Diplomacy

to Lucas, but they were not close physically otherwise. It felt like a one way relationship, but then he was hardly the one to make an objective assertion of that.
    “Things a little difficult between you two?” Jack offered, only to be met by a frightened look from Lucas. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry, it’s none of my business, of course,” Jack was quick to add after he averted his gaze. “Can you open the oven for me, please?” he asked Lucas, pointing at the large stove underneath the gas burners. After Lucas complied, he put the bread in the oven and moved back to the counter.

    26 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    “It’s not easy, Jack,” Lucas eventually whispered.
    Feeling the tension in the air again, Jack tried to rescue the situation. “It must be hard for her, leaving her family like that to move to a foreign country.”
    “Yeah.” Lucas nodded, not entirely convincingly.
    Damn, now the moment was lost. But what could he do? It’s not like he could ask Lucas straight out. Straight, yeah, funny…
    “Now I literally need a hand,” Jack stated, trying to lighten the mood.
    “Sure,” Lucas answered, “a hand, two hands, arms, shoulders, whatever you need, Jack.”
    Jack could feel Lucas looking at him and for a moment the brash, forward young man he knew from the office was back. He was at a loss for words momentarily, but recovered shortly afterwards.
    “I need to wrap this salmon in phyllo pastry and then tie it up with string, so I need a third hand to help tie the knot.” They worked together silently and Jack felt Lucas stealing little touches. Was he just imagining the fact that Lucas was standing very close to him, their arms brushing and purposefully making their hands touch as he put his finger on every knot Jack tied? Was the young man lingering a little longer than he should?
    “There,” Jack stated as the eight small packages of pastry wrapped salmon were arranged on the baking tray.
    Suddenly he felt Lucas’s hand rest on his, fingers curled loosely around the side of his hand. As he looked up, Lucas was staring at him, his eyes soft, expectant and a little fearful, too. He didn’t want to move his hand, didn’t want to let go of the warmth that was spreading through his entire body and making something jump in his stomach.

    D i p l o m a c y | 27

Chapter Five
    THE dinner was absolutely delicious and the two women hit it off together so well, it was hardly noticeable that the men were barely speaking unless they were dragged into the conversation by Lucy or Maria.
    Lucas noticed, though. He felt the tension could be cut with a knife. And he was sure Jack realized it, too, as he was steadily avoiding Lucas’s gaze.
    Why had he touched Jack’s hand like that?
    They had been in the kitchen, the atmosphere relaxed, as Jack was showing him all kinds of cooking tricks. Simple things he could probably have come up with himself, if he had ever ventured in there for more than frying an egg or putting a pizza in the oven.
    Lucas had moved closer to Jack, stealing occasional touches as his elbow grazed Jack’s naked arm, the silk of his shirt transferring the body heat. He had studied Jack’s hands as they delicately wrapped the salmon in herbs and then in pastry, and had helped by adding his finger so Jack could tie the strings. They made a good team, Jack had said so himself.
    And then all of a sudden, the small touches weren’t enough anymore for Lucas. What he really wanted to do was put his arms around the man, hold him tight, kiss him, feel their bodies come together.
    Instead he put his hand on Jack’s. Where the older man had carelessly put his hand on the counter, Lucas covered it with his and curled his fingers around it, his heart racing a mile a minute.
    He expected Jack to pull his hand away. Not that the older man had given any indication that Lucas was crowding him, even though it was a 28 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    large kitchen and they had been standing close together. But this time he let his hand linger a little longer than the other times, and as he looked up, he saw Jack look at him, too. From the look in Jack’s eyes, Lucas could see that he understood this was a deliberate attempt at physical contact.
    And to Lucas’s surprise, he didn’t retract his hand. The look in his eyes was another matter, though. What was it? Surprise? Disgust? Jack’s breathing had become a little faster, a little more pronounced and then Lucas saw it, the mixture of