Suspicion clouded my eyes. Leaving the house was about the last thing I wanted to do.
“Don’t look at me like that, we’re going.” Nick chuckled. “You need to get out of this house and don’t tell me you went outside today. I know you’re lying. I watched you lie here all day.”
“You watched me?” I narrowed my eyes at him. What was he talking about?
Nick pointed to a frame on the mantel, smirking just slightly, as if he didn’t want me to see he was finding humor in this. “There’s a camera in there.”
“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.
“Where are we—” He silenced me with another kiss. I was suddenly uncomfortable in my skimpy swimsuit and barely there cover-up. It was okay when we were going to the rooftop but now I knew we were leaving the complex.
“No questions, remember?” he said playfully, pulling me alongside him and opening the car door for me.
Nick was quiet most of the drive, and I had no idea where we were heading. It was dark, and we were in a part of town I didn’t recognize. Nick was offering no clues, so I stared out the window, taking in my surroundings and trying to piece it together. I wasn’t very good with surprises, and Nick was certainly good at testing me.
When Nick finally stopped the car, we were in the middle of nowhere.
“Nick, where are we?” I asked, climbing out of the car, shivering in the stiff breeze. I had very little clothing on, and hadn’t planned on traipsing through an empty field tonight.
“Just wait for it.” Nick smiled smugly, completely content with himself.
I waited patiently but nothing happened. Nick frowned, and I had to stifle my laughter. Things didn’t seem to be working out according to his plan. “Just another second,” he coaxed, holding my hand tightly.
All of a sudden a giant roar came from the sky above us. Just as I looked up, an airplane flew by, so close the wind from it blew my hair in all directions, like I was inside of a tornado.
“Jesus, Nick, this is your idea of relaxing? Are you trying to gi
ve me a heart attack?” I panted, holding my racing heart.
Nick smiled, grasping my shoulders and turning me around. There was a personal jet behind me.
“No, baby. That plane is going to take us to my idea of relaxing.”
A plane? We were going on a trip? “Nick . . . what are you . . . I don’t . . .”
“Shhhh,” he said, pulling me toward the plane by my hand. “No protests, remember?”
“I agreed to that before I knew you were trying to take me out of the state.” I laughed, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Country.”
“What?” I frowned.
“I’m taking you out of the country. To Saint Lucia.” Nick grabbed a bag from the backseat of the car then locked it behind him.
“Nick, we can’t just pick up and leave. I don’t have any clothes, I have class, I have to find a job . . .”
Nick put his hands on his hips, exasperated. “Are you out of excuses yet?”
I bit my lip. I had to admit the idea was intriguing, but the timing seemed off.
“You don’t have to find a job yet, there will be plenty of time for that. And you already got approval to take a few weeks off of class because of the shooting. As for clothes, I packed a bag for you and it’s waiting on the plane, but I assure you, clothes won’t be necessary. Hell, if I could have you naked on that plane, I wouldn’t have even let you bring a swimsuit.”
I rolled my eyes. This wasn’t a good idea. There was so much going on in our lives, we couldn’t just pick up and leave. What about my family? Nick’s family? What about all the things we had left to do for the wedding? Could Nick actually leave work with all that was happening? The idea of a vacation was bliss, but I didn’t know how practical it was.
“Nick, we can’t. What am I supposed to tell my parents?” My protests were shallow. I wanted to get on that plane and fly away from everything with him more than just about anything in the world.
“You don’t have to tell them anything.” Nick threw his hands in the air. “Ava, we need a break. Both of us. Things have been stressful lately and it’s only going to get more chaotic with the wedding coming.” He reached into his back pocket and produced both of our passports. “Humor me, okay? I rented us a villa right on the beach for five days. Nothing to worry about but all the places we’re going to make love.”
“You’re insane, you know that?’ I arched an eyebrow at him, laughing to myself.
“Please, baby.” He practically stuck his bottom lip out, pleading with me.
Now he was playing the guilt card. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Oh, I’m positive it’s a good idea. I’ve already decided we’re going, but I’m trying to give you the illusion of control before I haul you over my shoulder and throw you onto that plane.” Nick narrowed his eyes playfully.
“You wouldn’t.” I laughed, not completely convinced.
As if reading my mind, Nick wrapped his arms around my waist and threw me over his shoulder just as he promised.
“Nick!” I giggled. “I’ll go! Just let me walk!” I could hardly get the words out I was laughing so hard.
“Nope, you had your chance.” Nick slapped my butt lightly. “Now we’re doing things my way.”
Chapter 27
Nick
The second we touched down in Saint Lucia, it was like a huge weight was lifted off of Ava’s shoulders. I could almost see the stress melting away before my eyes. At first, I was hesitant about this trip, but seeing how she was already responding, I knew it was the right thing to do. Getting her out of New York was the only way I knew how to protect her until she was my wife, and if all went according to plan, she would be in five days’ time.
We got to Saint Lucia at six thirty in the morning, and it was a quick trip from the airport to our resort. Our villa sat about a hundred yards into the ocean, right in the middle of the beautiful turquoise water. There was a boardwalk out to it, and you could watch fish racing alongside of you the entire way. There was a small number of other villas out there, but we were far enough away to have privacy with our own hot tub and pool on the deck. Back on shore, there was a beach club where more resort guests stayed. There was a spa, a few large pools, a theater, and several restaurants. Ava was like a little kid at Disney, taking in all the sights, and it was adorable to watch.
