Dark Ties (Made Men 9)

Hell, after last night’s dress and the orange bathing suit he could see peeking through under his shirt, he was starting to wish she had her clothes from home, too. It certainly didn’t help that the shirt was his. It had been a long time since his shirt had been around a woman, and it was putting thoughts he definitely shouldn’t be having about Nadia in his mind.

He needed to be careful about letting his gaze linger on her. He didn’t want her to notice because, if she did, she might make a move, and he wasn’t sure he was strong enough to turn her down right now.

Man, how he wished he had taken that blonde up before he’d left …

* * *

It was everything Nadia could do to keep her eyes to herself as she took her seat across from him. He was wearing a casual outfit again with the top of his chest peeking through, and she just wished he didn’t affect her, like she was clearly not affecting him. The mob boss hadn’t so much as glanced at her since he had come into her room yesterday, and, honestly, now that she thought about it, she didn’t know what she expected, as he had literally given the shirt off his back to cover her up.

If a man was giving you clothes to hide your body, it probably meant he didn’t find you attractive.

Suddenly, she felt stupid for even caring about what she wore when she had come out of her room. She could be fucking naked, and she doubted the man would even notice.

“Would you like some coffee, Ms. Brooks?” Lila asked, holding a coffee pot.

“Yes, please,” Nadia answered quickly, needing the pick-me-up ASAP after the events of yesterday, and last night on top of that.

“Didn’t sleep well?” Dante asked, finally taking a proper look at her.

“You could say that,” she told him, not wanting to reveal the reason for her lack of sleep.

Thanking the kind blonde, she poured some cream and a packet of sugar into her coffee that was sitting in the middle of the table.

The big sounding footsteps, followed by, “Mornin’,” didn’t require either of them to look up to know who it was.

A refreshed-looking Amo took his seat while Leo joined them, looking the exact opposite. Not even his sunglasses could hide his weariness, and his father took notice as he then danced his eyes between his son and Nadia, making her grow nervous. It would be fine if Dante found out she had a deep conversation with his son; she just instinctively knew Leo didn’t prefer it, as most of their conversation revolved around Dante.

“Late night?” he asked his son suspiciously.

“Nah, he went to bed right after you,” Amo surprisingly answered, getting Leo and her off the hook.

“Oh,” Dante spoke, and it was like you could see his suspicion move from Leo to Amo. “So … you two sat up late, then?”

Huh? Nadia didn’t quite know what was hidden in his tone until a slow smile appeared on Amo’s lips before he spoke.

“Why would it matter?”

Uh, no! “No, it was an early night for everyone.” She made it extremely clear for them.

Did she just see a wash of relief pass Dante’s face? He didn’t look pleased with his soldier right now. In fact, it kind of looked like he wanted to kill him. But what did that mean …? Could Dante have been jealous if she had sat talking with Amo all night?

Nadia practically laughed that idea off in her head. There was no way Dante Caruso gave a shit what she did as long as she stayed on this yacht.

“So, what’s for breakfast?” Amo asked Lila when she poured him and Leo some coffee into their awaiting cups.

“Yogurt parfaits!” she announced before leaving to go get them. As she brought them each a beautifully displayed serving, she could tell Amo didn’t appreciate the beauty of them, due to their size. “You’ll want to be sure to save your appetite for lunch. The chef is preparing something yummy.”

“Great,” Amo voiced, practically eating his parfait in one bite.

Leo had done the same. Except, as soon as he finished, he went to go lie down on one of the sun loungers. Amo actually followed behind him, only he had thrown his shirt off before lying in the sun, revealing that his shorts were actually swimming trunks underneath.

“May I borrow your phone?” she asked Dante before he could get up to do the same. “I really need to let my friend know I’m okay.”

Not saying a word, he reached into his pocket then slid out his phone before giving it to her.

“Thanks.” You could hear the surprise in her voice that he had actually done so. Nadia didn’t know why, but she was afraid he would assume she would try to call the cops or something, saying he had “abducted” her. Again, it showed the trust they were gaining in each other.