorn said after a minute of silence. “I never thought that woman would walk back into Titan’s life. Maybe she wants money. Her daughter is a billionaire.”
“It’s possible. Her husband makes a pretty good living and she’s a housewife, but they’re nowhere near Titan’s caliber.”
“Then I’ll keep my eyes peeled for her.”
“Alright.”
Jessica spoke through the intercom to Thorn, and I could hear her voice over the line. “Ms. Alexander is here.”
“Thanks,” Thorn said to her before he returned to me. “I’ve gotta go, Diesel. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.”
“No problem. Quick question before you go.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you think of Ms. Alexander?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, turning serious.
“I mean exactly what I said. You think she’s the right partner for Titan?”
“Not a doubt in my mind, man. I think Ms. Alexander and Titan are going to be two peas in a pod. They’re so much alike it’s disturbing.”
“And she’s a trustworthy person?”
“Do you ever really know?” he countered. “But I’m willing to bet she is.”
“Alright, thanks. I’ll let you go.”
“Talk to you later.” He hung up.
I set my phone down then got back to work.
When I stepped inside the penthouse, it smelled like dinner. A fragrant aroma filled the air, smelling of pot roast and fresh carrots. Titan usually had dinner ready when I came by, but since she’d been injured, I’d been the one taking care of our dinner plans. “Something smells good.”
She came out of the kitchen in jeans and a black button-up blouse. Her hair was done, makeup was on her face, and she wore a smile. “Your favorite.”
“Are you talking about dinner or you?”
She moved into my chest and wrapped her arms around my neck. She greeted me with a kiss that she never shared with anyone else. It wasn’t the kind of embrace she used to give me when we were just fucking. It was full of longing, love, and just a splash of lust. Her fingers moved slightly into my hair, and she gave me some of her tongue.
Great way to be greeted after a long day at the office.
I squeezed her hips but then forced myself to let go, knowing I couldn’t handle her in any way that wasn’t utterly delicate.
She pulled away, that model-like smile on her lips. “Missed you.”
“Missed you.” Sometimes I couldn’t believe I got to come home to this every day. I couldn’t believe this incredible woman was waiting for me, missing me while I was gone all day. My fantasies about women used to be only about sex. I never imagined a life like this. But now it was a dream I’d never even hoped for, and that made it so much more valuable. “I thought I was in charge of making dinner.”
“I can handle it. It gives me something to do.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I feel great.”
“Excited for tomorrow?” We had an appointment with her doctor. They were going to take a look at her wound and determine if she was ready to remove the stitches that had been inserted almost a month ago. So far, her recovery had been uneventful—in a good way.
“You have no idea. If he doesn’t take these stitches out, I’ll do it myself.”
“I wish I knew you were joking.”
She smiled before she turned away. “You know I’m never joking.”
I stripped off my jacket and hung it over the back of the couch. Then I removed my tie and opened the top button of my collared shirt. “I saw Brett today.”
She spoke to me from the kitchen. “You did? How is he?” She carried the dinner plates to the dining room and set up everything for our meal. Then she retrieved the pot roast along with the silverware.
“Good. Things are going well with my dad.”
“That makes me happy.” She brought a bottle of wine and poured me a glass.
“You don’t need to do that, baby.” She still couldn’t drink, so I refrained from doing it around her.
“It won’t be much longer, Diesel. I’m fine.”
I set the gift on the table. “He wanted me to give this to you.”
“A gift?” She smiled as she sat down and picked it up. “I wonder what it is…”
I sat across from her and dished the pot roast onto my plate. The beef was tender and covered in a delectable sauce. Potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms were included. She made a side of broccoli that was sautéed in olive oil.
She ripped open the gift wrap then looked inside the box. “Wow…these are nice.” She pulled out the black leather gloves and examined them under the light of the chandelier. “This stitching is incredible.” She examined the name on the side, and instead of growing disappointed, she smiled. “That was thoughtful of him.”
I nodded to the card. “Looks like there’s a note.”
She picked it up and read it out loud. “Sis, these are made for a badass, and you’re definitely a badass…” Her eyes softened as she read the letter again, this time, in silence. Her eyes shifted back and forth as she took in the message. “Aww…that’s really sweet.”
“He’s a good guy.”
“He’s a sweetheart.” She folded the note and set everything off to the side.
“He’s never bought me anything except a
