Even through the haze of pleasure, I felt each spasm of his orgasm and swallowed his cries with a kiss.

  "You're insatiable," he murmured huskily into my hair, kissing the top of my head lightly.

  "And you love it," I retorted with a chuckle.

  He hummed in agreement, stroking my bare back lazily. "Damn right, I do." He kissed me again, this time on the lips. It was slow and tender and filled with worship.

  Minutes later, he disengaged and tucked me in the sheets before rolling out of bed and padding into the bathroom. I heard the water running for several minutes before he came back and tugged the sheets off. "Come on, Ness. Let's get you in the tub. You're going to be sore."

  I was so sleepy. "I'm okay."

  "I wasn't asking Mrs. Price." He gently scooped me out of bed and carried me into the bathroom. He'd dimmed all the lights and drawn a bath.

  "Oh, I see what you're up to."

  "Taking care of the woman I'm going to marry? Guilty."

  Chapter 30

  Gwen

  Life was moving at warp speed. A few days after the engagement party, I officially moved my team into the Pendragon Tech offices.

  And true to his word, Atticus made everything seamless. From the movers, to the IT team, to the servers, and the database guys. Hell, he even had someone bring snacks around.

  This is what it's like getting help.

  Still, I nervously chewed on my fingernails.

  Lance bumped shoulders with me as he mimicked my movements. "So, this is it? We are Pendragon now."

  "Yeah, I guess so." I said with a smile and shrug. “It’s not so bad so far. They have better tea options.”

  His gaze scanned mine. "Are you okay?"

  "Yeah, I'm good." And I found it was true. Since the engagement party, I’d felt settled. Solid. And comfortable with Atticus.

  "Okay, I trust you. I just worry, you know."

  "And I appreciate you worrying. But I'm good, Lance."

  He nodded. I could tell he was dying to say something, but he didn't. He held his tongue because he was trusting me. But I was trusting Atticus, and that made Lance uncomfortable.

  Atticus and I were making progress. After what he'd said to me on our engagement night, that he would be there for me and that I didn't need to do everything alone, I believed him. And for once, I was just going to let myself fall. It was easier with help. I wish I could say it wasn't, but it was. I had signed on the dotted line, and Atticus had taken care of the money and the interim things that we needed. He'd involved me in every meeting. I trusted him, and the way he made me feel in bed was unparalleled, but there was still a little part of me that was worried, still slightly unsure. But that was just my self-preservation kicking in. And I was allowed that, right?

  You can't fall in love with self-preservation.

  No, I couldn't. But I wasn't ready for love yet. Right now, just knowing that I had someone watching out for me was enough. And I wasn't really looking for love anyway. Love complicated things. Liking and respecting someone and having really good sex was enough, right? Except we'd both already admitted we’d started to fall for each other.

  Christ. I was not unpacking those feelings right now.

  Lance looked to the side. "That's my cue to go."

  I turned and saw Atticus walk off the elevator. The smile that tugged at my lips was instantaneous.

  And when his gaze met mine, the corner of his lips turned up slightly. My whole body tingled, and his gaze did not waver until he stopped in front of me.

  "Mr. Price," I said.

  "Fucking hell, I cannot wait until I can say Mrs. Price."

  A flush crept up my neck. "I guess that will take some getting used to. Are you sure I can't hyphenate?"

  "I don't care what you do. Keep your name if you want. I will still call you Mrs. Price." He took my hand, glanced down at the engagement ring, and brushed his thumb over it. "Everything going okay in here?"

  "Yeah, your team is great. Carla over there with the snacks, she's a smoothie peddler. Every fifteen minutes or so, she comes out and offers me something. It’s like you told her personally to make sure I'm well fed."

  He shrugged. "I cannot confirm nor deny."

  "Oh my God, you did not."

  Atticus only gave me a shrug. "If you refuse to take care of yourself, then I need to make sure other people do it for you. And I have to make sure that your diet doesn't consist of just gummy bears."

