Our Kind of Love (27 page)
‘Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Right under this T-shirt.’ Joe didn’t break eye contact with her but reached a hand down and tugged up the soft cotton.
Anna swallowed and wondered if she had any valium in her top drawer.
He’d revealed just enough tanned skin and hard muscle to send her pulse soaring and create a desert in her mouth. The wide elastic waistband of his boxers lay flat against his stomach, right about the exact spot where she’d licked a trail the weekend before. Her eyes grazed the pleasure zone before slowly coming up to meet his.
‘What I have in mind doesn’t need clothes, Dr Morelli.’
‘I was just wondering if you’d like to come to the party with me. No pressure and only if you want to. It’s a family thing. I barely know the family but it’s what we do. Italians. We go to family celebrations and we … celebrate. I’ve been thinking that maybe it’s time to break the news to the community that Alex and I are
finito
. And what better way to do it than with you on my arm?’
Joe smiled, shook his head. ‘You are a piece of work, Dr Morelli. First you use me for sex. And now you want to use me as some cheap but extremely good-looking piece of eye candy?’
‘You up for it, Mr Holmes?’
Joe stood, walked to her chair and grabbed each armrest. ‘Let’s go shopping. Said no straight man, ever.’
At exactly 7.30 p.m. that night, Anna and Joe made an entrance at the Bianchi Reception Centre that would set tongues wagging for months. It wasn’t simply that Dr Anna Morelli had arrived at the engagement party of Mirella Morelli (a cousin and a tongue twister in one petite package) and Leonardo Stefani (her bodybuilder policeman fiancé) without her husband. It was that she turned up with someone who looked like James Bond. Every man in the room wanted his suit. Every woman in the room wanted him out of it.
It was no surprise, really. Anna knew he looked absolutely shaggable; the three-day growth on his jaw was ruggedly handsome and his blue eyes shone down at her like two stars. All this, and she hadn’t even had a drink yet. How was she going to survive the night without tearing the clothes from his body? The very clothes they’d chosen just that afternoon. As soon as they’d entered the stylish men’s boutique on a major shopping strip on the east side of the city, Joe had walked over to the counter and said to the salesman, ‘I’ll have the dark navy one in the window.’ It was very nice indeed; a slim-cut suit with narrow lapels and Anna had convinced him a crisp white shirt would be the best match. When she’d chosen a stylish silver tie, Joe had put it right back on the shelf. She was glad he had.
Anna looked him up and down again. The first couple of buttons on his shirt were undone, revealing a sexy sliver of skin and she fought hard against the temptation to slip her fingers inside. Maybe later.
‘You look incredible,’ Joe said, taking in every inch of her little navy sleeveless dress, but particularly her legs.
‘So do you, Mr Blake. Nice suit.’
‘Why thanks.’ Joe reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. But he didn’t let go, instead bringing it closer to his eyes. ‘What happened to the rock?’
Anna straightened her shoulders, glanced at her empty ring finger. ‘It’s at home. In the bottom drawer.’
Joe’s smile said he understood. He slipped an arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, ‘Shall we?’
As they crossed the room to their table, conversations stilled, jaws dropped and even the piped music seemed to stop. And Anna loved every single second. Her appearance with a new man on her arm meant she could avoid steps one through to six in the gossiping conversations about what had happened to her marriage.
1. Dr Anna is separated?
2. Her husband was doing what?
3. He’s a devil.
4. Poor Dr Anna.
5. Poor old childless Dr Anna.
6. Can I introduce you to my nephew?
Joe on her arm meant she could leap right ahead, fast forward to number seven which was:
7. Who’s the new man?
Of course, Anna knew there would be a number eight (are they getting married?) and number nine (she’d better hurry up and have babies!) but she didn’t care what they thought anymore.
Her invitation to Joe had been casual, almost flippant. An afterthought. She’d got a little carried away pondering how good he’d look in a suit. But walking into the crowded room, past people she’d known her whole life, most of whom had been guests at her own wedding, she realised how important this really was to her. It had been so sweet of him to agree to come. And she hadn’t exactly agreed to sleep with him in return, but maybe it had been implied when she’d swished aside the change room curtain in the men’s boutique and kissed him like she wanted to have sex with him right then and there. She kind of did.
There was a jab in her ribs. Grace was at her side with a sharp look from Anna to Joe and back to Anna, suspicious eyes and a question on her lips.
