No Vacancy Read online

  Rational thinking hadn’t applied once since I’d arrived at Ocean Cove, and I’d finally decided to just go along with it. I was indulging and not denying, and I’d never felt more alive in all my thirty-three years.

  “I just want you with me. Nothing else matters.” He pressed into me, already hard as a rock and drawing a whimper out of me at the subtle but sublime friction. “Stay with me, Caterina,” he pleaded against my lips.

  We broke apart at a loud knock at the door. Joe groaned as his head fell to my chest. He reached for his phone with his brows knitted together and glanced at the screen.

  “The one time I decide to take a damn day off. I would’ve thought if something was wrong, I’d get a text, but nothing.” He rolled off me and dug into his dresser drawer for a pair of shorts. I grabbed my glasses from the nightstand and slipped them on before I was treated to the flexing of his muscular back and perfect ass as he stepped into gray sweat-shorts.

  “I feel your eyes on me.” He turned, reaching over to slap my ass with a loud smack. “Don’t move; I’ll be right back.”

  Straining to make out the voices of who Joe was speaking to, I covered my mouth to muffle a loud yawn. This week was both exhilarating and exhausting.

  Joe came back into the bedroom holding all our clothes from last night. He set them on the bed and turned to me with a crinkled brow.

  “So,” he came to where I was laying on the bed and leaned on the edge, “my parents decided to make a surprise visit. They came to the restaurant first, and, when Dom told them I took today off, they came here to see what was wrong. Guess I surprised them instead.” His shoulders shook with a laugh before my sleepy head caught up to what he was telling me.

  “Your parents are here, and saw all our clothes on the floor, so they know you have someone here?” My panicked hand smoothed my matted hair as if that made all the difference in this awful situation. I wished I could run into the bathroom to fix myself, at least a little, but it was down the short hall next to the living room.

  I sifted through the pile for my bra and underwear. “I’ll go back to the rental.” My panic had me attempting to fasten my bra and pull up my panties at the same time. “Your parents came all this way, you should—”

  “No.” My head jerked up to the sound of Joe’s raised voice. “I took today off to spend it with you, and that’s what I’m doing. We can see them later.” He grabbed my shaky wrists and pulled me toward where he was still sitting on the bed. “We’re all adults. There’s no reason to be ashamed.”

  “For you, there isn’t.” I dropped my head into my hands and pinched the bridge of my nose. Joe peeled my fingers off my face and shook his head.

  “Aside from not calling first today, my parents are pretty chill. In fact, my family is always worried that I’m alone too much, so meeting the beautiful woman I’ve been spending all my time with will be a huge thrill.” He lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the top of my wrist. “I want you to meet my parents and be with me today. All day.” The plea in his crystal blue eyes made me stumble.

  He rubbed my back and kissed my forehead. “And stop worrying about how you look. You always wake up gorgeous. Another reason why you’ll be a great houseguest.” Joe’s easy grin made him impossible to refuse.

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, I’ll stay with you.” I grinned, warmth flooding my chest when Joe’s entire face lit up.

  “I’ll get rid of these two, and I’ll show you how happy I am that you finally agreed.” The heat in his gaze made me squirm to the point that I almost forgot the humiliation waiting for me on his couch. “I’ll meet you outside.” He planted a quick kiss to my lips before rising from the bed and shutting the door behind him.

  I pulled on my dress from last night and reversed the camera on my phone to survey the damage. My mascara was smudged under my eyes, and my hair was still sticking up every which way. I wiped under my eyes with my finger, hoping to appear more smoky-eyed than raccoon before I headed for the living room.

  “We are so sorry.” A beautiful woman with long dark hair rose from the couch and rushed over to me. “We’re usually not the kind of parents who barge in unannounced. I’m Samantha.” She held out her hand with a warm smile.

  “Nice to meet you.” I took her hand and exhaled some of the tension. “I’m Caterina.”

  “What a beautiful name!” She squeezed my hand.

  “Everyone calls me Cat, except for your son.” I turned my head to where Joe was beaming on the couch next to who I guessed was his father. I did a double take as I looked between them. Joe’s father was his older identical twin.

  “Spooky isn’t it,” Samantha said in a loud whisper when she noticed me staring.

  “Yes, it is a little,” I agreed, my gaze still fixed in their direction.

  Joe’s father grinned as he came over to where we stood.

  “I’m Lucas. Nice to meet you, Caterina.” He took my hand in both of his. I could tell right away that he and Joe had the same personality, too. It made me wonder why whenever Joe brought up his father, it sounded like they had a strained relationship. “I’m sure on my son’s only day off, he has better plans for both of you than being stuck with his parents all day.” He lifted a brow before craning his head to Joe. “But maybe you both wouldn’t be against a little dinner?”

  “They love this steakhouse one town over and use seeing me as an excuse to go.” Joe’s lips twisted into a smirk at his father.

  “Now, Joey, that’s not true. Seeing our baby boy is always our first priority when we come here.” He ruffled Joe’s hair, and I laughed at Joe’s groan. “Yes, that’s the place. Good food, and right on the beach. I hope you’ll join us.”

