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‘You want to be in control?’ Lucas smiled.

‘Damn right. Do you have a problem with powerful women?’ Stephanie teased.

Lucas shook his head and grinned. ‘Not at all. I love them and I’ll do whatever you tell me to.’

The laughter and teasing continued as they chopped and diced and simmered, both of them flirting but neither making the first move as the tension in the room ramped up, the chemistry between them hotter than the sizzling pans. There was lots of accidental physical contact as they worked, hands brushing, elbows touching, playfully nudging each other out of the way. While they cooked, Stephanie found herself opening up to him in a way she hadn’t for a long time, about being adopted and growing up feeling like she wasn’t really wanted.

‘My parents couldn’t have kids, so they adopted me. I’d already been in foster care since I was a toddler.’

‘Oh? What about your real parents?’ Lucas asked, stopping what he was doing to look at her.

‘My real mum was a drug addict. I was taken into care when I was about three and was with a few different foster carers until I was about six. Everything was great with my new family until I was about eight years old, then my adoptive mother got pregnant, and everything changed.’

‘I’m sorry, Stephanie, you’ve had it rough.’

Stephanie shrugged, but it took her a moment to speak. ‘My adoptive mother had always been a bit manic, but when my little sister came along, she went into full Mumzilla mode.’

Lucas raised his eyes in a question.

‘The only thing that mattered was my little sis. Phoebe. I was totally pushed out, couldn’t do anything right.’ Stephanie had worked hard to suppress her feelings, but they sometimes still ambushed her. She ploughed on; for some reason she couldn’t explain, it was important to her that Lucas knew this.

‘My adoptive dad, he of the chip-shop fame,’ she smiled at Lucas, ‘he loved me, but the tension between him and my mum got too much and eventually he left her … and me.’ She shook her head. ‘Then she met someone else, and I spent my life being pushed from one house to another, missing out on family birthdays, holidays, never being allowed to have friends round, treated like a skivvy by my adoptive mum …’

Stephanie could still feel the sting of her adoptive mother’s words, the criticisms and the slights that peppered her life daily.

‘How did you get into acting?’ Lucas asked, gently steering her away from darker thoughts.

‘I had a great drama teacher, Mr Green. He championed me, encouraged me to go to drama school, helped me get a scholarship. I left home when I was eighteen and I’ve never been back.’

‘And what about your adoptive parents now?’

‘My dad’s great; he has got a new wife who’s lovely.’ She paused. ‘The thing is, I love my little sister, Phoebe, but she’s stuck with mum too, so I have to keep in touch for her sake. I want to make sure she always has someone she can turn to, unlike me.’

Lucas regarded her for a moment. ‘You are not what you seem, Stephanie. I’d like to get to know you better, I hope you will let me.’

Stephanie liked the way he said that. God, she fancied him, there was no denying it, and the air between them was electric. She was certain that he liked her too, but prolonging the tension was delicious. And there was always a part of her – the shy, insecure girl she’d once been – that didn’t dare to believe that a man as handsome and cultured as Lucas would want to be with her. They were clearly from very different backgrounds; he’d grown up used to wealth and travel, feeling at home in expensive restaurants and high-end hotels, but it was a whole new world for Stephanie. And there was his pouty girlfriend in the picture too.

‘Here,’ Lucas said, cutting into her thoughts. ‘Try this.’ He took a teaspoon and scooped it in the lightly bubbling sauce, before blowing gently across the top. They were inches apart from one another as Stephanie leaned forward, her lips parting as she delicately tasted the sauce. The flavours were intense, with pungent aromas of tomatoes and herbs.

‘Mmm, it’s incredible,’ she sighed.

‘Close your eyes,’ Lucas murmured, and Stephanie obliged. His voice was gravelly and sexy, and it was all she could concentrate on. ‘When you lose one sense, your others are heightened,’ he explained. ‘You can taste the flavours one by one – the bitterness of the olives, the sweetness of the tomatoes, the heat of the pepper …’

Slowly, Stephanie opened her eyes to see Lucas standing right in front of her. A strand of hair had come loose from her plait and he reached out to brush it behind her ear, his fingertips grazing the soft skin of her cheek. Stephanie instinctively reached up to take his hand, her palm closing over his as she tilted her face upwards towards him. And suddenly it was inevitable as he reached for her and their lips finally met, bodies locked together as they kissed hungrily. Stephanie pressed herself against him, her small, lithe body moulded to his solid bulk as he pulled her close, his hands exploring her body, setting off delicious explosions wherever he touched.

Kissing Lucas felt even more amazing than she’d imagined – a million times better than Paulo’s overconfident embrace, which had left her cold. But all thoughts of Paulo were pushed from her mind as Lucas’s lips moved down to her neck and Stephanie threw back her head, arching her back as desire ran through her entire body, a burning point of heat crystallizing between her thighs.

She closed her eyes once again and, like Lucas had said, all her other senses were heightened – the feel of his lips on hers, his tongue exploring her mouth, his powerful body crushed against hers. But then something disturbed the moment; a sizzling noise, followed by the acrid scent of smoke.

‘Shit,’ Lucas swore, jumping away from her and pulling the pan off the hob. ‘We burned the fish.’

Stephanie began to laugh, the situation seemed so ridiculous, and Lucas laughed too.

‘I wasn’t hungry anyway … well, not for food …’ she murmured, as Lucas came back over, wrapping his arms around her. This time they took it more slowly, kissing softly, without the urgency of earlier. Gently, he lifted her onto the countertop as though she weighed nothing, and Stephanie wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer as a fresh burst of desire rippled through her. The strap of her sundress slipped from her shoulder and Lucas traced its path, his hands moving down to her breasts, both of them lost in the moment, unable to stop themselves …

Then Lucas pulled back, and Stephanie stared at him in confusion as he glanced up at the clock. His hair was dishevelled from where she’d run her hands through it, his breath coming fast.

‘What’s the matter?’ she asked.