‘Anna. Isn’t that … aren’t you …?’
Anna gripped Grace’s forearm and pulled her close. ‘Grace, listen up. This is not John Holmes. His name is Joe Blake and, yes, he’s from Middle Point. He’s my arm candy tonight so I don’t get hounded to death by everyone when they find out I’m getting a divorce.’
Joe held out a hand. ‘Hello Grace. Height really doesn’t run in your family, does it?’
Grace shook his hand and Anna realised her little sister seemed totally unaffected by the suit, the jaw, the eyes or the man.
‘I’ve got news for you, Anna,’ Grace warned in a whisper. ‘You are still going to get hounded. Judging by the way Dad looks like he’s about to have a heart attack and Mum might be about to stab you with a fork, I’m guessing you didn’t tell them about bringing
him
tonight.’
From across the room, Anna’s parents shocked glances settled on their eldest daughter like a drone strike.
‘Merda,’ Anna whispered into Joe’s shoulder. Her brought his hand to rest on the small of her back and the gesture floored her. ‘Joe, be prepared. I didn’t tell my parents about you.’
He took her gently by the shoulders and searched for her eyes. ‘Let go, Anna. You have nothing to be ashamed of.’
Anna found her St Christopher medal. ‘Just let me the do the talking, okay?’
He followed Anna’s lead and they walked across the shining parquetry dance floor to the other side of the reception room. Joe had never seen anything like it. There were great, long swathes of sheer white material strung across the ceiling and inside each row were hundreds of fairy lights, which twinkled like pretend stars on the low ceiling of the community clubroom. There was almost as much sparkle coming from the sequinned outfits, tailor-made suits and jewels of the guests. Everyone had put on their best impressions; they all looked like they were worth a million bucks. What had Anna called it? La belly figura?
He felt eyes on him but he shrugged it off. He wasn’t unused to being stared at or set apart. Asking questions when people didn’t want you around kind of meant you were used to it. Instead of meeting their curious inspection, he flicked his eyes up to the party lights and tried not to smirk when he spotted the mirror ball hanging amongst the fabric, already shining and twinkling in the party lights. And then, he noticed the head table set up on the low stage at the front of the cavernous room, and behind it a huge video screen, bigger than a sports bar TV, relaying shots of people arriving at the main doors from the car park. It wasn’t like any red carpet he’d ever seen, but it may as well have been one.
And, he realised, it meant that every person in the whole room would have seen Dr Anna Morelli, the good girl oldest daughter, who they all believed was still married, arriving with a man who clearly wasn’t her husband. A handsome stranger. That idea made him smile. And if that’s what he was, he could play the part. He would do it for Anna and not ask for anything in return. Well, maybe just one thing.
‘Ma, Dad, Nonna.’
Anna had looped her arm through his and he could feel her stiffen. He quickly put away the smirk, summoned the most polite smile he could muster and bestowed it generously on the Morellis and the dignified older lady in black sitting with them.
‘I’d like you to meet Joseph Blake. He’s a new friend. I met him at Middle Point. You know the woman Dan is seeing? Joseph is her brother.’
Mr Morelli stood slowly and held out a hand. If there was a friendly face somewhere there, he didn’t bring it out for Joe. ‘Hello,’ he almost grunted.
‘Very nice to meet you, Mr Morelli.’ Joe shook hands firmly. ‘And Mrs Morelli, I’m delighted.’ Anna’s mother reached up and Joe leaned over to shake her hand, too.
‘Hello, Joseph,’ she said. And then ignored him completely to interrogate her oldest daughter.
‘Anna,’ her mother shot out in a fierce whisper. ‘What’s going on? What are you doing? These people don’t even know about the—’
‘Yes, Ma, the divorce. Exactly. I thought I’d distract them so they didn’t fret all night and try to set me up with their horrible sons.’
‘Anna, what were you thinking? This is childish. And who is this man?’
‘Mrs Morelli, I’m simply a friend and happy to do a favour for your lovely daughter tonight.’
‘Ma, all you need to say is that Alex and I are getting a divorce and that I’ve decided to bring along a friend who’s visiting Adelaide. That’s it. That’s all they need to know. This is my life and I don’t owe anyone any more explanation than that.’
