“I’ll talk to you later,” Cat told Jimmy as Tony approached.
Jimmy’s lips parted, about to respond, but Tony didn’t give him a chance.
“You forgot about me, didn’t you?” Before Cat responded, he looked in Jimmy’s direction. “She promised me a dance, but I haven’t seen her since the ceremony.” Tony grabbed Cat’s hand as he spoke. “Sounds like the band is starting up again. What do you say?”
Cat squeezed his hand, but looked at Jimmy. “I did promise him a dance when I saw he came alone.”
“No problem. I’ll call you soon, Cat,” Jimmy said.
It took some effort to swallow down the words on his tongue in response to Jimmy’s statement, but he managed it.
In silence, he led them to an empty spot on the dance floor and pulled Cat as close as he assumed appropriate for the setting.
“What’s the matter, Tony?” Her fingers moved against his neck. “You look mad.”
“I’m fine.” Fine if wanting to rip someone’s head off was fine.
“Are you sure?”
The concern in her voice had him mentally cursing. He didn’t want her digging too deep into his feelings tonight. He didn’t even want to dig too deep into them.
“Positive.”
“Mrs. O’Brien looked so happy today. It’s going to be awhile before I remember to call her Mrs. Larson instead.”
Cat stepped closer, her chest brushing against his. If he lowered his head an inch or two, he could kiss her. While it didn’t appear as if anyone was watching them, he couldn’t take the chance.
“You’re not the only one with that problem. Already tonight, I started to call her Mrs. O’Brien before I caught myself. We’ll all get used to it.”
“Did you see Sean dancing with Charlie earlier?” Cat asked. “He looked miserable.”
“Sean hates dancing. Mia and Charlie ganged up on him.”
“I had a feeling it was something like that.” Cat glanced around before she smiled at him. “I’ve missed you,” she said in a softer voice.
“Could’ve fooled me,” Tony muttered under his breath before he could bite back the words.
Cat’s fingers stopped caressing his neck. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Fuck. How had he let that escape? Now it was out there, and he couldn’t take it back. “Nothing, Cat.”
Without warning, she stepped out of his embrace and headed for the nearest exit. Thankfully, at the same time, Gage Larson finished up his current song and couples exited the dance floor. Tony checked to see who might be watching before he followed Cat out the side entrance.
She waited for him in the hallway. Grabbing him by the hand, she led him down an empty hallway and into the dark coat-check room, closing the door behind them.
“Let’s try again, Tony. What did you mean?”
The unfamiliar jealousy he’d struggled with much of the night clashed with the frustration building inside him. Women didn’t breach his emotional wall, or at least not anymore. Somehow though, Cat managed to put a big crack in it tonight.
“You’ve looked perfectly content all night.” Christ, he sounded like a jealous boyfriend.
Cat’s mouth dropped open, and she blinked. “You’re mad because I was dancing? What did you want me to do when they asked?”
He was entering dangerous territory here, and he knew it. Unfortunately, all the warning bells in his head couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
“Say no. Did you see me dancing with anyone?”
“I couldn’t say no to everyone and then dance with you.” She touched his cheek. “If it makes you feel better, I didn’t want to dance with them.”
Cat moved closer and their bodies touched. “Why don’t I go now and you leave in ten minutes. We’ll meet back at my place.” Her free hand slipped down his chest toward his tie. “You can spend the night.”
A more powerful emotion, which he didn’t want to label, pushed his jealousy aside.
“I have no plans for tomorrow. We can spend the day together.” She kissed him before he answered.
He moved, trapping Cat between him and the wall, not caring that at any moment someone could walk in on them. After watching her from afar all day, he could touch her again. Grabbing the collar of her dress, he pulled it off one shoulder then kissed his way down her neck.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly against him. “So is that a yes?”
“What do you think?” Unable to stop himself, he ran a hand over her breast and smiled when her nipple pebbled beneath the fabric.
She took in a deep breath and then grabbed the hand covering her breast. “I think we better go now before someone finds us.”
She’s right. His head tried to get the message to the rest of his body, but the connections just weren’t working tonight. “They’re not using this room tonight. No one will find us.” Tony kissed her collarbone, and she used her hands to force his head up. Then she covered his mouth with hers.
As the reins of control snapped, he pulled at the bottom of her dress until it cleared the top of her thighs. When she gave no sign that he should stop, he reached out and touched her.
“I’ve been thinking about you all day, Tony.”
He couldn’t see her face, but he could imagine her expression.
Her hands moved down his stomach to his belt buckle. “This is crazy,” she said as she undid his pants.
He stroked her again and smiled at her sharp intake of breath. “Do you want me to stop?” Please don’t say yes.
Warm soft skin wrapped around him as she pulled him free from his underwear. “What do you think?”
A sliver of light streamed into the dark room and Tony froze.
“Gram, that’s not the ladies room. See the sign next to the door? The ladies room is down this way.” A female voice, which sounded familiar, floated into the room.
The light disappeared, and he heard the click as the door closed again. Take about a close call. “Leave first.” He tugged Cat’s dress back down before putting himself back together. “I’ll meet you at your place.”
