No Vacancy Page 3

  Constantly feeling like a disappointment fueled my drive to succeed, but exhausted me all the same. It was hard to make anyone understand why I obsessed over numbers and never took any time off, but when I met Caterina’s gorgeous but weary eyes across the table, she nodded as if she did.

  “I’d rather excel at what I wanted than fail at what they wanted for me. Or what my father wanted, anyway.”

  “Do you not get along with your father?”

  “No, I do. That’s the problem. He casts a huge shadow. I can never be like him, and, even though I don’t want to be, part of me hates that.” I fell back, shocked after letting something I’d never admit to myself slip out. “I don’t think I’ve ever said that out loud.”

  Confessing to her felt good. Why? It confused the shit out of me.

  “Point is, I’m happy, but I get the constant need to prove yourself. Why I spend most of my time here, working, or trying to figure out how to make this place more successful. Maybe you could give me a hand in the off-season. I try to sponsor local events to keep the place alive, but I always wanted to try to advertise more.” We did well in summer and okay in the early fall, but I was still searching for a way to keep up revenue all year long. Maybe this beautiful woman could help me. And if that gave me an excuse to see her again, even better.

  “Sure, we could talk about what you need, once I get some sleep and can actually think enough to have a conversation.”

  “You’ve been doing okay so far; it’s been three hours already, and I haven’t tripped you up yet.”

  “Three hours?” She gasped and squinted at the clock over the bar. “It’s almost three o’clock in the morning! How late do you stay open?”

  “During the week, usually until one.” I couldn’t help but laugh as her eyes filled with panic.

  “Oh, God, Joe. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  I reached across the table to grab her hand. “You didn’t do anything. Come with me, I want to show you something.” Caterina’s eyes darted from my face to my extended hand before she finally took it. After pulling her to standing, I led her to the floor-to-ceiling windows in the back of the restaurant.

  “That’s my favorite beach. What sold me on this place, actually—even though it needed a shit ton of work. Come look.” I grasped her waist to pull her in front of me. Even her scent was intoxicating. My fingertips tingled with the need to touch her, but I forced my hand to rest at my side. “It’s dark, but you can still see the waves crashing. When the sun sets, it’s fucking beautiful.” I fixed my gaze on Caterina’s gorgeous profile—the delicate curve of her jaw, those perfect lips that had tortured me for the past few hours. The ocean had nothing on this woman. She was fucking beautiful and having her this close made the blood run hot in my veins. My control was slipping more and more with every second.

  “Peace among the chaos. Reminds you that there are forces bigger than you, and you have no choice but to go with the flow, sometimes.” I brought my hand to her lower back, her body leaning into my touch so slightly, barely a half of a centimeter, but enough to make me want more. Want closer. “But sometimes, you swim against the current and say screw it. That’s what you did today.”

  “You mean when I ran away?” Her nervous laugh didn’t hide the quiver in her voice.

  “Ran away, escaped, depends on how you look at it. You have guts, Caterina.” I slid my palm over hers and squeezed. The jolt from where our skin touched triggered a dozen fantasies. Was her skin this silky all over? What sounds would she make when I ran my hands all over her body? How would she taste? I knew she’d be sweet, and I wouldn’t be able to stop once I started. As if she could hear my thoughts, she turned toward me, her lips parted as her chest rose and fell with her shallow breaths.

  Give me those lips, beautiful. Put me out of my misery.

  Before I could close the distance between us, she jerked away, slipping her hand from mine.

  “Thank you,” she told me in a breathy whisper. “I should go,” she blurted before rushing back to the table. “It’s so late, and I’ve kept you long enough.”

  “What did I just say? You aren’t keeping me. I’ll lock the door, and we can have some dessert before you go. I have a little chocolate ice cream left. Interested?” I inwardly cringed at my pathetic attempt to make her stay.

  “Thank you, Joe. But I should get back. To the motel, I mean.” She dug through her purse. “Thank you so much for bending the rules so I could eat. I think this should cover it—” She stilled when I dropped a hand on her forearm. That same spark between us ignited once again and stopped us both in our tracks.