  “I think we can do that.” Joe’s eyes locked with mine, and I responded with a tiny nod. I didn’t think I could say no, and his parents seemed easygoing and friendly. New boyfriend’s mothers usually made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t feel like either of them were sizing me up. Joe was right, they were simply happy to see me and their son.

  “We’ll let you get back to your day.” Lucas draped his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Eight o’clock sound okay?”

  I lifted a shoulder at Joe, as he was the one with all the plans for today.

  “Sounds fine, Dad.” Joe breathed out with the tiniest bit of exasperation. Samantha kissed his cheek before they said goodbye to us both and made their way out of his apartment.

  “I’m sorry we got suckered into that. The drive from Queens is long, and I couldn’t tell them no.” He shrugged and sat back down on the couch.

  “It’s fine. Steakhouse sounds nice.” I settled next to him. “Are you sure you want me to go?”

  Joe drew back on the couch and squinted at me. “Why wouldn’t I want you to go?”

  “Dinner with parents is something you do when you’re a little further along than we are.” I lifted an eyebrow.

  “I want you there. I’m glad you met my parents. I think boxing us into a timeline doesn’t make sense, and we need to stop doing it.” Joe slid his hand under my legs and lifted me onto his lap. “It doesn’t matter if we just met or if I’d known you for years. I feel what I feel, and that’s fucking crazy about you.”

  I shook my head and cuddled into his chest. I was fucking crazy about him, too, and wished I could get rid of the stupid commonsense that kept telling me this shouldn’t be happening so fast. For us, at that moment, the timing was perfect.

  “Can I ask you something?” I pushed off of Joe’s chest. “They both seem really nice, but you always talk about friction between you and your dad. Did I miss something just now?”

  “No, they’re both really nice and weren’t hiding anything.” He laughed. “My father and I are the same in a lot of ways. But, like I told you, he’s this big financial executive, brilliant and successful. I’m happy with the path I chose, but I never felt he was. So…” He shifted on the couch and pulled me closer. “I lash out when I s
houldn’t which makes everything that much worse.”

  “You are smart and successful, Joe. What do you mean by lash out?”

  “Well,” he tightened his hold around my waist, “we’ll go out tonight, and he’ll insist on paying. I’ll take that as an insult that I’m not successful enough to pay, and I’ll fight him on it for a few minutes. And then he’ll ask questions about the restaurant out of genuine interest, and I’ll again get annoyed that he’s nit-picking at all the business decisions I make. I’ll most likely come home feeling like shit for either not being as good as him or for being an asshole because I don’t know how to deal with my insecurities.”

  “Self-awareness isn’t any good if you don’t try to get ahead of it, Joey.”

  “I knew you’d pick up on that,” he groaned as his head fell back. “I’ll probably need comfort when I get home.” Joe’s hand skidded up my thigh until his finger grazed the edge of my panties.

  “What kind of comfort?” I jumped when his hand traveled lower and settled between my legs.

  “Maybe ride me for a little while, sit on my face. Feeling you come on my tongue should make me forget my troubles for a bit.”

  I shook my head and lifted my leg to straddle his lap.

  “You’re filthy,” I whispered before dipping my head to kiss him. He laughed against my lips before he pulled back.

  “And you’re mine for the entire day. Ready?”

  After a week of fearing the worst and focusing on how we’d end, I wanted to embrace the ride, no matter where it led.

  I replied with a kiss. “Absolutely.”

  24

  Joe

  “Tired?” I glanced at Caterina over my shoulder as she trailed behind me.

  “No, but maybe like slow down for just a minute.” She glared at me while fighting a smile.

  Ocean Cove was small, but I made sure she saw all of it. I took her to the tiny coffee shop that, like my place, saw a big boost in business each summer but had enough of a local following to stay open all year long. Moving out here and running a business wasn’t easy, but I loved it. The local merchants joined together to keep revenue up with seasonal events, and fall was becoming more popular around here. I always saw possibility here and still do, but I suspected showing Caterina all of my adopted hometown had to do with a subconscious need to convince her to stay.

  We wound up on my favorite pier, the one no one seemed to know about but me. From the end, you could see the boardwalk and rides from the more popular shore towns, and, even with the crazy lights in the distance, I’d always found peace here. I came here to think, even in shitty weather that rocked the old wood and made it creak, and I’d always leave with a little more clarity than when I’d first arrived. Now, I realized, I’d come here next time and remember who I’d been with today and would be sad instead of soothed.

  “You said no one comes here but you?” Caterina walked up to the edge and leaned over the railing. “Seems like such a shame, you know?”

  I came up close behind her and looped one arm around her waist. “Can you see Wildwood in the distance? You can tell by the big Ferris wheel from the water park. At night, when it’s lit up, it’s pretty cool.” I leaned into her, my eyes clenching shut as I tried to memorize how her body felt against mine, the scent of her hair, and the little noises she made that she wasn’t even aware of.

  As if she could read my mind, she drew back, tilting her head so I could rest my chin on her shoulder.

  “You’re a bit of a loner, aren’t you?” She turned and wrapped her arms around my neck. “This place is about as different from Queens as you can possibly get, and you moved here alone. Dominic came later, right?”

