No Vacancy Page 12

  “You don’t need to follow the rules.” I grabbed the nape of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. I had to make it quicker than I would have liked since we were in public. But I flicked the seam of her lips with my tongue when I pulled away, not able to resist getting a taste. “You can get as close to me as you want.” I traced the shoulder strap of her bikini, my finger stopping at the top of pink triangles teasing the shit out of me. “Anytime. Anywhere.”

  She grinned, a blush spreading across her sun-kissed cheeks.

  “Would Dominic be really mad if you left early after coming in late today?” Her fingertips flirted with the edge of my collar. We were like two lovesick teenagers, drunk and stupid from the passion between us.

  “Maybe.” I shrugged as my hands traveled down her back. “I’m technically his boss, so he can’t tell me no.” I’d memorized her entire body last night, but thinking of her full, beautiful tits spilling out of the top with hardly anything covering the bottom made me hard to the point of pain. “What did you have in mind?”

  “Well,” she started, tilting her head to the side. “I’d like to make you dinner at the rental. Claire and Megan are going out for the night and meeting up with friends a couple of towns away and may stay over. But I’m not feeling it, you know?” Her lips puckered in an adorable purse. “I won’t be as good as you since you’re the professional and all. But I make an awesome shrimp parmesan, and the kitchen at the rental is Food Network quality.” Her bright smile faded. “No pressure, of course.”

  I put my finger over her lips. “If I didn’t own this place, I would have called out for the day and still be in bed with you right now.” The pad of my thumb skimmed across her bottom lip. “Yes, I’d love to have dinner with you tonight. I can be there around eight if that’s okay.”

  “Perfect. So,” she waggled her eyebrows, “what’s back there that I can’t see?”

  “Tina’s new and a little overzealous. If we weren’t so busy, I’d take you back there and show you my office.” My brows shot up as I pulled her close.

  “What’s so great about your office?”

  “Oh, lots of things,” I told her while my hand roamed down her hip. “Starting with the lock on my door.”

  “Rain check,” she whispered and pecked my lips. “See you at eight.”

  “See you at eight.” My eyes stayed glued to her as she sauntered out the door. I was fixated on the sway of her ass in that damn bikini bottom.

  “Am I closing again tonight?” Dom asked from behind me.

  I nodded before I turned around. “And the rest of the week.” My gaze still clung to Caterina.

  I’d make it up to him when she was back in Brooklyn, and I had nothing to do but wallow.

  As if she sensed my eyes on her, she turned around, flashing me a sexy grin when her gaze met mine.

  I had her now, and like a glutton, I would devour every second up with her I could get— until they ran out.

  Thanks to a full day of steady crowds, eight became nine and then close to ten. I texted apologies all night long until I pulled up in front of the rental and sprinted up the outside stairs, praying I hadn’t screwed up the little time we had together by pissing her off.

  “I’m so sorry,” I blurted before even saying hello. Caterina looked me over with a crinkled brow, leaning against the doorjamb without a word in reply. She was so damn beautiful in a simple black dress that clung to all my favorite places. “It was packed, and two waiters called out sick, and every time I headed for the door something else happened—”

  She cut me off with a kiss and pulled me inside, shutting the door behind us. I moaned into her mouth before I backed her against the wall, apologizing the best I could with every stroke of my tongue against hers.

  “All I wanted was to be with you tonight. Please believe me,” I begged between kisses.

  “I know, Joe.” She pushed against my chest. “I saw how busy it was. You texted me a thousand apologies. More aren’t necessary unless you want to do that thing with your tongue again.” She wagged her eyebrows and pressed a kiss to my chin. “You’re the owner, and sometimes you can’t just leave. You and I have that same pain-in-the-ass sense of over-responsibility in common. All is forgiven, and this high-tech oven has a fancy warming tray, so I can still offer you a hot, rental-home cooked meal.” She slid her palm against mine and entwined our fingers. “Still hungry, I hope?”