  “It’s all on me. I’ll close up and walk you back to the hotel. Don’t run. Please,” I pleaded in her ear, spying goose bumps trailing down her neck.

  After everything was locked up, we walked across the street to the Anchor and into a time warp. It had been one of the first motels in the area and looked every bit its age.

  “Joe, you don’t need to walk me all the way up—” She laughed and held up her hands in defeat at my narrowed eyes. “You cook, and you’re a gentleman; quite the enigma, Joe.” She flashed a grin over her shoulder as I followed her, my eyes landing on those denim cutoffs barely covering the sweet curve of her ass. I was a gentleman with a dirty mind.

  “You’d think they’d paint over the aqua or get rid of the neon anchor sign.” I nodded toward the blinking atrocity next to Caterina’s door. “But Lou is a good guy. You’re safe here. Some of the hotels around the area are a little sketchy.”

  “Lou?” Her cute little nose crinkled at me.

  “The manager. I’ve known him since I bought the pub. Always sends guests my way since his Wi-Fi sucks.”

  “That’s exactly how I ended up at your place tonight. Not for the Wi-Fi, but he said you were open late.” She wrapped her arms around her torso as her body rolled with a shiver. It was still eighty and sticky, common for July nights around here. I wanted to believe I gave her that chill.

  “Really? Well, I’ll have to thank him in the morning—or later this morning.” I shoved my hand into my pockets, my fingertips still jonesing to touch her. “I’m really glad you came in, Caterina.”

  “Me too.” Her voice was small as she came closer. “After…everything, today, thanks for renewing my faith that nice guys do exist.” She brushed her soft, warm lips against my cheek, lingering a moment past polite.

  “It was my pleasure.” I kissed her forehead as my hand snaked around her waist. I’d battled with myself for hours, but having her this close to me finally made me crack.

  My lips caught hers when she lifted her head. She froze but didn’t pull away. I gave her a soft kiss and ran my thumb along her jaw, starting with sweet and tiny pecks before grazing my bottom lip across hers. A whimper escaped her as she fisted the collar of my shirt.

  “If I’m being too forward,” I threaded my fingers into her hair, smiling as her eyes fluttered, “tell me to stop.”

  She’d come in flustered and upset, and the last thing I wanted to do was take advantage. If she asked me to stop, I would. Although I wanted this woman so badly I couldn’t see straight, I’d walk away if that’s what I had to do.

  Her eyes thinned as she glided her finger along the seam of my lips. Now it was my turn to shiver. Parting my lips and holding her gaze, I sucked on the tip of her finger, drawing out another whimper.

  “Not on your life,” she murmured against my lips before her mouth was back on mine.

  I’d only known this woman for three hours, but she was about to ruin me.

  4

  Caterina

  When our lips met again, I expected a spark. Even fireworks from all the flirting and sneaky glances of longing over the last few hours, but I hadn’t expected a kiss like this. An earth-shattering, senses-robbing kiss that literally made my knees give out as I grabbed Joe’s biceps for purchase. My body melted against him as he ruined me with his lips. They were demanding yet sweet: seeking, tasting, and devourin
g. Regret and repercussions were so far from my mind, they weren’t even on the same planet. When his tongue met mine, gently stroking with long sweeps as I mewled into his mouth, the only word echoing in my frazzled brain was more.

  My head was spinning, yet I’d never known what I wanted so clearly in my life.

  “Come inside,” I pleaded against his lips.

  What did I yearn for the most? The comfort I’d found in his presence tonight? The payoff from the chemistry simmering between us? Or just to prove to myself that I could feel? That I wasn’t cold and hollow, but warm and beautiful. Joe made me believe I could be that—that I was that—and I didn’t want it to end.

  His gaze was pained as he pulled away, panting and flushed but shaking his head.

  “I want to. Believe me, I want to—so fucking badly. But like you told me, you had a day.” He grinned, cradling my face. “I don’t know if you realize what you really want right now.”

