No Vacancy Read online

  “That’s great, Joe.” She rolled up to sitting and rested her elbows on her knees, the sheet covering her but loose enough for me to glimpse her gorgeous naked body. If the sheet fell another half inch, her breasts would be in full view, screaming for my tongue, but I’d have to resist this time. This woman was too perfect, and it was too easy to get lost in her. “Don’t worry about it. Do what you have to do.” She tilted her head. “We’ll stop by, but I won’t get in your way.”

  “What if I want you in my way? Come tonight, and, when you get there, come find me.” I sounded needy and pathetic to my own ears, but I wanted her there. Our time together was too short to worry about pretense. I’d figure out how to be with her tonight and still keep an eye on everything.

  “Okay.” Her sleepy eyes twinkled. “A live band means there’s a dance floor, right?”

  “You dance?” I lifted a brow.

  “On the nights my friends were able to force me out in college, yes, I loved to dance, especially if there was a live band. It’s been a while, but I’m on vacation, right?” She coughed out a laugh. “Do you dance?”

  I shrugged. “If I get a couple of drinks in me, maybe. Dominic is the one you usually have to pry off a dance floor.”

  “But I don’t want to dance with Dominic.” Her bottom lip jutted in a pout.

  “Damn right, you don’t,” I growled and pulled her to me.

  “I’ll come find you. I wish I could make you breakfast, but my scrambled eggs are sad compared to your French toast, anyway.” She pushed off the bed and headed to her dresser to pull out a T-shirt as my eyes canvassed every gorgeous inch of her. Fuck, she was killing me.

  “I’ll walk you out, but you may want to find your clothes in the bathroom first.” She jutted her chin toward the hallway, and we shared a laugh.

  “Ah, so that’s where they are; I couldn’t remember. It was all a blur.” I brushed her lips and headed into the bathroom. Once I scooped up my clothes and pulled them on, I felt the heat of her stare burning into my back.

  “Staring again?” I flashed a grin over my shoulder, loving the scowl I got in return. “I feel like a piece of meat.”

  She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “I’m too exhausted for a dirty comeback for that.” She snaked her arms around my waist and peered up at me. How could she be this goddamn beautiful first thing in the morning? She pressed a light kiss to my jaw. “Don’t work too hard, okay?”

  “I’ll try.” I took her face in my hands and kissed her, long and deep enough to make her slump against me. I laughed against her lips before I pulled away. “Throw me out before I blow off the whole day and drag you back into bed.”

  “I wish.” The sweet smile on her face as she beamed at me made my heart sink. “Go. I’ll see you later.” How amazing would it be to have her waiting for me, or to wait for her at the end of a day? I was having those getting-ahead-of-myself thoughts again, but we fit too perfectly together not to think of what ifs. Our problem was the pieces wouldn’t click so well when she was back home, no matter how much I wanted to pretend they would.

  “I didn’t expect to see you this early,” Dominic said over his shoulder when I strolled into the restaurant. He was already moving tables around to make room for the band to set up. “I’m guessing she wasn’t that pissed you were late?”

  “Nope, not at all—and I was two hours late.” I picked up a couple of chairs and carried them over to where he’d already started stacking them in the corner. “She had dinner waiting for me when I got there.”

  “Wow.” Dom shook his head. “That’s…rare. I once was an hour late to a woman’s apartment, and she wouldn’t even open the door for me.”

  “Caterina is rare.” The pang of something I couldn’t describe swirled in my gut. We had a night full of awesome conversation and amazing sex. I loved every second of the time we spent together, but we were getting too used to it. I was getting too used to it. After she left, there would be a void that hadn’t existed before we met. How could someone have this much of an effect on me after only a week? The smart thing to do would have been to back off. But it didn’t matter how long I’d known Caterina or how much we were setting ourselves up to get hurt. I was already in too deep.

  “Let me ask you something.” Dominic lifted the last of the chairs. “What do you see happening next week? I know you think I’m a little too into your business—”

  “A little?”

