Frisk Me(58)

Her hair was pulled back into another of those high ponytails she seemed to favor, and her skirt was a bright poppy red that made her butt look pert and perfect. The white blouse would have been demure had it not hugged her small waist perfectly.

The shoes, though…those shoes just about undid him. Tall and the same color as her skirt, the high heels practically screamed at him to bend her over the counter and take her from behind.

Luc ran a hand over his face. Had he really thought the worst part of this whole CBC story was going to be having his privacy destroyed?

Because the sexual frustration was much, much worse.

Ava shooed all of the Morettis into the kitchen. “We’ll do a couple off-the-cuff interviews next, sort of let people see you in your natural habitat, but first I want to just get the home. It has a great old-school charm, and viewers will love that there’ve been three generations of cops to come out of here.”

She and the camera guys started talking techy, and once again Luc resumed watching her, noticing for the first time how tiny her earlobes were. Cute. The woman had cute earlobes.

“Told ya,” he heard Nonna stage-whisper to Anthony.

“I’m appalled to admit it, but I think you’re right.” Anthony’s voice was thoughtful.

Luc cut them a look. “Do I even want to know what you’re talking about?”

“Just that I can’t wait to be an uncle,” Anthony said.

“It doesn’t even matter that she’s not Italian,” Nonna said in a hushed voice. “She has dark hair and dark eyes so we’ll just lie. We can change her last name. I know someone.”

Luc tipped his head back and looked at the ceiling.

“Try to talk her into it tonight, Luca. Oh, and find out if she’s Catholic, would you? I suppose we could lie about that too, although I don’t know how Jesus would feel about that…”

“He’ll probably feel okay about it, but you should light a few extra candles just in case. As soon as possible,” Anthony said, patting his grandmother on the shoulder.

Ava was positioning herself in the doorway, and Luc could tell by the straight set of her shoulders that they were about to start filming.

Luc held up a finger and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Hold on. Nonna, what did you mean talk her into it tonight? Our place isn’t that big. This should take an hour, tops.”

For the first time, his grandmother looked guilty, and if Nonna looked guilty, it meant she’d pushed waaaay past the limits of appropriate.

“I may have suggested that she join us for a family get-together at Lombardi’s,” Nonna said.

Anthony frowned. “This is the first I’m hearing of it. Why does nobody tell me anything?”

Luc gave his brother a withering look, and Anthony’s mouth dropped open for a second before giving an understanding nod. “There is no family dinner, is there?”

Nonna held up her hands in an innocent gesture. “Everyone else was busy.”

“Oh, so if I text Vincent and Mom and Dad and Elena, they’ll all confirm they knew about this?” Luc asked innocently, pulling his cell phone out of his back pocket.

Nonna snatched the phone away. “Take the girl to dinner, Luca. I need her uterus for grandbabies.”

“Not at all creepy,” Anthony said, quietly opening the fridge and grabbing another beer.

Luc shifted slightly, his gaze finding Ava just as she finished up her opening monologue about a “home in the heart of Manhattan.”

As though sensing his gaze, she turned and met his eyes with a private smile.

“What did Ava say when you mentioned the dinner?” Luc asked his grandmother.

“She asked if you knew about it. If it was your idea.”

“What did you say?”

“I lied, of course. Told her that it was all your doing. I also might have mentioned that I thought I heard you say her name when you were napping on the couch the other day.”

Luc frowned. “I haven’t napped on the couch in months.”

His grandmother shrugged. “Might have lied about that too.”

Luc watched as Ava gestured the cameramen into his bedroom for God only knows what kind of assessment, only to see her emerge several seconds later looking confused.

Luc nearly choked when he saw what was in her hand.

It was a framed picture of Ava. A publicity shot, if the posed, wide smile was any indication. He’d never seen it before, and yet the picture had come from his bedroom.

Very slowly he turned to look at his grandma. “Nonna…”

“I know,” his grandmother said on a heavy sigh. “I should light all the candles when I stop by church.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR



Taking her stilettos off when she got home every evening was the highlight of Ava’s day.

Taking her stilettos off at the end of a Friday, signaling the start of two whole days of flip-flops, sweatpants, and damp ponytails, makeup optional?

That was the highlight of her week.

Ava had this routine down pat.

The high heels were off before she even made it through the door.

She stopped in the kitchen just long enough to drop her bag on the counter, pour herself a hefty glass of wine, and then head to the closet for a moment that was almost as good as kicking her work shoes…