  I pulled a pack out from my back pocket. "Oh, really? You probably should have told Carla I'm not allowed to have these."

  He growled low and tried to take them from me as I hid them behind my back, which only made him wrap his arms around me. My gaze skittered around. "Atticus."

  "What? Everyone in here knows that we are getting married."

  "I guess. It's just⁠—"

  He did not move his hands. Instead he gave me a quick peck on the nose. "What? It makes you nervous?"

  "Yes, a little. It takes a little getting used to. It's not exactly like we've had a lot of time to get used to PDAs and stuff."

  "That is actually a pretty good point. I'm guessing from the way you just stiffened that you're not down with that at work." He flashed that devilish grin that was mostly reserved for me, and well, there you have it, the panties melted.

  I pressed my thighs together. "Atticus Price, I have work to do. I have to get my team settled in."

  "I know, but I do have more questions."

  "Yes?"

  "Are your panties wet for me?"

  I rolled my eyes and shoved at his chest, which didn't even budge. "You are incorrigible."

  "I have been told that before. I’m afraid it’s your fault if you’re really looking to cast blame.”

  “My fault is it?”

  “Entirely. I was thinking after work tonight we might go see my mother. Since she couldn't attend the engagement party, it might be nice to pop in and see her."

  "Yeah, it would be nice to see her. I was disappointed she wasn't there.”

  "Something like that is not an ideal situation for her."

  "No, of course, I understand."

  He held on to me for a moment longer. "You actually understand?"

  "Yeah. Being in a room full of two hundred guests, the chattering, the noise… Hell, I had a hard time myself. Now, if don’t you mind, Mr. Price, I have work to do."

  "You do. I will leave you to it so that you can get things sorted and make sure everyone is where they're supposed to be. I want to make sure that your team can manage without you for a couple of weeks."

  "What do you mean, a couple of weeks? Where am I going?"

  "Well, in less than two weeks, we’re getting married, remember? You think I'm not taking you on a honeymoon where I'll have you all to myself? And you won't be allowed to use a computer or a phone. Hell, you won't be allowed clothes."

  Another flush of heat hit me like a wave. "A-a honeymoon? I haven't, um, prepared." Just thinking about it made my body heat. But I had not planned ahead. "Oh God, I have to prep Lance to take over."

  He gave me a tight smile. "Well, let's make sure you have lots of contingencies and redundancies in place, okay?"

  "Okay. Now, can I get back to work?"

  "Yes. But come to think of it, meet me upstairs in my office in two hours."

  I shook my head. "I won't do that. You have that look like you want to bend me over your desk, and that's not what I'm here for."

  "Just once, woman, can't you just go where I tell you to go?"

  "No, I won't. I go where I want. And if it's urgent, you can come find me."

  "Oh, you better believe that I will."

  And I was entirely worried that he would.

  Chapter 31

  Atticus

  "You wanted to see me?"

  I sat back in my seat, rubbing my jaw as Lance walked in. "Come in, have a seat."

  He shrugged. "If it's all right with you, I prefer to stand."

  Of course he would. He was Gwen’s best friend.

  Try to get along, asshole.

  "Suit yourself." I watched him. I'd seen him watching me and Gwen downstairs. The jealousy was manageable. I had her, and he didn’t. She was never going to choose him. He wasn't dangerous or even a threat. Gwen was mine. And she was staying fucking mine.

  But I did need to do something with him. "I've been looking up your performance reports in the work that you've done while you were at Becks. Not to mention you have your masters in computer science.”

  "I know my qualifications. What about them?"

  He crossed his arms, and I watched him. For all intents and purposes, he was better for her. He was accessible. He was easier. He was quick with a smile. He was simple.

  I was a hard son of a bitch. I knew that cracking my exterior was next to impossible, but she’d managed to do it. And I was grateful. After the engagement party, we were solid. But I needed to be sure.

