A delighted expression crossed his face when he opened the door of a black SUV for her. “Were you intimating I might have extra appendages, princess?”
She hurriedly climbed inside and busied herself with the seat belt. Luckily, he didn’t expect an answer and closed the door, trotting around the hood to get to the driver’s side. Allegra’s muscles had almost relaxed when Dylan turned to her with smiling hazel eyes.
“Are you intending to answer? I mean, it’s only polite since you started the conversation.”
“Something happened to me when I crossed the International Dateline. The traversal broke my verbal filter. That’s the only explanation,” Allegra said, striving for an earnest tone.
“Is that right?”
“Are you flirting with me?” Allegra’s breath caught. Was that interest in his bright gaze?
“If you need to ask, I must not be doing it right. How about I make the situation clearer for both of us?” Dylan’s warm breath sent shivers down Allegra’s spine.
He leaned closer, his big hands cupping her face. Allegra’s heart pounded so hard she could feel it in her throat. She looked into Dylan’s eyes, losing herself in their deep hazel. He was so close now, his lips almost brushing hers.
Without a word, Dylan closed the minuscule gap, capturing her lips in a sensual kiss. Allegra responded eagerly, running her hands through his hair as he deepened the contact, his tongue exploring her mouth.
Lost in their passionate embrace, their bodies melded together, and their lips moved in perfect harmony. Allegra’s head spun, responding to Dylan in a way she hadn’t for another man. When they eventually separated, the warmth of his lips lingered, and her pulse raced like a wolf running at top speed.
Dylan pressed his forehead against hers, his inhalations heavy and labored. His warm breath tickled her cheek. “Wow,” he murmured, his voice husky. “I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you.”
The kiss left Allegra speechless, her mind spinning. She wanted more, but reality intruded. With a sigh, she pulled away from Dylan and tried to compose herself.
“Let’s get going,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t wait to see what this town offers.”
Dylan made a grumbly sound. “I’d rather kiss you again, but I did promise to give you a tour.”
“You did, and your sister has a formidable temper. You know not to cross her.”
Dylan pulled a face. “Is that a threat?”
Allegra pressed her lips together, that cursed heat in her cheeks again. She’d blushed more in front of him than in the entire previous year. But Dylan’s presence also gave her a sense of security, liberating her to feel at ease. Bolstered further by this thought, she reached out and touched his knee. His rich forest scent filled her lungs, adding to the attraction simmering through her. He smelled amazing. She wouldn’t be averse to rubbing against him and taking on the same scent.
Dylan turned onto the gravel road, and Allegra surveyed the scenery with more interest. Chestnut-colored cattle grazed in several of the paddocks they passed before reaching the tarmac. She spied two single-level houses, one with two horses lazing in front. Ahead, a bright blue vehicle chugged along the road, and they joined the line of cars behind it.
“Is that a tractor?” Allegra asked in surprise.
“Yes, you get used to meeting farm vehicles since this area is rural. You’ll see stock trucks, too.”
The town proper was smaller than anything Allegra had conjured in her mind. There was a single main street that they drove along at a snail’s pace because it appeared the tractor was traveling in the same direction. Dylan pointed out the school and the community hall. The female-run motor vehicle garage and a dress shop, a superette, the newly opened town bank, and the offices of the vet/shifter doctor.
“You and Esther haven’t lived here long. I thought you loved Scotland.”
“We did, but we had pack problems. Our alpha fell in love with a feline shifter who lived in Middlemarch. Rory gave us the option of staying on the clan lands in Scotland or following him to Middlemarch. Esther and I gambled on a complete change. We haven’t regretted our decision for a moment.”
“I wish I could move here, too. It seems peaceful. Instead, I’ll need to return to Val-de-Loups and sort out my problems.” She heaved out a dispirited sigh.
“Do you have a strategy in mind?”
Allegra pulled a face. “I thought I’d start at the beginning and write a list of what I know, what I suspect, and plausible scenarios to right the wrongs. Who knows? Writing stuff down might jog a brainwave free.”
“Your parents and brother didn’t die that long ago. Sorry,” he added when she winced. He clasped her hand in a brief squeeze of sympathy before withdrawing. “What I was trying to ask in my bumbling, tactless way—was there anything suspicious about their deaths?”
“The police never apprehended their killer. There were no witnesses—at least not credible ones. My parents and Pierre rarely attended the same functions because they liked to visit and discuss matters with a wide range of residents. When they split their duties, they covered more ground.”
Dylan parked behind a muddy farm truck and switched off the ignition. “This is the cafe.”
Someone had transformed an old house, and its quaint charm was undeniable. Allegra noticed the bike rack outside, filled with several bicycles, and the beautiful rose bushes bearing pink and white blooms edged the path leading to a verandah. Four hanging baskets, full of vibrant purple petunias, swayed in the gentle breeze.
