The Tie That Binds by Maura Catharina

Author:Maura, Catharina
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-05-26T16:00:00+00:00

29

“I’m not feeling all that well. I think I’ll sit this one out and go take a nap,” I murmur, smiling politely. I can’t watch Daniel with Olivia any longer. My heart aches and I’m tired. I just want to get into bed and fall asleep with the hope that tomorrow might be better. At least I get to go back to work tomorrow.

Dominic shakes his head and grabs my hand. “Nope, you’re coming,” he says. He pulls me away from the rest of the group a little. The two of us fall behind them and he throws his arm over my shoulder.

“You got it bad, huh?” he murmurs. I frown at him, confused. “You know he’s just messing with you, right? His eyes were on you every time you looked away. He’s just trying to make you jealous.”

I pause and glare at him. “What are you talking about?” I bite out, unwilling to play games with him. He sighs and a brief expression of hurt flashes through his eyes before he smiles at me. He gently pats my hair and strokes my cheek.

“All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy, Alyssa. I know I’m selfish. I know I’ve been a terrible friend to you. But I do truly love you. You’re my heart, Alyssa. I want the world for you.”

He hesitates and inhales deeply. “I also know you better than anyone else, and I know you’ve never once looked at me the way you were looking at Daniel today. You usually hide it so well that I didn’t realise..”

He shakes his head. “It’s nothing. Go put on your red bikini. You know the one, right? You look wicked hot in it. Go put that on, and trust me just one more time. Can you do that for me?” I look away, unwilling. Dominic cups my cheek gently. “Trust me, Lyss. I would never do anything to hurt you. Do this for me now, and I swear you won’t regret it.”

I shake my head. “I don’t feel like it. I don’t want to swim. I just want to leave.” Dominic pulls me against him and hugs me tightly. “I know, Lyss. I know. But if you do that, if you run away now.. then you and Daniel will keep going around in circles. My brother is hard to read, but I know exactly what he’s thinking. If you want to be with him, then you’ll need to chase him aggressively, until he finally gets it through his thick skull that it’s him you want. Until he finally believes it. So come to the pool with me and trust me. Let me make at least some of my behaviour up to you.”

I hesitate but he pushes me into the direction of the house before following me there, as though he doesn’t trust that I’ll actually come back out. He looks pleased when I walk back out wearing the bikini he told me to wear and offers me his arm. He changed in record time and has a spare pair of swim shorts in his hands.

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