Mrs Morelli didn’t look convinced. Joe understood that it wasn’t just Anna who’d have to answer questions all night about who he was. Her whole family would too. And that was something totally unfamiliar to him, this over-protective family cocoon that Anna was spun into. Since almost the day he was born, he’d never had to account for his actions to a father and, since his early twenties, he hadn’t had a mother or grandmother, either, to answer to. So this over-protective thing he saw happening right in front of his eyes? He couldn’t decide whether it was cloying or comforting. What he did know was that he was proud of Anna for sticking to her guns, for standing up for herself.
‘Shall we sit down?’ Anna said with a frustrated glance at him and a hair flick, and he realised he’d been standing like a goose staring at her.
‘Of course.’ Joe pulled out Anna’s chair, pushing it back in once she’d sat down. That simple move had her stare softening into a gaze and the faintest smile at the corner of her lips.
‘Thanks,’ she murmured and he felt two feet taller. He knew this couldn’t be easy for her and he vowed right there and then to do everything he could to be by her side, all night. He knew how to fend off questions, how to dodge answers. He’d be her bodyguard, her protector. Hell, he’d even dance with her if he needed to.
As Joe sat down, he noticed the white place card at the top of his dinner plate, nestled between four sparkling glasses, an empty coffee cup, the elaborately printed menu with a white ribbon at its spine, and a side plate with, quite possibly the largest dinner roll he’d ever seen. It looked like a small loaf of bread. The place card said clearly, ‘Alex’. He discretely reached for it, tore it in half and slipped it in his breast pocket.
‘Who’s this?’ A tall, dark guy had arrived at the table with suspicion in his eyes and a proud chin lifted in indignation.
‘Hi, Luca,’ Anna said. ‘This is Joseph.’
Joe got to his feet and held out a hand. ‘Joe Blake. Good to meet you.’ Exactly how big was Anna’s family?
Anna waved a hand at them both in turn. ‘Joe, this is my brother, Luca.’ The two men shook hands and, nope, Luca didn’t have a smile for him either. Were the Morelli men missing a gene or something?
‘G’day,’ Luca grunted and sat down on the other side of Anna. Then Grace pulled up a chair on the other side of Joe. He glanced from left to right and realised he was caught in the Morelli sibling squeeze.
A sharp elbow jabbed him in the arm. ‘So who are you really and what are you doing with my sister?’
Joe leaned one elbow on the back of his chair and turned to Grace. The sisters looked similar; same height, same colouring, same eyes that looked like pools of fortified wine. Clearly the little sister had a protective instinct to rival a German Shepherd’s.
‘You’re the youngest of the three, right?’
Grace scoffed. ‘Don’t turn the questions back on me, my friend. Tell me what you’re doing with my sister.’
‘Are you asking me what my intentions are?’
She narrowed her eyes at him and looked him up and down with a wry grin. ‘I know damn well what your intentions are. I’m not blind.’
‘This is all entirely innocent, I assure you.’ Like hell it was.
‘Pull the other one,’ Grace snorted.
‘I live in Sydney. I usually live in Sydney. I’m from Adelaide originally and I’ve been staying down at Middle Point for a while. That’s where I met Anna. Through Dan and Lizzie. We’re friends.’ Friends with benefits was a better description but Joe feared that if he dropped that one into Anna’s little sister’s lap he might be escorted away from the party in an ambulance with a utensil straight through the heart. Grace may not be a doctor, but he figured that wouldn’t get in the way of her performing some impromptu surgery with a butter knife.
Grace studied him for a moment, her head tilted to one side, her arms folded. By the look on her face, he could see she was enjoying making him sweat. She picked up her dinner roll and slowly began picking at small pieces of the hard crust and popping them into her mouth.
‘Just a little warning about the Morelli family, Joe. There’s not just me, but Luca, my parents and Nonna. And Nonna is tougher than she looks. Clear?’
Joe got it. Theoretically he got it. He’d read about it but had never really seen it in action, even in Jasmine’s family. The whole blood is thicker than water thing she was referring to? It wasn’t something he’d ever felt as an adult. As a kid, sure. But that’s what mothers and grandmothers do, right? They stick by you through thick and thin. But one day they’re not there anymore and you’re navigating the choppy waters of the world all by yourself.
Looking around, he could see Anna wasn’t on her own. Would never be. And he envied her that, just a little.
