‘One of the things I like most about you is that you’re so refreshingly direct,’ he murmured. ‘You’ve no idea how relaxing it is not to be permanently guessing or playing games. My room has a king.’ In a second they were through his door, kissing while he fumbled one-handedly with the lights. He dragged her out of her coat. She pulled off her hat.

He caught his breath as her hair fell around her shoulders. ‘You’re so beautiful.’

Then he fast-forwarded himself out of his coat and sweatshirt. Used to him in winter clothes, she let her gaze travel pleasurably across his torso, lean but full of muscle. The cords of his arms shifted as he reached for her, stroking, caressing, rumbling with pleasure in the back of his throat. He kissed her shoulders where they showed through the cut-outs in her top. ‘I’ve wanted to do that all evening. There’s something so sexy about that small amount of naked flesh.’ It didn’t deter him from sliding the top up and over her head. When he unfastened her jeans a thrill rushed through her as she felt the air on the sensitive skin of her belly. Her legs lost their bones.

‘My jeans won’t come off over my boots,’ she murmured.

He steered her gently towards the bed. ‘Leave them to me.’ He laid her back on the cool cotton covers. A couple of flicks as he dealt with her laces then two tugs and the boots were gone, then her jeans. Nico rose, eyes glittering, and managed to hook her into his arms and up the bed. He paused to kiss her, then pulled back, kicking off his boots and shucking his jeans, his eyes roaming over what heated skin wasn’t covered by her black panties and yellow-flowered bra. Dropping onto the bed beside her, he nuzzled the tops of her breasts. ‘Mmm, Hannah.’ It curled her toes.

Pressing against his erection, she ran her palms over the firm heat of his shoulders and chest. His breath caught as her hand travelled down, relishing the smooth, taut abdomen and snaky hips.

His unfocused gaze met hers. ‘The refreshing directness gets better and better. Jeez.’ His gasp as she slid her fingers inside the elastic of his boxers was muffled by her breasts, his breath hot on her skin.

He reached around for the clasp of her bra and as he pulled it slowly off she forgot how to breathe, almost levitating from the bed at the pure pleasure of his skin sliding over hers. He eased aside her underwear and touched her and she felt a jolt of excitement so fierce she wanted to shove against him till he filled her up. Her whole body was consumed with the intimacy of making love, the give and take, the electricity that set fire to her nerve endings and fried her brain.