Cat pressed her lips against his giving him a hint of what he had to look forward to tonight and left.
Chapter 3
Tony followed the smell of cooking meat around to the back of Sean’s place Friday night.
“I thought you decided not to come by,” Sean said from his seat on the deck. A deck Tony had helped him repair the previous month.
“Got stuck in traffic.” Tony pointed toward the beer in Sean’s hand. “Any more of those?”
“Help yourself.”
He didn’t need to hear that more than once. A cold beer and a burger were just the things he needed tonight. “Need anything inside?”
“Grab a few more burgers for the grill.”
Tony disappeared into the house. Sean had purchased the old Queen Anne several months earlier, and he’d been working on the beast ever since. Often, Tony helped him, but the last few times Sean asked for help, he’d had plans with Cat. It looked like Sean had made progress on his own since his last visit.
He grabbed the last Fall Harvest Fest beer in the refrigerator and three more burger patties before heading back outside.
“Taylor not coming this weekend?” Tony asked as he put the extra meat on the grill. It seemed like Sean’s much younger half-sister spent every weekend with him these days.
“School dance. My father is dropping her off in the morning. We’re heading to Mount Greylock to go hiking.”
As teens, he and Sean had gone hiking there more times than he could count. “Haven’t been up there in a long time. Have fun.”
“Where are you hiding out this weekend?”
He and Cat planned to attend the medieval fair down in Westport that weekend. Almost two hours from North Salem, the chance of running into anyone they knew was slim, so he figured it was a safe outing.
“Same place you disappeared to last weekend? Mia was mad you didn’t say goodbye before you left the weddin
g.”
“I’m sure she was heartbroken.”
After they left the wedding, he and Cat had spent the rest of the weekend at her apartment.
Sean headed for the grill. “I’m not joking. She was disappointed.”
“Tell her I’m sorry when you talk to her. I wasn’t feeling well that night.” Before Sean asked him any other questions, which would require a lie, he said, “When is she coming back?”
“Thanksgiving, so I need to get that master suite done.”
Weeks earlier, he and Mack helped Sean tear down a wall separating two smaller bedrooms to create one big master suite. He hadn’t seen the space since then, so he had no idea how far along the project was.
“Do you have much work left in there?”
“Striker and Mack helped me finish putting up the drywall and start the plastering. Once I finish up with that, I can paint and do the floors.”
At the mention of Cat’s brother, Tony shifted in his seat. “If you need help next weekend, let me know.”
“Appreciate the offer. I want this place a little more inhabitable before I propose.”
Tony choked on the beer he swallowed.
“You’re going to ask Mia to marry you?”
Sean put a platter of burgers down on the table. “That’s what propose means, Bates.”
He’d assumed Sean would pop the question ever since Mia returned to North Salem following her car accident, but he just hadn’t expected it so soon. They’d only been a couple since the summer.
“Congrats. I’m happy for you.” He’d seen how much happier Sean was since Mia entered his life and hoped nothing happened to ruin that. Unfortunately, he knew just how quickly things could change.
“Coach Striker called me today.” Sean piled pickles and lettuce onto his cheeseburger. “He wanted to know if I’d be interested in coaching next fall.”
With everything else, he’d forgotten he’d suggested Sean as his replacement.
“He said you might not be coming back.”
“I haven’t decided yet. Richard and I are thinking about expanding and opening another gym in Providence or maybe Hartford. If we do, I won’t have time for coaching.” Tony got his own burger ready. “What did you tell him?” Tony couldn’t think of a better choice than Sean.
“Said I’d think about it.”
Tony didn’t blame Sean for not making an immediate decision. Coaching was a big time commitment.
Sean took a bite of his burger and swallowed before he spoke again. “Did Charlie tell you she’s pregnant?”
For the second time that night, Tony choked on his beer. “Christ, warn me before you drop news on me, will you, O’Brien.” He couldn’t picture Sean’s sister a mother. Of course, a few years ago, he wouldn’t have pictured her married either.
Sean smirked at him. “Where’s the fun in that?”
Tony didn’t know how it had happened, but the world he’d lived in for so long was rapidly changing. Sean was about to propose to a movie star. Mrs. O’Brien was now married to her high school sweetheart, and Jessie Quinn, the town’s girl next door, was all but living with Mack Ellsbury. He refused to think about the other major change right now. The one named Catrina Striker.
Sean’s chair scrapped against the wood as he pushed it back. “I’m gonna get another beer. Want one?”
Tony nodded and took another bite of his burger.
The screen door into the house slammed shut as Tony’s phone rang. He checked the caller ID before he answered, and when he saw it was Cat’s number, he glanced toward the door. He didn’t think he’d hear from her tonight. She’d spent much of the week in New Jersey at some kind of computer conference and didn’t expect to get home until later that night.
“Hi, beautiful. Are you already home?” Tony listened for the door opening again.
“Not yet. We just crossed into Massachusetts. We’re going to stop and eat. I wanted to call and say hi. What are you up to?”
