Page 199 of Unchained

I swallow. It’s been playing on my mind. I know what I want; I need to figure out how the hell I make it happen.

The best way to get everything in life is to let him in to help me. We’re more powerful together than apart.

“I want to live here, permanently. I want to be the head of LA, but it won’t be the Milano family. It will be representing the Sterling family.”

He nods. “So, you want to merge LA and Arizona? Sterling family runs both.”

I tap my nails against the table. “Could that work? Would Hunter be okay with it?”

He chews on his lip. “It’s open to discussion. Yes.”

“How do you think it will work, day-to-day?” he asks like an interview.

I lean back, crossing my arms over my chest; his eyes divert straight to my breasts.

“Dom has proven to be able to maintain the day-to-day in LA for me, he has since Dad died. I’m saying, he’s my second-in-command; he answers to me. He lives there, and he runs off our orders.”

“Our?” he cuts in.

I slide my hand across the table to him, and he takes it in his. “Yes. This is our empire, not mine. If we merge two states under one name, it’s us. Not just me. So, you guys help us in LA, you bring me in on your Arizona business too.”

“Hmmm, mmm.”

He’s trying, and failing, to hide his smile.

“Alright. So that’s our proposal. You live here, we merge the two states. Dom is second in line. You—no, we—give orders. We can streamline our drug routes, work with Vegas.”

I nod in agreement. “You think Hunter will work with me? He’s the boss currently?” I ask.

It’s one thing working with Colten, but Hunter is the head of their mafia.

Colt clears his throat. “What if I told you you’re staring at the new head of the Sterling family?”

My mouth drops open. I can’t help but jump out of my chair onto the table to crawl across it to him.

He laughs in response, dragging me onto his lap to straddle him.

“Why? Hunter is stepping down?”

He tucks my hair behind my ear. “A Queen needs a King, correct?”

“What’s he going to do?” I ask.

“He’s got a newborn and Wyatt. He never wanted to deal with this crap, G. Our father gave it to us, and none of us truly wanted it. But then I met this mighty mafia princess who taught me that actually, it is kind of fun, if you do it alongside the woman you love. So, I offered to take the reins, so long as I was beside you.”

Tears burn in my eyes. “I fucking love you, Colten.”

He grabs the back of my head and kisses me. “I love you more.”

“And what about Enzo? Is he cool with our proposal?” I ask.

There seem to be more hoops we need to jump through, like it’s too good to be true. I get the empire, I get the man. I’ve got it all.

“He’s arriving in half an hour. You gotta persuade him, baby,” he tells me.

I grin. “Challenge accepted. If he agrees, we get everything, you realize that, right?”

He cups my cheek. “You promise this is what you want?”