Page 35 of Titus

I watched every movement she made after the helicopter landed. Each step she took was measured, as if she’d walked into spaces far more intimidating than flying in my personal helicopter and had learned early how to own them without asking permission.

I’d seen that about her when she took control of the event on my yacht. She was surrounded by powerful, demanding men, and she didn’t even flinch. She commanded them—even my ass.

It was her eyes that held me. They weren’t admiring. They were assessing me with the same calculation I reserved for everyone else.

But her beauty came with a mind that didn’t yield and a presence that didn’t bend. A woman who didn’t walk into power. She met it head-on.

And for the first time since she stepped off that helicopter and had our simple exchange, I was no longer thinking about how she fit into my world. I was now thinking about what it would take… to make her stay in it.

We walked through the terrace, where I led her down to the stone patio built for entertaining while overlooking the ocean. The sun was preparing to set, and all of my timing was still in perfect place.

“Alejandro will be bringing wine. Do you have a preference?” I asked as I slid her chair out for her to sit at the small, candlelit table my staff had prepared for this meal.

“A Rioja sounds perfect,” she answered while I smoothly pushed her chair back in.

I nodded toward Alejandro, who returned in a flash, turned the label toward me, and after I nodded my approval, he poured her glass, then filled mine. Soon after, Izabella delivered the Amuse-Bouche. Following her, the newest addition to my staff, Francesca, delivered warm artisan bread with lightly whipped butter, placing it off to the side.

After my staff left us with our pre-appetizers, I looked over at Cat to see if any of this had any effect on her.

It didn’t. And I wasn’t sure at this point if anything would.

“Does this meet with your approval so far?” I questioned.

She smiled after taking a small bite. “Yes. And I believe you’ve gone above and beyond,” she said, taking a sip of her wine and staring out at the vast sea mirroring the golden hues of the sky. “All of this, just to ask me to be your personal coordinator?”

“Event architect, I believe that’s what you called yourself after you corrected me at Jameston’s event?”

“Good memory,” she smiled, and damn if I didn’t feel something tighten in my chest as her smile reached her brown eyes, lighting them up like rare gemstones.

In an attempt to keep my shit together, I returned to informing her what was on the menu for the evening.

“I’ve had the staff prepare a roasted beet salad with goat cheese and pistachios, and the herb-crusted rack of lamb is being prepared with truffle mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. For dessert, I had them prepare a dark chocolate soufflé.”

I watched her pinch her lips together as if this were all humorous to her. Not the reaction I was expecting.

“Is something amusing?” I asked, trying to regain control.

“Well, now I’m wondering if you believe I’m like every other woman you’ve brought to your estate for dinner.”

“I’ve never brought a woman to my home. You are the first,” I said, keeping my composure and acting more stiffly around a woman than I’d ever been in my life.

“Interesting,” she said, taking a bite of her salad, which had just been placed in front of her. “And why do I have this exclusive honor?”

I smiled, sipping my wine and letting the warmth of the Rioja further ease the foreign sensation of my nerves feeling suddenly raw.

“Simple. You salvaged my yacht event in Monaco.”

She arched an eyebrow, and I swear to God, I had no idea why my breath caught at the beauty of the woman with her charming expression.

“I believe you referred to that as me robbing you, and you nearly fired your staff over it?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “I may have overreacted, but that was only because I couldn’t figure out how such a beautiful woman would dare challenge me on my own yacht while she was employed by me at the time.”

“So, this private dinner invitation, and my being the only woman you’ve ever brought here—this is your way of showing gratitude?”

“Yes. And this is why I must know whether the conditions and the food meet your standards?”

“The dark chocolate soufflé might make me forget I’m a lady,” she teased, and for the first time, I’d seen a completely different, more adorable side of the commanding woman.