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Tara sat quietly on Lucas' lap as talking went on around her. Only hearing half the words she knew she have to ask Ke what was said later on because her mind was acting like a new born calf just finding its legs and racing up to others.

Her thoughts were jumbled with each gentle swirling circle from the hand at her lower back and the thumb moving back and forth on her outer thigh. She felt her body behaving in a way she'd never experienced before. She felt... desire... and it scared her. These feelings were foreign and made her question what was happening.

He loves her! How? How could he love someone like her?

Tara had never had a great opinion of herself. She had no qualms accepting that she was part of the poorer side of the community, what some would call the lower class. She'd accepted that knowledge long before she became a teen, it was difficult not to when you looked at the life she was living. So how could someone like Lucas love her, a beggar girl? Not that she begged per say but she was a definite charity case with having to accept gifts of food and only wearing second hand clothes.

Then there was that. If he loved her as he said he did then would he want her in his bed? Did she have to do... Could she... Would he force her again if she said no?

"Tara... baby? You've frozen up... You don't like the idea of having to live with Maggie again while you're in Brisbane?"

She'd been startled from her thoughts....

"What?" she asked as she looked from Lucas to the others.

"Girl, you haven't been listening have you?" Keiran asked with a grin.

Her face became an instant strawberry colour as she shook her head slowly.

She felt the rumble in Lucas' chest as he started to laugh silently.

"Well baby, what I've been saying is that Ellie is basically a bítch who is pretty much a straight out of the box fruit loop who's been given training to take out someone if the occassion called for it. Because of that baby, as much as I hate the idea of you leaving and going to Brisbane I won't stop you.. But! You only go if I know you have protection. I'm sorry baby but Ellie's a nutter and I... well... I can't risk anything happening to you. I can't."

Eyes were glued to Tara to gauge her reaction. She felt like she was behind glass and expected to perform for the tourists because that was how intense their looks all were.

"You want Maggie to move to Brisbane too?"

Lucas nodded.

"Adam and Jones too. I'll buy a house for you all to live in and..."

"And no!" She pulled herself away from him and stood up. "You can't control everything I do! You can't expect people to..."

Lucas stood suddenly, his heart was pounding. He forced down the cave man reaction he was feeling and pushed aside the anger he felt in knowing she hadn't listened and didn't understand the conplexity of the whole situation. Why the hell didn't she just listen?

Ellie was dangerous! Far more dangerous than Tara realised. She was a loose cannon, a disaster just waiting to happen... why couldn't Tara just accept that this decision wasn't a way to control her? God! Why didn't she listen? He'd told her he'd loved her for heavens sake! She knew how he felt...

He told her he loved her! Oh My God! He said it to her! He actually admitted it to her! No wonder she wasn't listening!

He looked down at her and his eyes softened as he saw the spitting kitten looking back at him. He wanted to smile... damn she was cute!

He grabbed her hand and gripped it tighter as she went to pull it away. Stepping away feom the table he pulled her with him as he walked towards the back door.

"We need to talk."