“That’s probably because he’s older. Older men are more mature in that sense. It’s the young ones that freak out over stuff like that,” said Karla.

“Yeah but, you’re married to a younger man,” said Sophie. “And it’s all worked out well enough for you.”

“Lee’s younger than you?” I asked, intrigued.

She shrugged. “Only by three years. And besides, there were never any kids between us. It’s a whole different ball game when children are involved.”

“Oh, come on. Lee might as well have been a father of three when you first met,” Reya joked, grinning. “I still think Trevor has the mental age of a four-year-old sometimes.”

“Ugh, don’t even get me started,” said Sophie. “You didn’t have to grow up with the boy. He was worse when he was kid, more energy than five Jack Russell Terriers combined.”

This made me laugh, and I lifted my beer and drained the last of it. I hadn’t noticed him approach, but suddenly Stu took the empty bottle from me and pulled me up from my chair. The girls were still engrossed in their chat and didn’t notice him pull me away.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked as he led me inside the house.

“Thought you might be interested in seeing my bedroom.”

“Um, no, not really,” I replied even though my belly was all-aflutter at the idea of being alone with him. I was less inhibited now I’d had a few drinks.

He chuckled, the sound low and sexy. “You keep telling yourself that, luv.”

Leading me upstairs, he pushed open the door to a small bedroom. There was only a neatly made-up bed and a chest of drawers for furniture, nothing else.

“Wow, now I get it. I couldn’t possibly leave without seeing this shining example of interior design,” I teased.

Stu slammed the door shut then flung me back against it. “Somebody’s feeling mouthy,” he whispered. “Let’s see what else you can do with that smart tongue of yours.”

His lips crashed against mine, hard and unrelenting. I moaned and fisted my hands in his T-shirt, pulling him close so his body practically moulded into mine. He gripped my backside, gave it a firm squeeze then lifted me effortlessly off the floor. I wrapped my legs around his hips and his erection pressed into me, the friction sending bolts of desire shooting through my system. How could I be so hot for him already? We’d just had sex mere hours ago and yet here we were, desperate for each other again.

Stu carried me over to his bed, dropped me down on the mattress and made quick work of unbuttoning my jeans. He slid his hand inside my underwear, fingering my wetness as his mouth crashed into mine again. I gasped when his thumb rubbed my sensitive clit, arching my spine with need. A little whimper escaped me when he broke the kiss, his hand leaving me as he rose to his knees and stared down at me.

“Let’s take a look at you,” he murmured and proceeded to undress me piece by piece.

I lay there, my every pore tingling, as Stu pulled off my jeans and my top. When only my knickers remained, he was still fully clothed, his gaze raking possessively over my body.

“This isn’t fair. Why haven’t you taken anything off?” I complained as I held my arm across my breasts, self-conscious.

“I told you, I want to look,” said Stu, grabbing my arm and pulling it away from my body. “And stop hiding. There’s not a single part of you that isn’t perfect.”

“Stu?”

“What is it, luv?”

“I want to look at you, too.”

At this his mouth shaped into a pleased smirk as he grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and lifted it above his head. “Well, it’d be mean of me to refuse, now wouldn’t it?”

“V-very mean,” I agreed, feeling breathless as I took in his body. I didn’t think I’d ever seen anything sexier than a topless Stu Cross reaching down to undo his belt buckle. His arms were toned and muscular, his abs ripped and leading down to a delectable V. He. Was. Incredible. It had been different in the car, because there was less room and we’d still had half our clothes on. Now we were in a bedroom, getting completely naked and I suddenly felt like a nervous virgin or something. Ridiculous.

Though saying that, only one other man had ever seen me naked, so maybe I had a right to be nervous.

“Andrea,” said Stu, a note of concern in his voice.

“I’m fine.”

“You look like you’re about to do a runner.”

I bit out a shaky laugh. “You’re just very, um, fit. I’m feeling a little self-conscious of all my jiggly bits.”

Stu grinned and reached for my hips. “I love all your jiggly bits.” Dipping his head down, he sucked one of my nipples into his mouth. “Especially these ones,” he continued, mouthing my breast.

I laughed again, this time louder. When Stu bit lightly on my nipple my laugh transformed into a moan. He licked a line across my breast, his gaze intense as we made eye contact. I trembled.

“Let’s get these off,” Stu whispered huskily as he reached for my knickers and slid them down my legs. He knelt between them, his gaze devouring me before he bent and pressed a kiss to my inner thigh. He kissed all the way up my body until our mouths met again. After that we were a tangle of lips and teeth and limbs. I was breathless when we broke apart. Stu reached over to the chest of drawers beside his bed and pulled open the top one.

A second later he was tearing open a condom and sliding it down his length. My tummy quivered at the sight of him. His brows drew together in concentration, his abs bunching and contracting as he moved. When he was done he braced his hands on either side of my head and stared down at me. My legs were spread wide around his hips and I felt his cock nudge against me. I wanted him inside.

His gaze was tender when he pushed into me, slowly filling me inch by inch. My breath whooshed out when he was embedded deep. He went still, his eyes closed as he held himself above me. A low expletive left his lips and then he started to move. I tried not to be too loud, still aware of all the people downstairs. But God, I wanted to scream when his thrusts sped up. It was all too much.

Our gazes locked and something passed between us, some unspoken emotion I couldn’t decipher. I felt my channel clench around him, my body close to orgasm. Stu grunted as he pounded me so hard I was surprised the bed wasn’t banging against the wall. When he came it was with a low growl, his mouth finding mine, and his tongue sliding in. The kiss was slow and sensual as he rode out the rest of his orgasm. I moaned when he pulled out of me, and his breathing was choppy. He flopped down onto the bed and dragged me on top of him.