  “Yes. Not too much later, but,” I shrugged, “I was okay coming out here alone but thankful he was here to help me, then and now. Sometimes it’s hard to admit I have limitations.” I yanked her closer, drawing out a laugh. “I think you can relate.”

  “I’m working on it.” Her fingers played with the collar of my T-shirt before her dark eyes came back to mine. “You really never had a girlfriend? As ridiculously good-looking as I’m sure you always were, not even like in high school?”

  I laughed and lifted a shoulder. “I had dates. Some repeats. But nothing I would call anything special. I know I sound like an asshole. But I never led anyone on, at least, not intentionally. When I go back to my old neighborhood, I don’t walk the streets in fear of some kind of retaliation.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “Lifelong bachelor even back then?”

  “What about you? I’m sure you had a ton of guys wanting to take you out in high school.”

  “Nope. I was sort of a late bloomer. Product of an overprotective mother. I was always more in the background: the girl with glasses who always got good grades and did what she was supposed to.”

  “You’re hot as fuck in glasses.” I yanked her closer.

  She cupped my cheek. “Your kink is cute. But back then, not so much. Anyway, we’re changing the subject. We were talking about you. My past is non-existent.”

  My head fell back on a sigh before my gaze came back to Caterina’s.

  “I liked the girls I dated. But none of them…” My eyes darted away from hers and focused on the water behind her. A confession dangled between us, but I couldn’t look at her when I let it out.

  “None of them, what?” She squeezed my shoulder, so I’d bring my gaze back to hers.

  “I saw women for fun. But then I saw you, and something in me wouldn’t let you leave. I cleaned out my kitchen trying to get you to stay, in fact.” My thumb slid back and forth over her jaw. “I’ve never been drawn to someone like that. I actually never thought it was possible.” I remembered what Owen said about being “hit.” I didn’t believe him at the time, but now there was no other explanation. “You were everything I didn’t know I was looking for. And I don’t think I can let you go.”

  Her eyes watered as she sank her teeth into her bottom lip. “I don’t think I can let you go, either. This sucks.” Her sad laugh didn’t mask the crack in her voice on the last word.

  I pulled her into my chest. “Yeah, it sucks. But we’ll find a way.”

  “What way is that?”

  “I don’t know. Why I said we’d find it.” The sides of my mouth curled up until I spied the brokenhearted defeat in her eyes.

  “We have an uncomfortable steak dinner to go to.” I stepped back and grabbed her hand. “You said you wanted to stop by the rental and change, come on.” I brushed her lips with mine. “Faster we go, faster we could come back and get naked until tomorrow morning.”

  “What was your favorite part of today?” I asked Caterina as we pulled into the steakhouse parking lot. She wore a red dress that hugged every part of her, matching red lips and glasses. I hated myself for agreeing to see my parents tonight.

  “Well, the pier was beautiful. This town is so much bigger than it seems. I love how you know all the ins and outs and backroads, like that beach you took me to for our first date.”

  “You count that as our first date?” I cast a quick glance at her. “Not the night you came into the restaurant?”

  In my periphery, I saw her shrug. “That was more…fated. The beach was planned.”

  “So, you’re saying we’re fated.” I picked up her hand and threaded our fingers together.

  She rested her chin on my shoulder. “What else would you call it?”

  “Good point. What else did you like?”

  “Honestly, being with you. You were my favorite today.”

  I pulled into a spot and covered her mouth with mine the second I put my truck in park.

  “You know,” I panted against her lips, her lipstick smeared across her swollen mouth. “You don’t have to say nice things to get into my pants later. I’m a sure thing. A very sure thing.”

  “Oh, I know that.” The side of her mouth curved up before she kissed my cheek.

  “You were my favorite, too.” My thumb skidded along the
delicate curve of her jaw. “You’ve been my favorite since last Thursday.”

  She could be my favorite for a lot longer, like maybe forever.

  If I could just figure out how.

  25

  Joe

  My parents were so overjoyed I’d brought a woman to dinner with me, they fell all over Caterina from the second she sat down. They asked her question after question, but not in an intense inquisition sort of way. They were so happy she existed; they wanted to know all about her and barely uttered a word to me since we’d arrived.

  “Where do you work? I know you said you were in advertising. Our son doesn’t tell us much,” my mother said to Caterina while arching an eyebrow at me. While that was true, this thing we had was such a whirlwind I didn’t tell anyone except Owen when he dragged it out of me. I hoped he hadn’t mentioned it to my sister, but now I wondered if my parents’ oddly timed visit wasn’t only for a good piece of steak. If Bella had told them about Caterina—like she told them everything else—I wouldn’t be surprised if their spur-of-the-moment visit was for a little intel.

  “I work for an agency in Midtown. I was just promoted to account manager.”

  “I used to be a marketing manager at Copeland. I worked with agencies all the time. I’m still there, but I work from home part-time, and I take full advantage of all six weeks of vacation I’ve earned.”

  “Something this one needs to learn how to do.” I nudged Caterina with my shoulder.

  “I know.” She nodded. “My boss is always after me to take more time off. With the rollover from the last two years, I have almost three months of vacation days. I’m an HR nightmare.”