Hold On to Me

by Victoria Purman

  ‘Thank you everyone, and especially to my best customer, Dr Anna Morelli.’

  Warm applause filled the room. Someone hooted and she figured it was Summer.

  ‘It is my great, great pleasure to welcome you to the new, the better than ever, the fabulously reinvented Style by Stella!’

  The cheering in the room was so loud Stella thought the repaired roof might lift. She looked down at her feet, concentrating on finding some more words to say. And then a glass of champagne appeared before her eyes. She’d know those big hands anywhere. It was Luca. She shivered at the thought that an hour before his fingers had been cupping her breast.

  She took the glass gratefully and sipped, the chilled bubbles delicious and sweet on the way down.

  ‘It means so much to me that you’re all here. It was devastating to all of us when Ian and Lee’s café was damaged three weeks ago. I wish they could be here with us tonight. They’ve left a real hole here, I think you’ll all agree, after more than twenty years as members of this community, but don’t worry about them. I heard from them last night. They can’t be here because they’re on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, enjoying the beaches and the bakeries. They did mention they’ll be putting the place next door on the market soon, so who knows what kind of new shop our community might end up with? Not another boutique, I hope!’

  ‘Nothing could compete with Style by Stella,’ Anna called out. The laughter from the crowd settled Stella and she continued on a deep breath. Suddenly, miraculously, the words flowed. ‘While I didn’t lose my shop like they did, I lost everything in it. I was determined to rebuild and continue trading as fast as I could, to be ready for the summer. And look at this! We’re all here tonight. I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the way you’ve supported me. Before the fire, and during the past month when I’ve set up stalls everywhere I could. To Ry and Lizzie, who saved me the premium spot at the Middle Point pub market and who also donated the drinks tonight.’

  There was more cheering.

  ‘To Summer, who’s put up with me for the past few weeks in her massage studio and to all her customers who’ve spent some money.’

  Stella realised she was shaking. Her fingers gripped the flute a little too tightly and the condensation was making it slippery. She took another long gulp and everyone cheered her.

  ‘A huge thank you to Anna Morelli for the food—seriously, if you ever decide to stop ministering to the sick you should become a caterer—and all my lovely friends who’ve helped set up today. In a minute, I’m going to be opening up the till so you can all go crazy and buy all your Christmas presents, but …’

  There was something else she needed to say. There was someone she really needed to thank, and it wasn’t just for the outrageously hot kiss and the almost-sex. Oh god. Her knees wobbled at the memory of his hands on hers and his mouth on her breast. She was still quivering inside. She wasn’t sure how he knew but he seemed to. Luca had melded into the back of the crowd, away from her side. But when she looked over to him, he immediately lifted his eyes from his glass. He knew what she was about to say. A smile crinkled his mouth and she felt scared and thrilled and confused all at the same time about what she was feeling for this man and what it might mean for her.

  She cleared her throat. ‘… there’s absolutely no way on earth we would all be standing here right now at such a fabulous party if it hadn’t been for my builder, Luca Morelli of Morelli Constructions.’

  Anna led the chorus of whoops and cheers.

  ‘To say he’s gone above and beyond is an understatement. Luca, you are incredible.’ Stella lifted her glass in the air in a salute. ‘If anyone here needs anything done, I highly recommend him. Three cheers for Luca Morelli.’

  He looked back at her over the heads in the crowd with eyes dark and hot, a clear invitation in their depths.

  And Stella decided right there and then that her answer was going to be yes.

  ‘Thank you everyone, from the bottom of my heart, for coming. I now declare Style by Stella officially open.’

  Stella was swamped by kisses and hugs and handshakes. Someone filled her glass and guided her to the cash register and to her immense surprise and delight, there was a queue forming almost immediately.

  From across the shop, Luca watched the retail whirlwind. When his sister sidled up to him and gave him a poke in the arm with her elbow, he glanced at her with raised eyebrows.

  ‘Nice work, little brother.’

  ‘Thanks. It looks good, doesn’t it?’ The Morelli siblings looked around at the exposed stonework and the lights and the displays and the crowd. Luca felt real pride in the project, in the fact he’d helped transform it into this.

