“Thanks, Tina,” Dominic told her before smirking at me over his shoulder. I found this tiny thing attempting to be our security a little comical, too. “We appreciate that.”
I ambled out to the dining area, spotting Caterina near the front desk. She was impossible to miss with a white sundress and the shadow of a pink bikini underneath. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head with loose wisps tickling her neck and cheeks. My cock gravitated toward her on sight, pushing against my zipper as if it were angling to get as close to her as possible.
“Is this okay?” She stepped back and held up her hands with a playful scowl on her face. “I know I’m not supposed to go back there.”
“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,lotsof 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.
