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Sobs erupt from her, and I hold her tight. It’s going to take her time to come to terms with the fact that she perhaps isn’t who she thought she was. That the manipulation was real.

That she is a victim of abuse. She’s going to hate it. And I need to make sure I can be her voice on the hard days, reminding her that she is strong. She is powerful. And it’s okay. It’s okay that she stayed. That she didn’t kill her father sooner. That was part of her father's manipulation plan.

I wipe away her tears with my thumb. “You can’t fix the past, G. You saved yourself and probably Dom. That’s enough. You are always going to be enough, no matter what.”

She nods.

“What else was it?” I ask.

She tries to look away, but then shakes her head and brings those beautiful dark eyes back to me. “I was—” She pauses, taking a deep, shaky breath. “I was annoyed that you spoke about me like I was just an arrangement. Everything came back to the alliance, and I⁠—”

“What?” I say quietly.

“I wanted you to say something else. Anything else.”

My eyes go wide; I can’t help it. I’m disgusted with myself for saying it, even if I didn’t mean it. I was talking about practicalities. About running an organization. I wanted to help her. That ain’t what she needed. She needed to be reassured.

She needs to feel loved.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Gianna,” I tell her, running my hands up her tattooed arms, resting them on her shoulders.

“You want to know my truth?” I ask.

She half-laughs. “I mean, seeing as we’re becoming emotional people who share feelings, go ahead, cowboy.”

I bite back a grin, then put out my biggest fear at the moment. “The way I feel for you, Gianna, it scares me. It’s so deep.” I tap my chest. “It’s right in here. You consume me, my every damn thought, all day long. I’m now terrified of things I didn’t think possible.”

“Like what?” she whispers.

“You leaving me to go back to LA. Losing us. Waking up without you in my arms. I want you to take the empire, G. You deserve it, and I think you will be the best damn leader out there. But I can’t lose you in the process, sweetheart.”

The shock on her face is a true picture, one I’d hang over my bed.

“Why do you think I wanted to come back here rather than stay in LA with Dom?”

I shrug. “Because you needed to get away from what had happened?”

“Nope.”

I grin. “Do I have to keep guessing?”

Her nails graze up my chest. “I wanted to come here because you’re here, Colten. Because when I’m with you, I don’t feel like I’m taking on the world on my own anymore. But I also don’t feel less powerful because I need someone else. Actually, I’ve never felt stronger than I do when I’m with you. It’s not just you who is afraid; if I lose you, I lose something far more important than my empire. I’ll lose my heart.”

My breath hitches, and my eyes start to burn. I wasn’t sure I’d see the day when she actually voiced her feelings. But I’m here for every second of it. Everything I can get, I’ll take and I’ll cherish.

“I’m kinda hoping you feel the same way?” she asks.

I brush away her hair from her face and cup her cheek. “I’ve never felt more alive standing beside you, Gianna Sterling.”

I lean forward, resting my forehead against hers.

“So, what do we do now?” she says quietly.

We need to speak to Hunter and prepare for Enzo’s meeting tomorrow. Gianna needs to orchestrate an entire takeover of LA and be ready for any possible power plays by others. That can all damn well wait. Because Gianna is more important than anything else.

And I want to prove to her that I’m here for her. The alliance means nothing compared to my feelings for her.

“I’m going to teach you how to ride,” I tell her.