Thorn took a step back, doing his best to disappear from the conversation.
“It is working,” Diesel snapped. “It can wait until you’re ready to return to work.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I countered. “Thorn is doing everything for me, but he can’t make this judgment call entirely on his own. Besides, I’m pretty restless cooped up in here. I would like some company. She’ll be here for an hour at the most.”
Diesel crossed his arms over his chest.
Thorn turned to the TV even though it wasn’t on.
“This is happening.” I wanted to join my life with Diesel’s in every way imaginable, but I didn’t want him to make all my decisions for me. Sometimes his advice was sound, but sometimes he overstepped his boundaries.
He narrowed his eyes further.
“I’m sorry, Diesel,” I said. “But life goes on.”
Diesel stepped back, all the muscles in his body thickening in annoyance. “I’m not happy about this.”
“Yeah, I can tell,” I said sarcastically.
Diesel stepped away from the conversation, silently excusing himself. He took his hostility with him, but we could still feel it surrounding us. It infected the air, entering our lungs with every breath.
“Are you sure about this?” Thorn asked when Diesel was out of earshot.
“Ignore him.”
“It’s easy for me to do that,” he said. “But it’s not so easy for you.”
I was used to having that big caveman around the house all the time. I understood his moods, his protectiveness. Everything he did came from love, so that was why I excused his possessiveness. But I knew I had to stand my ground—and he would respect me for it.
A few hours after dinner, his anger finally started to fade away.
Diesel sat beside me on the couch, his arm moving around my shoulders. The cushion dipped noticeably because of his weight. A game was on the TV, but his eyes were on me. The hard lines of his face were similar to an outcropping of a mountain. Jagged in some places and smooth in others, his expression was a beautiful landscape.
“I’m glad you finally came around.”
“I just want you to get better as quickly as possible.”
“The worst is over,” I said gently. “You forget how much progress I’ve made. Now that I’ve gotten this far, nothing is going to hold me back.” My fingers moved to his chin, and I felt the thick stubble that had grown in since he’d shaved that morning. The shadow highlighted the contours of his face. I liked to touch him everywhere, but his chin was particularly beautiful to me. When I wasn’t allowed to have him, I fantasized about doing this very thing. When we sat across from each other at my desk, I could feel the pressure in my fingertips just by imagining it. “You forget how strong I am.”
“Never. I just forget how weak I am.”
“You aren’t weak, Diesel.” He was the strongest man I’d ever known. Whenever he was beside me, I felt his presence protect me. I never needed a man to provide me security, but I enjoyed his. It made me feel more powerful than I already was because I had the love of the most powerful man in the world.
“When it comes to you, I turn irrational. When it comes to you, I can’t see straight. I get emotional… I change. It’s not a reflection of all I am…but a product of my ridiculous love for you.” He turned his face into my hand and kissed my fingertips.
“I’m lucky that I’m the woman who gets to turn you irrational.”
A slow smile crept into his lips, and he gently pulled me tighter against him. “You always know what to say.”
“That’s because I know you so well.”
He rubbed his nose against mine, giving me a soft touch he never shared with anyone else. He could be aggressive with me, just as he was with the women before me. But that softness was something he reserved for me. “I’ll let this go. Having her stop by for an hour or two shouldn’t be a big deal.”
“It’s not a big deal at all.”
“But you’re in a place of vulnerability. You’re at home because you’re injured. It’s not the same as someone coming into your office while you sit behind your desk. They can see all your power standing on the top floor of your building. It’s different when the setting is here.”
“I don’t think that’ll be an issue. No matter where I am, my power is unmistakable. I have a strong reputation, and she realizes that. Just because I’m willing to form a partnership with her doesn’t mean I’m willing to do anything to make it happen. She’s a smart woman. She knows not to cross me.”
His large fingers moved into my hair, gently massaging the strands. When I stayed home all day, I watched the clock and counted down the hours until he came home. But I knew if I were busy at work, I’d be doing the same thing anyway. My work was just as important to me as it’d always been, but now Diesel gave me something else to be passionate about. “Thorn seems to be doing a great job taking care of things for you.”
“He really has.”
“Maybe you should ask him to do it again when you’re on maternity leave.”
Now we were jumping into the future. “I’m sure I can work until the day I give birth.”
“You definitely can’t walk in stilettos all day long like you’re used to.”
“Well, of course. But I think I’ll be fine.”
“And after the baby comes?” he pressed.
“I’ll have a nanny help me out.”
Judging by the frown on his face, he didn’t like that. “I don’t want a stranger taking care of my kid.”
“We’ll vet them extensively before we allow them to care for our child. And I’ll be there most of the time. But we don’t need to worry about that right now. We have a lot of other things to take care of.” The idea of having a
