And, of course, he followed right up on that invitation with the kiss that had been hovering in both their minds. His quick, gentle, teasing brush of the lips made her sigh into his mouth, without even thinking about it. And that, she told herself later, was her mistake. As she melted into the kiss with unexpected abandon – it had been a long time since she’d been kissed – she felt him pause momentarily and then he deepened the kiss, his mouth beginning a tentative but thorough exploration of hers. That was the point when everything changed. The hazy, dreamy, gentle kiss became something else entirely; every nerve ending went on alert as if several thousand volts had been switched on. He must have felt it too because he pressed forward and suddenly she was locked in the most delicious, passionate, wonderful kiss, giving back as much as was being given. It was like a firework burst on a dark, silent night. Shocking, thrilling, and totally out of character.

As she settled into his lap, the kiss became more leisurely and she certainly wasn’t about to fight it. Why would she? She melted into him as he put his arms around her, one hand sliding into her hair, stroking her neck with feather-light touches. Apparently she’d taken leave of her senses when she stepped on the plane this morning and wasn’t about to gather them up any time soon.

‘Er, excuse me, Conor.’

They both jerked apart. Hannah felt the blush staining her cheek. She couldn’t have been more mortified at being caught in such a public clinch.

‘The young woman has gone.’ The barman nodded and began to step away, but not before they both caught the wry smile on his face.

‘Thanks, Niall,’ called Conor, while Hannah closed her eyes. She was stuck. On a complete stranger’s lap. At least she knew his name now. She couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes and she had no idea what to do.

And now she was being ridiculous. What was she, six? Even so, she opened one cautious eye to find the man named Conor smiling at her.

‘Perhaps we ought to introduce ourselves.’

She straightened and with as much dignity as she could gather somehow managed to slither from his lap and back into her own chair.

‘Yes,’ she squeaked. ‘Although you’re Conor.’

His smile faded a little. ‘Of course, you have the advantage there.’

Slightly perplexed by the change in tone she said, ‘That is your name, isn’t it?’

‘Don’t you know?’