Page 21 of Nolan (The Doherty Mafia)
We stopped outside the pizza place. I nodded.
“Yeah, it’s wild, but in a good way.”
Amelia smiled and she looked even more beautiful today than she looked through my drunken vision last night. That was practically impossible, but it was true.
The more I looked at this girl, the more I liked her. The more I wanted her. I didn’t have an explanation for it, unless she had some superpower she used against me.
“Hungry?” I asked.
She followed me into the pizza place. We sat across from each other at a table in the corner. We got two massive pizzas to share between ourselves. For a tiny petite girl like her, she sure matched my eating and drinking habits. It blew my mind.
“So maybe we should scratch that plan of not getting to know each other. I would like to get to know you, I guess,” she said, as she helped herself to her third slice of pizza.
“There isn’t much to like if you get to know me. Trust me.”
“Why not? What have you done?” she asked with a smile.
“Nothing. That’s the problem. I haven’t done anything to be proud of.”
“Is this about your family?”
I couldn’t reply to that. Amelia watched me intently. I felt her green eyes burning into me.
“You can tell me what’s going on with your family if you want, Nolan. I don’t know them so I’m not going to judge them or you. Sometimes we need to just get shit off our chest.”
I knew she had a point, and I wanted to tell her everything. She was a beautiful sexy stranger who was willing to listen. But could I trust her? Wasn’t that the number one rule of the family? Trust no one.
But Amelia smiled encouragingly at me and I felt my surface cracking. Besides, it wasn’t like my family was always right.
Eleven
Amelia
I sensed he was reluctant to talk about his family, but it was on the tip of his tongue. Maybe he wanted to unload. Maybe he wanted to trust me, but I hadn’t cracked him fully yet. He didn’t know what my intentions were.
“I have a large family,” he said, eating through his pizza. “I kinda get lost in there because everyone has a loud voice and a large opinion.”
“Many siblings?”
“Five brothers and a stepsister. Everyone thinks they’re always right.”
“Are you the youngest?”
Nolan nodded.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Do you have a large family? Many siblings?”
I’d decided I wouldn’t tell him much about myself, but what if I told him only the half-truth? It wasn’t like there was much to hide.
I shrugged.
“I’m the only child,” I replied.
Nolan raised his brows in surprise.
“I have no idea what that feels like.”
“Lonely,” I said.
Nolan sat back in his chair, watching me closely.
“Is that how you feel most of the time? Lonely?”
“And you feel overcrowded,” I said.
“Like I can’t even hear myself think.”
We smiled at each other. The more I spoke to him, and the more he revealed himself to me—the more unbelievable Aldo’s account seemed to be. I couldn’t picture Nolan as a monster with no morals, surrounded by equally villainous monsters.
“You mentioned something about a family business earlier,” I said. I was fishing. He hadn’t specifically said anything like that but I wanted him to elaborate. “What kind of business is it?”
Nolan looked over his shoulder, like he checked to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. I really hoped he’d tell me something at this point. Something I could use to continue the conversation.
“Yeah, it’s a family business. Nothing fancy. Our dad’s worked hard to build the business up from scratch and my brothers basically run it for him. I’m supposed to be involved in it too, but I’m usually left out of it.”
“What kind of business?” I asked again, glancing down at my plate because I felt nervous.
“Nothing you’d know anything about,” he replied.
“You don’t know anything about me. You don’t even know what I do.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a student. I’m studying fashion,” I lied. It wasn’t a complete lie. Once this was over and Aldo helped me get into college, I’d actually be a fashion student.
“But you work somewhere too?”
“Just as an intern.”
Nolan looked me up and down with a smirk.
“I don’t know anything about fashion but you look very fashionable to me.”
“Then I can’t take that as a compliment,” I said, laughing.
“You should probably rethink your career choice.”
Even though we had fallen into easy and comfortable conversation, I still wasn’t sure how to ask him more about his family.
At least I knew I couldn’t let the night end too soon. I had to get something for Aldo this time. Something he could use.
We were out on the streets after our pizzas. Nolan put a hand on the small of my back, sending electric waves up and down my spine. Just his touch was enough to make me dizzy with desire.