  ‘It’s incredible. You should be proud.’

  ‘I am,’ he said with a sideways glance at his sister. He knew she was leading up to something. He just didn’t know what. He prepared to be told what to do. She was his big sister, after all.

  ‘You’ve saved her life, you know that?’

  Luca watched Stella across the room as she slipped a handbag into a brown paper bag and handed the package over to a customer. ‘She didn’t need saving.’

  ‘I don’t know about that. So, you’re finished up here in Port Elliot?’

  Luca couldn’t tear his eyes away from Stella. Being finished there meant being finished with Stella, and he wasn’t ready to walk away from her. Especially after that bombshell kiss in her kitchen earlier that night. Which he could not think about standing next to his big sister. He rubbed a hand through his hair.

  ‘I’ve been thinking …’ Anna said.

  He knew what that meant. ‘What now?’

  ‘Would you be interested in doing a job at Joe’s place in Middle Point? I mean, our place.’

  Luca glanced her way. ‘What kind of job?’

  ‘I want to make the kitchen bigger. It’s so tiny and now Francesca is getting bigger and there’ll be more bambinos one day, so I want a real Italian kitchen. You know, like Mum and Dad’s place. I want to open it up, to that back lounge room, make it open plan, make it lighter. Maybe put in some more windows so we can look at the view.’

  He glanced at her. ‘You want a big table so everyone can sit around it while you cook.’

  Anna slapped his arm. ‘Exactly. I don’t want a show home: I want a real home. What do you think?’

  Luca’s mind spun into gear. He could almost see the renovation. He understood that Anna wanted her home down there to be more family friendly. It would be an interesting job, figuring out how to create more space in what was a modest family weekend retreat. Because he’d been staying there, he knew it well.

  And the idea of doing some more work on the south coast held a sudden appeal.

  ‘Sounds like a plan, but it wouldn’t be for a couple of months. Maybe four. Probably six. Doing this place has put me back and I need to make a start on my house.’

  ‘Six what?’ Joe sidled up to Anna, holding Francesca on his hip.

  Francesca held out her baby-soft little hands to Luca and he took her in his arms, a protective hand at her back to keep her safe. She pushed her face against his chest and rested it there, rubbing her eyes with a tight little fist.

  ‘She’s tired,’ he said, and his heart melted at the way she snuggled into him. He gently rested his head on hers.

  ‘Our little bambina needs to go to bed,’ Anna said and tweaked her daughter’s cheek, before doing the same to her brother.

  ‘My sister—your girlfriend—has an idea.’

  ‘I hate that word. Girlfriend.’ Anna looked up to Joe and he kissed her.

  ‘Bane of my life is better?’

  Anna laughed. ‘Love of your life, at least.’

  ‘Oh, that too,’ Joe said with a grin.

  ‘I was telling Luca about my idea for renovating the Middle Point house. It’s going to get too small pretty soon.’

  Joe went white. ‘You’re not springing another surprise pregnancy on me, are you?’
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  ‘No. But you really think I want to stop at one kid?’

  Joe leant down and kissed her. ‘I don’t either. But please god, let it be a boy. Three Morelli women in our house and I’d be royally screwed.’

  ‘Tell me about it,’ Luca said with a smile at Francesca. ‘Two sisters nearly killed me. And now, this little bella?’ He tickled the baby’s tummy and she roused, giggling at him. He blew a loud raspberry on her cheek and she wiggled with delight.

  ‘So, Luca,’ Anna said with a mysterious smile. ‘Six months, you reckon? We can wait.’

  Stella’s shop was done but he hadn’t got anything done on his place—not to mention not having had two days off in a row since he’d started his own business. He had already been planning to take the week off between Christmas and New Year. Luca looked over the crowd to seek out Stella. She was smiling broadly at a customer but she must have sensed him looking at her, because her eyes lifted and met his, her lips parted and damn it to hell he wanted her.

  The rest of his life could wait because he had the distinct feeling the rest of his life had something to do with that little town and Stella Ryan.

