The Playboy Next Door Read online

  “Whatever you want. The crowd’s large. I doubt we’ll see anyone else we know.” He wanted to tell her to eat faster, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

  She picked up her fork and pulled her pie closer to her. “I saw the joust. That’s my favorite event here. Maybe we can stop somewhere on the ride back.”

  He loved the beach and ocean no matter the time of year. A particular beach not far from the fairgrounds was one of his favorites. It was a place he went whenever he needed time to think away from everything and everyone. He’d never taken a woman there, but Cat didn’t need to know that.

  “It’s still early. We can stop at Horseneck Beach and spend as much time as we want there.”

  “Never heard of it, but I’m game. I like walking on the beach.”

  That didn’t surprise him.

  Tony ripped a chunk off his turkey leg and popped it in his mouth. His appetite had bit the dust the moment he saw Jessica Quinn, but since Cat sat eating her pie, he should attempt to eat some of his food too.

  Somehow, the wood-roasted turkey rejuvenated his appetite and soon he’d finished half the meat.

  “I can’t eat any more.” She pushed the rest of her pie away. “Do you want any of it?”

  “Nah, I’m not a big fan of pumpkin. Since you’re done, let’s go. I’ve had enough of this.”

  The odds of running into Mack and Jessie were slim. Regardless, he still kept an eye on the crowd as they walked through the fair and back to the parking lot. The apprehension making him wish he hadn’t eaten so much didn’t disappear until they sat on his bike and pulled on their helmets.

  Cat’s arms tightened around his waist, and she leaned against his back, causing an emotion he couldn’t label to settle in his chest. It wasn’t lust or desire. He knew those two emotions well, and whatever lurked in his chest now, didn’t resemble either. Actually, it resembled —

  Nope, he was not going to venture down that path.

  Tony turned his motorcycle down a deserted side road and gunned it. During the summer, that road contained too much traffic to enjoy his bike like this, but at this time of year, few people used the street.

  He passed the sign for the beach’s main parking lot. The entire area looked empty, which he’d expected. While bright and sunny, the air remained crisp and cool, a quintessential New England fall day.

  “How did you discover this beach?” Standing, she hung her helmet on his bike, and he immediately missed having her body pressed against him. “When I think of the beach, I think of the Cape or Newport. I never think to head out this way.”

  “I was just out riding one day and found it. I like it here better than the Cape, especially in the summer. The Cape gets too busy.” Together they walked across the lot and down the steps to the sand. “Let me know if you get cold.” He put his arm across Cat’s shoulders.

  For a while, they walked along the empty beach in silence toward his favorite spot. As it often did when something troubled him, the waves and fresh ocean air chased away his unease.

  “You’re more relaxed now,” Cat said.

  “What?”

  “Before, I could feel the tension in your back. Now it seems gone.” She squeezed his waist, the tiny gesture forcing him to swallow down the lump in his throat.

  “This place always relaxes me. That’s one of the reasons I like it here.” He led them to a small out cropping of rocks and his favorite spot to sit and think.

  “When something bothers me or I need to think, I like to go walking, even if it’s below zero degrees out. I’ve probably walked every street in North Salem.”

  He could relate to that. Following Isabella’s accident, he’d spent countless hours here, even though it had been the dead of the winter.

  “Are you worried Jessie will say something to Mack?”

  Tony sat and made room for Cat next to him. “Nah, I trust her. I just have a lot on my mind.”

  “I’m a good listener if you want to talk.”

  Some of what bothered him, he didn’t want to discuss with anyone, let alone Cat. “Work stuff is driving me crazy.”

  “Are you and Richard still planning to expand?”

  “Looks that way, but nothing is settled yet. He’s scouted a few locations in Providence and Hartford that look ideal.”

  “If it happens, will you move?”

  Was that sadness in her voice? It had been a long time since anyone but his family cared where he planned to live.

  “No. Richard wants a change, so if we do this, he’ll take over personal training at the new facility and we’ll hire a manager to run that gym.”

  “That’s good. North Salem wouldn’t be the same without you around.”

  Other than his family and a few close friends, he doubted anyone in North Salem cared. He was fine with that. What about Cat though? Would she care if he moved to Connecticut or Rhode Island?

  As if it matters. She’s in this for the fun, just like me.

  “You’re right. Sean wouldn’t know what to do with himself without me around.”

  She leaned her head on his shoulder and right away, he kissed her forehead.

  “Striker still moving in next weekend?”

  “He dropped a few things off today and picked up a key.”

  The disappointment in Cat’s voice echoed his own.

  “While he’s with you, we can meet for dinner in the city. Maybe stay there for a few nights too.”

  “Dinner yes, but I don’t know about staying in the city. Striker will ask questions if I don’t come home.”

  “You don’t have to answer to him, Cat.”

  Lifting her head, she sent a cool stare in his direction. “I know that, Tony.”

  “Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I just hate the idea of not seeing you until Striker moves into his new condo.”

  “Me too, but I don’t want to lie, and Striker can be tenacious when he wants to know something. If the tables were reversed, wouldn’t you be the same way if your sister just didn’t come home?”

