‘How was it?’ Pippa asks, her head popping over the railing.

Hugh’s fingertips disappear. I wipe the smile off my face as fast as I can, but my heart thunders in my chest.

‘Fine!’ I say, hauling myself onto the deck. I try to readjust my swimsuit as nonchalantly as possible. I can’t tell from Pippa’s face whether anyone saw us making out in the water.

Hugh reaches the deck moments after me, his abs rippling as he stands up. I feel like the wind got knocked out of me all over again.

‘I think I might go in,’ Pippa muses, ‘or is it too choppy?’

‘It’s not so bad,’ I say, edging towards the stairs to my room. Pippa eyes me, but before she can say anything, Hugh announces that he’s going to go grab his phone. He walks downstairs calmly, like nothing happened. And every cell in my body strains to meet him in our room.

‘I’m going to go get cleaned up,’ I say, leaving Pippa in my wake. I force myself to walk excruciatingly slowly, hoping no one notices how much of a hurry I’m in to follow Hugh.

By the time I’m down the narrow steps, I’m racing towards our room. Only once I’m inside and have shut the door behind me, do I get to fully take in Hugh standing, his head slightly bent against the celling, staring at me with the most wolfish grin I have ever seen. The boat creaks loudly.

‘Perfect,’ he says, ‘if that keeps happening, you can be as loud as you want.’ He steps towards me and gently pulls at the tie of my bikini. The back comes undone. He unties the string around my neck next. I reach for his shorts, but he places one hand over mine.

‘In case you haven’t noticed,’ he murmurs, his lips right next to my ear, ‘there’s only room for one at a time in here.’

I open my mouth to protest, but he covers my lips with his as he unties each side of my swimsuit bottoms. They fall to the floor and he lowers me onto his twin mattress. The smell of him on the sheets makes my hips arch with desire.

He thumbs my nipple with one hand and slips his other hand in between my legs. He kisses my neck, his lips fluttering over my collarbone. I’m ready for him already. He teases the edge of my lips with his finger, his thumb stroking my clit.

‘Hugh,’ I gasp. I reach for him, to pull him closer towards me, to feel his lips on mine, but he resists, swirling his tongue around my nipple instead. He slides a finger inside me and pleasure courses through me. I thrust my hips with him, wanting more of him, deeper in me. Another finger joins the first. I whimper.