  On the long drive up here, I thought of all the regrets I had—from the things I didn’t do. Saying goodnight to Joe and heading into my hotel room alone was the right and sensible thing to do. But if I sent Joe away, the second I shut the door behind me, I’d know I’d made a mistake. Spending the night with him was most likely a different kind of mistake, but one I wanted to make. One I needed to make.

  “I don’t want you to leave. For once in my life, I don’t want to put tomorrow before today.”

  I dug into my purse for my key, finally palming the scratchy lacquered keychain at the very bottom. Quivering and needy, I managed to unlock the door and pushed it open.

  I glanced back at Joe. The heat in his eyes contrasted with the deep furrow of his brow.

  “It’s a good thing it’s already tomorrow.” He grabbed me by the waist and brought his lips back to mine before backing me into my hotel room and shutting the door behind him. I reached back to turn the locks before pulling at the hem of his shirt.

  “I’ve wanted to kiss you since I first saw you,” he whispered as he dragged open-mouthed kisses down my neck, grazing along a sweet spot no one else had ever found. I cried out as he cupped my breast through my tank top, teasing the nipple peaking against his thumb. “I need to taste all of you.” He moved his mouth back to my neck, the silk of his tongue and scrape of his stubble driving me out of my mind.

  “Please, I want everything, Joe,” I begged. My voice was sandpaper, gravelly and rough with need. All the inhibitions I usually had during sex, especially with someone new, vanished as I sank my teeth into his swollen bottom lip and then ran my tongue along his jaw. He muttered a curse before dropping his head back.

  “Be careful what you ask for,” he warned. His moans vibrated against my lips as I licked a trail down his throat and over his Adam’s apple. He was sweet all over, and my mouth watered for more.

  I’d never been so ravenous for anyone before tonight, and I didn’t care to figure out the whys of it all. If I thought about it too much, I might come to my senses, and it was way too late for that.

  I tugged his shirt up and over his stomach, still nipping at his neck when he stepped back to peel it off.

  My hands shook as they glided across his chest. My fingertips traced sculpted muscle, his skin hot and smooth as I made my way lower, halting at the thin trail tempting me inside his jeans.

  “I want you…” I trailed off when his hands slipped down my torso, feeling for the hem of my tank top and raising it over my head.

  I’d never been naked with someone I’d known for less than twenty-four hours. Hell, less than five hours. But, at the same time, I wasn’t embarrassed or attempting to cover myself. Nothing had felt this right in years, maybe ever. Chills ran through me at the same time a sheen of sweat broke out across my skin.

  “I’ve been thinking about this, too.” He unhooked my bra and inched the straps down my arms before throwing it onto the floor next to his shirt. His cocky smile faded as his eyes roamed my body, starting at my shoulders until he cupped both my breasts. I gasped and arched my back forward on instinct.

  “Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?” My chest heaved as his thumbs traced circles around my rigid nipples. “I don’t know where to go first.” He grinned before burying his head into my neck and starting another trail of open-mouthed kisses across my collarbone. I lost the ability to speak, the only sounds now tumbling from my lips were tortured whimpers and shameless pleas to keep going and don’t stop.

  He pulled me toward the bed and sat on the edge, gazing up at me with the same crazy want in his eyes that made my head spin. He was mine for the taking, and I couldn’t wait another second. I straddled his lap and crashed my lips to his, rocking against him as both of us wrestled to get closer. He was hard, huge, and almost right where I wanted him. I was so drenched I was sure he felt it through the layers of denim between us.

  His hands traveling down my naked back sent a shockwave down the fibers of my spine, making me squirm even more on top of him.

  “You’re killing me, Caterina,” he murmured against my lips. His fingers threaded into my hair and weaved through a fistful.

  “Is that a good or a bad thing?”

  My body shuddered when his hand cupped the mound between my legs and squeezed. Blood soared through my veins as his touch sharpened the ache already pulsing there.

  “You’re soaked for me, aren’t you? Right here?” He squeezed again with a feral gleam in his eyes. “You like that. Don’t you, beautiful?”

