Page 2 of Ties That Bind Us

“No, Momma. I’ve got a date.”

“With who? That Dante?” Her face lit up at the prospect of me settling down.

“No, his name is Rob. He’s a friend of Angie and Mike’s,” I said, grabbing a piece of garlic bread out of the basket. She slapped my hand away.

“What happened to Dante? Your father and I really liked him,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. I really wasn’t in the mood for an interrogation right now.

“Don’t tell her that, Mom. That’s the quickest way to get her to dump someone,” Bella teased. As the youngest child, I was used to taking the brunt of their jokes.

“Very funny.” I glared at her.

She smirked as she popped a cherry tomato into her mouth.

“How many dates did ol’ Dante make it, anyway?” Vince came back into the kitchen having not missed a beat of the conversation.

“Five, thank you very much.” I was well aware of my flaky habits, but that didn’t mean I wanted to discuss them with my brother and sister.

“Wow! New record.” Bella laughed. “Why isn’t this new guy picking you up?”

“She needs her car in case she has to make a quick getaway, right, Avs?” Vince kissed my cheek.

“Shut up!”

“You two leave your sister alone!” My mom scolded them. “And you get out of here before your father sees you in that dress.”

“Good idea.” I laughed. “See you guys later.”

“Bye!” Vince and Bella called at the same time.

“Be safe, angel!” my mom called after me.

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, I got into my car and started on my way. I loved my family, but they could be a lot to handle.

The restaurant where I was meeting Rob was called Pancho’s, and it was in Midtown Manhattan. Traffic hadn’t been horrendous, so I arrived a little earlier than expected. I didn’t know what Rob looked like, but I didn’t see anyone sitting alone, so I made my way up to the bar, squeezing between people to find a seat. Angie had recommended this place, and to my surprise, it actually had some character. There was a band playing, and it was stuffed to the very brim with people talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It was energetic and busy, and I loved all of the colorful artwork on the walls.

“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked as he poured a drink for someone else.

“A whiskey ginger, please.” I leaned against the bar on my elbows.

“You got it.” He grinned, then turned and got right to work.

As I sat waiting for my drink, I couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that someone was watching me. I locked eyes with a stranger across the bar and my heart skipped a beat; I didn’t expect him to be so attractive. He was dressed in a crisp, gray button-up and black dress pants, much more formal than the majority of the crowd. The thin fabric of his shirt did nothing to hide his bulging muscles, and his sharp, chiseled jaw was set as he stared. When he reached up to loosen his tie, the fabric of his sleeves pulled, revealing just a peek of the tattoos he had on each forearm. I could feel my pulse quicken, as if I had seen more than I was supposed to. Was I blushing?

I looked away, hoping to get a hold of myself. It did nothing to help with his magnetic energy, though. Even across the room, I could tell he was important. He had a sense of arrogance about him, holding the attention of the men he was with but hardly paying attention to what they were saying. His only focus was on me, as if he was on a completely different planet—one that only he and I occupied. His stare was hard—powerful and intimidating—but that grin was devilishly handsome, the most intriguing part about him. It was almost as if he was taunting me, his invitation dangerous but playful. An air of mystery hung between us, and I couldn’t tell if he wanted to kill me or have sex with me. Somehow, that only fascinated me more.

“Here you go, ma’am. On the house.” The bartender slid a glass across the bar top.

“On the house?” I stumbled over the words, still trying to get my wits about me. The guy had disarmed me with a simple look. My imagination went wild thinking about what he could do with more.

“Compliments of the gentleman at the end.” He nodded toward the end of the bar.

An inviting grin from the end of the bar met my gaze, almost daring me to come over. I picked up my purse and started to head toward him when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Ava?” A handsome blond man stood in front of me expectantly.

What awful timing.

I could just say no. I could say no and go meet the temptingly gorgeous man at the end of the bar. Angie would kill me, though, and Rob looked nice enough. I needed nice and wholesome, so I swallowed my pride and turned around with a wide, open smile on my face.

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