Page 25 of Ties That Bind Us

“I didn’t specify dinner when I said I’d be picking you up. Come on, I’ve got something I want to show you.” He nodded at the car.

“Nick, I can’t,” I protested. “I have class.”

“So? You don’t want to be a lawyer anyway, what would one afternoon hurt?”

Nick had a point. Sitting in class this afternoon was the last thing I wanted to do, but I didn’t necessarily want to spend it with Nick either. I’d rather spend it figuring out a way to run away from all of this and live on some tiny island somewhere, but since that wasn’t an option, I found myself considering Nick’s offer.

Nick softened, reaching out to grasp my hand. I let him take it, his touch sending chills throughout my body. “I’m just asking for an afternoon. I want to get to know you better. Don’t you think we should do that if we’re going to be married?”

I considered his words carefully. I was at a crossroads here. I could either give this whole thing a genuine chance and get to know Nick, or I could continue to try to prolong the inevitable. Was there any use fighting this? He was right, we were going to be married whether I liked it or not. Did I want to marry a virtual stranger? My resistance certainly wasn’t going to change the situation, so I could at least make it enjoyable for myself.

“No touching, no kissing.” Nick grinned, holding his hand up in a fake salute. “I promise.”

I laughed as he pulled his hand from mine. “From this point forward.”

There was a teasing edge to his voice. He could never keep his hands to himself around me; visions of his surprise attack in the lobby of the restaurant replayed in my mind. There had been something so erotic about it. The thrill of getting caught at any minute, his fingers digging into the tender flesh. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before and looking at him in front of me now just left me aching for more. I was nearly consumed by the memory.

Nick cleared his throat, drawing me back to reality.

“Sorry.” I straightened up, conceding to his offer. “Sure, I’ll go with you. But I can’t be back late. My father won’t be happy with you if I’m out all day and night,” I teased.

Nick scoffed. “I think if he knows you’re with me, he won’t care if I ever bring you home.”

I bit my tongue to fight off the sting of Nick’s words.

“Shit, Ava, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” Nick shoved his hand through his hair, completely distraught.

“It’s fine.” I stiffened, knowing full well he was right. If my father was really all that concerned with me he wouldn’t be doing this in the first place. “Why don’t you come inside while I get ready?”

“Great.” Nick smiled widely. He was letting me take the lead, which was refreshing. Because of my father’s old-school values, it was unusual for women in my world to be given so much say. My father always controlled my life, but Nick made me feel like I had some control of it myself—like we could go at whatever speed I wanted, like this might actually be okay.

Was I actually coming around to this idea? No, there was no way.

Chapter 9

Nick

Ava turned away from me and walked into her parents’ house, waiting for me to follow. I watched awestruck for a minute, the sight of her walking away was something that would never lose its appeal. She was so goddamn beautiful. The slight sway in her hips and the way her shorts hung loosely on them made me hard instantly. Her hair was messy, just like it had been on our first night together. Get a hold of yourself, Nick, I said to myself, shaking my head. There was no way I could fuck her in her parents’ house. I had promised her I would be on my best behavior today, but it was already clear that she was going to make that a challenge.

I followed her inside and shut the door behind me. “Your house is beautiful.”

“Thank you. I’ll tell my mom you think so.” She smiled. “Why don’t we—”

“Ava, can you please talk some sense into your brother?” a high-pitched voice came from the kitchen.

Ava rolled her eyes as her brother and sister came into the foyer.

“Oh!” Her sister looked at me, surprised.

“Bella, Vince, this is Nick. Nick, this is my brother, Vince, and my sister, Bella,” Ava said quickly.

I could tell by the look on her face that she had wanted to avoid this little meeting entirely. Honestly, I had as well. I would have changed my tactics if I’d known Vince was there. Vince and I had a tumultuous history. He blamed me for Andrew’s death, and while he wasn’t entirely wrong, there was much more to the story than he knew. He had been angry with me for a long time, thinking I had murdered Andrew in cold blood, which couldn’t be further from the truth. After Andrew died, I had tried to meet Vince several times to explain what happened. He was having none of it, though, and there wasn’t much I could say to diffuse or change the situation. Now, we tended to avoid each other when we ran into each other in public, but here, that was a little more difficult to do. Not to mention that fact I wasn’t sure he’d be thrilled about the idea of me taking over the Moretti organization as well. That spot was rightfully his, but my marriage to Ava would take it away. The last thing I needed was an altercation with her brother when I was trying to convince Ava that this marriage could be a good thing.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Vince snarled. So much for hoping he’d let this go easily.

“Vince!” Bella smacked him in the stomach. “What my incredibly barbaric older brother is trying to say is that it’s really nice to meet you, Nick.” I liked her already.

“Nice to meet you as well, Bella. And nice to see you again, Vince.” I smiled politely, ignoring Vince’s menacing glare. He didn’t want me here, and that was pretty evident.

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