Dark Ties (Made Men 9)

Lunchtime came shortly after, when Lila showed up to their loungers with sandwiches and fries. “Who’s hungry?”

“Me!” Amo urged like none of them didn’t already know.

Lila started handing out plates. “Well, I thought you guys might enjoy eating out here.”

“Great idea,” Nadia told her with a smile as she took her plate. She wasted no time plopping a fry into her mouth only for her to barely be able to contain her laughter so she could see the reactions she knew were about to ensue.

She watched them all take a big bite of their café-style chicken sandwiches first, and finally died of laughter when Amo ate a fry.

“What the fuck is that?” he yelled.

Nadia plopped another fry in her mouth. “Truffle.”

“How the hell do you always know what’s in it?” Amo asked in frustration.

“I went to a boarding school, and I ate a bunch of interesting food there.”

Amo didn’t look the least bit surprised, “Of course, you did.”

Leo suddenly met her eyes, both of them sharing a knowing look. She could see the fact that he wanted to say something to Amo about his comment, but Nadia gave him a silent look not to.

She had never cared what people thought of her. Many people assumed she had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and if she had spent her life telling everyone she ever met that it had actually been plastic, Nadia would be exhausted.

However, her focus being on Leo made her miss the fact that Dante had noticed the strange exchange between her and his son.

Amo now looked on the verge of tears from hunger. “Now, why do they gotta ruin perfectly good fries with that shit?”

“It’s how they make fries fancy,” she told him, glad to move the conversation along.

“Fries are supposed to be fucking greasy, not fancy.” Amo shoved his sandwich into his mouth with defeat. His next words were almost unintelligible while he rolled his eyes. “Rich people.”

“They can’t be—” Leo took a fry to try. “Never mind.”

Seeing Leo wince, Nadia was honestly beginning to agree. The food was good, but it would be even better if the chef had taken their preferences into account. They didn’t have to add a special ingredient to everything just to “fancy” it up. Some foods—and yes, even greasy food—were perfect already.

“The fries are fine,” Dante practically scolded them with a cold voice when he tried them. “It’s simple. Eat them or don’t.”

“They’re just hungry,” Nadia spoke up. They couldn’t help it if they weren’t used to this food. “If they had one descent meal they like—”

“They’re not starving.”

Anger rising in her, she didn’t like how he was making her feel, like she was being dramatic or something. He was the one who should fucking care—they were his family. Giving him a death glare, she showed him how dramatic she could be as she cut her chicken sandwich in half then proceeded to give one half to Leo before giving the other to Amo.

“Eat it,” she said, not allowing them any possibility to protest.

Leo got the message and was really appreciative. “Thanks, Nadia.”

“Yeah …” Amo might’ve said the words to her, but he looked at Dante while he said them, “Thanks, Nadia.”

Satisfied, she went back to her delicious drink and fries, propping up her book to continue reading while she did so.

“What are you reading over there?” Amo’s mouth was full when he talked.

“Oh.” Nadia gulped down her drink, thinking quickly. “It’s just a girlie book.”

“So, a romance book.” Amo winked, catching the drift.

If by romance, you mean erotic, then … “Yep.”

Slurping her drink brought up the gurgling sounds again since she had reached the end of her second drink.

“Would you like another?”

Seeing Max come out right on cue had to be a sign. “Yes, please.”

* * *

Dante stared at Nadia strangely behind his sunglasses as she downed her now third rum runner of the day. Clearly, he had judged the so-called “uptight” woman too hard.

Nadia had no fucking problem telling him off. Her ass was lucky he knew she had good intentions behind it, because she wanted to make sure Leo was happy. If that weren’t the case, that ass would be swimming home.

Plus, there was no way she was that uptight with the way she was throwing back those drinks. Dante had had two of those suckers, and even he was beginning to feel them in the hot sun. Rum was one of those alcohols you had to be careful with. It was sneaky like that, and the way Max was pouring them, he doubted there was much else in the glass. Hell, he was shocked she hadn’t gone out of the sun to take a nap, like Amo and Leo had.

That book must be good because, how in the hell could she still read straight at this point?