Page 16 of Dance This Song With Me?

"I already know what I want," I said. "I'll have the pad thai."

Lucas chewed on his bottom lip as he studied the menu. After a moment, he said, "I'll try the chicken pad-kapow. And a strawberry daiquiri." He handed all the menus back to her and she left us alone with the busy sounds of the street. A jet plane roared overhead on its way to the airport, and after it had passed, Lucas asked, "Do you teach dancing full-time?"

"Oh no, that's a hobby. When I first moved out here I did teach full time, but that was just until I could get my qualification re-certified - I'm actually an engineer."

"An engineer? Really? How have you been managing to get off work in the afternoons to give me lessons? I would have thought an engineer would be busy all day."

"I work for myself, so I can set my own hours. I'd rather trade the extra dollars for more leisure time. Work-life balance, you know?"

We talked some more about that, and the similarities and differences in attitudes between Australia and most South American countries. He was interested to know how long I'd been living here. It was long enough to be a permanent resident and be thinking about applying for citizenship.

Then the food arrived and we were silent for a few moments until we were alone again.

"Smells good," said Lucas, leaning in and sniffing his meal.

"You're gonna love it."

"We'll see. You've promised big, so I have expectations."

I took my first mouthful and groaned in pleasure. Annie's kitchen made an amazing pad thai, though to be honest, I was hamming it up a bit. When I looked up, Lucas was watching me intently.

"What?"

"Just watching."

Rumbling filled the air as another plane flew overhead, and when it subsided, the conversation took a different direction.

"So you don't bring your boyfriends here?" Lucas asked, sticking his fork into his meal and scooping up a delicious-looking mouthful of chicken, beans and basil, and holding it paused inches from his lips as he waited for my answer.

"No. I just don't do boyfriends."

"Never? Is there... a reason for that? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he added hastily. The forkful of steaming stirfry finally made it through those lips and I watched, fascinated, as his tongue came out and swiped away a few drops of sauce that had stuck to them.

"Mmmm-mmm," he hummed in appreciation. My pants tightened and I shifted in my seat. Fuck.

"Not really, beyond the fact I enjoy variety. I didn't say I was celibate. It's like... why restrict yourself to one dish, when you can eat from the whole buffet?"

Lucas watched me intently. "What if you really like the dish? Do you ever eat it twice?"

I looked at my plate. "Well, I've obviously eaten Pad Thai more than once, but when it comes to men, no. One and done."

I kept my eyes on him, watching for his reaction, because from where I was sitting - or more accurately, how I was sitting - it was starting to seem a possibility that we might hook-up - after the lessons were done and I didn't have to maintain a professional attitude, that was. I wouldn't have to wait too much longer, there was only one more lesson to go.

Lucas simply nodded and went on eating, unaware of the direction my thoughts had taken.

"What about you?"

"Are we talking food or men now?"

"Men. I already know you're going to be coming back to this place for more of that pad-kapow."

The shoulders of his t-shirt raised and dropped. Carajo! I really wanted to see what he looked like without his shirt. After 5 weeks of watching him dance, I was convinced those shoulders were lean and muscular, but man, I wanted to see.

"Well, it's good pad-kapow," he said, as his mouth closed around the fork, lips pink and glistening. He chewed slowly, drawing out the moment. I couldn't look away as his jaw worked, the muscles flexing and stretching. His adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and that damn tongue came out and decadently licked the sauce from his lips again. Sheesh.

"I kind of went through my hook-up phase during uni," he said, slowly. "But for the right person, I'm not averse."

Chapter 12