  “Starving,” I growled before I leaned in for another kiss. How could a man live with someone as amazing as she was and bring other women home behind her back? If she lived with me …

  I forced my brain to not complete that thought. We’d only just met. Five days wasn’t enough time to really fall for someone, no matter how real it all seemed—real, yet hopeless.

  “Time for that later, come.” She jerked her head toward the dining room. My chest pinched when I spied the half-wicked candles. “I’ll get you a plate. What would you like to drink? Beer or wine?”

  “Whatever you’re having is good.” I settled at the table and watched her flutter around the kitchen. Her hair spilled down her shoulders in dark waves, and her olive skin had caught a little sun. The last time I was late for a date after being stuck at the restaurant, the woman I was seeing wouldn’t even let me on her stoop. Caterina didn’t seem to care. She just wanted me here, no matter what time I happened to arrive.

  “What?” she asked when she caught me staring. My mouth watered at the plate she set down in front of me: shrimp parmesan, garlic green beans, and a large piece of Italian bread.

  “You’re something else, Caterina Rose.” I wrapped my hand around her waist and dropped a tiny kiss on her arm, cracking up as her face crinkled in disgust.

  “I told you before about using my full first and middle name. Eat.”

  I moaned around a piece of shrimp. “Wow, this is delicious. Want a job in my kitchen if the whole advertising thing doesn’t work out?” I smiled around my fork.

  “Well, I’ve already had sex with the boss—a lot—so I’m guessing I could skip the interview.” A wide grin lifted her cheeks before she slid into a chair next to me at the table.

  “Not so fast. You have to interview like everyone else. That’s what the lock on my office door is for.” I winked.

  She laughed around the rim of her wineglass. “My mother gets on my case for not making my own sauce whenever I make this. She showed me a couple of times, but the real deal is an all-day endeavor, as I’m sure you know. Plus, we only have so many pots here. So, thank you for enjoying my dinner even though I’m a disgrace to my heritage and used tomato sauce from a jar.”

  “Are you close with your mother? You said it’s only the two of you, right?”

  She nodded around a mouthful of bread. “My father died when I was little. My memories of him are a little fuzzy since I was only six. My mother went back to work full-time, and we moved in with my grandparents. Our apartment was always bustling with some kind of extended family. Sunday dinners and holidays were full of people and non-stop food, but it still always seemed like just my mother and me.” Caterina lifted a sad shoulder. “She was strict, but I never wanted for anything. I was a good kid, earned good grades, and never got into trouble. I felt as if I owed her that. But even she’s on my case for working too hard.” A humorless laugh fell from her lips.

  “You’re an amazing woman who deserves to enjoy her life. It doesn’t sound like you’ve done much of that. Well, not before last Thursday.” She laughed and nodded slowly.

  “No. No, I haven’t. I have a good job, money in the bank, a nice apartment—once I get rid of the squatter.” She pushed her food back and forth on her plate. “But I want more. I always did, but I guess I pushed it aside because I felt I shouldn’t. That it was silly. Now I’m thirty-three, and look at me.” She blew out a long breath and shook her head.

  I put my fork down and leveled my eyes on her.

  “I am. Trust me, I am.” I reached for her under the table and squeezed the insid
e of her thigh. “And what I see is beautiful.” My voice croaked at the end, all this weird emotion filtering through me. I’d thought I never cared about dating because it simply wasn’t for me. I didn’t have time for another hassle, and I’d always believed finding “the one” was a bullshit impossibility for me. I never thought I’d actually find her, but not be able to keep her.

  She sank her teeth into her bottom lip and narrowed her glossy eyes at me. “Do they teach that to hospitality majors? How to sweet talk new customers?”

  “No, that comes natural. All me, baby.”

  Her smile faded when her eyes found mine. “Can you stay, Joe?” She draped her hand over mine, where it was still laying on her thigh. “I have dessert, and I found out this morning that the bathroom upstairs has a jacuzzi.” Her eyebrows shot up despite her watery gaze. “It would be a shame if no one used it, right?

  “Big shame.” I squeezed her thigh but didn’t get the smile I’d hoped for.

