Chapter 6

Six

Gia

I couldn’t believe Silas dangled the one thing in front of me that I’d wanted for years. A chance to work with brides at his resort. Why had he changed his mind?

Was it because he wanted to get close to me? It was obvious he wanted to continue our physical relationship. But he hadn’t said anything about liking me or wanting to date me. Not that it was a real possibility, but maybe I wanted to know that I got to him, and it wasn’t just physical.

He might be trying to get close to me to use something against me. I couldn’t trust him, even though I felt like I could when we were naked. Business was different, and I’d do well to remember that.

I’d help with one couple and prove that I could be around him and not lose my head again. Could I be around him and not give in to him? Did I want to?

Could we have a physical relationship that didn’t go anywhere else? Just two successful people getting a release with each other? No strings and no promises?

I would have believed it if I hadn’t already felt the way I did when we were together. The thing that held me back was that he hadn’t felt the same way. It was purely physical for him.

I smiled and nodded the rest of the night and was disappointed when Silas didn’t try to get me alone again. It was ridiculous, but I liked our banter and his references to our sexual encounters. He fired me up and got me thinking about something besides business.

I needed to prove to my father that opening a business was the right move and that I could be successful. For me, success was determined by the numbers, and Happily Ever Afters wasn’t there yet.

I wouldn’t admit defeat—not to my brothers or to my father. I needed to make my dream work. Harper had convinced me that if I wanted to expand, I needed to hire more people. I had moments when I thought I should let the employees go and handle everything myself. But that was my old way of doing business.

Now I was glad we’d hired more planners because it would allow me to concentrate on Silas’s couple and give them my full attention. If it went well, and he allowed me to handle more brides at his resort, that would be good for my business. It would be worth it. If only I could resist him.

When everyone left the party, I volunteered to stay and clean up. I kicked off my heels, slid on flip-flops, and cleaned the tables. I was just taking out the garbage when a car pulled down the alley. I probably shouldn’t have taken out the garbage while I was alone.

The window lowered. “What are you doing out here?”

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was Silas and lifted the bag. “Taking out the garbage.”

“Are you here alone?” he asked as he stepped out of his vehicle, which was a sleek black sports car.

I shrugged. “I had to clean up.”

“Does your family know you’re here by yourself?” Silas asked as he took the bag from me and threw it effortlessly into the large dumpster.

“Why does that matter?”

His jaw tightened. “They wouldn’t like it.”

“My family doesn’t like a lot of what I do. I stopped caring a long time ago.” I turned and went into the restaurant to wash my hands. That was a little harsher than reality.

When I was finished, Silas took off his suit jacket, laid it carefully on the counter, and took his time rolling up his shirt, revealing sinewy muscles and a dusting of hair. He washed his hands and dried them on the towel I offered him.

When he was done, he turned to face me. “You don’t mean that.”

“Don’t mean what?” I asked, a little distracted by his exposed forearms.

He crossed his arms over his chest and cocked a hip against the counter. “That you don’t care what your family thinks.”

“I care too much.” That’s why I worked so hard. Not that my father ever noticed. He was all Leo did this , and Carlo did that . It was hard to be seen in a sea of men.

Silas considered me and then finally said, “You’re trying to prove yourself to your father.”

“Then the joke’s on me because it’s not possible to get his approval. At least not for me.” I wasn’t sure why I was being so honest with Silas. He was my enemy, not a confidant.

“He’s proud of you,” Silas said softly as he moved closer to me.

“How do you know? You might be friends with my brothers, but you don’t know my father.” I lifted my chin to maintain his gaze as he moved ever closer.

“How could he not be? You run a successful business. You’re courageous.” His voice was deep and smooth, lulling me into believing him.

I liked how he’d described me, but I never thought Silas would be complimenting me.

He stopped when he was inches from touching me, and I licked my lips in anticipation of him kissing me. “How could anyone not be impressed?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” I said breathlessly.

He touched my chin, tipping it up farther. “I am.”

Then he lowered his lips to mine. It was a confirmation of everything we’d already shared and a testament to everything we could be.

His hand cupped my jaw as he stepped into me, my body pressed against his, soft against hard. I melted into him, wanting to get lost in his words and his touch.

Silas Sharpe was addicting. I’d craved this since the last time we were together, and I had no plans to walk away from him this time.

He kissed me tentatively, as if it was our first kiss instead of one of many. One brush, then two. My entire body was warm all over, lit up for him. When he pulled back, I followed him, hoping to catch his lips again.

