They got a taxi back to the hotel. Matt sat in the back with Cara, and neither of them spoke. Cara was boiling with nerves in case he made a move. She knew she would have to decline but she wasn’t sure how that might go.

She started as she felt his hand move over hers. He made no other move, he just held her hand until they were back at the Pavilion hotel. After he paid the driver he walked with her back into the lobby.

"I’m not going to ask you to come up for a nightcap because it would be blatantly obvious I didn’t just want a drink," he said. "But I would like you to come up. I don’t want this evening to end just yet and it’s not private here."

Cara didn’t want the evening to end either. For a moment she wavered, feeling as though she was on one side of a line that probably shouldn’t be crossed.

"I can come up for a bit," she said.

They went up in the elevator to his floor, which was higher up than hers. He opened the door and ushered her in.

Like her room it was immaculate. The sheets taut and pristine over the bed. Anything that Matt might have left strewn around was tidied away by the chambermaids.

He had a sea view from his balcony, the same as hers, and she went over to the window to look at the ocean. The moon shone silver on the waters.

She felt him step behind her. His arms went around her and for a moment they stood there.

Then he turned her towards him, wordlessly, and brushed a curl of hair off her face.

The next moment his lips were on hers, hard, urgent. She felt her body swoon into his kiss almost like a kind of relief. His tongue was probing her, exploring her and she reciprocated.

Cara was glad that the room was dark. He hadn’t turned any lights on, the only illumination came from lights outside and the moon over the ocean.

Her head was swimming. She was alone with this man in his room, it was clear where things were leading.

And she wanted him badly.

His hand supported the small of her back as he continued to embrace her. He kissed down her neck and onto her shoulder, slipping down the thin strap so her skin was bare against his lips.

She ran her hands over his back, feeling the heat of his skin through his shirt and the muscle of his back. He was so much taller and stronger than her. Knowing his superior strength - how she was literally in his hands - gave her a shivery feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She could smell the heat of him, the faint trace of soap, the maleness.

Matt ran his fingers through her hair, freeing it so it tumbled down loose about her shoulders. Cara felt wanton: her dress nearly slipping off, her hair unbound.

Then his hand moved to her ribs, his thumb brushing the side of her breast as he held her to him. His hands were strong yet gentle, insistent but not hurting her.

Somehow he manoeuvred her towards the bed, pushing her down onto the white covers. He was firm but not rough.

Her hair was spilling over the pillow and she looked up into his eyes, dark in the dim light, but she could still see the intensity there. Because she felt the same.

Slowly he slipped her dress down, exposing her bra, down to her stomach. He unclasped it and ran his hands over her breasts, her naked skin thrilling to his touch.

"God you’re beautiful," he told her.

Before she could find words to respond to him his lips were on hers again, passionate, tasting her, teasing her. He trailed kisses down her throat, over the top of her breasts. His mouth went over her nipple and drew it in and she cried out.

His other hand was on her wrist, holding her arm above her head, pinning her down while he devoured her body. Cara was helpless with desire for him.

Then both his hands were on her dress, pulling it all the way down. Just a thin triangle of silk covered her from him.

Matt was still fully clothed, and for a moment he pressed himself against her. She felt the cotton of his shirt crushed against her body, the fabric of his jeans along her legs. His long, hard thigh muscles. His athletic weight.

He covered her. He was kissing her, enjoying the feeling of having this naked girl below him, willing and desiring of him as he was of her.

But he wanted to feel her body directly against his. He ripped off his shirt and moulded her against him. Their mutual heat burned.

Cara adored the feeling of him on top of her. She couldn’t move - he was weighing her down - but she squirmed and as she did so she felt the hardness of him through his jeans.

It gave her a mental jolt. It was clear what he wanted. Was she ready for this? She tried not to feel nervous but she had no idea how this would go.

Given how long she had delayed this, with Declan wanting to do the old-fashioned thing and have a virgin in his marriage bed, she was unsure if she should let Matt do this to her now. Was it too quick, too soon?

But maybe it was becoming a burden. Maybe it was time she finally let herself go and passed from girlhood to womanhood. Then at least she could decide whether it was worth it.

While she had been thinking these thoughts Matt had stripped off the rest of his clothes. She felt his maleness against her thigh. She sensed how large it was and it made her a little fearful.

Should she tell him this was her first time? She couldn’t think of a way to do so that wouldn’t be completely awkward. And what if he found it unappealing, or rejected her?

