She holds his gaze. But doesn't blink.
"Being told no. Being underestimated because I'm a woman in a man's world." She taps a finger against her chin. "But who am I kidding? I thrive on that. It will take you a long time to work out how to truly press my buttons, Colten Sterling."
Colt grins. "Whatever you say, darlin’.”
She tuts. “I don’t do cute nicknames.”
“Okay, viper,” Colten says coolly.
Her eyebrow arches, she almost smiles, but it never comes.
"So, what now?" Gianna says, turning back to Hunter.
He stands. Rests his hands on the back of his chair.
"We take your proposal to Enzo. We weigh it against our goals. And we'll be in touch."
She stands. Dom and Fabio follow. She stubs out the cigarette her brother's been holding in the ashtray. Barely smoked.
"Well, until you reach your decision, we remain enemies."
When she says it, her eyes find Colten's. A look that has absolutely nothing to do with business and everything to do with whatever just detonated silently between them.
He just grins.
"Word of advice," she says, adjusting her sleeve, revealing more dark ink trailing up her arm. "I'm a much nicer person to have as a friend than as an enemy."
She pauses, looks right at me, and something shifts in her expression. "I never thought much of friends. Until a blonde-haired country girl walked into my life and taught me the power of it."
My heart sinks through the floor. That sounds like my girl. I swallow past the lump in my throat, just about manage a nod, and nothing else.
"I'll speak to you soon," she says. “And Ace, unless an agreement is in place before July sixteenth, I don’t expect to see your face at the wedding.”
My heart hammers as they walk out. The front door opens and closes. The SUV engines start, and the gravel crunches as they pull away.
Three weeks. July fuckin’ sixteen. She has to be talking about Harper’s wedding. Three damn weeks away? I clench my fists, trying to steady my breath, just staring out of the window.
None of us says a word for a full minute. The cigarette smoke hangs in the air. The silence is thick enough to choke on.
"Jesus fucking Christ," Colten finally exhales, tipping his head back.
That was quite something. She left us damn speechless, and we achieved nothing in that meeting.
He leans closer to me and drops his voice low enough that only I catch it. "I want to bend her over this table and fuck the brat out of her. I’d die for a taste of Gianna Milano."
I bite back the first laugh I've felt in days. Even with the bombshell of the wedding date. I’m trying to hold this shit together.
"Enzo won't bite on this," Romeo says, pulling us back to the room.
Hunter nods. "Once we get Ranch 42 signed over from Carson and handle the Greeks here, we don't need her. Not on our turf."
“Gianna is a no. But Dom? He might fit our organization better,” Romeo says, his face unreadable.
Colten arches his brow, turning to him. “Yeah, I bet you fuckin’ think that.”
I frown. I have no idea what that is about.
"Enzo is almost done assembling his team to take down the Milano family," Romeo adds.