  “Seriously. Or should I say what do you want to happen next week?”

  “This is a conversation a little too deep to have before my second cup of coffee, man.” I plopped down the last chair harder than I meant to. “What do you want me to say? She lives in Brooklyn, I live here.”

  “It’s not like she’s in another country.” He shrugged and rolled his eyes. “You can figure it out if you want to.”

  I blew out a long breath. “She deserves better than what I have to offer her, which isn’t a hell of a lot. How many weekends can I just drop everything and head to Brooklyn? Even when the summer ends?”

  “Maybe you could work something out. She could come out here sometimes.”

  “It’s only been a week. Less than a week, in fact. I can’t ask her to change her life for me.” I made my way into the kitchen for some breakfast, knowing Dominic wouldn’t let this go and would be right on my damn heels.

  “I think you’ve spent more time with her this week than you spent with Jill in the whole time you guys were dating. In fact, any woman you were with seemed like an afterthought to you, until this one.”

  I grabbed a bagel off the counter before I turned back to Dominic. “What do you want me to do?”

  “I’ll say one more thing, then I’ll drop it.”

  I highly doubted that but nodded anyway.

  “Stop blowing it off as temporary when you don’t want it to be. Ask her what she wants to do instead of assuming. Do you know what you want?”

  “Her.” My answer came quick and with zero hesitation.

  “When you bought this place, and everyone told you how nuts you were, you said life was too short to not do what you want. Take your own advice, dude. So what if it’s quick? Don’t throw away something real just because you think it’s not supposed to be.”

  I drew back, squinting at my best friend. “Since when did you get so philosophical?” I had to laugh.

  “I’m the brains and the beauty around here. It’s exhausting.” He shook his head before pushing the door open. “Plus, I’m dreading next week, too. I’m the one who’s going to have to deal with the brunt of your heartbroken, cranky ass.”

  Dominic’s words rattled around in my brain as I poured a cup of coffee. The annoying bastard was always right. Contemplating a future with her after the short time I’d known her seemed ridiculous, but it was all I could think about. I’d already mapped out the drive from Ocean Cove to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn a hundred times—three and a half hours. Maybe not across the country, but far enough to have completely separate lives.

  Maybe we could work out a way to see each other—sometimes. The old me would love an arrangement like this: casual and part time, nothing dragging me from all the things in my life that needed to stay a priority.

  But I already knew that when it came to Caterina, casual would never be enough.

  22

  Caterina

  “Wow,” Claire gasped as we walked closer to Joe’s restaurant. “Good thing your boyfriend is the owner, or we’d never get in.”

  “He’s not my…” They both turned to me with raised brows. “Ugh, just push the door open.”

  Claire was right; this place was so packed, we could barely close the door behind us. I hadn’t seen this many people collectively in this town all week. Granted, my days were spent on the beach, and my nights were spent with Joe, but it still seemed like a much bigger crowd than I would have expected judging by the amount of people I’d seen out and about.

  Joe didn’t give himself enough credit. He w
as smart enough to know how to keep a business in a summer tourist town going all year long by cashing in when it counted.

  But…he wasn’t my boyfriend. Claire’s little quip upset me more than it should have. We were heading home on Saturday morning, and then what? Would Joe only be a memory, a hot and heavy fling I could reminisce about when I crossed the bridge back into Brooklyn and went back to my old life?

  He was more than that. Or, I wanted him to be more. I’d caught him referring to our time together as limited, and he’d mentioned not wanting to talk about letting me go until he had to. Not if he had to. It was an eventuality, not a possibility that whatever this crazy thing between us was would end. Thinking about it hurt more than I expected it to. I sucked in a shaky breath, needing a drink to numb the shitty feeling now lodged in the pit of my stomach.

  “I’ll get us some drinks; you guys find a table.” I ambled away from my friends and headed to the bar, scanning the room for Joe but not finding him anywhere.

  I searched the crowd to find where the girls were sitting, but my friends were already lost in the sea of patrons. It was dark and loud, the bass from the speakers echoing in my ears. The band sounded great, playing an old eighties cover with different guitar riffs.