No, it was time for resolve. Her body melted at his touch, her skin was on fire from his caresses and she wanted more of him. She wanted all of him.

Suddenly he had moved down, and his hands moved her thighs apart. Cara had never been this exposed to a man before. She wished she had had a few more drinks to take the edge off her nerves now. But his touch was so electric that she got over her qualms.

She felt him kiss up her inner thigh, toward her centre. Then his lips were on the thin fabric of her underwear, brushing over her sensitive flesh beneath. She could feel the silk clinging to her, growing wet from her own desire and from the heat of his breath.

Then he moved it to the side and worked his way between her lips, his tongue slipping between them. Cara was starting to whimper with pleasure, even though she was still hesitant.

He paused for a moment: "You taste amazing." Then his tongue slid back, flat and firm against her, and he wrapped his arms around her hips to pull her into his mouth.

His hands moved over her breasts as he teased her, going slightly and slowly over her most sensitive nub, slowly building the intensity. He was holding her on the brink and she was pressing against him, wanting and needing more.

He stopped and she nearly wept with wanting him to continue. But his fingers were now hooking through her underwear, drawing it down her thighs, over her legs, pulling off her last defence and barrier.

Matt was already naked and she felt him move her thighs apart with his knees. He was gentle but he was also insistent. He couldn’t wait much longer. He was the one in control, and he needed release.

He kissed up her body again, over her breasts, taking her nipple into his mouth and swirling his tongue around it. Sucking it in hard, almost painful, but she still wanted more.

Then she felt his hardness pressing against her. She was so wet and slick from his caresses that despite his size he managed to push inside her easily, just a few millimetres, teasing her by holding back from going further.

Cara was more nervous yet also more weak with desire than she thought possible. This was it. There was no going back. She could see from the dark heat in his gaze how much he needed her. How much he wanted her.

His mouth came down on hers again and he thrust inside her: one long, hard, hot stroke. Despite a momentary pain she felt her body drawing him in and they lay there together for a second, he was fully inside her, as deep and close as he could be. Tight, stretching her around him.

Then he withdrew, slowly, not quite leaving her and pushed back into her, slower again. It still hurt but Cara loved the sensation of him filling her and being deep inside her.

He repeated the long, slow strokes several times and gradually it started to feel easier. The initial discomfort shifted into a warm, sensual ache. She found herself instinctively moving her hips up towards him to feel him even harder and deeper.

It was a union. It was as though they were both trying to be as close to one another as possible, fully joined.

Matt’s body was so closely pressed against hers that when he rocked into her, he was grinding against her most sensitive area. Each time Cara felt herself gasp as the pressure built there, wanting and needing more and more.

Now he was increasing his speed and the hardness of his thrusts. His head was buried in her neck, she felt him murmur something but she couldn’t make it out.

He raised himself above her, still driving into her, making her nearly sob from the sensation.

"Christ Cara…" He could barely speak. "You are so incredible…"

Cara looked up at his face, his skin and hair damp from the heat generated between them as hers was. She was awed that she had such an effect on him.

She had been worried that she wouldn’t be able to satisfy him due to her lack of experience. But his obvious reaction to her - the intensity with which he was pushing into her - clearly showed his desire.

It erased her anxieties. It allowed her to let herself go, to abandon herself to the sensations he was arousing in her body.

His hands were on her breasts, his lips once again on hers.

Faster, harder.

Then just as she thought her body couldn’t be wound up any more she felt like she was falling. A bright, white light flickered out from between her legs and uncoiled throughout her stomach, radiating to the sensitive buds of her nipples that he was fondling. Everything was tight, drawn, connected.

She could hear herself crying out but it was like hearing someone else. Matt drew in his breath sharply and suddenly arched his back, gripped her hips and thrust into her as deep as he could go. He held himself there, not letting her go, forcing her against his body.

She felt him swell, become harder than ever, then pulse within her.

Then he collapsed on her, both of them wet, sated, exhausted. They lay there for a while recovering.

Then Matt rolled over to one side. His arm was still across Cara’s body and he left it there. "Stay with me."

She looked at him but before she could respond she saw that his eyes were already closed. He was sleeping.

Not wanting to wake him, she lay there with the weight of his arm keeping her close to him. Her head was still whirling, her body tingling and rushing. But the sound of his even breathing began to soothe her, and soon she fell asleep beside him.