The Tie That Binds: A Marriage of Convenience Novel

I’m startled awake by a loud sound and open my eyes, groaning.

“Ugh,” Dominic mutters as he stretches; both of us disoriented and sleepy. Dominic squeezes his eyes closed and buries his face in my hair. The two of us are tangled together on the sofa. We spent most of last night watching one Die Hard movie after the other until we inevitably fell asleep. I sit up, still feeling drowsy, and yawn.

My eyes fall to Daniel’s as I stretch, and I freeze. He’s standing in front of the sofa, his arms crossed over each other and his expression carefully guarded. I glance back at Dominic and pinch him hard enough to wake him up. He yelps and sits up with an angry scowl, only to freeze like I did when he finds Daniel standing over us.

The two of us straighten and send each other an alarmed look before we both look down. I straighten my clothes, trying my best to ignore the way Daniel’s gaze is burning on my skin. Like usual, I’m wearing a silk nightgown that’s perhaps a bit too revealing to watch a movie in. Dominic and I definitely look as if we were up to no good.

Daniel doesn’t question us. He just stares with a blank expression. He doesn’t look jealous, and he doesn’t look angry to find us on the sofa together. I must be crazy for wanting him to lose it. I expected him to demand an explanation, but he doesn’t.

“Breakfast is ready,” he says, and my heart sinks. He finds me lying on the sofa intimately entwined with Dominic and that’s all he says?

I nod at him, and he walks away, presumably back to the kitchen. I fall back onto the sofa and throw my arm over my face. That’s all? If it were me, I’d already be losing my shit. How much longer will I deceive myself? How much longer will I trick myself into believing that he feels the same way I do?

Daniel is reading the paper when Dominic and I finally make it to the dining room, both of us dragging our feet. Though neither one of us would admit to it, we both hoped he’d be done with breakfast and back in his bedroom by the time we made it to the dining room. But no such luck. He’s sat in his usual seat in his usual pyjama bottoms, his torso bare and a newspaper in his hands. He glances up briefly as we walk in and then looks back down. Dominic looks at me questioningly, but I ignore his gaze.

Dominic and I eat in silence, neither one of us able to get much down. Daniel doesn’t say a thing. He just sits there and stares at his newspaper. Eventually, I clear my throat to catch his attention.

“Uh, about just now… Dominic and I were just watching movies last night and fell asleep on the sofa,” I murmur, feeling oddly guilty. Daniel glances at me and nods before turning back to his newspaper.

“It’s fine. I don’t care,” he says.

I freeze. “You don’t care?” I repeat slowly.

He sighs and puts his newspaper down. “What is it, Alyssa?” His tone and the way he looks at me makes me feel like I’m a petulant teenager.

Dominic stands up in an attempt to interrupt our impending argument. “Uh, Lyss. I thought maybe we could go swimming today? Let’s lounge by the pool. What do you think?” he says. He seems nervous and I sigh. I don’t want to drag him into any issues I might have with Daniel, especially because he isn’t to blame. Things between Daniel and I have been weird all week.

“Hmm, yeah, sure,” I murmur. Daniel picks his newspaper back up as though he’s relieved our conversation has ended. He doesn’t even glance at us as Dominic drags me out of the dining room.

“Jeez. What the hell is going on with you guys?” he asks. I shake my head. I don’t even know what’s going on, so how am I supposed to answer?

I walk into my bedroom and my mind flashes back to the way Daniel ripped off my red bikini. He told me he didn’t even want Dominic thinking about me, so why is he so unfazed to find me asleep on the sofa with him?

I grab a coral-coloured bikini I’ve had for years. I’ve kept it at the Devereaux mansion ever since I was sixteen, and I definitely don’t fit into it as well anymore. It’s far tighter and revealing than it was years ago, but it should work for what I have in mind.

I smile to myself as I make my way back to the dining room, wearing nothing but my bikini. I purposely left my robe in my bedroom. I’m relieved to find Daniel still sitting in the same seat I left him in. He glances up when I walk in and does a double take.

“You wanna come swimming with us?” I ask, walking right up to him. His eyes darken and he reaches for me without thinking. His hand wraps around my waist and he bites down on his lips as his eyes drop to my chest.

“The weather is great, and we don’t have a pool in our apartment. Might as well make use of the one here. Who knows how long we’ll be able to enjoy this weather.”

Daniel blinks and then looks up at me, his expression unreadable. “Hmm, I think I will,” he says. I grin and walk away, giving him a spectacular view of my ass, most of which is on display thanks to this itty bitty suit.

Dominic is already doing laps when I make it to the pool. He stops and swims towards me as I lower myself on the ladder. He takes one look at my bikini and bursts out laughing.

“Let me guess. You walked past my brother looking like that?”

I bite down on my lip and look away, a blush slowly spreading on my cheeks. “Not a bad call,” Dominic says. His eyes drop back to my body and there’s a flicker of appreciation in them before he looks away, but I don’t miss the regret he tries to hide.

