“Ever feel like the harder you try, the more you disappoint people?” She didn’t meet my eyes as she flicked the last nacho crumb around her plate. “I work late all the time, sometimes a few hours on the weekend, trying to get…somewhere. A promotion, pride from my family and friends. I thought working hard now would mean good things down the line, but I was so lost in trying to make my mother happy, planning for my future, I never gave much thought to being happynow.” Her sad eyes almost had me out of my seat and scooping her into my arms. Where the hell did that come from?
“Sorry. A full belly and too many drinks make me a little sappy. It’s been a day, and you’ve been very patient. I’ll be sure to tip nicely.”
“Trust me, I know all about working to not be someone’s disappointment and always feeling like you’re coming up short. I followed the path I wanted, even if it didn’t make a lot of sense to most people.”
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 whattheywanted 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.Shewas 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’swhat 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.”