  In a similar situation, he’d go out looking for his sister if she didn’t come home for days. Now, like in the past, he considered their other options. The best idea would be to use this event as an excuse to end things. They’d both gone into this relationship knowing it was a short-term fling. Neither had any expectations for anything more, so why not call it quits now while their secret remained safe.

  Or they could both say to hell with it and tell the world. They were both adults. If they wanted to spend time together, it wasn’t anyone’s business.

  “It’s only for two and a half weeks,” she said.

  Yeah, two and a half weeks of nothing but friendly dinners, text messages, and cold showers. With a little luck, Sean would need help tearing something else down during those two weeks. He found demolition a great way to get rid of frustration, and he expected to experience plenty of it in the near future.

  “Maybe I can stop by and visit your office at the gym.” Cat massaged his thigh. “It has a door that locks, right?”

  Either he was starting to rub off on Cat or he’d seriously misjudged her before. “It does, and you’re welcome to come by anytime.”

  “Anytime?” Her hand slipped up his thigh and over his growing erection. “Won’t someone notice if I’m there every day?”

  Tony grabbed Cat’s hand, halting her movements. Two months ago, he would’ve considered making love on the beach, but the temps today were a little too chilly. “No.” He held onto her hand as he kissed her, his lips and tongue doing to her mouth what he wanted to do to her body.

  “Do you want to spend the night at my place?” she asked, sounding breathless when he moved to kiss her neck. “I’ll even cook you breakfast in the morning. How does waffles and fresh strawberries sound?”

  “Will you feed the strawberries to me?” They’d both enjoyed feeding each other grapes in bed the previous weekend.

  “You might be able to convince me to do that.” She
tugged on his earlobe with her lips as she wiggled her hand free from his. When she touched him again, his erection pressed against his zipper.

  “I’m good at that.” He squeezed her leg and took in a deep breath. His earlobes tended to be a sensitive area, a fact she had learned weeks ago and one she exploited regularly. “What do you say we head out?”

  Much more of her teasing, and he’d ignore the cool temperatures and make love to her right there.

  Cat released his earlobe. “Ready when you are.”

  He stood and pulled her to her feet. Considering how limited their time together would be soon, he didn’t want to waste any of it sitting on a chilly beach. “Any chance you picked up some whipped cream when you got those strawberries?”

  “Waffles aren’t the same without strawberries and whipped cream.” She smiled at him, and he noticed the faint glint of humor in her eyes.

  “I had other things in mind for it.”

  “I figured you would” Pressing her lips against his, she gave him another taste of what he had to look forward to when they reached her apartment.

  Chapter 5

  “You’re back.”

  Cat jumped in her seat and glanced up at where her ex-boyfriend stood, his arms resting on the walls of her cubical Friday afternoon. “My meeting ran through lunch, so I went to grab a latte downstairs. Did you need something?”

  Although they both worked for the same company, they worked in different departments. These days, they rarely ran into each other while at the office.

  “Just wanted to say hi. You never returned my call on Saturday.”

  “Sorry. I meant to, but I got busy.” In truth, she’d forgotten all about his call until now.

  Zack gave her a nonchalant shrug. “No problem. Aunt Leslie and Uncle Ron are up. We’re having a big get-together tomorrow night. I wanted to know if you’d like to come. My aunt is always asking about you.”

  Until two years ago, Zack’s aunt had lived in the house next door to Cat’s parents. Following her husband’s retirement, they sold their house in North Salem and moved to Florida. The last time they’d been back to Massachusetts had been the previous Christmas, months before Zack ended things and moved out.

  “I’d love to see her, but I have plans on Saturday already.” She did like Leslie, and if she ran into her at the café or something, she’d sit and talk to her. Attending a family get-together was another matter. Besides, she had plans with Tony on Saturday night. “How long are they staying up here?”

  “They’re off to see my cousin in Pennsylvania on Monday before they head back home.”

  “Tell her and your uncle I said hello. Maybe I’ll run into them at Christmas.”

  Zack grabbed the chair from the empty cubicle behind her and rolled it over. “Everyone is flying down there this year for Christmas instead.” Like he had so many times when they were together, he sat next to her, stretching his legs out. “So, what are you up to Saturday night? A movie with Kelsey and Ella? Jessie spends all her time with Mack these days.”

  Why did he automatically assume she had plans with her friends? He dated. She could too. “Dinner with a good friend.”

  “Are you free tonight?”

  Cat grabbed her latte and took a sip. What was Zack up to? Yes, they talked from time to time, but they never inquired into each other’s social lives.

  “I thought we could go out and grab dinner. Catch up. We haven’t talked much lately.”

  Back in March, she would’ve cleared her calendar and gone out with him whatever night he wanted. Now, she wished he’d leave her cubicle, so she could get back to work.

  “I might stay late to catch up. I fell behind being at the conference.” A little fib never hurt anyone.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. I’ve come in early every day this week so far.” Zack rotated his chair from side to side. “Maybe the week after then?”

  “Zack, I —” Cat stopped when her phone rang, and she grabbed it from her purse, grateful for the interruption. Maybe Zack would leave so she could talk on the phone and get out of this suddenly uncomfortable conversation.

