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‘I’ve recently woken up, you’re here…’ His words faded as his mouth covered her own and the teacup wobbled alarmingly. The kiss was brief and incredibly sweet, and he studied her face for a moment when he straightened again. ‘Gorgeous,’ he said softly.
‘Lucas, you shouldn’t be in here. Melody will think—’
‘Absolutely nothing,’ he finished for her smoothly. ‘There’s always a dozen or so small people running about when my family gets together, so I know how children’s minds work at Melody’s age.’
So that was why he was so comfortable around young children. Kim stared at him, realising—with a touch of exasperation—that everything she learnt about him dispelled the image of a hard-hitting automaton a little more. She wanted to find out he was mean to old ladies, that he didn’t like children, that he kicked the cat and beat the dog—anything!
‘Do you like children?’ It was out before she had time to think.
He didn’t seem to consider the question strange. ‘When they’re like the ones in my family, or Melody,’ he said calmly. ‘Brats I can do without.’ And then he smiled mockingly. ‘Not what you wanted to hear?’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’ The colour which had just begun to diminish returned in a fresh surge of scarlet. Impossible man!
‘Of course you don’t,’ he taunted softly.
She wasn’t going to win this one. Kim tried to look stern and assertive. ‘Where’s Melody?’ she asked pointedly.
‘Sitting at the breakfast bar, eating a bowl of Frosties,’ Lucas returned easily, ‘before her bacon and egg. Speaking of which—’ he dropped another kiss on her nose before turning and walking out of the room, saying over his shoulder ‘—you can be first in the shower but you’d better be quick. Breakfast will be ready in five minutes.’
First in the shower, for goodness’ sake! As the door closed behind Lucas’s big frame, Kim found herself glaring across the room. Anyone would think he lived here the way he was carrying on.
And then, before she had time to school her features into anything resembling sweetness, the door opened again and Lucas popped his head round. ‘I forgot to say thanks for the bed and board,’ he said softly, his eyes amused as they took in her expression. ‘I appreciate it more than I can say, Kim.’
She managed a creditably gracious smile. ‘That’s okay; you were obviously out on your feet. I’d have done the same for anybody.’
‘Now don’t spoil it. And you’re down to four minutes, thirty seconds, by the way.’
Kim had time to do no more than shower and slip into her bathrobe before breakfast, piling her hair into a towel turban-style before running downstairs to the kitchen.
Lucas and Melody were perched on the two high stools the small kitchen boasted in front of the minuscule breakfast bar, and they looked comfortable together. Too comfortable. Melody was in the middle of one of her long and involved stories about a happening at school to which Lucas was giving his full attention, and as Kim surveyed Melody’s animated face and Lucas’s patient one she felt a dart of pure panic.
‘Mummy!’ Melody saw her first. ‘Lucas has cooked bacon and eggs and he says I can have mine in a bun. Can I, Mummy?’
‘If you eat it all up,’ said Kim mechanically, walking across and kissing the top of Melody’s fair head as Lucas slid off his stool and waved for her to be seated.
They ate with Lucas propping up the sink unit as he devoured three buns bursting with bacon and egg whilst Melody looked on with unconcealed admiration.
Her daughter clearly thought he was the best thing since sliced bread, Kim told herself crossly, and Lucas was playing up to his role of man of the hour with gusto. Immediately as the thought hit she acknowledged its unfairness. Lucas was just being Lucas, she admitted miserably, which made everything a thousand times worse and a million times more dangerous.
‘Can I ask a favour?’
As Melody danced off upstairs to change from her pyjamas into her school clothes Lucas perched himself on the stool she had vacated. It brought him close, much, much too close, and Kim’s voice was something of a snap as she said, ‘Yes?’
‘Do you have a razor I can use?’
It wasn’t what she had expected and of course he knew that only too well, Kim thought nastily, but although she knew she was blushing she kept her voice very even when she said, ‘I’ve only light duty disposables that I use for my legs, I’m afraid. I’m not sure they’ll cope with a man’s beard.’
‘I’ll manage.’
And then, before she was aware of what he was doing, he had moved his stool in front of hers so that his long legs were either side of her.
‘You’ve a crumb on your chin.’ His voice was soft as he reached out and stroked her skin, and she felt terribly aware that she only had her bra and panties on beneath her towelling robe.
She knew what he wanted—it was written all over his dark face—but the shiver that slithered down her spine was more of anticipation than apprehension as his mouth lowered to hers and his whole body seemed to enclose her.
He kissed her slowly and thoroughly, taking his time, savouring her lips with a pleasure that was visible. His tongue nuzzled her teeth and as her mouth opened to accommodate him he plunged immediately into the secret territory, fuelling her desire with a heady rush of sensation that made her gasp out loud.
When he pulled her off the stool to stand in front of him she was powerless to resist, even when his hands slid beneath the folds of the robe to the warm silky flesh beneath. His fingers were possessively skilful as he brought her breasts to tingling life through the lace of her bra, and the sharp little needles of pleasure grew and grew in time with her pounding heartbeat.
