I admired her strength and aggression, especially in a world as cold and cruel as ours. That’s how she survived and persevered. But in this situation, it really bit me in the ass. “Our children will have my last name. And you need to take my last name too.”
“I need to?” she challenged.
“You aren’t going to want to have a different last name from your kids. Trust me.”
“I suppose I could do Titan-Hunt.”
I shook my head. “Baby…”
“You have no idea how difficult this is,” she whispered. “My whole life I’ve been Titan. Now that I’ve fallen in love, I have to walk away from all of that?”
“But you’re inheriting a very powerful last name. It’s not a step down.”
“It’s not about that, Diesel.”
“We’re combining our lives together. We’re becoming one person. I want to hear people call you Mrs. Hunt. I want to hear those words every single day. I want us to be the Hunt family. But that doesn’t ruin your legacy.”
“It ends it. I’m the last one who carries the name.”
“Family lines die out all the time,” I said gently. “But the legacy doesn’t change. Your father will always be proud of you because of your accomplishments, not because of the credibility you bring to his last name.”
She looked away the instant her father was mentioned.
“Titan can be their middle name,” I said. “The name won’t be lost.”
“No one cares about middle names.”
“Not true,” I countered. “The legacy still carries on. You can change your middle name to Titan too.”
“I’m not doing that.”
We’d reached a stalemate, and it didn’t seem like we could move forward. We couldn’t even move backward. We were just stuck. “Baby, I want you to take my last name for a reason other than convenience. I want us to be husband and wife. I want us to be joined together in every way possible. I know this is going to last until the day I die, so I’m not worried about doing this for nothing.”
“I’m not worried about it either.”
“Then just consider it.”
She shook her head slightly.
“Consider it with an open mind.”
She turned her gaze back to her food and didn’t look at me. Her arms were still crossed over her chest, and in this light, she looked phenomenally beautiful. If she actually became Mrs. Hunt, that would be the sexiest thing in the world. It would suit her perfectly. “I’ll think about it…”
Chapter Five
Thorn
I stepped inside the conference room, a room surrounded by glass walls so anyone walking by could see directly inside. Autumn was visible before I even stepped into the room, wearing a burgundy blouse and black heels. I imagined she was wearing a pencil skirt under the desk—because that’s what she usually wore. She had the body to pull it off.
Actually, she had the body to rock it.
I stepped inside and smoothed out the front of my tie. A cart was placed off to the side, full of coffee, cream, and snacks. My eyes were on her, sitting on the other side of the table. Now I had to interact with her as a professional. The last time I saw her, I fucked her on the couch then told her I was a jealous man.
Now I was supposed to shake her hand like that never happened?
Autumn rose from the table and came forward to greet me. “Thorn.”
I wanted to extend my hand, but that felt strange. I’d shaken her hand before, but that was before I’d fucked her a dozen times. If someone else were in the room, I would have done it. But right then and there, the last thing I wanted to do was shake her hand. “Autumn, how are you?”
She didn’t try to shake my hand either. “Good. I’m excited to get started.”
“Then let’s begin.” I purposely moved to the other side of the table so there would be an appropriate amount of distance between us. If I got too close to her, I was afraid of what I might do. I might grab her thigh under the table because I couldn’t keep myself under control. People passed the glass doors as they traveled to their offices or the break room. We were like fish in a bowl, visible for everyone to see.
Why did Titan make all of her rooms like this?
“Can I get you some coffee?” I asked.
“No, thanks. I can get it myself if I want it.” She opened her folder and organized her notes.
I wanted to smile because she sounded just like Titan. “Of course.”
“So, where do you want to start?” She rested her hands together, her fingers interlocking.
“I’d like to know about your projects. That way Titan can determine what her focus will be. You’ll have to dumb it down for me because I’m not much of a science guy.” Titan might understand it more, but I worked primarily in the food industry.
“I don’t need to dumb it down for you, Thorn. People think science is complicated, but it’s not. It’s actually very simple.” She pulled out a few sheets and slid them toward me. “This is what I’ve been focusing on…”
She spent the next hour discussing her scientific findings along with the technology she was advancing. She gave me a list of industry purposes for every single innovation, which was very helpful. Once she opened up her world to me, I realized I was dealing with an intellect I’d never encountered before. Her genius was unbelievable. It made me wonder why she was wasting her time on me. I was an idiot compared to her.
“This will be a good advance in the industry,” she said. “These changes are cost-effective and affordable for any company, big or small. And in the end, it’ll save them a lot of money. I’m not sure how Titan wants to begin marketing this or what angle she’s going to choose, but I’m interested in finding out.”
I flipped through the pages again and added a few things to my notes. When I was absorbed in the world
