‘Shall I tell you a little fantasy I’ve been harbouring?’ he whispered in her ear, his hand splaying across her hip.
‘What’s that?’
‘You know my fancy shower? I’ve been thinking about getting you naked in there.’
‘Have you now?’ she purred, enjoying playing the femme fatale.
‘I have.’ He leaned in and touched her shoulder with his lips, trailing hot kisses along her collar bone. ‘I’ve got you naked; now I just need to get you into the shower.’
‘And how do you propose to do that?’
He paused for a moment, one finger idly stroking the dip between her collar bone and neck, pretending to give it some thought. ‘Well, there’s enticement and bribery. I could cook you a nice meal and light a fire.’
‘That’s a thought,’ she replied softly.
‘Or…’ his eyes darkened and her heart missed a beat at the sultry promise in them. ‘I could…’
There was another pause as he stared into her eyes. Then suddenly he leaped out of bed, grabbed her waist, and hauled her over his shoulder. ‘I could give you a fireman’s lift.’
‘Conor Byrne!’ she shrieked, beating him on the back and giggling. ‘Put me down!’
‘You don’t really want me to.’
The truth was, she didn’t. She was enjoying this light-hearted, playful irreverence. It meant that they weren’t taking things too seriously which suited her fine because she wouldn’t know what to do with serious. That would be delving into a murky pool that she hadn’t signed up for.
In the bathroom he changed tack, gently letting her slide down his front inch by inch. When her feet touched the ground, she hooked her arms around his neck and kissed him on the mouth, a long, deep kiss designed to stir him up as much as he’d stirred her up. Although they’d only just made love, she still couldn’t get enough of him. She let one hand glide down his back to cup one firm buttock, pressing him close to her, grinding him against her.
Conor groaned and lifted a hand to caress her breast, his fingers teasing her nipple, eliciting a tense gasp and moan from Hannah. She’d never felt so uninhibited with a man; it was a revelation because it gave her power to explore and to take charge, to demand and to tease.
When they emerged from the shower, they were both still laughing.
‘Those tiles were cold,’ complained Hannah. ‘I’m not sure shower sex is quite what it’s cracked up to be in the movies.’
‘It was all right from where I was,’ he joked with a wink. ‘Although you were heavier than I expected.’
‘Conor!’ She squealed in mock horror.
‘Just joking.’ He grabbed the front of her towel and pulled her in for a kiss, adding afterwards, ‘You’re perfect as you are, especially that peachy butt.’ His hands slid down to pat her towel-clad bottom. ‘And when you wrap those long legs around me…’
‘Behave.’
‘Why?’ His lips twitched and she couldn’t think of a suitable answer.
They dressed in lazy, slouchy casual clothes, both in agreement that they weren’t going to the pub this evening. Hannah texted Meredith to ensure that they didn’t get any unexpected interruptions. Conor left her to go downstairs and she picked up her hairbrush to tug it through her damp curls.
She frowned as she looked down at the dressing table. The hairbrush was in the wrong place; it was supposed to be next to her detangle hair spray which was next to her tangle teaser comb and next to which was a pile of scrunchies. Mina teased her about being a fusspot which wasn’t the case at all but Hannah had a system. It was a standing joke that she could get ready in the morning blindfolded because everything was in its place. She looked around the room, her mouth drying. Had her laptop been moved? She couldn’t be sure. Glancing back at the dressing table and her hairbrush, she bit her lip, trying to tell herself she was being paranoid. Goosebumps rose on her forearms. Someone had been in here since they’d left this morning, she was absolutely sure of it.
‘Conor,’ she called as she lightly ran down the stairs.
‘Yes.’
‘Someone’s been here.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Someone’s moved my things around.’
‘Are you sure?’
