Page 22 of Meet Me at Sunset

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.

Lucas winced. ‘I have to go. The restaurant – I need to open up.’

‘Can’t it wait a little longer?’

Lucas kissed her once again, but she could feel his hesitation. ‘Believe me, leaving is the last thing I want to do.’

‘Then don’t.’

‘I have to.’

Stephanie slid down from the counter, pulling up the strap of her dress. ‘It’s OK. I understand,’ she said, trying to hide her disappointment.

‘It’ll be a late one tonight,’ Lucas apologized. ‘But are you free tomorrow?’

‘Of course. We need to finish what we started.’

Lucas groaned with longing. ‘You’re incredible, Stephanie Moon. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to concentrate tonight.’

‘Good,’ she giggled. ‘I don’t want you to forget about me.’

‘Never,’ Lucas replied, shaking his head. ‘Now that I’ve found you, I’ll never forget you.’

They kissed for the final time, a kiss filled with desire and an unspoken promise of what was to come. Then Lucas reluctantly turned to go, leaving Stephanie walking on air, counting the hours until she could see him again.

Lucas could barely remember anything about the drive to Il Paradiso.

He was on autopilot for the short journey as his Porsche sped along the coastal road, his head full of thoughts of Stephanie, his body on fire at the memory of her.

He was in danger of falling hard for her; she was fun, intelligent and sexy, but they connected on a deeper level too.

He instinctively trusted her, and it was as though they understood one another intuitively.

He felt as if he could tell her anything …

but then he thought about Elle and felt a stab of shame and anger dampen his mood.

What was he playing at, he asked himself?

He’d promised to leave his bad-boy days behind him, and Elle deserved better, but Stephanie was different.

He was in a thoughtful mood as he pulled into the restaurant car park, and was almost at the door of Il Paradiso before he noticed the huge chain and lock across the entrance.

‘What the …’ he began, as two black-clad men approached him. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Are you Lucas Fontaine?’ one of them called back.

A bad feeling swept over Lucas, a churning in his gut that told him whatever was happening wasn’t good. ‘Depends who’s asking.’

‘We are,’ the man retorted coldly. He was tall and well-built, with tattoos on his neck and a menacing expression.

Lucas pulled himself up to his full height and looked him square in the face. ‘Yes, I am. Now tell me what’s happening with my restaurant.’

The shorter man gave him an unpleasant smile. ‘Oh, I think you’ll find it’s no longer your restaurant.’ He reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter. ‘Here’s the legal notice. This property is being repossessed for non-payment of rent.’

‘But that’s impossible,’ Lucas burst out.

‘It’s entirely possible. No payments have been received for six months. We’ve sent multiple warnings and a court order that was ignored. You’ve had ample opportunity to get in touch, but now we’re closing this place down.’

‘No! Wait, please – there must be some mistake. Give me one moment.’

Lucas pulled out his phone and scrolled urgently to Paulo’s number. Instead of a ringtone, there was a high-pitched beeping noise, followed by an automated voice telling him that the number wasn’t recognized.

Lucas felt as though his world was collapsing, utterly powerless as he watched the men affix ‘No Entry’ signs to the restaurant, heedless of the fact that customers would start arriving in just two hours’ time.

Everything he’d worked for these past two years, all of his dreams – gone, in an instant.

Frantically, he tried Paulo’s number again, but once again it was unrecognized. It seemed to have been disconnected. It was as though Paulo had vanished into thin air.

Where on earth was he? Lucas thought desperately. What the hell was going on?