Falling For The Mafia

His grin would stop my heart, and his eyes would dance an aquamarine color, but I couldn't tell whether he felt the same way about me. Most of the women at the pub were probably targets of his flirting. He was, after all, looking for advice.

"Same as usual, Emily?" His voice was smooth as silk as it crooned my name, reverberating deeper than the bar's throbbing beat.

I squeaked out a "Um, yeah, please" i. He caught me off guard with his intense, flame-blue look, and I immediately became heated and agitated despite my lack of composure. His dark eyelashes and seductive lips may have given him a feminine appearance.

In contrast, he had a ruggedly masculine jawline and well-defined cheekbones. His chiseled face was framed by a fringe of black hair that curved ever so slightly. For some reason, I really wanted to run my fingers through it to feel whether it was as thick and velvety as it seemed.

After staring at me for a while, he turned away to fill a plastic cup with ice, orange vodka, and cranberry juice. When he finally took his eyes off of me, I took a deep breath and let my sight wander lower, admiring the way his muscles bulged and rippled under his indecently tight black t-shirt.

In an instant, my tongue had slid out to lick my lips. His eyes were searing into me again, and I knew he had picked up on my lustful response to him. I glanced at the shiny bar top as my cheeks began to burn.

He put the drink down in front of me but didn't back away. He kept his hand on the cup until I finally picked it up. I snuck a glance up at him, wondering for the umpteenth time whether his flirting antics were motivated by anything other than a desire for a tip.

As I reached out for the glass, my fingers shook nervously at the prospect of physical touch. I reached for the cold cup, and he placed his fingers in between mine. His calloused skin glided lightly over mine, and the sensation made my flesh prickle.

"Are you finished? " From behind me came the sound of a woman's irritated voice.

The moment was destroyed, and I jerked away from Nicola. A rush of shame crashed over me, and I hurriedly threw five dollars in the tip jar and fled the bar, almost dropping my drink in my hurry to get away from him.

I made my way back to Jayme, dodging people as I went. In the far corner, my best buddy leant on a tall table and smirked at me. My body ached with shame and something worse I tried to ignore. I avoided her dazzling green gaze as best I could.

She tossed her blonde hair over one shoulder and glared at me. So, I said, "Where is my drink?"

Crap.

My helpless physical response to Nicola had thrown me off balance, and I'd neglected to also get a vodka-cranberry for my pal.

I said, "I'm sorry." It's true that "I got distracted."

"Absolutely, you did. "

My head trembled. Although Ella may have no qualms about luring men in, I was a little more cautious about the whole thing. Actually, I was too timid to speak out. And cautious since my partner cheated on me the year before. Ella called me a serial monogamist because of my relationship history. I was never one to trust easily, so when I did let someone in, I went all in.

Because of Jimmy's betrayal, my trust difficulties had worsened.

"That's why you're insane if you're not touching that, "Ella said. " If you invited him, Nicola would definitely come home with you. Let's hang around till it's late, and then you may strike. "

My eyeballs rolled. " You are well aware that this is impossible. Wish you wouldn't make fun of me like that. "

She made an act of repentance by raising her hands. " I'm not making jokes. I'm going to do everything I can to get you some activity. "

A sigh came out of my mouth. When I considered the possibility of being rejected, I knew I couldn't risk putting myself out there in that way. It seemed to Ella that my request would be accepted without any hesitation, but I was less certain. Even when further evidence pointed to Nicola's interest in me, I was still not confirmed.

To change the topic, she waved her hand briefly. "All right, let's choose an easy standard to begin with. Stu has a crush on you, you idiot. You two locked lips during last weekend's house party. He's a spoiled brat, yet he has a lot of appeal. You don't have to get married to him or anything." On the last one, she smiled and teased gently.

While Nicola had a profound impact on my heart rate, that man had no such effect on me. This action was prompted by anxiety. When I was last with Stan, he kept pouring me an unidentifiable concoction that burned my throat with each swallow.

I was aware of how alcoholic it was, yet I drank too much of it to ease my social nervousness. By the end of the night, I was dancing with reckless abandon and rotating my hips. Stan had also moved in. I had drunkenly kissed him in the middle of the celebration.

It was so unlike me and the recollections made me feel terrible shame. The remark made by Ella is accurate. Alcohol had weakened my barriers to an intolerable degree, and it had been a long time since I'd had a sexual interaction with a guy.

"Not proud of it, "I admitted.

"It's interesting that you're not a supporter of his, however. "

Despite his conventional good looks, Stun failed to get my heart pounding and my stomach in knots.

I was greeted with Ella's mischievous grin. She warned that time was of the essence since he was on his way over.

She avoided the table and ultimately decided against sitting there.

"So I'm going to the bar now. Please excuse me while I go to the bathroom."

"Ella". With a radiant grin, she blended in with the crowd.