Page 29 of Resist

“Oh, lovely.” I forked some clams and popped them into my mouth.

“Yeah. Goes to show it’s never too late to find another soul mate.”

I went to ask my next question but paused at his words.It’s never too late to find another soul mate.They struck me right in the chest.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I gave him a small smile. “Yes. Just a rogue mollusc trying to escape my throat.”

“They’ll do that from time to time. Gotta show them who’s boss.”

“Thanks for the tip.”

He winked.

“So … do you like your mum’s fiancé?”

“He’s alright. He makes her happy, and that’s what’s most important.”

“You don’t sound so sure.”

“I’m sure, but Tilly isn’t. Til thinks he’s a lazy deadbeat.”

“Is he?”

“Maybe. But like I said, Mum loves him and that’s all that matters.”

Sadly, I disagreed with him. Love was never ‘all’ that mattered. In a perfect world, yes, maybe it could be. Maybe it would conquer all and be the antidote of life. But the world wasn’t perfect and neither were the people in it, and that was why we needed more than just love. We needed trust, commitment, and effort. We needed to respect what came before and after love, not just invest in love itself.

“That’s very sweet,” I said, placing down my fork. “Every Mum needs her child’s support.”

Lucas nodded before his eyes landed on my plate of oysters. There were two left.

“Are you eyeing off my set of molluscs?” I asked, elevating my chest, my voice a little cheeky.

A sexy grin crept across his face. “Yes, I am.” He cleared his throat then rubbed his hands on his napkin and tossed it onto the table. “You have great molluscs, and I really want to put them in my mouth.”

I feigned surprise. “Both of them?”

He nodded, once.

“That’s a bit greedy.”

He nodded, once, again.

“How about I let you suck on one?”

Lucas’s pupils dilated. “I’ll take one … for now.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I picked up an oyster for myself and handed him the other. “Now, don’t go all premature on me and finish too quickly this time.”

“I won’t. I’ll let you enjoy first. The way it should be.”

“Why is that the way it should be?” I asked, touching the oyster shell to my lips.

“Because I’m a gentleman.”

“But what if I’m a gentlewoman?”