  “What can I get you?” I barely heard the bartender over the noise and my turbulent thoughts.

  “Three cosmos, please.” I tried to ignore the doubt creeping into my veins and resolving to enjoy my vacation for what it was. I’d have fun tonight if it killed me—no matter if I could be with Joe or not.

  I pulled out my phone to shoot him a text.

  Caterina: We just got here. I’m at the bar getting drinks. Congrats, this place is packed!

  After shoving it back in my bag, I paid for the drinks and prayed I’d be able to make it to wherever the girls were sitting without spilling. I spotted Megan’s wave and headed in her direction.

  “I’m on my game tonight, didn’t miss a drop!” I gingerly placed the glasses on the tiny table the girls found in the corner.

  “Cosmos? Have we finally become the Sex and the City girls? Over thirty and still going out for cocktails?” Claire joked before lifting a glass and taking a sip.

  “Hey, when I watched reruns in college, they were my idols.” I took a big gulp of my sweet drink, welcoming the relaxing burn down my throat. “They never had their shit together but looked like they had fun anyway. That’s going to be my new life when I get back to Brooklyn. I may be a mess, but I’ll figure out how to enjoy my life.”

  “Oh, I’d say you’re enjoying your life just fine, right now.” Megan raised her glass in my direction.

  “I meant in the long term. This…” I trailed off, my eyes darting around the room in search of Joe. “This is temporary.”

  “How do you know that? I saw that kiss on the porch the other day, and nothing about it looked temporary.” Claire drew back in her chair and crossed her arms.

  “Great chemistry doesn’t mean anything permanent.” I shrugged and drained my glass. I wasn’t calm, only flushed and hot. Remembering the sangria/ice cream incident, I resolved to pace myself. Dousing my feelings with alcohol wouldn’t provide any true relief.

  After chatting at the table for almost an hour and three rounds of drinks, although the last one was water for me, I surveyed the growing crowd around us and still found no sign of Joe.

  “Why don’t you ask someone to find him for you?” Claire asked as she played with the stem of her cocktail glass.

  “He’s probably busy; he knows we’re here.” I picked up my phone, glancing at the still blank screen. I could have asked the bartender to find him for me when we’d arrived, but the Eeyore cloud that settled over my head since Claire had uttered the word “boyfriend” had me playing distant and childish tonight.

  “Do you like him? Not just his dick, but him?” Megan lifted an eyebrow and tapped her finger against the table.

  “Well, we don’t know how much they’ve been actually talking all this time.” Claire nudged Megan.

  “We’ve talked a lot more than you think.” I narrowed my eyes. “Awesome conversations about everything. He’s smart and funny and…yes, I do like him. There’s a lot to like.” I averted my gaze. “He’s amazing, and not just because he’s gorgeous and sexy, but he’s a good guy. He has this caretaker thing about him that’s so damn sweet. He’s a great businessman at only thirty.” I played with the tiny napkin under my empty glass.

  “Do you want to tell us how this is only temporary again?” Claire glanced at Megan and jerked her head in my direction.

  After glowering at them both, I continued. “It’s temporary because I can’t see how it could be anything else but. I’d love to keep seeing him, but I’m not sure how it would work, or if he’d even be up for figuring it out. So yes, even though it’s pretty fucking spectacular, I don’t only like Joe’s dick.”

  “Well, that’s a relief.”

  My body went rigid at the recognition of the deep voice behind me.

  “You guys couldn’t give me a signal or something?” I glared at my traitorous friends, collapsing in giggles.

  I swiveled my head toward where Joe stood. “How much of that did you hear?”

  “Enough to make my head swell a little bit.” A smirk tickled the side of his mouth as he reached into his pocket. “I left my phone in the office and just noticed your text.” He nodded hellos at Megan and Claire before holding out his hand to me. “Mind if I steal her for a bit?”

  “Oh, not at all.” Claire waved a hand and shooed us away.