He grabs my hand and pulls me towards the unicorn float the staff have put in the water for us. “Your love for floats is so childish,” he tells me, grinning.

I punch his arm, and he laughs. I try my best to lift myself onto the unicorn, but it keeps slipping away and I fall back into the water. Dominic laughs and lifts me into his arms. I throw my arms around his neck and I glare at him.

“Keep looking at me that way and I’ll throw you back in the water instead of helping you up the horse.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s a unicorn, dumbass.”

He bends his knees suddenly, making me feel like he’s dropping me, and I squeal as I tighten my arms around his neck. He laughs as I throw him another dirty look. “Asshole,” I mutter.

Dominic grins at me mischievously and I shake my head. “Don’t you dare!” I shout, as he drops me into the water. I stand up, coughing, and kick his shin. I nearly slip in the process, but it’s worth it.

Movement behind Dominic catches my attention and my eyes land on Daniel. He’s changed into swim shorts and he’s staring at Dominic and me with his arms crossed. His expression is blank, and I can’t tell whether he’s even remotely angry or jealous.

Dominic and I both turn to him as he makes his way into the pool. He swims towards us leisurely and stands up in front of me. The water glides down his skin and I’m a goner. He looks sexy as hell as he pulls a hand through his wet hair.

“Struggling to get onto the float, Lyss?” he asks as he tips his head towards my unicorn. I nod and he smiles as he takes a step closer to me. He bends down and lifts me into his arms before placing me on top of the unicorn. I’m disappointed when his hands don’t linger on my skin.

Instead, he turns away and starts swimming laps. Dominic grins at me before he follows his brother. I lie back on my float and close my eyes, soaking up the sun until Dominic and Daniel eventually swim back towards me.

As soon as he’s within reach, Dominic grabs my arm and yanks me off the float. I cough out water as I stand up to find him already on my float.

“You asshole,” I shout. I push at him, intent on shoving him off, but he holds on for dear life.

Daniel throws his arms around my waist and pulls me back and away from Dominic. I struggle against him and kick the float in one last attempt to dislodge Dominic before Daniel pulls me out of reach.

He laughs and pulls me flush against him, my back to his chest. “It’s fine, Lyss. Just let him have it for a while. Why don’t we go soak in the jacuzzi for a bit?” I glare at Dominic and follow Daniel to the jacuzzi next to the pool. I sigh in delight as I sink into the heat. One of the staff members hands me a glass of mango juice and I close my eyes as I lean back in my seat, my back pressed up against one of the jets.

“You look like you’re enjoying that,” Daniel says. I glance at him, surprised that he’s speaking to me at all. I’d already mentally prepared myself for him giving me the silent treatment. I’m not sure how to feel about his behaviour now. Usually when he’s jealous or hurt, he’ll pull away from me. Does that mean he doesn’t care about finding me with Dominic this morning?

“I am,” I tell him. “The jets are amazing. It’s like getting a tiny massage.”

He holds his hand out to me, and I grab it instinctively. He suddenly pulls me out of my seat and onto his lap. I yelp, which only makes him laugh. Within seconds he’s got his arms wrapped around me, my butt nestled onto his lap.

“You — what are you doing?”

Daniel nuzzles my neck. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I didn’t stop to think about how my behaviour would affect you, and I broke one of the promises I made you. I didn’t communicate well at all. It took my brother snapping at me before I realised what I did to you. I’m sorry, baby.”

I stiffen in his arms, unsure of how to respond. “I was worried. I was scared I’d hurt you again. I know having sex wasn’t even remotely enjoyable for you, and I didn’t want to put you through that again. I stopped you every time because I didn’t want you to do anything out of obligation.”

He stands up and turns me around before pulling me back to him as he sits back down. I fall onto his chest and find myself straddling him, my legs wide open. He pulls me close and leans back in his seat.

“I always want you, Alyssa. Always. But I never want to put you in a position where you’re doing something just because you think I might want or expect it.”

He cups my cheek gently and pulls my face close to his. I subconsciously freeze and wait to see what he’ll do. When his lips find mine, I relax against him and kiss him back. His hands roam over my body before eventually settling on my ass, and he leans forward a little more to shift me right on top of his erection. He moans into my mouth and grips me tighter.

Part of me is still in disbelief. Part of me still believes he’ll pull away soon. That he won’t do more than kiss me. But then one of his fingers slips underneath my bikini bottoms and right into me. I moan and pull away from him, gasping for air and overcome with desire. Daniel grins as he plays with me, the two of us mostly obscured by the jacuzzi’s bubbles. We’re so wrapped up in each other that we forget we aren’t alone.

Dominic pulls us back into the present by throwing a bucket of water over our heads. I jump away from Daniel and glare at Dominic, but he merely sticks out his tongue and runs away.

“Hmm, well, I guess we had that one coming,” Daniel says.