  And if I was being honest, this opportunity was good for him. Not that I gave a fuck about that.

  "All right, I’ll get to the point. As you know, Gwen and I have been working on the best placements for the core teams."

  He gave me a sharp nod. "Yes, we had recommendations. I assume she gave you the reports. If she hasn't yet, I can show them to you.”

  I just smiled at that. "I have them. I’m left with the job of determining what to do with senior leadership.”

  The muscle in his jaw ticked, and he rocked slightly from foot to foot. Ah, so he was getting the picture.

  “Do you want a drink?"

  He frowned at me. "What are you drinking?"

  "Well, let's go with scotch. We can toast the move, the acquisition, my engagement, the opportunity for you, or all of the above."

  He lifted a brow. "Opportunity for me?"

  I pushed to my feet, walked to my bar, and poured two glasses. When I handed him his, he took it but only stared at it.

  I deliberately took a sip of mine and seated myself on the couch with the view of the city. With a drink in his hand, he'd be hard-pressed not to sit.

  When he finally joined me, I leaned back. "Look, I know you're not happy about my engagement to Gwen."

  "Well, no one said you were an idiot." He took a sip and stared into his glass. "It's not bad."

  "Macallan."

  "Of course."

  "Lakewood, I'm not going to pretend to like you, and you don’t have to pretend to like me. We don't know each other, but your fascination with my fiancée is a problem."

  He shifted uncomfortably. "We're best friends. Have been since college. That’s never going to change."

  Yeah, I read you, asshole. You’re never going away. "And honestly, she needs you. I don't want that to change."

  His brows puckered. "Okay?"

  "There’s one thing that is going to change though."

  "Oh, excellent. What new delight have you cooked up for us now?" he asked sarcastically.

  "I have a VP of Technology position available in Pendragon Tech's London office. Running your own show, essentially an R&D outfit like you've had, but there is no Gwen to answer to. Obviously, it's a significant bump in pay. The usual package, and it's a good fresh start. A young team with room to build, so you can mold them however you want."

  He frowned into his glass. "That would be the offer, wouldn't it?"

  "Excuse me?"

  "You're dangling something so good in front of me that I have no choice but to go."

  I sighed. "Let me lay this out for you. There is London, which means a new environment, a chance to grow and spread your wings. There, no one cares that you're a Lakewood. Research things that interest you. You're the major decision-maker. Or you can stay here where Gwen is still above you, she makes the decisions, and she's the one in the room, not you. Sure, she discusses things with you now and she likes your input, but she makes the choices, not you. If you want to stay in the position you have now, it's fine. I don't care. Because you are not a threat to me. You never were. But I do think your abilities can be put to better use in London."

  I said that just as he was taking a sip, and he coughed into his glass. "Well, way to mince words there."

  "It's true. How Gwen and I came together was not ideal. Her father has a lot to answer for. But she's mine to look after, mine to protect. You can stay here if you want, but you will only ever be her second in command.”

  "You don't know what we are to each other."

  "No, I don't. I know that to her, you are invaluable. She loves you. She should. You've been best friends for years."

  Lakewood swallowed hard. "What’s your point?"

  "You think I don't have eyes? You're in love with her. And if the rumors are to be believed about Lakewood Enterprises, you were going to bite that bullet for her, and she still said no, even though the one thing she wanted was to save her company."

  "She knows what it would have cost me."

  "That is Gwen. She is selfless to a fault. It's the thing that makes her heart so generous."

  "You don't know her at all."

  "I know that she will be my wife in less than two weeks, and she wants you there to stand by her side and watch her marry another man. I know that has to sting."

  He drained his glass and gently placed it on the coffee table. "I think we're done here."

  "We're not."

  Lakewood glowered at me, stood, and crossed his arms. "Like I said, we’re done. Thanks for the drink though."

  "I'll expect your answer by the end of the day. Stay. Be here for her. Whatever. I don't care. She has already chosen me. But I’m just curious. Did you tell her that despite wanting nothing to do with your family, your granddad went ahead and put ten million into your account and that you could have bailed her out at any time?"

