Page 6 of Ties That Bind Us

“You feel so good,” I purred, stroking his cheek.

I could tell by his thrusts that he was nearing the peak, and a few seconds later, our bodies writhed against each other in pure ecstasy. We collapsed against each other on the couch, both panting and out of breath.

“Wow.” His voice was husky as he draped his arm around my shoulder and I settled into his chest.

“That was incredible,” I said, trying desperately to catch my breath, but still sky high in the clouds with pleasure.

“I’m not sure I’ll be content with just once.” He chuckled.

“Good thing we’ve got all night.”

Chapter 2

Nick

Even the sound of her voice stirred something deep inside of me. She had hesitated briefly, but then agreed to leave the restaurant with me. Her company was great, the sex was even better. I had the most mind-blowing orgasm I’ve ever had in my life. Hell, I had the five most mind-blowing orgasms of my life. I had her on the couch, the floor, against the window of our fiftieth floor suite, in the shower, in the bed. The woman did something to me I’d never quite experienced before, and before the night I was over, I was even rethinking my one and done policy.

She was so incredible that I had pegged her as a Stage Five Clinger. That was the worst of the worst. The ones thinking about marriage, complete with tears and hysterics when I rushed them out of the room the next day. My brother Leo’s words echoed in my head. When he saw her he said, No one looks that good and isn’t bat-shit crazy. Add that to the out of this world sex, and this girl had to be certifiable.

I was no stranger to one-night stands. I definitely have had my fair share over the last several years, and each time it went relatively the same. I’d meet a girl, charm her with my wit and good looks, and convince her to leave whatever establishment we were at for something quieter. I’d get a hotel room—never my own place—and take her back there, making my intention to sleep with her crystal clear. Over and over again, I’d tell her this was a one-time thing, that we’d never see each other again after that night. But somehow that message would get lost in translation. Most of the time, I’d try to sneak out before they woke up, but if I couldn’t, it was always a fight. I’d wake up and they would be trying to get my phone number and planning when they could see me again, hearing wedding bells and wanting to meet my family. The point of a one-night stand was completely lost on these girls.

It wasn’t like I thought I was god’s gift to women or that I put some kind of spell on them, making them fall in love with me. Most women just couldn’t grasp the idea of a one-night stand. They liked it in theory, but when it came right down to it, they couldn’t pull the trigger. They couldn’t keep emotion out of it.

In fact, I had decided to take a break from women in general. That is, until “Jules” stumbled into my restaurant looking like an absolute smokeshow. She lied about her name, but that only made her all the more mysterious and alluring to me. With chestnut hair and big bedroom eyes that you only heard about in stories, and a dress that clung to her leaving just enough to the imagination, she had driven me completely wild. She was the type of girl every guy wanted—the type every guy wanted but no one could truly have. A rare beauty.

I watched her all night, memorizing the way her lips moved as she spoke and the light shade of crimson her cheeks turned after she had a few drinks in her. There was a slight tilt of her head when she laughed, and no matter how boring the conversation was, she always looked interested. She was a good actress.

Leo thought I was insane when I said I was taking her home with me, especially considering at the time she had just declined my drink and gone to sit down with another man. I waited patiently, watching her make small talk with that prick. For a while, I almost thought she was interested in him, but when she excused herself, I made my move. And damn, was it fucking worth it.

That’s why I was completely baffled when I woke up the next morning and she was gone. Completely vanished. The sheets of the bed next to me were so cold that she had to have been gone for hours. Left without a single word, only a lipstick note on the mirror saying what a good time she’d had. No name, no number to reach her at. No good-bye kiss. Nothing. And for the first time in my life, I found myself wishing a girl had stayed.

It wasn’t even just the sex I was craving again. I wanted to talk to her. She had proved to be as brilliant and witty as she was beautiful. In between rounds, we compared scars from past relationships, bonded over the pressure we felt from our families to be something we weren’t, laughed about our favorite TV shows, and told each other about our wildest fantasies. She challenged me and called me out, not letting me get away with my usual tricks just to try to win me over. Her fiery personality caught my attention immediately, and I’ve never been one to like a girl for her personality. The fact that she had no idea who I was made it all the sweeter.

I don’t know why this bothered me so much. Normally, I would have been ecstatic to wake up to find myself alone, not having to deal with the morning-after mess. Something was different about this girl, though. I wanted to see her again, but she hadn’t even left me that option. This was what we had agreed on, but somewhere along the line, I had been the one to develop feelings. What the fuck was happening to me?

We had had fun together, hadn’t we? Had I missed something? Had she not thoroughly enjoyed every second right along with me? Of course she had. Her body responded to me like she had known me all her life, begging for more. It had to be something else.

Maybe she had a boyfriend. That prick from the restaurant. No, she wouldn’t have been so quick to leave him if they were together. He couldn’t be her boyfriend.

Maybe I was feeling this way because she had been the one to leave. She’d snuck out, leaving me alone in a hotel room after the incredible night we had shared. I had never experienced this shit before, and maybe that was why I couldn’t get her out of my head.

Fuck my rules. I needed to see her again. I couldn’t let her get away with that shit. I knew this was going against everything I had ever stood for, but I was going to find her. I was going to find her and fuck her out of my system. Surely that would take care of it.

I just had to figure out how I was going to go about that when all I had left of the girl were a few memories and a fake name. My guys were good, but nobody was that good. How was I possibly going to manage this?

My phone buzzed on the nightstand, flashing Leo’s face as the caller ID.

“Hello?” I answered, still groggy and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

“All right, shithead. Where are you?” Leo growled on the other end of the line.

“Good morning to you too.”

“Did you forget what day it is? We were supposed to meet Dad at the warehouse an hour ago.” He was clearly pissed off.

Damn it. In my confusion this morning, I had totally forgotten that we were meeting. My father was going to blow a gasket. The day I would take over for him as Don was fast approaching, and he was on me constantly about being more responsible. This probably wasn’t what he had in mind.

“I’ll take it by your silence that you forgot. You’re lucky I covered for your ass. And that Frankie totaled his car last night so Dad had bigger fish to fry.” He chuckled nonchalantly.

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