She opened her eyes and looked over at him. He looked up into her eyes and she saw clearly that she hadn’t imagined it. He leant in towards her, the blue of his eyes suddenly wild, like a raging sea as he reached a hand behind her head and then he pulled her towards him, his lips meeting hers – a forceful, urgent kiss that took Minnie by surprise. She knew it! She knew he felt the same! Her mind fizzed with victory. The kiss softened, his lips gently parting hers, and she felt dizzy with desire as she pulled herself closer to him, wanting to erase any molecule of space between them. He gently pushed her back onto the sofa, his body controlling hers. Being held in his arms she was suddenly very aware of the strength of him, his broad shoulders, his arms, the sheer size of his frame. A bolt of heat coursed down through her belly and between her legs; she was falling, intoxicated, with no sense of solid ground beneath her. She lifted her face to kiss him again, but the sofa was too small, restricting them from pressing their bodies against each other.

‘Shall we move?’ she asked, her voice breathy against his cheek.

In one deft movement, he was on his feet, picking her up and setting her gently on hers. He danced her in a circle over to the wall by the door, but she turned and pressed him against it, pulling his jumper and T-shirt up over his torso, her hands searching out the firm skin of his chest. Then he clasped his hands around her waist, gently easing her top off, and she felt every pore burn with pleasure where his hand made contact with her skin. She unclipped her bra and he looked at her body as though it was some rare marvel he had just discovered. He traced one hand gently down from her neck over her breastbone, around her waist and into the small of her back. Minnie thought she might explode with pleasure and her lips reached up again to find his mouth –

A trill noise suddenly rang out – the doorbell.

They froze. Her face whipped towards the door.

‘Is that mine?’ she said, breathlessly.

‘I think so,’ Quinn said, his voice hoarse, pained by the interruption.

‘I don’t know anyone here, it’s probably a wrong number. Ignore it.’

Quinn put his hands up to her face, cradling her chin between his palms – he drew her face gently towards his, their eyes locked and she felt this earth shifting moment of—

BBBBBBBRRRRRIIINNNNG, the doorbell again, then, ‘Hello? Minnie? You in there?’ Her mother’s voice.

The earth-shifting moment between them turned to panic, and they both leapt apart, searching around for their clothes.

‘What is she doing here?’ Minnie hissed. There was a rap on the door. ‘Maybe the bell’s broken,’ she heard her mother say.