Family Bonds- Natalie & Arik (Amore Island #24)

Prologue

“Hi, Natalie,” Davey said.

Natalie Bond turned her head from where she’d been sitting on a bench under a magnolia tree on Georgia State University.

It was her sophomore year and she’d been back for two weeks.

On a break between classes and reading for an assignment, she’d hoped no one would disturb her. She didn’t get that wish.

“Hey, Davey,” she said. “What are you doing on this side of the campus?”

She came here to avoid people. She had no desire to sit in her cramped room where her roommate was always blasting music, explaining it helped her think.

“Just walking,” he said, moving over and sitting next to her. “I know you like to come here.”

“So you sought me out?”

He sent her the same smirk he’d given her toward the end of last semester. His version of flirting.

He was cute. Nice to her. Sweet almost.

Gave her a lot of attention and hinted at wanting to get to know her more, but moved slowly.

Slow worked for her.

But then she returned home for the summer as he had and the communication halted. That wasn’t slow. That was uninterested.

In the weeks they’d been back, he picked up where he left off as if the time and distance meant nothing, and now they’d been on several dates and shared a few scorching kisses.

He’d been pushing for more and she was feeling it as strongly as him.

“Maybe,” he said, sliding his butt closer.

He'd better watch out or those white shorts he was wearing were going to come away with a stain if not a tear. The same with the pink polo shirt.

On the surface, he was totally not her type, but she was trying to be open-minded. Style aside, he’d proven he still liked her as much as a few months ago. Maybe he was busy this summer like she was working also.

Though she doubted it was the same as a summer job she’d had. He came from money and she didn’t.

She had a name many associated with wealth, but there wasn’t any on her family tree branch.

The fact he was interested in her had made her wary, but she was trying not to judge just like she’d been judged most of her life. When he brought up her last name, she was evasive as always. No one needed to know her background this early.

“Like stalking ‘sought me out’ or wanted to see what I was doing later ‘sought me out’?”

She was putting some flirt into it. Something she wasn’t used to doing. He laughed like she hoped.

She’d left Amore Island to see some of the world and what she was missing. This was all part of it.

Last year she’d been closed off and focused on the changes in her life. This year she was going to open up.

“The second one,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. He stood up, his hand out. “Come on. I’ll walk back with you and then we can get some dinner. Off campus if you want.”

“Sure,” she said, putting her hand in his.

He smiled as if he’d just won the biggest stuffed monkey at the carnival.

The minute their feet moved, he asked, “Are you rushing this year?”

She’d thought of it and then decided sororities weren’t for her. As outgoing as she was, even friendly, she didn’t know how much of a sisterhood mentality she had.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t think it’s me.”

“Of course it is,” Davey said, letting go of her hand and swinging his arm over her shoulder. “You’d fit right in.”

No reason to move out from under the friendly, flirty move. “Let me guess. You’re helping recruit?”

She had no doubt he’d want her in a sorority since he was in a fraternity. Didn’t they always date within their social gatherings? Which would just be another difference the two of them had.

“Don’t be a negative Nancy,” her mother would say. She’d never say anything like that to anyone other than her mother or think it internally.

“Maybe,” he said sarcastically as if she was some idiot even considering that he wouldn’t do it. Wouldn’t be part of the action around campus that she tried to avoid.

“I’m sure you’ll find plenty.”

He waved his other hand. “You really should be part of the activities.”

She shrugged. “I’ll think about it.” Though she wouldn’t.

“I’ll drop it for now,” he said. “But I can be persuasive.”

She turned to his face again, narrowed one eye at him, her grin matching his. “I see that.”

He tugged her closer as if saying, come on be a good sport. “You like that about me, admit it.”

Maybe she did. Maybe this was part of letting herself go and learning to be someone more relaxed and less cautious.

And five hours later when they were walking into his fraternity and up to his room, she was happier than she’d been in a while.

He really did make her laugh, relaxed her enough that her body was tingling and ready to experience more. Experience her first.

“Let’s chill on the bed,” he said, shutting his door. His hand hovered there as if he was locking it. That made her feel better that no one could come in, even if she didn’t like that there were so many of his friends downstairs when they came in the front.

He pulled her under his arm, tucked her closer and she looked up into his brown eyes, then his mouth dropped to hers.

Their kiss turned deep faster than normal, his hand sliding to her waist and hesitantly dipping under her shirt, touching her skin, the heat soft at first, then flickering to flames.

He reached over and shut the light as if he read her mind that she’d need that to come out of her shell more.

They returned to their kiss, her mind almost shutting off everything but what she was feeling. What she was about to experience.

Then she wiggled out from under him.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need to use the bathroom. I should have gone quickly before.”

“You can wait,” he said, laughing. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not.” Maybe being nervous only increased the urgency. “Don’t worry, I won’t change my mind. But I’ve got to.”

She couldn’t read what was in his eyes. Nervousness for sure. “Go when you’re done,” he said. “You’ll have to.”

He sent her one of those charming smirks again, but she swung her legs off the bed.

“Then I will again.”

She got to the door and went to unlock it, but noticed that it wasn’t locked when she thought he’d done it.

She turned to look at him. “What?” he asked.

“I thought you locked this.”

“I did,” he said. “You saw me.”

She paused. Maybe it came undone. Or maybe it stuck. Could be she just unlocked it rather than locked it when she touched it.

She opened the door and saw five guys in the hallway jump suddenly as if she caught them doing something.

“What’s going on?” she asked, chills running up her back, her palms getting damp faster than any other time in her life.

“We’re just out here chillin’,” one guy said. “Why?”

“Odd place for it, don’t you think?” she asked.

Everyone was looking at each other and Davey came into the hallway. “Natalie just needs to use the bathroom, guys. Go hang out in some other hallway. Dudes, really?” They all laughed, Davey shaking his head. “Ignore them. They do shit like that all the time.”

But she couldn’t ignore it. Not when everything in her said something was off.

Rather than go to the bathroom around the corner, she ran down the stairs as fast as she could.

“Damn, that has to be a record here. Ain’t no one been bucked off that fast. Davey lost his touch.”

Their laughter followed her like knives in the back.

In that instant she knew. It’d been a game. A joke. All of it lies.

She was supposed to be so lost in him with the lights out while his friends snuck in and turned them on, watching them having sex while she tried to get him off of her.

“Buck him off like he was riding a filly.”

She’d heard stories of that but hadn’t believed it.

She ran back to her room as fast as she could, the tears falling and her wondering what morning was going to bring.

She felt like such an idiot.

Get off the small island, she’d told herself.

See what the world has to offer.

What she saw tonight made her want to disappear.