Page 24 of The Catch

Dani answered, giving him a devilish smile that forced his shoulders straight.

“Well, look who it is,” she said. “My ex, coming to see my best friend. How could you, Josh?”

“Sorry, Dani,” he said. “You know I never meant for you to get hurt. Can we still be friends?”

“I’ll think about it.”

Emma shoved Dani aside with her hip and welcomed him in. He stepped into the impressive suite—two bedrooms and a large sitting area complete with a mini-bar—and began to think he was right about the croissants and champagne in the morning.

There were suitcases piled on the couch, and both women wore yoga pants and tank tops, a stark contrast to the heels and club-wear they’d all had on the night before. That nagging fear that this was all an illusion echoed in his elevated pulse until Cat came out of the bedroom on the right and gave him a shy smile. “Josh.”

“Hey, Cat.” He crossed the room to greet her, and it took everything he had not to kiss her hello. He wasn’t sure if she would want him to in front of Emma and Dani. Instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets and drank her in with his eyes. She was also dressed in athletic wear—tight black pants, cropped mid-calf, and a white t-shirt with the hem knotted andThe Future Is Femaleprinted across the front. Her cocoa-colored hair was wet and tied up in a wild knot on top of her head. She didn’t have any makeup on, but her cheeks still blushed pink against the brown of her skin.

Sonya emerged from the opposite room, hauling a rolling bag behind her, and glanced pointedly back and forth between the two of them. “Josh,” she said with an ill-contained smirk. “I heard you ratted yourself out about the sleeping picture you took of Cat. Too bad. I was going to keep that secret for you, dude.”

Josh laughed. “Compulsive honesty has always been a problem of mine,” he said.

“Mm-hmm. Bodes well for you.” She turned to Emma and Dani, who were both standing there, staring at Cat, and she tipped her head to the couch. “Let’s take the bags down. Give Kit Cat a minute.”

The other two women snapped to attention, nodding and hurrying to fill their arms with luggage. “Cat, we’ll see you at the car in a few?” Emma asked, giving Josh a wink that saidyou’re welcome.He didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that her friends seemed to be pushing so hard. He didn’t mind the assist, but he was kind of hoping that after last night, he might be able to sink this one on his own.

“Yeah. I’m right behind you,” Cat said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

She looked nervous.

Sonya waved a hand behind her. “Take your time.”

Dani winked, and Emma giggled, and then they were gone.

“So, um, I have your clothes,” Cat stuttered. Finding herself alone with Josh in an instant, she struggled with the way the tension in the room seemed to balloon. She started toward her bedroom to retrieve his pants, and Josh followed, lingering in the doorway while she walked the rest of the way to the bed where she had placed them.

“Thanks. It will be nice not to sleep in my jeans again tonight.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry about that.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled. “I’m kidding. I was really glad to wake up to you this morning.”

“Me too.” She wanted to say she enjoyed it way more than she should have and had been thinking about it all morning when she was supposed to be enjoying a very expensive cruise, but instead she asked, “Is it raining yet?”

Josh shifted his weight, swallowing. “It’s starting. Be careful driving home. It’s supposed to be downpours all afternoon.”

“We will.” His intense stare was making her jittery, so she brushed past him and back into the living room, offering him a seat on the couch. “What are you going to do on your last night here?”

“Same as the last couple nights, probably.”

“Bring a girl down to the beach and fool around?” She gave him a cool smirk, but the thought made her stomach knot.

“No.” He smiled. “Not that.”

Josh shifted, turning his shoulders in her direction. Maybe the couch wasn’t such a good idea. He was so close she could smell the rain on his t-shirt.Damn it, Sonya.It would have been much easier to say goodbye with them all standing there. Why were her friends always testing her? Couldn’t they just let her be a coward in peace?

“So I guess this is it,” she said.

“Not as far as I’m concerned.”

“I mean this place. This trip. I wish we could stay here longer.”

“Me too. But nights like you and I had on this beach, in this place, we can have more anytime you want.” He reached out to touch the mess of hair on top of her head, watching his fingers like he’d tried to stop himself but couldn’t. “I want to keep seeing you, Cat. Can I call you tomorrow night? When we’re both home?”

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