After he had rolled theghastly thingon – she’d watched through fluttering lashes and semi-closed eyes – he went slowly, taking his time, and when he finally entered her she cried out, partly in pain and, for a moment or two, partly in frustration. Frustration because an unwelcome voice in her head was commenting, remarking, making notes. But then, without noticing how it had happened, she realised something had changed and instead of feeling weird and somehow under observation, she and Bobby were suddenly in tune. She stopped thinking altogether and seemed to know exactly what to do. Why had nobody told her it would be like this? There she was, lying in Lottie’s bed with nothing in her head atall. She closed her eyes. It was fast. It was furious. And it was over.
Afterwards they both panted from the exertion and until they could breathe normally neither spoke.
‘Well,’ she said eventually. ‘Can we do that again?’
‘What, now?’
She nodded.
He laughed and his blue eyes crinkled up. ‘Give me a minute to recover.’
But a little later he guided her, and she learnt how to help him recover and that would happen another time that same night.
In the morning she woke to see him gazing at her. ‘Hello,’ he said.
She breathed him in, the smell of him. Bay leaves and cloves. Something old-fashioned anyway. Nice. Spicy.
‘Look, I meant to say this last night, but other things seemed to be happening and I got distracted.’
‘What?’ she asked.
‘My mother.’
‘Your mother? That’s a funny topic after what we’ve just spent the night doing.’
He guffawed. ‘You’re right. But she’ll be here for a couple of weeks. I won’t be able to spend the night here.’
‘Oh.’ She got out of bed and stretched, and he sat on the edge of the bed watching her.
‘Thing is, she’s not going to a hotel this time. She’ll be staying here.’
‘In this apartment?’ she said, taken aback.
He laughed. ‘No. In mine and Archie’s.’
‘Really? Why not the best hotel like before?’
‘She’s suddenly got a bee in her bonnet about money. I’ve got someone coming to clean the place.’
She grinned. ‘You could always nip down here for a quick fix.’
He laughed. ‘Something tells me nothing I do with you will ever be quick.’
‘Oh, I don’t know, it could be rather fun,’ and she swayed her hips provocatively in front of him, bending down so that he had no option but to take one of her nipples in his mouth. And they had their first attempt at fast unprotected sex, with Bobby withdrawing only just in time.
‘Are you regular?’ he said.
‘Why?’
‘Because there’s also the rhythm method. It’s not foolproof but at least we’d know which days to be more careful.’
‘I’ve heard of it. I’ll draw up a plan. A sex plan,’ and she roared with laughter at the thought of what her mother would say if she knew. She had no idea how her parents had managed to produce two daughters.
He smiled and kissed her on the nose. ‘I’ve got to go.’
‘Oh no, really?’
‘She’s arriving later today and I need to tidy up the apartment before the cleaner gets here … You know I may be away soon don’t you. I’m doing my pilot’s training here in Malta,’ he said, ‘but sooner or later will be completing it in England.’
