Page 71 of Ties That Bind Us

“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.

“What do you want to do this afternoon?” Nick asked, stroking my leg as we lay by the water, giving me his full attention.

“I don’t know. Do we have anything we have to do tonight?” I asked, running my fingers through his hair. It was a little longer than I was used to and I loved it.

“Actually, we do. We have reservations at a special restaurant, but not until eight. The afternoon is yours, babe.” He winked.

His phone rang, and the noise startled both of us.

“Hold that thought.” He grimaced. So much for what he had said about not working. “Hello?”

I could faintly hear the voice on the other end but didn’t recognize it. “Nick, we’ve got a problem.”

Nick stood up abruptly and walked away so I couldn’t hear. I hated that he wasn’t telling me what was going on. He had always said he wouldn’t hide things from me, but the last few days that felt like all he was doing. I tried my best to ignore it, realizing he was only trying to protect me, whereas with my dad it was always about keeping me out of things.

Nick was on the phone for a while, and his call didn’t show any sign of ending soon, so I took it upon myself to enjoy our vacation. The water was beautiful, and I loved absolutely everything about the beach. I swam while looking at the beautiful reef and fish around me. It was shallow enough for me to stand and tiny little fish of every color came and nibbled at my toes. It tickled, but I loved it. We’d have to come snorkel out here; I bet it would be absolutely breathtaking. There was something so intriguing about the ocean. It could be so calming and beautiful that it was easy to forget how immensely powerful it actually was.

When I felt like I had been in the water long enough for my skin to get pruny, I made my way back to the shore, noticing Nick still on the phone, pacing. We were supposed to be enjoying our time together, and if he was going to be on the phone the entire time, that didn’t seem possible.

He was determined to make me relax, but maybe he needed a little encouragement in that area himself. I got an idea, and came out of the water right as he was hanging up the phone.

“You seem like you’re having a good time.” He smiled, his eyes locked on my chest. Nick was constantly checking me out, and while sometimes the attention made me uncomfortable, he always made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.

“I am. It’s beautiful out there.” I grinned, reaching out and snatching his phone out of his hand.

“What are you—” He frowned.

Without another thought, I threw the phone as far as I could into the ocean.

Nicks eyes got as big as grapefruits and he let out a sharp laugh. “Have you completely lost your mind?”

I turned back to him, grasping his hand in mine and pulling him into the water. “Do I have your attention now?”

Nick narrowed his eyes at me, shooting me an evil smirk. “Oh yeah, you’ve got every bit of my undivided attention now, baby. I think you just bit off way more than you can chew, though.”

Nick sprinted through the water after me, wrapping his arms around my waist and tackling me. I was no match for his strength, but I also didn’t put up all that much of a fight.

“Nick!” I shrieked, between bouts laughter.

“You know what happens to naughty girls?” he purred, picking me up effortlessly and throwing me over his shoulder.

“Baby, seriously.” I pounded my fists against his ass, but it was no use. I was completely at his mercy.

“They get punished, Ava.” He chuckled to himself, sticking his fingers in the waistband of my bikini bottoms and yanking them down.

“Nick!” I shrieked, much louder than before. “Oh my God.”

Nick worked my bottoms off and tossed me into the water. I came up just in time to see him catapulting them into the ocean, never to be seen again.

“What’s that saying about karma?” He grinned, putting a finger to my chin and tilting my head up to give me a salty kiss.

“You’re crazy.” I shook my head, laughing. At least we were deep enough that the water was covering me up to my stomach and no one could see me naked.

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