Authors: Portia Da Costa
Far From Perfect (25 page)
“What on earth are you doing
here
?”
That was it for a greeting? No smile? No nothing? She rubbed Aurelia’s back, trying to quiet her, but she knew what was wrong and standing around wasn’t going to fix it.
“I know I should have called first…”
Jace frowned. “Called first? It’s not like you live moments away. You’ve come all the way from the Island?”
Matteo had pulled his fingers away and Anna rested her hand on top of his head. Oh, the man made it sound like she was the dumbest woman in the world. Didn’t he know about Stefano? Didn’t he know what a shambles her life was? Was there really that much distance between them now? He made Vancouver Island sound like it was oceans away.
“I didn’t have anywhere else to go. And you did say I was always welcome.”
As soon as she said the words, her eyes stung sharply and her breath caught, painful and thin in her lungs. All through the trip—packing, the flight, even the drive here—she’d been fine, but now it all caught up with her. It was hopeless. She was pathetic, running away from her problems. And knowing it, tears glimmered and slipped down her cheeks.
“Anna.” Jace’s face softened, his eyes dark with concern. “Anna, what’s happened? Don’t cry. Please.”
He gripped her upper arms, the fingers strong around her biceps. Suddenly it was all clear. Stefano was gone. Her father was furious. Alex was wrapped up in Melissa and their first pregnancy. She was alone, and she’d made so many mistakes, ending with the latest—coming to Jace.
“I…I…”
“Mama?” Matteo stood firm beside her left thigh, and she let her fingers trail along his dark head, attempting to allay the worry she heard in his little voice. Aurelia’s crying increased.
“What’s wrong with her?”
Little Matteo stepped forward from beneath his mother’s hand, brown eyes blazing. “My sister is hungry and needs to be changed.”
A smile twitched at the corners of Jace’s mouth as he turned his attention to Matteo. He lifted his brows in a way that said he was clearly indulging the boy. “Is that right?”
Anna tried to smile, gathering herself together. Matteo was trying so hard. She hated how her son saw her sad more often than not these days. Jace was as infuriating as ever, though normally he wasn’t mean about it. The friend she knew would have been teasing, or concerned. Instead he was sharp and annoyed. Maybe she’d overestimated the power of their past friendship. Jace didn’t usually do things to be polite, but maybe he’d casually thrown out the offer thinking she’d never take him up on it. She hadn’t thought things through. Again. Somehow she had to make it right, to convince him they should stay. “I don’t want to inconvenience you, Jace. Perhaps you could point me to the guesthouse and we’ll be out of the way.”
“The guesthouse isn’t equipped for guests. You’ll have to stay at the main house. With me.”
Anna was in no position to argue. Aurelia was at her limit and from the stubborn set of his chin, Matteo wasn’t far behind. Right now she had to get them settled somewhere. She hadn’t planned on taking over his home. The website Jace had set up for Two Willows had distinctly described the winery as having a main house and a guesthouse. It was on that basis she’d made the decision to come. Doubt flickered once more, but then Aurelia’s wail pierced the air again and she knew she’d have to deal with the rest later.
“Mama, I have the bag.” Matteo had gone to the car and retrieved the diaper bag, hefting it on his slim shoulders. He glared up at Jace with as much of a withering look a boy of nearly four could muster. Anna’s heart smiled. Her baby boy tried to look after her as much as she looked after him. After Stefano’s funeral, her father had told Matteo to watch over his mama. And here he was, bless his heart, trying to make life easier in the only way a four-year-old knew how. But it wasn’t his responsibility, and it grated that her father had put the responsibility of the family on a child’s shoulders—even figuratively—when it belonged squarely on her own.
But then—when had her wishes counted?
Anna lifted her nose at Jace so that he wouldn’t see the glimmer of tears again. She spun away, carrying Aurelia with as much dignity as she could, considering the wails that erupted from the tiny lungs. Matteo trailed slightly behind, tipped a little sideways as he lugged along the bag. “Come, Matteo. We’ll go up to the house.”
It took Jace a moment to realize what was happening. Then, as he caught sight of her swaying hips, he strode forward, his jaw tight. Who did she think she was, waltzing in here and looking at him as if everything was
his
fault? He reached the door before she did and wrenched it open, the movement having little to do with chivalry and more to do with the fact that it was
his
door. And damned if she didn’t sweep by him with her nose still in the air.
His sweet Anna. They’d gotten off on the wrong foot. That was all. She was used to having a nanny, and now was dealing with her children alone. He wasn’t totally insensitive to what she’d been through. She’d lost her husband. And Jace hadn’t even gone to the funeral. He’d heard about it from his vintner, who had heard it from a fellow vintner at a winery near Morelli’s. He’d felt like a coward ever since. He’d called Alex for the details and then sent flowers. He should have known she’d be struggling. He should have offered her a place. The proud Anna he remembered would never have shown up out of the blue. She wouldn’t have cried either. She’d changed, and he’d been too blind to see it.
But seeing her now was a blow to the gut. The same way it had been when he’d visited her last in the hospital, when Aurelia had been born. A reminder of what could have been. A reminder that she was untouchable. Just as she was now. This was why he stayed away. Being near her reminded him of too much. He couldn’t take away the hurt of the past.
Far From Perfect
Portia Da Costa
Enduring passion, turbulent emotions, and an engagement of convenience…
At age twenty, Anna Felgate rid herself of her unwanted virginity with the one man she adored—Nick Lisitano, long-time family friend and legendary lover. But that one taste of passion branded her soul for all time—and still casts a long shadow, four celibate years later.
Their single night of matchless lovemaking left Nick racked with remorse for taking advantage of Anna’s innocence. Thanks to his parents’ stormy marriage, he’s sworn off commitment, but believes Anna deserves deep, enduring love, not a temporary liaison.
In the intervening years, they’ve managed to keep a cordial distance, but when a crisis in Nick’s family brings them together again, Anna is shocked by Nick’s daring plan to cheer up his dangerously ill father—a temporary façade of an engagement. Against her better judgment, she agrees to it, fully aware of the emotional minefield yawning before her.
As if destiny has been waiting for them to touch once again, their volcanic mutual attraction reignites, threatening to burn the terms of their pragmatic bargain to ashes. Each begins to wonder privately if their passion can become permanent—or whether it will crumble under the weight of past sins and present secrets…
Warning: This book contains a red-hot ’n’ sexy blond Italian businessman with the face of an angel, the body of a god… and a caring but carefully shielded heart. He enjoys fast cars, fast living and slow, sumptuous lovemaking, and his “cure” for the heroine’s headache makes it well worth faking another!
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520
Macon GA 31201
Far From Perfect
Copyright © 2011 by Portia Da Costa
ISBN: 978-1-60928-269-1
Edited by Heidi Moore
Cover by Kendra Egert
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: March 2011