Silas stepped back. “Are you finished here?”

“I’ll just do a quick run-through to make sure I didn’t forget anything.” I couldn’t believe I’d been so lost in him.

I was thankful he’d put a stop to it. I left the kitchen, needing as much space as I could get. I shouldn’t take him up on his offer to work with him. Unfortunately, I’d already agreed, and I didn’t want him to think that I was worried I couldn’t control myself around him, even if it was the truth. The very uncomfortable truth.

Silas followed me through the restaurant.

“Everything’s in order. I’m going to head out,” I said brightly.

Silas waited for me at the front door. “Why didn’t you hire someone to clean up?”

“Because I can handle it,” I said, wanting to unlock the door, but he was blocking my exit.

Silas crossed his arms. “I thought Harper convinced you to hire people to help?”

I tipped my head to consider him. “How do you know that?”

“Leo talks.”

Irritation shot up my spine. “He has no business talking to you about me.”

“I’m not your enemy.”

“You are.” But my insistence fell flat. He’d stopped because he was worried about me. He was willing to work with me despite my usual defensiveness when we were around each other.

“You came to me years ago asking for a partnership, and I’m willing to try it out. If we’re going to do this, we need to call a truce.”

I nodded stiffly. “I can be professional.”

His lips twitched. “You can be with everyone but me.”

“I’ll do better.”

His lips twitched. “So you’ll give it a real chance?”

“Of course. It’s what I want. What I’ve always wanted.”

“To work with me?”

And apparently more. “Yes.”

“Is that all you want?”

My mind flashed back to that tender kiss in the kitchen and the way he’d devoured me in the closet. “Absolutely.”

His expression was dubious. He didn’t believe me, but it didn’t matter. I was going to lie to him and to myself. Nothing good could come from kissing him again.

When he’d kissed me so sweetly, I’d wanted more. Which was ridiculous. I didn’t know any man capable of being tender. Sex was a physical release and nothing more. It didn’t leave me wanting more. Not like it had when I was with Silas. Which was why I should be staying away from him. But business came first. “I’m looking forward to working with you.”

He grinned. “I never thought I’d hear you say that.”

I shook my head. “Were you driving by for a reason?”

“I wanted to see if you were still here.”

That surprised me. “You were checking up on me?”

“I was worried about you.”

To hear him clarify what I already sensed was interesting. It made me think there was more to him than his ruthless business side. Was there hope for something between us? I immediately dismissed it. Neither of us wanted a relationship.

Yet he hadn’t pursued that kiss when I was more than willing to take it further. What was his end game?

He grabbed his suit jacket from the back, waited while I locked up, and walked me to my car.

I prided myself on being an independent woman, but I liked that he’d stopped by to check on me and waited to ensure I’d made it safely to my car. When we reached the driver’s-side door, I turned to face him, unable to contain my curiosity. “What was that in the kitchen?”

His suit jacket was draped over his arm. “You mean when I kissed you?”

“Yes.” My voice was gruffer than I’d intended. I didn’t usually ask men what their intentions were, because mine were the only ones that mattered.

He considered me for a few seconds before he finally admitted, “I was in the moment.” His expression was so genuine I believed him.

“Why did you stop?”

He brushed a hair out of my face, his soft touch sending tingles down my spine. “The next time we kiss, I want it to be because you initiated it. Because you made the conscious decision to be with me.”

My skin tingled, and my insides felt fizzy with excitement even as I said, “That’s not going to happen.”

He cocked his head, and his lips twitched. “Are you sure about that?”

“Positive.” I drew on my MO with guys. I was the one in control. I liked it better that way. I refused to give in to the idea that I enjoyed how he’d initiated our first kiss or when he’d pulled me into that closet to pleasure me.

Silas stepped closer so that we were touching from thighs to my chest and then dipped his head to murmur against my jaw. “You’re a tough nut to crack, Gia Giovanni.”

The scruff of his day-old beard scraped deliciously across my cheek. I wanted to feel it between my legs. I wanted him to make me come apart again. My core ached to feel him inside me.

“It will be challenging but worth it.” Then he stepped back, the air between us cooling considerably now that he was standing a foot away from me and not touching me.

“We’re supposed to be working together. We’re professionals.”

Silas rocked back on his heels. “Is that how you want to play this?”

How was he so cool and seemingly unaffected when I felt like a bomb ready to explode? Could I erase the distance between us and kiss him? Would I give in and make that first move?

He’d issued a challenge, and I’d meet it with one of my own.