  “Hello,” she said, answering the phone.

  “Hey, beautiful. Got a minute to talk?”

  Cat glanced at Zack next to her and shifted in her seat. “For you, always.”

  “I just wanted to let you know my meeting with the website designer got pushed back to five o’clock this afternoon. I’m going to be late getting to your place.”

  “Okay. Whenever you get there is fine.”

  Next to her, Zack pulled his legs in and leaned closer to her.

  “The meeting shouldn’t take long. I’ll call you when I leave the gym.”

  There was no way Zack could hear Tony’s side of the conversation, but still, she inched closer to the cubicle wall. “Sounds good. See you soon.”

  Cat dropped the phone back into her purse and prepared to finish the sentence she’d started before the interruption.

  “Who was that?”

  “A friend.”

  Zack narrowed his eyes. “The same friend you have plans with on Saturday night?”

  She clenched her jaw to stop herself from saying something she might later regret. “Yep.” She didn’t plan to give him any more information.

  After dating Zack for ten years, she could read him like a book. He was not only curious about her mystery friend, but also annoyed because he realized she didn’t intend to tell him anything else. The way she saw it, he had no right to be either. He’d been the one to break up with her because he wasn’t ready for the white picket fence and two kids. He’d been the one who wanted to see what it was like to be with other women. If he was unhappy now, it was his own fault.

  “So, about my earlier question. How about we go out one night next week? We can grab dinner or a coffee and catch up.”

  “Zack, I don’t have a lot of free time right now. Besides, I thought you were seeing someone. She might not like you spending time with your ex-girlfriend.” It might be childish, but she couldn’t stop herself from putting a little extra emphasis on the word ex-girlfriend.

  “Jasmine and I called it quits. We didn’t have enough in common.”

  Jasmine? The last she’d heard from a coworker, he’d been dating Lilly, a temp in the human resource department. Obviously, Zack was getting around these days.

  “Not like you and me, Cat.”

  Oh boy, she hadn’t just heard him say that.

  “We can go to Revere’s after work.” When they’d been together, they’d often stop at Revere’s, one of her favorite restaurants in Boston, after work. “It’ll be fun. Like old times.”

  She’d hoped to avoid telling him outright, but it didn’t look like she had much of a choice. “I can’t, Zack. I’m kind of seeing someone.”

  “Really? I’m surprised I didn’t hear about it through the gossip line. Anyone I know?”

  Zack had a point there. If she let even one person know she was dating someone, word would spread through North Salem.

  “No. We met at O’Leary’s one night. It’s not that serious yet, so I haven’t introduced him to Mom and Pop.” Weaving the lies in among the truth made it easier to keep track of her story.

  “If it’s not serious, what’s the big deal if we have coffee? Friends are allowed to have coffee together.”

  Didn’t he have work to get back to or something? “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I like him and want to see where things go. I don’t think he’d appreciate it if I started having dinner or coffee with my ex.” Even if this thing with Tony ended tomorrow, she didn’t want to go out and catch up with Zack. That part of her life was over for good. “I hope you understand.”

  “Yeah, of course.” His frown contradicted his easygoing tone. “I need to finish up this presentation before I go tonight. I’ll talk to you later.” He stood and pushed his chair back to where he’d found it.

  “Bye, Zack. Say hello to your aunt and uncle for me.”

  Zack
nodded and then walked in the direction of the elevator.

  Wow. Cat took another sip of her latte. Talk about an unexpected and uncomfortable conversation. Not once since they broke up had Zack even hinted at wanting to spend time together. She wondered what prompted it now.

  Right after their breakup, Mom had said that in time Zack would realize what a mistake he’d made and come back to her. Back then, she hadn’t believed Mom. If the conversation she and Zack just had was any indication, Mom had been right. Unfortunately, for Zack anyway, he’d waited too long.

  Would he accept her answer today and leave her alone though? Zack had a stubborn streak, and when he wanted something, he kept after it until he got it. In high school, he’d asked her out four times before she said yes. She didn’t want to have any more conversations like today’s, and it wasn’t like she could avoid him easily. They worked in the same building, and he lived in North Salem. In fact, he lived in the condo complex that her brother was moving into soon.

  With a shake of her head, she pulled her keyboard closer. If she had any hope of getting out of here on time, she needed to finish up her work. She’d worry about Zack if and when he showed up at her desk again.

  Since Tony planned to be late anyway, she stayed at work and finished what she needed to for her Monday morning meeting. On her way home, she stopped at Oishii and grabbed some sushi, something Tony had come to love since they started seeing each other. The first time she suggested they have takeout from the Japanese restaurant near her apartment, he’d turned a little green and refused to try it. It had taken a considerable amount of convincing, but eventually, he caved and sampled some of her dinner. Since that night, they’d ordered takeout from Oishii several times.

  Once home, she stored their dinner in the refrigerator and cracked open a can of cream soda. She didn’t drink soda often, but cream soda had been her favorite since she was a kid, and every once in a while, she indulged in a can or two. After getting comfortable, Cat took a sip of her drink, the unique flavor bringing up memories of hot summer days hanging around Lake Stonefield in North Salem with her friends.