The door hinges squeaked behind him. “I stopped by to see a friend. His girlfriend is out of town and he needed a babysitter to hold his hand.”
Sean sat down at the table and gave him an evil stare before he went back to eating.
Cat laughed, the sound making him smile.
“Visiting with Sean. What a good friend you are.”
“You know me.”
“Are we all set for tomorrow?”
“I bought tickets online today.”
“Awesome. I can’t wait.”
He wasn’t looking forward to the fair as much as he was the food there. The last time he’d gone to the yearly medieval fair, he’d had some of the best wood-roasted turkey.
“I wish I had the time to see you today. I miss you.”
“I’ve missed you too, but we’ve got all weekend.” He hadn’t seen her since Tuesday night when they’d met for dinner in Boston, and he’d looked forward to seeing her again ever since. In past relationships, he could go days and days without seeing or talking to whatever woman he currently dated. With Cat, that wasn’t the case, and he refused to think too much about why.
“We’re about to be seated. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Call me or send me a message so I know you got home tonight, okay?”
“It’ll be late, Tony.”
“Doesn’t matter.” And it didn’t. Call him old-fashioned, but he’d feel better knowing she made it home.
Tony ended his call, intent on finishing his burger and not talking. Sean didn’t give him a chance to do either.
“You’ve been MIA so much, I figured you had a new girlfriend.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s a huge shock to you.” Tony forced sarcasm into his voice. He knew damn well why his friend looked surprised.
“One of your wealthy clients?”
He made it a point to not date any of the women who trained in the gym he and his buddy Richard owned, no matter how rich or attractive they were.
“No, we met at a bar.” Okay, he stretched the truth a little.
Tony could see the wheels turning in Sean’s head.
“Have you been together long?”
“Couple months.” He couldn’t say they’d just met, Sean had heard too much of the conversation.
“You should’ve taken her to the wedding. Ma wouldn’t have minded.”
If Sean only knew what he and the woman in question had almost done at the wedding, he’d be attempting to knock some sense into him. He suspected he might need that to happen at some point, but not tonight.
“She had other plans that night.”
“Two months. That’s a record for you, isn’t it? What makes this one special?”
Two months and a couple weeks was his average since Isabella. He doubted anyone remembered that.
“The sex,” Tony answered. He couldn’t explain to himself what drew him to Cat; how the hell could he explain it to anyone else?
“Does this mystery woman have a name?”
No getting out of this one. “Catrina, she works in Boston. We met one night after work.”
Sean nodded. “If she’s still around when Mia gets home, we should get together.”
It’d be another month before Mia got back, which would put his and Cat’s relationship way past his normal expiration date. Yet, he expected her to still be in his life then.
“Where are you two off to this weekend?” Sean started to put together a second cheeseburger. “You said you bought tickets.”
“The medieval fair down in Westport.”
“Damn, Tony, you’ll do anything for sex, won’t you?” Sean shook his head. “Are you going to wear tights?”
“Shut up, O’Brien. You’ve never been.”
“Not true. I took Charlie and Jessie when they were in high school. Jessie managed to talk Charlie into wearing one of those medieval gowns.”
Now that must have taken some considerable bribing or blackmail on Jessie’s part.
“I hope the sex is worth it,”
Sean said.
Tony grabbed his beer and took a swig. His friends had been giving him a hard time since forever and it never bothered him, probably because they were often right. Tonight, the way Sean kept lumping his and Cat's relationship in with his past ones just rubbed him the wrong way.
That worried him.
***
“Are you and Zack back together?” Lorianne, her friend and the co-worker she’d driven down to New Jersey with, asked when the hostess walked away.
Cat looked away from the email she was reading and at Lorianne. “No. Why would you think that?”
“I saw you talking to him yesterday after one of the workshops and you told whoever you were on the phone with that you missed them. I thought maybe it was Zack.”
At one time, the fact that she and Zack worked for the same company doing similar jobs had been a bonus.
“Zack and I are still friends, but that’s it.” Even though they’d gone their separate ways, she still considered him a friend. “I’ve been seeing someone else for the past couple months.”
“What’s he like? Does he work with us?”
Cat doubted Lorianne even knew North Salem existed. She’d grown up in New York before moving to Massachusetts after college. The chances of her knowing anyone in town was practically nonexistent, so she didn’t have to worry about what she told Lorianne.
“No, Tony and his friend own Olympia Fitness.”
“That’s the la-de-da gym that caters to the rich only, right?”
Tony would love to hear his business referred to that way.
“Anyone can train there.”
Lorianne rolled her eyes. “If you can afford it.”
Cat didn’t know how much it cost to train at Tony’s fitness center, but she did know much of its clientele consisted of CEOs and other business people who worked in the city.
“I heard one of the owners is a competitive body builder. Is that the one you’re seeing?”
“That’s Richard, but I think he’s taking a break from competitions.”
Tony didn’t discuss work much, but he had mentioned that his friend hadn’t competed in almost eight months.
Lorianne picked up her menu and glanced over it. “Does your family like him? I know they were bummed when you and Zack broke up.”
The Playboy Next Door Page 4