‘I prefer your new place.’

‘Me too,’

I wander further into the apartment, scrutinising the lack of warmth and cosiness. How does he live here? There are no personal touches, no paintings or photographs. I notice a snowboard propped up in the corner, with various skiing equipment piled around it. On the side board, where I would expect to see vases or ornaments, there’s a motorcycle helmet and some leather gloves. That’s a surprise.

‘I don’t keep alcohol. Do you want some water?’ He strolls over to the huge, black fridge and pulls it open.

‘Please.’ I join him in the kitchen area, pulling out a black bar stool from under the black granite worktop of the island. Jesse removes his suit jacket and perches on the adjacent stool, turning to face me and handing me a glass of water before he unscrews the cap of a bottle for himself. His long, muscled legs are straining against his trousers, his feet flat on the floor, but his legs considerably bent, considering the height of the stool. My feet are propped on the footrest.

He sips his water, looking at me over the bottle, while I fiddle with my glass. I feel incredibly uncomfortable. I shouldn’t have come. Things have become awkward and I’m not sure why. There is one reason and one reason alone why he’s brought me here. And like the idiot that I am, I’ve gone along with it.

I hear him sigh. He places his bottle down before he takes my glass from my hand and puts it on the island worktop. Grasping the seat of my stool, he drags it closer to his, turning it to face him, resting his palms on my knees. He leans in. ‘Why did you cry?’ he asks.

‘I don’t know.’ I answer honestly. The whole episode caught me off guard, if I’m honest. There’s no reason for me to be blubbering all over him. I feel pretty stupid.

‘Yes, you do. Tell me.’

I consider what I should say, while his eyes probe mine, waiting for me to answer. The light crease appears across his brow, and I realise now that it’s a concentration slash concern frown. What should I tell him? That I’ve just come out of a four year relationship with a bloke who persistently cheated on me? That over the last four weeks, since calling it a day, I’ve re-established my identity and I don’t want a man to rob it again? That my trust in men is zero and the fact that he is, quite clearly, a prince of seduction spells trouble for me? Oh, and finally, I know deep down that this could all end very messily for me – not him.

But he won’t want to hear any of that girly nonsense. ‘I don’t know.’ I repeat myself instead.

He sighs, his frown morphing into a scowl as he taps his fingers on the granite a few times. I can, quite literally, see the cogs of his mind grinding as he looks at me, chewing his bottom lip. ‘Would I be right in saying that your misinterpretation of mine and Sarah’s relationship wasn’t the only reason you were avoiding me?’ he asks, but it’s more like a statement than a question. He unclasps his Rolex and slides it onto the worktop.

‘Probably,’ I look away from him, a little ashamed – I don’t know why. How does he know that, anyway?

‘That’s disappointing.’ he states conclusively, but I can’t hear the disappointment in his voice. All I hear is annoyance. I don’t need to tell him that I could, very possibly, fall hard for him. Women must fall hard for him on a daily basis.

I recoil slightly when he grabs my jaw and tugs my face back to his. The hollow at his cheekbones confirm my thoughts. He’s gritting his teeth. He’s angry? What did he bloody expect? For me to drop to my knees and kiss his feet? He’s obviously use it to. It was just sex, wasn’t it? We both needed to get each other out our systems, and there was an opportunity to do just that. We took the opportunity, that’s all.

He’s not out of your system! Oh bloody hell. I don’t think he will be any time soon either – if ever. He’s already under my skin.

‘What did you want me to say?’ I ask.

He releases my jaw, letting out a frustrated sigh, and before I know what’s hit me, he grabs me and tosses me onto the worktop, sending my glass of water crashing to the tiled floor. The glass shatters loudly around us. My legs are spread with his thighs, causing my dress to ride up, and he attacks my mouth with his inexorable tongue, plunging deep and meaningfully.

I’m slightly taken aback by his impulsive assault, but I’m powerless to stop him, in physical strength and in mental strength. I’m instantly plagued by blazing goose bumps and hot wetness at my core, as he thrusts his hips hard while consuming my mouth. He cups my bum, pulling me closer, keeping his groin tight against me.

Oh, holy shit! I groan as his hips roll, unashamed for him to know that I’m turned on like a thousand watt light bulb. Releasing my lips, he stares at me, breathing hard with brazen hunger shining from his green pools. I’m certain my eyes are matching his.

‘Let’s establish some things here,’ he pants through short breaths. He pulls me off of the worktop so I’m straddling his waist. He stares at me. ‘You’re a shit liar.’

Yes, this I know. My Mum and Dad tell me all the time. I twiddle my hair when I lie. It’s involuntary – I can’t help it. What else are we establishing because I’m burning up on pleasure here?

He leans in and kisses my lips, softly stroking my tongue with his. ‘You’re mine now, Ava.’ He rolls his hips, causing me to shift upwards and tense to relieve myself of the relentless buzzing at my core. We’re face to face. ‘I’m keeping you forever.’ he informs me on a thrust of his hips.

I close my arms around his shoulders and kiss him on his lush, moist lips, my way of saying, okay. I’m desperate for him all over again. I’m in so much trouble.

‘I’m going to possess every.single.part.of.you,’ He punctuates each word clearly and sharply. ‘There will be nowhere on this beautiful body that won’t have had me in it, on it or over it.’ His voice is carnal and deadly serious, which only serves to increase my heart rate a little more.

Every single bit, though? Should I look further into that? I don’t get a chance to. I’m lowered to my feet and spun around before he yanks the zipper of my poor, mistreated dress down. My bra is removed and tossed aside just as quickly.

Leaning down, he kisses the nape of my exposed neck, blowing his cool, minty breath across it, instigating a delightful shiver from the mixture of heat from is tongue and the coolness of his breath. Christ, I’m buzzing all over. I flex my neck, rolling my shoulder blades to alleviate the tingles that are riddling my entire body.

He moves his mouth to my ear. ‘Face me.’

I do as I’m told, turning back around to look at him, finding an expression of pure determination as he lifts me back onto the island. I rest my hands on his shoulders, but he grasps them, and I reluctantly let him guide them down to the worktop so I’m gripping the edge.

‘The hands stay here.’ he says firmly as he releases them, backing up his demand with that confident tone. He hooks his fingers in the top of my knickers and tugs at them. ‘Lift.’

I push my weight onto my arms, lifting my backside off of the worktop so he can draw them down my legs, lowering myself back down when I’m free from the constraints of my underwear. I’m stark naked, and he’s still fully dressed. And he doesn’t look like he has any intention of removing his clothes anytime soon. I want to see that chest. I move my hands from the edge of the counter to the hem of his shirt.