Page 17 of Ties That Bind Us

“Not stalking, just keeping my word.” He followed me over to an empty table. He was already pulling another chair over so he could join me.

“Please, sit down,” I said sarcastically. He was relentless. “What word exactly are you keeping?”

“That I’m not going to stop until you agree to go out with me,” he clarified, sipping his coffee. He had one leg draped casually over the other, resting his ankle on his knee and making himself right at home.

I blushed and stared at the lipstick stain on my coffee lid. I wasn’t sure what it was about him that made me feel so uneasy and out of control, that made me feel reckless—craving him desperately one minute and being repulsed by him the next. He was cocky and arrogant, and like he said, used to getting what he wanted. Usually, that was a hard stop for me. I was a game to him, a conquest, and once he got whatever it was he was looking for from me, he’d ride off into the sunset and I’d be left to pick up the pieces of my crumbling life. And most likely engaged to whatever suitor my father had found for me. I knew guys like Nick—hell, Jimmy had been one—the second something better came along that could hold their interest, they were gone. Letting myself think otherwise was a recipe for disaster.

“And, for the record, I’m not stalking you. I had business here this morning. Running into you was just a pleasant coincidence.” Man, that smile was intoxicating.

“Business?” I asked. “Are you a student here?”

Nick laughed, choking a little on his coffee. “A student? No. I was actually here as a guest speaker for one of the business classes. A friend of mine teaches here and asked me to come talk about working with customs to run my shipping company.” Realization set in and a panicked look blanketed his face. I knew exactly what he was thinking. “Wait. Are you a student here?” He paused. “How old are you?”

“How old do you think I am?” I toyed with him, eating up having the upper hand for once. I enjoyed watching him squirm, especially since the roles were usually reversed.

“Don’t play with me, Ava.” He got serious, his voice filled with panic. “Are you legal?”

“I’m twenty-three.” I smirked, finally letting him off the hook.

Relief washed over his face. “Oh, thank God.”

“Isn’t it a little late to be asking that question?” I took a gulp of my coffee and set it on the table between us as if I was creating some sort of barrier.

“What are you studying?” he asked, leaning forward on his elbows and ignoring my question entirely.

“Law. I want to be a defense attorney.” His eyes trailed my every move as I tucked a rogue piece of hair behind my ear.

“Wow.” He brushed his thumb over his lip. “That’s awesome, are you excited?”

“You mean am I excited to spend the next two years of my life studying for some stupid test only to work eighty hours a week in a stuffy corner office with a nice view of a park I never get to actually go to and spend my days defending drug dealers and thieves?” I arched my eyebrow at him feeling somewhat cynical this morning. “Thrilled.”

“I can think of a lot of things I could do to you in that corner office, but, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you doing it if you’re dreading it so much?”

“Daddy issues.” I shrugged, not able to stifle the small laugh on my lips. It sounded pitiful.

“Daddy issues? I might be able to help you out with those.” His domineering grin was almost enough to make me ask him to describe how he planned to do that—just almost. He might have been joking, but it was a glaring reminder of just where his head was at.

“Nick, it was nice to see you again, but I need to be going.” I stood up and grabbed my bag. Bella’s words echoed in my ear like she was the devil sitting on shoulder.

“Ouch!” He put his hand over his heart, feigning injury. “I’ve been called a lot of things in my life but nice isn’t one of them.”

“Do you prefer pleasant? That’s what you referred to me as a few minutes ago, right?” I teased as I stood up. Despite my worries, I couldn’t stop egging him on either.

“Have dinner with me, Ava.” He grabbed my wrist roughly, holding me in place so dangerously close that his breath was hot against my ear as he spoke. Images of him manhandling me in that hotel room flashed through my mind. The student center suddenly got very small. Nick’s eyes locked with mine and everything around us disappeared. The hustle and bustle of students moving from class to class, the staticky radio playing over the loudspeakers, the thirsty looks Nick drew from nearly every woman in here. All of his attention was focused on me.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” I hesitated.

“And why is that?”

“Because I’m not your type,” I said flatly, his daring expression enough to make me forget my reasons entirely.

“Ava, what makes you think you even know enough about me to say that?”

“Because.” I sighed. “You can’t get through a single conversation with me without making some kind of sexual pass, you have every woman in this entire student center fawning over you, and if you remember right, you were the one who explicitly said one night and we’d never see each other again. That’s what we agreed to.”

If it was possible, Nick leaned in even closer to me, keeping his voice low. “Well, circumstances have changed, and you can’t tell me you’re not the slightest bit curious what—”

“Good-bye, Nick.” I cut him off abruptly and left him sitting alone at the table.

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