Page 68 of Ties That Bind Us

“A camera?” I shrieked, throwing the blanket off and bolting upright. This was taking it to a whole different level. “You installed cameras to spy on me?”

“No, I have cameras installed all over the apartment for security purposes. And they were here long before you were, so relax.” Nick grabbed my hips possessively, pulling me closer to him. It was the first time he had manhandled me since the shooting. We had had sex in the bathtub that night, but other than that, he was treating me like a porcelain doll. It was nice to feel his hands on me again. Like I was human.

“Besides, I’m worried about you. I know you’re still processing what happened, but it isn’t healthy for you to stay cooped up here all day thinking about it. You need to get back into the swing of things, stay busy and take your mind off of it.”

“And that will help?” I asked, not completely convinced. I had done nothing but try to take my mind off of it the last two days and nothing had worked so far. But maybe Nick was right. What else did I really have to think about if I was moping around here all day?

“I promise it will help, baby.” He pressed his lips to mine, kissing me deeply. A familiar ache filled my lips the second he pulled away. His kiss was like magic to me. “Now, there is a box on your bed—I want you to go change into what’s inside and meet me here in fifteen minutes. No more questions, no more protests. Am I clear?”

I nodded, feeling excitement creep through my body. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

I scurried into the bedroom, anxious to see what he had brought me. I had no idea where we were going or what we were doing, but I was already feeling slightly better. Just having something else to concentrate on was nice.

Just as he said, there was a white box tied with a beautiful gold ribbon sitting on our bed. Careful not to crease the ribbon and paper, I opened it carefully. Inside was a black swimsuit and cover-up. Swimsuit was actually a little bit of a stretch; it had a closer resemblance to dental floss. He wanted me to leave the house wearing this? I let out a sharp laugh at the thought. Sometimes Nick really was crazy.

Apparently, we were going swimming, but seeing as how it was almost six o’clock and dark now, I had no idea where. There was a private pool and hot tub on top of the building, but would he have bought me a brand new swimsuit just to go up a couple of floors? Maybe he just wanted to make a nice gesture. Whatever he had up his sleeve had me thoroughly confused.

The suit fit me like it had been made for me, and I pulled the cover-up on. Nick definitely had good taste. He hadn’t told me to bring anything else, so I slid my phone into my purse and headed into the living room.

Nick stood with his back to me, looking out the window and holding his phone to his ear. I could tell just by looking at him that he was tense. He wasn’t happy with whatever he was hearing on the other end of the line.

“I want to be kept up to date on everything. He leaves the house for a second, you call me. I don’t care if he’s walking the fucking dog, I want to know about it.”

Silence. His harsh voice sent chills up and down my body. No matter how much I knew about what he did, it always caught me off guard hearing him morph into his role as Don.

“Yeah, everything is taken care of on my end.” Nick shoved his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Don’t fuck this up, Vince. This may be our only shot.”

Vince? My brother Vince? The last I knew, they couldn’t hardly stand each other.

“Got it. Talk to you soon.” Nick shut the phone off and whirled around.

Startled by his sudden move, I let a small gasp escape my lips,.

“Hey, baby,” Nick said, completely softening his demeanor. “You ready? I knew that was going to look perfect on you.” His eyes traveled over my body, soaking in every detail. He licked his lips as if imagining all the things he wanted to do to me.

My head told me I should just let it go, but my mouth had other plans. “Why are you talking to my brother?” I nearly covered my mouth, surprised by its betrayal.

Nick’s brow furrowed into a frown. He started toward me slowly, each step making me more anxious. I had no idea why—Nick had never made me feel scared in the entire time we’d known each other, but I couldn’t push the feeling down.

“You were listening to me on the phone?” His voice was flat, deflecting the focus from him.

“Stop avoiding my question.” I bit my lip, holding my ground. “Why are you talking to my brother?”

He sighed heavily. “Ava, Vince and I are working together to figure out who was behind the shooting at the dress shop. There is no reason to get worked up, I figured you’d be happy we’re getting along.”

In reality, I was, but I couldn’t help but feeling like I was being kept out of the loop about something.

“I don’t know why you’re getting yourself so worked up over this. I didn’t tell you because it’s still such a sore subject for you. Seriously, I wasn’t trying to hide it from you. Call Vince, he’ll tell you the same thing.” Nick looked distraught as he explained himself to me. I immediately felt like I was losing my mind. Why had I gotten so defensive about this? Of course, I wanted Nick and Vince to get along.

“Okay.” I nodded. “Sorry, my nerves are still a little bit on edge, and I’m used to being kept in the dark about everything.”

Nick put his hand to the back of my neck, pulling me into him and kissing me gently. “It’s okay. I just want us to forget about everything that has happened the last few weeks and enjoy my surprise for you. Does that sound okay?”

“That sounds wonderful.” I smiled, leaning up and kissing his cheek. “Are you sure this is what you want me to wear?” I asked skeptically.

“Yes.” He nodded wildly, smirking. “Abso-fucking-lutely you’re wearing that.”

Nick locked the penthouse and led me out to the elevator. When he pressed the Down button for the parking garage, I was even more suspicious. That meant we weren’t going to the rooftop.

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