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“Yes, you seem to know me so well, Colter—what’s my type?” she asked again.
“You seem to want someone who’s exactly like you, Norah. You have this unreachable set of standards, and no one will ever be good enough,” he said. “Certainly not any man. You do know that there is no such thing as a perfect human being, right?” he asked.
“I know that,” she insisted. “You just have no idea how I was raised. My grandmother set those standards for me and well, I never let go of them. It doesn’t hurt that I expect people to be at their best. It sets the bar high, but I’m not unrealistic,” she insisted. He loved the way that her sexy, full lips formed an adorable pout when she was pissed off, not that he’d ever tell her that.
“Listen, you haven’t even heard my idea yet. Why not give it a chance before you toss it aside and do what you want to do anyway?” he asked.
“Fine, let’s hear this brilliant idea of yours, Colter,” she drawled.
“Thank you,” he said. “How about if I drop you off at the airport and then, go home to pack a bag for myself?” he asked.
“You don’t have to move out of the house just because I don’t like your stupid idea, Colter,” she said.
“Shut up for five minutes and just listen,” Colter grumbled. “You really are a pain in the ass, Norah.”
“So I’ve been told numerous times today. What are you going to do with your packed bag?” she asked.
“Well, I was thinking that I can work anywhere, and I haven’t been to New York in ages. I can get a room in the hotel where you are staying, and we can hatch a plan that will have the others believing that we connected over this little week away in New York and that we’re together. We can come back to the beach house and uphold our ruse for a few more weeks and then break up right before we head home. That way, we can enjoy the rest of our summer, and the others will be happy and keep their noses out of our business.”
“So, no sex?” Norah asked. Was it wrong that he felt a little bit of satisfaction that she sounded disappointed that they wouldn’t be having sex? Maybe, but he just couldn’t help himself.
“No sex—unless that’s something that you want to add to our deal,” he teased, hoping like hell that she’d take him up on his offer.
“No, I think that I’m good with sticking to my whole virgin theme for now,” she insisted. Now, he was the one feeling a bit disappointed.
“How about it then?” he asked. “You want to completely dupe our friends into thinking that we’re just as blissfully happy as they are?” She looked back out of the passenger window, and he thought for sure that Norah was going to tell him no, but the slight nod of her head had him hoping for things he hadn’t allowed himself to hope for in a long time.
“Deal,” she breathed. “How fast can you get to New York?” she asked.
“I’ll book my ticket as soon as I get back to the beach house and pack. I should be there in a day or two. In the meantime, I’ll put on a show for the others—moping around and letting on that I’m lost without you. I’ll make up some romantic story about wanting to go to New York to sweep you off of your feet. They’ll eat that shit up,” Colter said.
“Yeah, I’m betting Ginger and Savannah will actually swoon,” she teased. “Thanks for doing this for me, Colter. I really appreciate it.” He wanted to tell her that he wasn’t doing this all for her. A part of him was hoping to break down her defenses as he helped her fool her friends, but he couldn’t count on that. No, he was going to have to come up with a good plan to get past Norah’s walls if he wanted his shot with her. And right now, that was all Colter wanted—a shot with Norah.
Endless Summer Universal Link
Do you love mafia and want to read more stories like Gluttony by K.L. Ramsey? You won’t want to miss the Garo Syndicate three-book box set coming this summer, 2023! Here is a sneak peek from the first book in the series, Edon!
Edon
Edon Garo was a man of his word and when he told someone that he had one more chance to fix the mess he made, or he’d end up dead, he meant it. Being true to his word was one of the ways he kept his men in check without having to use scare tactics or brute force, although, he didn’t mind having to revert to either. It’s what made him a damn good boss and as the head of the Garo family Syndicate, he had to be on top of his game at all times.
His assistant knocked on his office door that he usually left open, but after his last meeting, he just needed some time and space. He had met with his younger brother, Bekim, about what to do with their American holdings. The Tirana brothers had all but knocked them out of the water in America. Hell, they had just about done the same in Albania, but Edon would fight to the death to keep his home-field advantage. The problem was, the Tirana Syndicate felt the same way about their home base in Albania.
Their two families were joined by the marriage of the oldest Tirana brother, Llir, and Edon’s youngest brother, Tarek. They were in a polyamorous relationship with their woman, Elira, and had given Edon many nieces and nephews to dote on, but they were all in America and he didn’t get over there as often as he liked, to see them. It should be simpler for the two families to broker peace given the fact that they were both bound by marriage, but it wasn’t.
“Your father is here to see you, Mr. Garo,” his assistant said.
“Of course,” he breathed. As if his day couldn’t get any worse, his father was there to inform him that he wasn’t married yet—for the fourth time this week and it was only Tuesday. His father liked to point that out to him, at every turn, as if he was divulging a secret. Edon was well aware that he wasn’t yet married, and he planned on keeping it that way for a damn long time. He had no desire to settle down, no matter how badly his father wanted him to. He could, “Strongly encourage” him to take a bride, as his father liked to put it, all he wanted to, but Edon wasn’t ever someone to take orders well and he would start now.
His father had given up being the head of the Garo family after their sainted mother passed. She was the glue that held their family together and kept her four children in line. His father didn’t have a clue as to how to do that, but he tried, especially when it came to having all four of them married off. As the oldest, he should have beaten his youngest brother, Tarek, to the altar, but that didn’t happen. Hell, the rest of his siblings could go off and get hitched for all he cared, but he had no plans to do the same.
“Father,” Edon said, standing to meet him at the door. His father wasn’t an overly affectionate man; never really hugging any of them. Edon held out his hand and his dad took it, giving him a firm handshake, as was his custom.
“Edon,” his father said. “We have important business to discuss,” he insisted.
Edon didn’t hide his sigh, “Father, you don’t have to come down here and check up on me every day,” he said. “It’s been five years since Mother passed and I took over the Syndicate. I’m quite capable of handling the family’s business and I believe that you think so too. Otherwise, you would have never turned the family over to me.”
“Oh, I believe that you are very capable, Edon,” his father agreed. “I’ve decided that you could use a little help,” he quickly added.