  If working down there meant being closer to Stella, he’d take it.

  ‘Let me work on some plans.’

  CHAPTER

  19

  At nine, Stella rang up the last sale. Deliciously, it was Anna’s red shoes. When she waved Anna, Joe, Francesca and the shoes goodbye, Stella let out a sigh of sheer happiness. This was the first day of the rest of her business life and it had been a raging success. Her wonderful friends had helped her all night, cleaning up the glasses, food and plates, so all she had to do was lock up the till, look around and marvel at her own tenacity and self-belief.

  And deal with a scorchingly handsome young man who was at the front door saying goodbye to his sister and her family.

  Luca locked the door and flicked off the main lights. The fairy lights they’d strung inside the shop twinkled in the dim light and Stella felt a little like the angel on top of the Christmas tree. She closed her eyes, wondering if she would hear a bell ring. It had been such a wonderful evening, not because of the champagne, or the record-breaking take. It wasn’t even exhaustion after three solid weeks of hard work to get to this point. It was a feeling of accomplishment, of success, of staring the odds in the face and coming up trumps. And, she was willing to admit it now, a big part of that was standing right beside her. He’d been standing right beside her for weeks.

  His tie was still as straight as when he’d arrived but his smile was crooked. ‘That went well.’ He rubbed a hand through his hair but a lock of it disobediently fell across his forehead.

  ‘It really did.’ There was pure bliss in her sigh as she leant back against the counter.

  He came closer. ‘Thanks for what you said.’

  Stella shrugged. ‘I meant every word of it.’

  ‘Every word? The part where you highly recommended me or the bit where you said I was … incredible?’ He lifted a hand and ran a finger down her cheek. Slowly, deliberately, across the line of her jaw, down her neck, grazing across her décolletage.

  Stella closed her eyes, savoured his delicate touch. Luca Morelli wasn’t just incredible. But that was all she was willing to offer up right now, though she had an inkling he would be so much more.

  ‘You are.’

  ‘And what about you? You’re one hell of a businesswoman, you know that?’

  ‘Thank you.’

  His caress became a strong hand on her shoulder. ‘You know what’s incredible? Since the day of the fire, you haven’t given up. You’ve never had a doubt that you’d be here, today, with your shop open. I admire the hell out of you for that.’

  Never had a doubt? She didn’t have that choice. She’d had to believe it would happen. ‘I’m pretty determined, in case you hadn’t noticed.’

  Luca chuckled and she felt the strength in his hand as he moved. ‘Believe me, I noticed.’

  ‘Despite what happened, I didn’t doubt for one minute that I would get my business back.’

  ‘I knew that from the first time I met you.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘You were a hard arse. I didn’t think you were going to give me the job.’

  ‘I had to be sure,’ she murmured. ‘And my insurance company had to approve you as well.’

  ‘Lucky it did.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said softly, ‘very lucky.’

  ‘You know, Stella Ryan, there’s something else I’ve known since the first time I met you.’ Luca lowered his head and pressed his lips to her throat, right at her pulse point, and she let her head drop back, opening herself up for him. For everything he was offering her.

  ‘And what was that?’

  ‘That this would happen. You and me.’

  Stella could barely breathe for wanting him.

  ‘You know what Stella means in Italian?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Stella.’

  She watched his mouth as the words formed on his lips. Damn, she wanted those lips on her breast again, sucking her nipple into his mouth.

  ‘It means “star”. You were a star tonight, Stella.’

  She glanced around at her shop. The racks were half empty. So much of her stock had been sold. She had more to hang and place first thing in the morning. But, as Luca’s head moved low and close, she decided she would think about that tomorrow. She reached out and took his tie between her thumb and forefinger, ran her fingers up and down it.

  Luca watched her fingers. She gave the fabric the gentlest tug and he took a step. Now, their bodies were touching. She could smell his aftershave and red wine.

  Stella’s eyes drifted from his tie to his mouth. His hot mouth. It had almost made her come just hours before and looking at his lips and the promise in them made her wet. ‘I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for the shop. And … for everything else you’ve done for me.’

  ‘What else have I done for you?’

