“You tell me. What do you want to see?”
Conall chewed on his bottom lip and then grinned. “Well, we’re in Miami, we should enjoy it, right? Beaches, boats. You obviously like the place. What’s there to do?”
Sloan raised an eyebrow. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had some fun, pet. How do you like the idea of going for a drive along the beach? We can stop there and get something to eat. I know a great sandwich bar.”
Conall’s stomach grumbled as soon as Sloan mentioned food. “Sounds like a plan to me. Direct the way.”
Chapter Four
The place Sloan mentioned was at South Pointe Beach, one of the nicest beaches Conall had ever seen. The white sand looked like it extended for miles, and there were all types of people relaxing and swimming. Conall couldn’t explain his love for the ocean and sand, but there was something extra beautiful about the tall palm trees with the cityscape in the background.
They were lucky enough to find a private parking lot close to the beach and Sloan paid an attendant to find them a spot while they walked out onto the street. Sloan immediately led him down the sidewalk to a sandwich bar a few blocks away.
They crossed the most interesting people along the way, from Santas in red, knee-length terry cloth shorts and red jackets without sleeves, to the punkiest men and women Conall had ever seen. No one gave anyone else a second glance. Even though Conall walked down the street with a red collar around his neck, the people around him acted like they’d seen it all before.
The sandwich bar sat in a spot between the winding sidewalks and the top of the beach in a pop-up shop with folding chairs and white resin tables. A crowd of people flocked around the van the business used as a kitchen. Luckily, being from New York City meant Conall was used to the wait.
“This sandwich better be worth it, Sloan,” Conall teased when Sloan guided him into the line with a hand on Conall’s hip. The weight felt nice and he leaned into Sloan’s strong body.
“Trust me, it is. I remember you saying you liked sandwich, pet.”
“I do, but you’ve never taken me to a joint like this before, so it must be good.”
Sloan’s restaurant adventures usually involved luxurious food with even more expensive wine. The places he visited gave the words fine dining real meaning, and while Conall appreciated the gesture, he often felt out of place. He had grown up in the brothel with Terrance; he was used to things being a lot less refined.
“My dad used to bring me here when I was a kid.” His voice was gentle, which felt unusual from Sloan. The confident mob boss had all but disappeared, leaving an ordinary man reliving a childhood memory who Conall wanted to know more about. Sloan hadn’t shared many early-days stories with Conall, other than how he and his family killed his emotionally abusive grandfather to take control of the company. “It was our thing. Every Tuesday we were here for vacation, we’d get a sandwich from Manny’s. My brother never wanted to come, he thought this kind of thing was beneath him.”
“Did you have a good relationship with your dad?” Conall stared at Sloan’s face, taking in the hard lines of his jaw and high cheekbones. He was such a handsome man, even with the scar that ran across his left eye, a leftover consequence of being tortured once himself.
Sloan inhaled and then smiled in a way that made Conall’s heart hammer. For a moment, he thought Sloan would be able to hear the sound because it felt so loud to his own ears. “Yes, when he wasn’t working. He molded me to be the perfect boss, someone who our men would come to respect and fear at the same time. But when he wasn’t training me as his apprentice, we did things like this. I liked spending time with him. I preferred it over hanging out with kids my age. Most of the them teased me for pronouncing words wrong. They never understood what it was like growing up with a proud Irish family.”
Conall knew what it felt like to be teased by other kids for how he said things and he always preferred to spend time with Terrance. “And your brother?”
“Liam never liked Miami. He preferred the cold weather, said he sweated too much here. I think he was just a typical Irishman.” Sloan smirked. “But we didn’t fight, we just had different aspirations in life. He never wanted to be a boss, he preferred to focus his attention on the ladies and college. He showed no passion for the family business, so even though he was older than I was, our father passed it on to me.”
“That didn’t piss him off?” Conall asked.
“No. He expected it. I told him that I’d turn down the offer if he wanted me to, but Liam said he didn’t.” He narrowed his eyes in thought.
“But you made Fionn your successor.”
Sloan nodded. “Yes. He’s more like me than his father. His focus is on our business, which is what I need from him. He’ll be an amazing boss one day.”
“Hopefully not any time soon. I like you where you are.” Conall licked his lips, a flush making his cheeks hot. That sounded corny as shit.
Sloan laughed and tugged Conall closer to him. He kissed Conall’s cheek. “No, not any time soon, pet.”
Finally, they made it to the front of the line and ordered, or at least Sloan ordered for Conall. He asked for two fish sandwiches with salad and by the time they got their order, someone had vacated a table. They took the seats and Conall got stuck into his food. As soon as he put the sandwich in his mouth, his senses went wild. The tastes exploded on his tongue and he moaned as pure ecstasy, close to what he got from sex, detonated inside of him. He’d never tasted anything so fresh or delicious before. He loved seafood, but this gave an all new meaning toyum.
“Good, pet?” Sloan grinned at him because the bastard knew exactly how delicious it was.
“I could give up sex for this sandwich,” Conall said, earning him raised eyebrows. “Seriously. This fish rivals your cock.”
A lady at the table next to them choked on her food and her partner had to slap her back to dislodge it from her throat. She sent Conall a wide-eyed glance, and he winked at her in response. She smiled in amusement.
Sloan snorted. “That’s not what you were saying last night.”
“Eh, I hadn’t tasted the fish last night.” Conall took another large bite and moaned. “Yep, definitely hadn’t tasted this sandwich then.”
