Page 55 of The Catch

“Yes, of course.” She smiled, resting her head on the crook of her arm, and watched over her shoulder as he ditched his tie.

“I know it’s a lot of driving, but I’m happy.” He rid himself of the rest of his suit, stripping down to a pair of tight black boxer briefs that captured all of her attention as he climbed onto the bed beside her.

“I’m happy too.” Maybe it was the alcohol, or the day, or the fact that she’d admitted it to Sonya and Dani, but she felt like screaming it:I’m so happy!

Except screaming was a little too much effort at the moment. She crawled toward him on all fours, flopping on top of him like a starfish, and began pulling pins out of her hair. Curls tumbled one by one onto his bare chest, and he lifted each one, weighing it before swapping it for the next. “This was fun,” he said. “Thanks for inviting me.”

She giggled a little drunkenly. “As if there was any question. You’re actually required to go to things like this with me now, so it’s good that you enjoyed it.”

“I can deal with being your permanent plus one, and I definitely enjoyed it. Weddings are always a good time.”

“What was your wedding like?”

Josh froze, his hand falling away from her head as the question dropped like a hammer. She immediately regretted it. Why on earth would she ask him something like that while they were lying half-naked in a hotel room?

“Um, it was not as nice as this one.”

Cat’s throat tightened. “I don’t know why I asked that.”

“It’s fine.” He adjusted his position beneath her, running a hand through his hair. “It was small. We were really young. We couldn’t afford much because I had just bought my grandfather’s house. Anyway, we got married in a stuffy church I had no connection to and had a small reception at a restaurant that a friend of her family owned. Dylan was there, Shawn and Minnie, though they weren’t married yet. A few other friends and some family of hers.”

“Were you happy?”

“I was. For a short time.” He took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her tighter as he blew it out. “I was old enough when my parents died to remember what it was like to have a family. I guess I sort of always told myself I’d have one again someday. When Sarah and I had been together for a while, and things were… comfortable, it just felt like my chance to make that happen. I didn’t understand that my parents had something special. You can’t force that.”

Cat nuzzled into his neck, wanting to take away the melancholy in his voice. “I’m sorry I brought that up.”

“You say that a lot, like you think I don’t want to do the hard stuff with you.” He ran a thumb over her cheek, then went back to exploring her hair. “Do you wanna do the hard stuff with me, Catia? Cause you were just saying this was feeling a little too easy.”

“I didn’t say that,” she said quietly. “This feels perfect.”

Josh kissed the top of her head, and his energy shifted.

“All right then, tell me what your wedding would be like. Who knows, maybe I’ll be there.”

She laughed out loud at his nonchalance. It was as impressive as it was terrifying. She pushed up on her arms to look him in the eye, and she was met with a cocky smile that had her stomach teeming with butterflies. “You’re drunk.”

“So are you,” he said, massaging her hip just above her panties. “But if I asked you if you wanted more wedding cake right now, would you say yes?”

“Of course I would.” A small part of her brain started to wonder if she could finagle that.

“So, you still know what you want.”

“I know exactly what I want,” she said, kissing him to avoid the rest of the conversation. Thinking about the future with him was tempting, but she certainly wasn’t going to daydream about white dresses and flowers out loud.

Thankfully, his buzz had him easily distracted. He reached around her, flicking the hooks on her strapless bra one by one until it fell away. She pressed her hips into his, drawing a sound from his lips she was sure was that of all coherent thought draining from his brain. Because he was exhausted, and more inebriated than he was admitting, he let her stay on top, manipulating him in a way that she didn’t normally get to. She traced his pecs with her manicured nails, curling her back to kiss his stomach.

“Now I’m thinking about the honeymoon,” he joked through quickening breaths. He flipped her onto her back, and when she’d stopped giggling, he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. “I know exactly what I want too. Finding you on that beach feels like the first twist of fate that’s ever been in my favor.” He let his tongue graze her lobe, sucking in a tight breath before letting it out in a soft whisper. “I love you, Catia. I’m in love with you.”

Cat tried to pull in a breath, but the air in the room felt like it could spontaneously combust. A prickly warmth bloomed through her body, pooling in her chest and burning behind her eyes. She loved him too. She’d known it for a while now, but she’d locked it up like you would a loaded gun. If she admitted it, what then? There would be nothing to hide behind if her feelings got hurt, nothing to say,well, at least I didn’t…

Josh worked his way down her stomach with his mouth, showing no signs of being concerned with her response, or lack thereof.Did he already know?

“Josh, I…” She chanced a glance down to where he’d landed, only the top of his head visible, his hair sticking up in all directions from her fingers pulling at it. Her attempt at a reply melted into pleasured gasps.

“You what?” He smiled against her lace panties.

He did already know. He had to. He’d seen through every lie she told herself since the moment they met.

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