  “Thank you,” he replied before pulling me past the bar and down a long hallway in the back. Before I could say anything, he pinned me against the wall and covered my mouth with his. I stiffened at first but, as usual, melted into his arms.

  “The truth,” he whispered, his lips still close enough to brush against mine. “You’ve been here for an hour and didn’t try to find me. Why?”

  I turned away from his scrutinizing stare. “I like you too much, Joe. And after this week…” I shrugged, not wanting to acknowledge what we both knew. “I guess I’m preparing myself a little.”

  He took my face into his hands, his hold tight as his gazed locked with mine. “What if I don’t want you to prepare yourself? What if you stay with me for a couple of days after your friends leave? Didn’t you say your boss told you to take more time off since you have so much saved?”

  My jaw went slack as my words escaped me. “I can’t just do that—”

  “You can just do that.” His shoulders jerked with a husky chuckle. “I’d still have to work, but I’d make sure my nights were free. You can be a beach bum for a couple of more days or hang out here.” He wrapped me in his arms and yanked me closer. “Come on, Caterina. And I have a surprise for you.” His lips curved up. “I’m off tomorrow.”

  “You’re off tomorrow? Are you sure that you can do that with it this busy?” My brows pulled together.

  “I own the fucking place, so yes, I can.” He kissed my temple. “I’m taking you sightseeing. Well, what little we have to see around here.” He leaned his forehead against mine. “Then, we figure things out. Okay?”

  My heart soared as I looped my arms around Joe’s neck and attacked his mouth, still having no clue how we would actually work, but putting off goodbye was enough for me, right now.

  Joe pulled me back inside the main part of the bar, seeming lighter himself as he led me to the crowded dance floor. He twirled me a couple of times, both of us laughing and falling into each other without a care in the world. I wished it could always be like this, and worried settling for less wouldn’t eliminate a goodbye, but make it that much worse.

  23

  Caterina

  Joe tightened his hold around my waist with a sleepy grumble before burrowing his head into the crook of my neck. Today made exactly a week since we’d met, and we were essentially in the same position then as we were in now: naked, legs entangled, although minus my morning after freak-ou
t.

  Quality of time—not amount of time—was what counted, and Joe had given me more quality in one week than I’d had for most of my life.

  “Stop thinking so much so early in the morning.”

  I smiled into the pillow at Joe’s gravelly voice and his warm lips dragging across the nape of my neck.

  “It’s not early at all.” I reached behind me to wrap my arm around Joe’s neck before squinting at the alarm clock on the nightstand. “It’s nine o’clock. You think you’re so smart.”

  “I am smart, but you’re not hard to read. Relax, beautiful.” He climbed over me, my legs parting on their own accord so he could settle between them. “You’re all mine today. How’s that sound?” He leaned his forehead against mine.

  “That sounds great.” My nails scraped up and down his back. “Are you sure you want me here until Monday? You’ve only spent nights with me, you don’t know the kind of house guest I am.”

  “I don’t think I have anything to worry about.” He kissed me, tugging on my bottom lip with his teeth as he pulled away. “I couldn’t care less if you like to leave your clothes laying around.”

  “I don’t leave clothes laying around.” I shot him a squinty glare. “I may not be OCD neat, but I’m not messy.”

  He tapped his chin as he looked down at me. “There are two sets of clothes scattered all over my living room floor, and, if memory serves me right, you’re the one who stripped us both and let everything fall where it may. Not sure if you just really wanted to get me naked or you’re messy. Either way is fine with me.”

  I jabbed his shoulder, but he wouldn’t budge. He was right on both counts. I did tend to be on the messy side. My bedroom back in Brooklyn always had a small pile of clothes on the chair next to my bed that I was too lazy to put into the dresser five feet away. Whenever I had more than ten minutes alone with Joe, my goal was always to get his clothes off as soon as possible. After our date at the beach I ripped the button straight off his jeans the second he got his front door opened, leaving a gaping hole he loved to tease me about.