Page 28 of Resist

Chuckling, he patted his mouth with his napkin. “Okay. I’ll pace myself this time.”

“You sure you’re capable of that?”

“I’m capable of anything you want.”

“Anything?”

“Yes, anything. Both on and off the stage.”

I raised my eyebrow then lifted my oyster to my lips, slowly sliding it down my throat while eye-fucking him.

He shifted in his seat, which made me smile.

Helena, what the hell are you doing?

Closing my eyes for the shortest of seconds, I reined in my ridiculous flirting.

“So tell me,” I said, taking a big gulp of my wine. “Apart from pigs, pussy, and strawberry ice cream, why don’t you like the colour pink?”

He picked up his fork, stabbed a piece of salt and pepper squid, and popped it into his mouth, mumbling, “Because I have three sisters.”

“Three?”

“Yup. And they’re all older.”

“So you’re the baby of the family?”

He nodded. “It didn’t always seem that way though.”

Twirling my fork in the middle of my linguini, I scooped up an edible-sized mouthful. “How so?”

“Because I was also the man of the house. Dad died of a brain aneurysm when I was seven, so it was my job to protect Mum, Sal, Bec, and Tilly.”

My heart squeezed for him. I couldn’t imagine losing a parent at such a young age. “I’m so sorry, Lucas. That must’ve been terrible.”

“Yeah, it was. Dad and I were close. We did everything together. I was his little shadow.”

I felt the dampness of a tear teetering on the edge of my eye as I watched him swallow his grief, but I quickly blinked it away and hid behind the sanctity of my wine glass. “You miss him, don’t you?”

“Of course. A boy needs his father, whether he’s young or grown.”

Guilt rippled through my body, so I changed the subject.

“Do you see your mum and sisters often?”

“Not as much as I’d like to. When I landed the job in the revue, I moved to Melbourne from Townsville.”

“Oh, so you’ll see them when we stop there next week?”

“Yeah. Mum’s already planning a lamb roast.”

I laughed. “She sounds like a wonderful woman.”

“She is.”

“Did she ever remarry?”

“She’s about to. Next month. Right after the tour finishes.”