I shoved the idea aside that I might like giving in to Silas Sharpe. That I would most likely enjoy every minute of his lips and hands on me. But clinging to my way of handling things was more important.

I needed to hold on to control in this situation. My business and my future depended on it. Letting go with Silas might feel good in the moment, but the repercussions would be catastrophic. I’d never allowed myself to completely let go with a man, except for the times I’d been with Silas, and the implications scared me.

Who was I without my carefully constructed habits? I’d gotten this far on them, and I wanted more gains before I could relax and declare my business a success.

Silas sighed. “I like you. I want to spend time with you. But you have to make the next move.”

My jaw tightened under his scrutiny and his soft words. They were infiltrating my heart, curling around the frayed edges, and filling the empty chambers. “So you’ve said.”

Silas looked down at the ground as if he was trying to find his next words, and then he lifted his gaze to mine. “You are stubborn.”

“Everyone knows this about me,” I said softly, keeping my eyes on him.

“I’m going to figure you out. What makes you tick, what gets you soft.”

Something about the word soft broke through my hard shell, splintering my carefully constructed walls. My face heated, and my fingers curled into fists by my side. “Why?”

“Because I like you.”

Tears sparked behind my lids because no one had ever made this much effort to pursue me. I was a shield, deflecting come-ons and requests for dates like I would change the channel on a TV. Men were usually easy to handle. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t. He was infuriating and relentless. I knew this about him in business, but I never considered what it would be like for him in this situation. “Nothing can happen between us. Have you forgotten about my brothers?”

“I’d never do anything to mess things up with your brothers, your family, or our businesses.”

“You can’t guarantee that.” Besides, he was worried about the external factors. He hadn’t mentioned the possibility of getting hurt. It was the single thing I’d avoided my entire life. I broke things off with guys first. I’d only felt the sting of a breakup once, and I vowed never to put myself in that situation again. I never let it get that far. And I certainly never allowed myself to fall for a guy. If I allowed myself to be vulnerable with Silas, it would be a mistake. He had the power to get under my skin, to infiltrate my walls, to make me feel.

“Everything about you drives me crazy, and I’m relentless when I want something.”

“I’ve noticed.” I ignored the first part of his statement for my self-preservation and focused on the second. He’d wanted Harrison’s arbors, and he’d gotten them. I didn’t even want to think about the financial deal he gave Harrison to get him to work with him.

“This isn’t over,” he repeated the message he’d sent me over text after our first night together.

“I’m happy to work with one of your couples and to see if a business arrangement between us is possible, but that’s all this is.” I put on my business voice because I couldn’t handle Silas when he was pursuing me on anything other than a surface level. He said he only wanted something physical, but that’s not what we shared that one night. It was so much more, and either he didn’t get that, or he didn’t care. Which meant he was reckless.

I didn’t do anything that wasn’t carefully thought out, the risks and benefits analyzed and dissected. I didn’t need to do an autopsy on Silas to know that he was dangerous to my equilibrium. He’d already demonstrated that with every touch and every kiss. I melted when he was near, and I couldn’t afford to let go with him. No matter how persistent he was, I wouldn’t give in.

I moved aside as he stepped close. I wondered for a second if he was going to give in and kiss me first. Triumph surged through my body and eased when he opened the door for me. “Have a good night, Gia. Get home safely.”

Disappointment coursed through my body as I slid inside and set my purse on the passenger-side seat. He braced his arms on the doorframe and leaned inside, his cologne filling the interior of my small sports car.

“Do me a favor and text me when you get home.”

He was so close I could tug on his tie and his mouth would lower to mine. It would be so easy, and it would feel so good. So why didn’t I do it? Give in to the pleasure that I knew I’d experience in his arms and under his body?

I bit my lip as visions of his body pressing me into the mattress took hold, and I almost lost control.

He tapped the roof of the car and pushed away.

“Why?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“So I know that you got home safely.”

Because I was used to this with my brothers and respected his request, I nodded. “I will.”

The resulting smile was so bright, I blinked in surprise. “It’s only a matter of time.”

Despite my irritation, I smiled. “You’re dreaming, Silas. I’ll never give in.”

“Oh, you will,” he said with a wink as I turned on the car and slammed my door shut. I didn’t need Silas to taunt me, to remind me of how tenuous my control was when I was around him.

I backed out and avoided looking at him watching me drive away. I’d had a taste of him, and it would have to be enough to last a lifetime because I wasn’t going back for more.