It was something she’d been imploring him to do over the years, and which he’d ignored. There were many things they could be doing instead right now, talking about the mounting bills on their worktop, Johnny’s forthcoming student accommodation and the Paperpress finances. But he was right, they both needed this little oasis of time together.

Jake reached an arm around her shoulder. The brush of his biceps against her neck made her stomach ripple unexpectedly. A trickle of heat slowly radiated throughout her body, overtaking the tiredness. She had grown used to summoning up the feeling at will when she wrote about Georgia, but hadn’t experienced it with Jake for quite some time.

Her muscle memory kicked in, and she remembered the sensation of how her bare skin felt next to his. When Jake leaned over to kiss her, his lips were soft and tasted of cinnamon. Liv found herself sinking into him, becoming a little giddier as she imagined their evening together.

“Shall we watch Titanic?” he said, which made her feel even more attracted to him.

She curled her legs on top of his. When the movie started they cuddled even closer, and Jake ran his thumb along her thigh and back again. They kept glancing shyly at each other, sharing smiles and small kisses.

As Kate Winslet stood at the bow of the ship with outstretched arms and the wind in her hair, Jake’s phone buzzed on the coffee table. Katrina’s name lit up the screen.

Liv thought about kicking it out of sight. “Don’t answer it,” she whispered as Leonardo DiCaprio sang into Kate’s ear, and they entwined fingers. “Call her back later.”

Jake stared at the TV. His phone stopped vibrating and he held his palm to his chest.

Liv was proud of his resistance. She took hold of his other hand and kissed his fingertips, one by one. “Perhaps it’s time for an interval,” she said seductively.

Jake grinned. “I don’t think we have any ice cream.”

“We don’t need it.” Liv climbed onto his lap. She brushed a hand over the face she’d loved for over twenty years and their eyes met greedily. She pressed her mouth against his and pushed a hand under his sweater. She imagined she was Georgia.

Behind her, Jake’s phone buzzed again. He pulled away from Liv to look over her shoulder.

“Just leave it,” she whispered, her words more threatening than sexy.

He bit his lip, running a hand through her hair and kissing the tip of her nose. “I can’t. It might be important,” he said, pausing the film.

“Jake.”

He leaned forward and shot out a hand for his phone. Liv toppled sideways and banged her head on a small table next to the sofa with a yelp. Tears stung her eyes and she rubbed the plum-sized bump rising on her temple.