Chapter 47

THEY had a box at the theatre. Nicole was placed next to Matt in the second row of seats behind Alex and Rosita and Mrs. King, but at least she had Hannah on her other side and the arrangement made for easy conversation amongst the family. She wasn't isolated with Matt, which was an enormous relief since she couldn't trust herself to speak civilly with him.

Not that her inner tension eased much. She was hopelessly aware of him. Their physical intimacy had heightened it a hundredfold, making her acutely conscious of her sexuality and his. It played on her mind so much she could barely think of anything else. Back in the hotel lobby, she'd ended up snapping at him out of her own resentment that it could be so overwhelming.

Other things should be more important. Respect, love, trust, understanding...what about them? And he was so arrogant, confident of claiming her whenever he wanted, and the worst part was she was quivering inside, yearning for what he'd given her to be given again. How was she going to handle this? How? What was the best way? Was there a best way?

Star-crossed lovers...ending unhappily.

Those insidious words lingered in her mind as the show started but she was soon caught up in the Romeo and Juliet story being played out on the stage. The production was vibrant and intensely emotional with its continual overtone of tragedy looming, the inevitable outcome of irreversible conflict.

Every time Gina sang there was an almost breathless silence throughout the theatre, the poignant power of her voice and the empathy she drew from the audience made her a wonderful Maria. The rest of the cast put in very good performances but she shone, and at interval the buzz of excitement and pride in the family box put irrepressible smiles on everyone's faces, even Matt's and Nicole's.

The second half of the show was even more heart-wringing. With tears pricking her eyes, Nicole fumbled around her feet for her evening bag, needing tissues. Matt offered a clean white handkerchief. Rather than make any noise, unclicking her bag, she took it, nodding her thanks. It was very handy when Maria's lover was shot and lay dying with Maria kneeling beside him as they sang a last plea of hope for the world to come right

—"Somewhere...'' Tears gushed.

Nicole mopped frantically, struggling to stop a sob from erupting. "Hold my hand..." The words were so terribly moving, and when Matt's hand covered hers, squeezing sympathetically, she gripped it and

squeezed back as though it were a lifeline to stop her from falling apart. The curtain came down. The only sounds in the theatre were sniffles being smothered and throats being cleared. The applause was slow in coming, a sprinkle of handclaps quickly joined by more, building like a huge wave to a crescendo that urged more and more clapping. Nicole wanted to use her hands but one of them was still entangled with Matt's and she was suddenly acutely conscious of having hung on to it.

His hand.

The warmth and strength of it zinged up her arm. Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't want to let the comforting contact go but was there really any comfort for her in this attraction to Matt King? Embarrassed, she darted him a look of appeal as she wriggled her fingers within his grip. He returned an ironic little smile and released her hand, moving his straight into a long round of applause.

There was an absolute ovation for Gina, many shouts of "Bravo!" She was presented with a huge bouquet of red roses and she smiled directly up at Alex who leaned on the railing of the box and blew a kiss to her. She blew one back to him. Their obvious love for each other gave Nicole a stab of envy.

Why couldn't it... Her head turned to Matt King even before the thought was completed. be like that for them?

He caught her glance and cocked a quizzical eyebrow.

Heat whooshed into her cheeks and she jerked her attention back to the stage. The thought certainly hadn't occurred to him. The expression lingering on his face from having watched the interplay between his brother and sister-in-law was amusement. Did he find real love between a man and a woman a joke? Was sex all he considered?

Or was it all he was considering with her?

Nicole found herself pressing her thighs tightly together, a silent, vehement protest against such a limitation, especially when a relationship could be so much more. Surely such strong 'sexual chemistry had to be linked to some special selective process. It made no sense otherwise.

She was still battling the feelings Matt aroused when Peter Owen, the director of the show, was called on stage to another loud burst of applause. She couldn't help smiling at his air of elated triumph as he took the microphone and made a short speech, thanking the audience for their acclaim, which of course, was richly deserved, and it demonstrated how magnificently perceptive they all were to recognise and acknowledge it.

As always, he was so charmingly over-the-top he drew laughter and more applause, leaving everyone in high spirits as the final curtain came down. He's still Peter Pan, Nicole thought fondly, remembering how he'd brought an effervescent lightness to some of her darker hours in the old days, a kindness that felt more like fun than kindness.

Alex stood and spoke to his grandmother. "I'll just slip backstage while the theatre is emptying. I won't be long."

"Take your time, Alessandro. We're in no hurry."

She turned around to smile at Nicole and comment, "Peter made it work wonderfully well, didn't he?"

"A brilliant production," she agreed. "I didn't know he had this in him but he really did pull it off."

The old lady's gaze shifted to Matt. "The ultimate showman," she said with a nod, as though repeating a remark he'd made. Then in a whimsical tone, she added, "Nicole knew Peter when he was just starting out as a pianist, getting the occasional gig with jazz bands."

Matt turned a frown on her. "In the same bands your father played

in?''

"Sometimes," she answered evenly, vowing to watch her wayward tongue and invite more normal conversation between them. "He was more a fill-in than a regular. Though I must say I missed him when he dropped out of the Sydney jazz scene. He took a job as a pianist/ singer on a cruise ship and sailed out of our lives."

The frown deepened. "You made no mention of him in your book."

He'd read her book?

Her mind scrambled to fit this stunning news into her picture of Matt King. Her heart lifted at the realisation he had to be interested in her as a person to put the time into reading a biography which revealed her background. It couldn't be just sex on his mind!