He got out of bed and wandered into the kitchen where he made a coffee for himself and an Earl Grey for Kirsty. Standing in the kitchen, waiting for the kettle to boil, he had one of those moments where he realised how much he loved the flat. As he opened the curtains and looked out at the waking street, the photograph of him and Kirsty that sat on the mantelpiece was rendered opaque by the light. He picked the photograph up. They were standing in front of the Colosseum in Rome. It had been their first holiday, and an American tourist had taken the picture for them. Kirsty had a tan and a big smile on her face. He thought she looked like a model.

He was about to carry the drinks into the bedroom when Kirsty came into the room. ‘Oh, the curtains are open.’

She was naked, and she instinctively covered her breasts. Jamie caught his breath. They had been sleeping together for years; he had seen her naked countless times; he had touched and kissed every inch of her – but still, every time he saw her body he wanted to touch and kiss it again. He put down the mugs and went over to her, putting his arms around her and stroking her naked back, then tracing the chain of freckles that ran along her upper thigh with a fingertip.

‘How are you feeling?’ he asked.

‘Much better. I think I’ll be OK to go into work.’

‘So the ginger worked.’ He kissed her forehead, then her eyelids, then her lips.

‘I think the cold was about to…expire anyway,’ she said between kisses.

‘So you’re feeling a lot better?’

‘Yes.’

‘Oh good. Because–’

They sank to the carpet and Jamie kissed her neck, ran his hands over her breasts, her nipples stiffening under his fingers.

‘Do you want me to close the curtains?’ he said.

She shook her head. ‘I don’t want you to move. Except…like this.’

‘Oh.’

They made love on the floor, Jamie on top, burning his knees on the carpet but not caring. Kirsty grabbed his buttocks and pulled him in deeper, pushing her pelvis hard against his. The bookcase rattled and shook in time with Jamie’s thrusts. She bit into the muscle where his neck met his shoulder and he shivered with pleasure.

He pushed himself up on his arms so he could look down at her, at her flushed face, her nipples that stood erect, a bead of sweat running between her breasts. He slowed down, pausing with the head of his cock just inside her, then moved into her slowly, the feeling of intense pleasure spreading from his penis through his entire body.

‘Fuck me from behind,’ Kirsty said, and he withdrew, letting her turn over onto all fours, positioning himself behind her and teasing her for a moment before pushing back inside her and making her gasp.