Once we had settled in, we took a walk along the beach, and I insisted that she rest for a little while. She had fallen asleep on the plane, but it wasn’t restful, and she was going to need all her energy for the week I had planned. It was only seconds after she lay down on the giant feather bed that she was sound asleep. I kissed her forehead before slipping out onto the deck to check in on things. Ava had overheard my conversation with Vince last night, and I wasn’t taking any chances this time, so I walked a little ways down the boardwalk.
Vince picked up on the third ring. “Can you just fucking leave this alone and enjoy your time away?” He chuckled, knowing full well I wasn’t going to leave this alone. I didn’t have it in me to be so hands off.
“Trust me, I am definitely going to enjoy my time away, but I want to make sure things are in order there first.” I smiled. Vince and Leo would have it handled, but this was the control freak in me. I was thousands of miles away and needed to have my hands in this somehow. “Does Joey know what to do?”
“Joey took your credit card and booked a room in Chicago. He’s got the burner phone we attached to your number. He’s going to stay there the entire weekend and be sure not to be seen by anyone. I already planted the seed to my dad that Ava is in Cape Cod visiting some friends and you’re out of town on business, but he doesn’t know where. He thinks I’m house-sitting.” Vince chuckled. “Anyway, if he shows up in Chicago, then we’ll know he’s tracking you.”
“Perfect.” Vince, Leo, and I had concocted this plan to bait Alessandro. If our worries were true and he was trying to take me out, he needed opportunity, and we were going to provide him with one. At least, we were going to make him think he had one. He wasn’t stupid enough to try anything himself, but if he sent anyone to Chicago, we’d know what he was after. I had booked mine and Ava’s entire trip under a false name so that he couldn’t find out where we really were. For at least for the first few days I needed to keep her busy enough not to talk to her family so she couldn’t let anyone know we were out of the country.
“I’ll call you if anything develops but if I don’t, don’t call me. We can’t take any chances of my dad seeing us in contact.” I could hear Vince banging stuff around in the background.
“Got it. I think I’ll be pretty busy here,” I chided, letting his mind wander where it may.
“Watch it, moron. That’s my sister you’re talking about.”
“You’re the one who told me to find something to keep me busy.”
“I’m hanging up before you say something that’s going to make me slit your throat.”
I couldn’t quite tell if he was kidding or not, but I wasn’t going to push it. I enjoyed busting his balls a little bit, but Vince and I were finally on good terms after years of being at odds. I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that, especially when things were so volatile with Alessandro.
“Fine. Keep me updated.” I chuckled, hanging up the phone.
I made my way back to our room to find Ava still fast asleep. Her swimsuit and cover-up were draped over a nearby chair, meaning she was completely naked beneath the sheets—exactly how I wanted her. I bit my thumb trying to keep myself from ambushing her. We both needed some sleep; the rest could come later.
I slipped my own clothes off and climbed into the bed next to her, wrapping my body around her protectively. She stirred slightly but melted into my body.
“Good morning.” A sleepy smile played at her lips.
“Shhh. It’s not morning yet. Go back to sleep,” I tried to coax, wrapping my arms tighter around her and burying my face in the bare skin betw
een her shoulder blades.
Ava pulled out of my embrace, not having any of it. “No, come on” she whined. “We’re at the beach, we can sleep later.”
I groaned, rolling over. “You’re impossible, you know that?”
She giggled, kissing my cheek. “Please, baby!” She jumped out of bed and I watched as she slipped the swimsuit back on and tied her long hair into a bun on the top of her head.
“All right, all right, all right.” I faked frustration and swung my body out of bed. “We can go swim on one condition.”
I walked toward her slowly and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me.
“What’s that?”
My fingertips trailed up her spine until I reached the back of her swimsuit, then gently tugged the strings. She gasped slightly as it fell to the floor. “This stays here.”
“Nick, no . . .” Her eyes widened but her protests fell on deaf ears. I put my finger to her lips to silence her.
“No one can see you but me, this place is private.” I smiled, pressing my lips to her collarbone and slipping my fingers into the waistband of her bottoms. I slid them down painfully slowly until they were wrapped around her ankles, and she stepped out of them. “Now we can go swim.” I smirked into her neck, cupping her ass. She was a perfect masterpiece.
Ava
Everything about my vacation with Nick was perfect. We spent the morning lounging by the pool by our villa, taking full advantage of the privacy, and munching on fresh fruit and juices that room service delivered. Now we were sitting on the beach, watching the waves roll in while we ate our breakfast. This was pure paradise.
I wanted to forget about everything at home but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Nick was hiding something from me. He had been on his phone most of the morning, looking at texts and emails, and even when he wasn’t, his mind was elsewhere. I knew he was probably going to go after the person who attacked the dress shop, and the thought of that terrified me. I knew it was his job—something he did regularly and was actually really good at—but I wasn’t sure I’d ever get past the anxious feeling in my chest when I knew he had to take care of something like that. It was dangerous, and I was worried for him. I was worried for us. I didn’t want it to ruin our time here together, but it was hard not to think about what would happen when we got home. We couldn’t ignore our responsibilities forever.
Ties That Bind Us Page 23