  Luca’s lips were close to hers, a whisper away.

  Stella’s gaze flickered to his mouth.

  ‘Oh, right. You mean that kiss?’

  ‘Yeah. That.’ It had been unplanned and magnificent and had relaxed her in a way she hadn’t been relaxed for about a million years. ‘Unexpected, but fabulous.’

  His eyes smiled and his lips quirked. ‘Unexpected? That’s bullshit,’ he teased. ‘You’ve wanted me since the day I first walked in here, as much as I’ve wanted you.’

  Stella smiled. ‘Look around. I like beautiful things. I like looking at you. Who wouldn’t?’

  She walked her fingers up his chest and teased her forefinger across his mouth. Full, soft, warm. She lifted her head, and pressed her lips to his. Slowly, teasing, she nipped his bottom lip and when he answered her by tilting his head and opening his mouth, she plunged into it. The outrageously hot kiss earlier had been fast and furious, hurried, kind of desperate. This was languid, teasing, tempting, filled with the promise of all night.

  ‘You want to sample the merchandise?’ Luca said with a smile.

  ‘Oh, yes.’

  Luca slipped his arms around Stella’s waist and crushed her against him. He was hard, ready. He wanted her and she wanted him right back.

  Something flashed in the corner of her eye. There was someone outside in the street. Stella pulled back from Luca, snapping out of her haze, realising they’d been about to put on a peep show for the whole of Port Elliot.

  She heard Luca swear under his breath and he stepped back from her, turned towards the back of the shop, and ran a hand through his hair. His perfect, thick, black hair.

  ‘Shit,’ she murmured and stomped to the front door. With a twist, she unlocked it and opened it a couple of inches.

  ‘Hi, Duncan.’

  He raised a hand and waved it in her direction. ‘Sorry, Stella. I came by to see if you wanted to have that drink now, but I can see I’ve interrupted something. I’ll head home.’

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nbsp; Stella was on the verge of combusting with sexual tension and dealing with a man who never seemed to get the hint was more than frustrating. ‘I’m sorry, Duncan.’

  ‘Really, it’s no problem.’ Duncan shrugged and slipped his hands into the pockets of his trousers. He looked sad and she felt even more guilty about what he must have seen.

  ‘Well, I’ll catch you later, Duncan,’ she said. ‘I’ve got a big day tomorrow, so it’s an early night for me.’

  ‘Okay. Glad to see you’re back in business.’

  ‘I appreciate that.’ The lock snicked in the door but Duncan stood to study her for another sad moment through the big window. Finally, he walked away. Stella turned her back on him and looked at the young man standing in her shop, his lips still wet from her kiss.

  Luca was intently watching her every move. He was so young, so beautiful. So … angry?

  ‘That guy doesn’t get the hint, does he?’

  Stella blew out a frustrated breath. ‘He means well.’

  ‘You didn’t see the way he looked at me. Like I was about to put my hand in the till and steal all your cash.’

  ‘I’m sure he didn’t,’ Stella said. Who cared? Why were they talking and not kissing? ‘He’s just being a little protective, that’s all.’

  Luca lifted his chin and his eyes bored down into hers. ‘What’s he protecting, Stella?’

  ‘We dated a couple of times,’ she told him, impatient, her arousal starting to drain away. Damn it. ‘He wants more. I don’t.’

  ‘And by “dated” you mean … you fucked that guy?’

  Stella suddenly felt wide awake. Luca’s narrow-eyed fury was evident. He sounded jealous. He looked jealous. He was jealous. She kept her voice low and calm. ‘Newsflash, Luca. I’m thirty-five. I have actually had sex with other men.’ Great sex, sometimes. But the way Luca had kissed her? That was a first. Could they do it some more now? Please?

  Luca sucked in a deep breath. ‘Have you been playing a game with me all these weeks? The teasing? The flirting? That kiss?’

  ‘Luca, c’mon.’

  ‘Yeah, I know what this is about. You like a bit of rough trade, huh? You’ll play in my corner but what you really want is respectable. When it gets down to it, you want a suit and tie guy, don’t you?’