  I rose from my chair and kissed her cheek before I dragged my lips down her neck.

  “You have me as much as you want me, for as long as you want me.”

  20

  Caterina

  “I am happy you’re finally on a vacation. I’ve been so worried about you.” My mother sighed into the phone. “You’re going to burn yourself out.”

  “I’m okay, Mom. It’s nice here—nice being with the girls.”

  “What else is nice?” She laughed. “Usually nice means borderline okay.”

  I kept saying nice to avoid the real highlight of my vacation: the gorgeous restaurant owner who I was about to spend the night with for the third time in five days after I met him five days ago. Mom wanted me to have fun, but not that much fun.

  Joe pushed me out of the kitchen and insisted on cleaning up, and I took the opportunity to check in with my mother. Some of my friends spoke to their parents once a week, but that would never fly with her, and I wouldn’t want it to. I checked up on her as much as she checked up on me.

  “It’s good, Mom. I promise. How is it there?”

  “I ran into Trent on the street this afternoon.” I could picture her mouth flattening into a hard line. One thing my mother did not have was a poker face. “He asked me when you were coming home. I thought you broke up?”

  “We did. I told him to get out, but I had his name added to the lease, so he’s not moving. I’d hate to leave the apartment and give him what he wants, but I don’t know how to get him out.”

  “Are you ever going to tell me what happened?”

  If I told my mother exactly what happened, an uncle or cousin would be at my place in less than twenty-four hours to drag him out by his feet. As awesome as that would be, I needed to handle this myself.

  “Just know he did something awful enough to end us for good.”

  “I told you not to put his name on the lease if you weren’t married.”

  “You did,” I agreed while rubbing at my temple. “I didn’t listen, and I’m learning my lesson.”

  “I always thought you deserved better, and I hope you’re smarter when the next one comes along.” She clicked her tongue against her teeth.

  I didn’t have the heart to tell my mother I was even stupider this time. There was no way I could explain what was going on with Joe and me, especially since I didn’t totally understand it myself. All I knew was in between all the amazing conversation and incredible sex, I’d caught real feelings for Joe. The whole thing was ridiculous even in my own head, much less explaining it to someone else. Megan and Claire thought we were just having fun, but it was more. From the beginning, it had been so much more. Explaining to my mother how I may be falling for a man I’d known for a week was in line with telling her I met Santa Claus at the shore. I’d receive the same “are you high?” reaction. But I guessed I was high because all I did was dread the inevitable low.

  “I do, too. I’ll call you tomorrow, Mom.”

  I ended the call and let my head fall back, searching the ceiling as if it had an answer. This could work long-distance, right? Maybe? Was I prolonging the inevitable or living in the moment? Both I was sure, but I couldn’t stop.

  My eyes roamed our pristine kitchen. I guessed working in restaurants for so long made Joe quick and thorough with cleanup.

  “Joe?” I called out. “Did you clean the whole kitchen? Where are you?”

  The flick of a switch followed by a loud whir wafted from the bathroom. I knocked on the door. “Hey, you decent?”

  “No, but come in.”

  I pushed the door open and found Joe laying in the jacuzzi, with jets blowing water around him as he stretched his arms along the back of the tub.

  “Started without me?” I crossed my arms and aimed the best glare I could muster at him, all while a hot shiver broke out along my skin. Joe was naked. And wet. A naked and wet Joe, with water dripping along every muscle, was sprawled out in the tub, casting me a heated glance before he beckoned me with the crook of his finger.

  “Lose the dress, and get in here.”

  With shaky hands, I slipped my dress over my head and dropped it on the bathroom tile. I stripped off my bra and underwear and climbed in with Joe.

  “I thought it was a little bigger than this. I guess two people don’t exactly fit.” I crouched down in the tub, and Joe pulled me between his legs.

  “Plenty of room.” He rubbed my shoulders and slid his hands down my damp arms, over my torso, and along my hips. “I still need to teach you to relax.” Joe pulled me against him, his erection digging into my back. “I want you so fucking bad right now. I want my mouth and my hands on every part of you.” His voice was hoarse, almost pained. “Where should I start, Caterina Rose?” His hands left my hair and traveled down my stomach. The shiver was replaced with a blinding ache.