  I nodded a desperate yes before our mouths crashed together in another sloppy kiss. We were a tangled mess of lips and tongues. Every time his erection grazed my clit, a loud moan escaped me. My hips moved back and forth of their own accord. He pulled back on a tortured groan, peering up at me with hooded eyes as he sucked a nipple into his mouth. Jesus. He bit down hard before kissing it better, and I couldn’t decide which I loved more.

  Before I knew it, I was on my back with Joe settled between my legs.

  “Joe, please,” I pleaded as my hips bucked off the bed. His hands and mouth were everywhere, the urgency now slowing and his moves turning slow and deliberate. The tip of his tongue grazed the sensitive skin behind my ear, causing an inhuman cry to fall from my lips.

  He laughed as he popped the button open on my shorts and dipped his hand inside my panties. “I need to teach you how to relax.” His icy blue eyes darkened to almost black as his fingers found my drenched and swollen flesh.

  “This is all for me, isn’t it? Did I make you this wet?” His voice was a gruff whisper that ran right through me. “Tell me, Caterina.” He slid a finger deep inside me and inched it out, shutting his eyes as he licked it clean.

  “Yes,” I croaked out. “I want you to…oh, God, Joe…” A wolfish grin spread over his lips as he slid two fingers back inside me, curving them before pulling out. My orgasm was right there, waiting to burst. He did it again, this time with three fingers and his thumb rubbing against my hard bundle of nerves. I was stretched so full, my eyes teared while the lower half of my body shook.

  He brushed my lips, laughing and shaking his head when I leaned forward for more.

  “Patience, baby.” He nipped at my bottom lip. “I’m not rushing a second with you.” He licked a trail across my collarbone and up my neck. I was a needy mess but too turned on to care. Joe was about to make me lose it with his torturous seduction.

  He straightened to pull off my shorts, the wet skin between my legs chilling even though I still wore panties.

  My body jerked when he pressed a kiss to the damp fabric between my legs. “Can I have a taste?” I met his eyes with a wordless nod before he pushed the material to the side and covered me with his mouth, alternating slow licks and tiny bites. My legs flailed back and forth until he anchored them with his forearms. I’d never had a build up like this and was starting to fear whether or not I could handle the release.

  “So damn sweet,” he murmured against my skin as he dragged his lips along the inside of my thighs. “You taste s
o fucking good, I could do this all night and never get enough.” The throbbing between my legs was so intense, I could almost hear it beating. His lips came back to my clit, sucking it hard and grazing it with his teeth. The combination of the heat of his mouth, scratch of his stubble, and the sight of his head bobbing up and down finally made me lose it. I fell so hard over the edge, I shattered, screaming his name as I fisted his hair and bucked my hips against his mouth.

  “I think you’re trying to kill me,” I breathed out, my voice mostly gone, my head falling back on the pillow.

  He lifted his head and cupped my chin, running his thumb over my lips. “One more time; are you sure?”

  I squinted at Joe, still trying to slow my rapid breathing. “Yes,” I panted. “Very sure.” I rolled up on my elbows. “You don’t…want to…?” I couldn’t figure out why Joe would back away now with my arousal still glistening off his lips.

  He rolled his hips against me, his rock-hard erection pulsing against my sensitive core. “There is nothing more I want right now than to be deep inside you. So fucking deep,” he growled as he thrust his hips against me, drawing out a needy whimper. “But I don’t want you to regret it.”

  Grabbing the back of his head, I crushed my lips to his, moaning into his mouth as our tongues tangled and teeth scraped in a kiss of starvation. Joe dug his hand into my hair and gave it back to me with the same fervor. Want had already given way to guttural need, and neither of us could stop now.

  He straightened and kicked off his pants and boxers. As I took in his naked body, my gaze zeroed in on his cock as it bobbed against his ribbed stomach. I had no words, salivating as he slid the condom down his length.

  I’d seen a penis or two in my time, but I’d never gaped at one as if I were in a trance. He was long and smooth, and my tongue itched to lick up and down before I took all of him in my mouth.

  He stilled at the end of the bed, my skin heating all over again as his eyes caressed my naked body.