“Go home without me,” she said.
Brother and sister exchanged a look, and Allegra intercepted Dylan’s faint incline of the head. Allegra would’ve said more, but Dylan took her arm and propelled her away.
“What? I’m not allowed to tease Esther. She’s quite happy to give me a hard time.”
“Has it crossed your mind that Esther might have intentionally left us alone?”
“You want privacy with me?” Allegra stopped walking, jerking to him in surprise. What she saw in his face made her burn—in a good way.
She hadn’t had a date for… Wow, three years. Life at the chateau was like living inside a fishbowl, and she refused the gossip for herself or any man she liked, so she’d abstained.
Now… Dylan tempted her.
“Nothing to say about that?”
“I must return to Val-des-Loups. This is a break to get my head together, devise a plan to survive, and help my people,” she stated, sticking to the facts despite her inner struggle. They had no future when they lived on different sides of the world.
His expression went hard and reading it—impossible. She blinked, but that implacable visage remained.
“Let’s go,” he said.
It was a short drive to Esther and Dylan’s home, and they accomplished the journey without a single word spoken. The silence zinged with tension rather than their outward trip’s ease and laughter.
Dylan pulled up outside his home and slid her a sideways glance. “Suppose I said I didn’t care about the future? What if I told you I only want now?”
“A concise explanation, please, so I understand your meaning.”
“I want you,” he said, and his words were stark and unhappy.
“You don’t seem pleased about that.”
“Because I’m cursing at the fuckin’ timing. My life is here in Middlemarch. I’ve made a commitment to the town and our pack. Your life is in Val-des-Loups. You have your own set of obligations. But that doesn’t stop my wolf from craving you. I want to strip off every item of clothing and mold your shape with my hands. I’ll lick and kiss you. Slide my cock into your receptive and sexy body. Tell me you don’t want that either.”
Allegra closed her eyes, every inhalation full of his amber, musky scent. The fragrance of the outdoors clung to his skin, too, and it was so enticing.
“Allegra?”
Her breath whooshed out. “Yes.”
5
Dylan breathed out a sigh of relief. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Allegra all night, and he’d subtly laid claims of ownership with the other Middlemarch males. No doubt he’d score a heap of teasing from his friends, but in this instant, he didn’t give a fuck. When Allegra had shifted, he’d stared, and now he’d imprinted every inch of her beautiful body on his mind.
God, he desired her so much that his hands trembled. If he wasn’t holding onto the steering wheel, this would be apparent. Dylan schooled his body to obedience and climbed from the vehicle. By the time he rounded the hood, Allegra had exited the SUV and stood waiting for him.
He extended his hand, and she gripped it without hesitation. Though her hand was small, he knew not to underestimate her strength. Allegra possessed a steel backbone and would undoubtedly become an influential leader once she resolved the issues in her kingdom. However, he pushed these thoughts to the recesses of his mind.
Take what you can get. Use this valuable time with Allegra—the privacy that Esther has given you.
He tugged Allegra toward the rear door and unlocked it, standing aside to usher her indoors. “Would you like a drink?”
“No thanks. I need a shower.”
Disappointment seared him. Had he misunderstood?
Allegra glanced over her shoulder. “I’ll need someone to scrub my back. Your shower is roomy enough for two.”
Relief almost took him out at the knees. “You start. I’ll be there shortly.” He needed to give himself a talking to and tell his wolf to calm the hell down. There would be no biting or marking. “Ground rules,” he murmured and relocked the door. Although this was a safe community, he wanted to protect Allegra. A mystery gunman had shot at her, and who knew if they’d followed her to Middlemarch.