  “Joe, please,” I begged. “Please touch me.”

  “Where, baby? Where should I touch you?” He thrummed my clit underwater, drifting his thumb back and forth and around. My hips rolled, pushing into his hand for more friction.

  I craned my head toward his wolfish grin, looping my arm around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. I flipped around and straddled his lap, water sloshing everywhere, and neither of us giving a single fuck.

  My head fell back as his lips closed on a nipple, sucking hard and pulling the rigid peak between his teeth. I raked my hands through his wet hair and ground against him as his cock thickened against me.

  “We can’t.” Joe grabbed my ass with both hands and pulled me up. “Too risky in here. Lie back, Caterina.”

  I climbed off of him and lay on the other side of the tub. Joe lifted my legs out of the water with a loud splash and buried his head between my legs.

  His heated gaze lifted to mine. “So good. You taste so goddamn good. I’ll never get enough.” Anguish dripped off of every word as if he really wouldn’t ever get enough. He slipped two fingers inside of me, curling them before pulling out, and I lost control of the lower half of my body. I came so hard I lost my breath and even my vision for a moment as hot white stars flashed behind my eyes. His lips and tongue stayed on me, still tasting and exploring even when my body jerked against him from aftershock.

  “Joe,” I breathed once I found my voice again. I dipped my head to meet his hooded eyes.

  “Lie back, Joseph.” I sat up and pushed against Joe’s chest. His cock peeked out of the water, still hard and huge. I palmed the weight of his length, gliding my hand up and down before bending to take him in my mouth. I let my tongue trace the water droplets streaming down his shaft and swirl around the top. His chest heaved as he muttered a tortured curse.

  “Caterina, baby, I’m close.” His mouth fell open when I took him as deep as I could, still working him with my hand until he went rigid under me and spilled down my throat.

  I’d given a few blow jobs, even enjoyed it at times. But I’d read the signals and would tear my mouth away right before the guy came. It always seemed too intimate and just too much to do
that. With Joe, I wanted everything. He made me crave and want and need. It was as if I were taking everything I could from Joe and saving it for later when he wasn’t within my reach anymore.

  My breaths were quick again as I rested my head on Joe’s stomach. He sifted his hands through my wet hair as his own breathing slowed.

  I lifted my gaze to his, a slow smile lifting my cheeks. His eyes were hooded and wet, reflecting the same sad need that coursed through my veins.

  His fingertips drew soft circles along the nape of my neck, and I heaved a long, contented sigh.

  Reality would rear its ugly head all too soon.

  21

  Joe

  Exhaustion barreled over me like a freight train the second I opened my eyes, but after the night we’d had, it was worth it. I hated to leave Caterina so early, but I couldn’t bail on Dominic today. Summer events and the revenue they brought in were our bread and butter, but right now, I hated anything that took me away from the beautiful woman lying on top of me. But, I had to cash in on these busy weeks at the restaurant to keep us going for the rest of the year. I needed to fish my head from out of the clouds and focus—at least for the day.

  Caterina groaned and tightened her hold around my waist while burying her head into my chest.

  “I hate that morning comes so fast.” She cuddled into my neck, her tiny kisses along my jaw chipping away at my pain-in-the-ass resolve.

  “Me too, baby.” My lips found her forehead before I gently pulled away, trying to remember where I’d dropped my clothes. “I can’t leave Dom today. We have a lot of rearranging to do to make room for the live band, so we need everybody.” Her hazy eyes met mine as she nodded into the pillow.

  “A live band sounds fun. Maybe we’ll stop by.” She yawned into a sleepy smile.

  “You should. These guys are pretty good.” I brushed her tangled locks off her forehead and ran my fingers through her hair. “And I’d love it if you stopped by. I…” I trailed off, cursing myself yet again. “I’ll be working late if the night goes like we hope it will.”