  The blood drained from his face. "What?"

  They called me ruthless for a reason. "Oh, wait, did you not know?"

  I could see it in his eyes. He hadn't known about the funds being released. After the standoff he'd had with his grandfather for years, the old man had finally relented, but he didn't have a clue.

  I told myself I wasn't a cruel man. But I needed to make sure that he got on the fucking plane.

  "Oh, so you didn't? Yeah, you could have invested in Becks, or at least staved off the bleed for a couple of years, easy. You had the funds, but you didn't use them."

  "I—I didn't know I had them." He sank back down into the couch and scrubbed his hands over his face.

  "I know. You’re between a rock and a hard place now, because if you stay you're going to be compelled to tell her that you could have saved her but didn’t. And she wouldn't hold it against you, but you would hate every moment. Or you can go to London for a fresh start. Or you can leave Pendragon altogether. It's up to you. You’ve got the money to open your own shop now."

  I tossed my drink back, swallowed, then pushed to my feet. "The thing is, you are smart. And you do love Gwen. And because you love her, I can't hate you. I mean, I wish you loved her a different way, of course, but she still chose me. So I want to do right by you and give you something I think you need. But the choice is yours.”

  He stared at me and shook his head. “You’re a real son of a bitch.”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  “You think you know her. You think you see her. You have no idea the pain she swallows to get through every day. You have no fucking clue.”

  “All due respect, but nothing you say matters.”

  To my surprise, he laughed. “Wow, she didn’t tell you, did she? About Bronson Jacobson? What he did to her?”

  The room spun as my world tilted. “She said they dated once.”

  “Dated?” He ran his hands through his hair. “That fucker? He made her think he was interested in her. Interested in her work. He really poured it on thick. Her father already tried to marry her off to him. The ‘perfect merger’ he called it. Then that piece of shit tried to—” He stopped and dragged in a harsh breath. “He tried to rape her. She fought like hell. But she didn’t escape unscathed. Some bruises and a broken hand from when she hit him. Not to mention the mental scars. She doesn’t talk about it. Ever. But I know it’s why she doesn’t date. I know she still has nightmares. When she told her father and wanted to report him, her asshole father said he didn’t believe her. And Bronson, well he told anyone who would listen, that he’d rather have had the hot sister. That the software wasn’t worth having to fuck Gwen for years.”

  Bile churned in my gut. “Stop talking.”

  Rage flooded my blood stream and I was trying not to kill him, but lance kept speaking. “She didn’t even trust you enough to tell you. So between you and me, who has it wrong?”

  “Close the door on your way out. I expect your answer by the end of the day."

  Chapter 32

  Atticus

  "Why are we here again?"

  I rolled my eyes. Micah didn't get it. Sure, maybe I hadn't gotten it a few weeks ago either. The ring I had Leah pick out was serviceable and fine, but it didn't reflect Gwen. And that's what I wanted.

  Micah climbed out of the car behind me, and we approached the jewelry store on the corner of Canal.

  When we walked in, an elderly black man beamed up at me. "Mr. Atticus.”

  “Jean Pierre. It's good to see you."

  "It's been a long time."

  Once upon a time, I’d thought I was going to propose to Lucy like my father wanted. Bullet dodged.

  "How is your mother?" he asked.

  I nodded and shrugged. "Some good days, some not great ones."

  Micah looked at me curiously.

  “Micah, This is Jean Pierre. He's South African. His family owns a diamond mine. When Mom needed to get her jewelry fixed, she'd always come here."

  “What’s the occasion?” Jean Pierre asked. “Your mother's birthday? Anniversary of some sort?"

  "No, I'm engaged."

  Jean Pierre’s eyes went wide, and they crinkled at the corners as a toothy white smile spread across his wrinkled face. "Oh, this old man loves love. Nothing better than a love story."