Page 37 of Ties That Bind Us

I opened the baggie slowly, then slipped my finger into the silky white powder. It would absorb quickly if I pressed it to my gums, and the high wouldn’t even be that strong. No one would guess.

“That’s it,” Jimmy coaxed.

I paused, getting a hold of myself. “No, I don’t want it. Thank you.”

“Well, if you’re going to be such a wimp, give it to me.” Bella laid out a line in front of her then snorted the white powder. It made me cringe to think how close I had come to blowing everything I’d worked so hard for. I was proud of myself for resisting.

Bella and I continued to dance and party with Jimmy, but it took some time for me to loosen up. I felt uncomfortable being here, and to try to combat that feeling, I had quite a bit to drink. I finally started to enjoy myself, and before I knew it, it was two in the morning.

I left Bells and our group of friends briefly to go get a few more shots, and headed for the bar.

I caught a glimpse of a man gawking at me from across the room, and headed toward him with every intention to put him in his place. The closer I got, the more I recognized a very angry Nick glaring at me. I had a fleeting thought of turning around and running, but I was already halfway there, I might as well fully commit to my misery.

“Hi!” I threw my arms around his rigid neck. “I’ve missed you! Let’s go get a drink and you can tell me about your trip.”

Nick grabbed my upper arm tightly and led me to the door before I could even say good-bye to Bella. “I think you’ve had enough.”

In this state, I couldn’t decide if angry Nick was sexy or terrifying.

“Ow, you’re hurting me,” I whined once we were finally outside. Several people around us stared at the scene we were making.

“Have you completely lost your mind? Has this been going on the entire time I’ve been gone?” Nick growled.

“No!” I defended myself, tears welling up in my eyes. “Bella begged me to come with her and I just thought one night wouldn’t hurt anything. I haven’t had that much, really.”

“I watched you take seven shots in the last thirty minutes,” he countered. I had backed myself into a corner, and there didn’t seem to be a way out.

“I’m sorry,” I said as tears streamed down my face. The reality of what I had done was catching up to me. “I just wanted to have a little fun.”

“Ava.” He sighed exasperatedly. “I didn’t tell you to stop partying because I didn’t want you to have fun. I did it because I was concerned about your safety, especially when I’m not with you. What if you had stumbled into another guy tonight? God knows what would have happened?”

“It was stupid, I know,” I continued, the weight of my guilt feeling like a ton of bricks on my shoulders. It was all stupid, and I never should have been here in the first place.

“You don’t know. This is a terrible part of town, and now that we’re getting married, it’s even more dangerous for you. This place is a shithole and this is exactly the neighborhood Alek Asnikov moved into. Not to mention the fact that you completely disregarded what I said. I thought we had an understanding of what would happen if you used again.” His tone held an ominous threat as I replayed our previous conversation in my mind.

“I didn’t. It was just a few drinks.” He didn’t seem to be interested in my excuses and didn’t respond.

“Nick, I’m sorry,” I said again, at a loss for what else might make this situation better. It was a terrible feeling knowing I had disappointed him. It was the complete opposite of how I used to feel with my dad. I liked to see how far I could push him, but with Nick, the idea of him being even slightly disappointed in me was heart wrenching.

I wiped a few remaining tears off of my cheeks.

“I know, but that doesn’t change what happened tonight.” He took my hand and led me to his car. My heart sank at the disappointment and anger soaking his voice. I sobered up in record speed.

“Where are you taking me?”

“I can’t exactly take you home to your father like this.” He scratched his chin. “I have a guest room at my place. You can stay in my room and I’ll stay in there.”

I grimaced. “You don’t want to . . .”

“No,” he snapped quickly, opening his car door for me. “This is not exactly how I want to remember the first time I wake up to you in my bed.”

He slammed the door and went around to the other side. I jumped at the noise. I had made up my mind—angry Nick was terrifying.

Chapter 13

Ava

I had been to Nick’s penthouse once before, but it was still foreign to me. Everything was so pristine, I was pretty sure the floors were so clean you could eat off of them. Someday it would be my home, but right now I still felt like a guest.

---