But I’m not about to question my knight in period clothing, not with his fingers rubbing a reassuring circle on the small of my back that makes my skin feel like I’m being invaded by an army of fire ants, but in agoodway.
“She never said she wasn’t interested—” Danny’s eyes narrow. “Hey, I know you. You’re that recluse who lives in the big house outside of the village?—”
I’ve stopped listening to Danny because Aragorn is peering intently at my face. His hand grazes my cheek, making my skin tingle. He seems to be steeling himself for something.
He tips my head backand kisses me.
Woah.
What is happening right now?
His lips are cool, probably because he’s come in from the freezing weather outside. But the way he holds me with casual possession makes my whole body burn. For a single heartbeat, the kiss is chaste. But then he pushes against me gently, then a little harder, to force my lips apart with his tongue.
I open for him, and his tongue loosens something inside me that’s been tied up in knots for too long. My heart hammers against my chest and I’m worried that I’m doing everything wrong, that I’ve forgotten how to kiss.
Surly Aragorn is a method actor, fully committing himself to the role of my devoted boyfriend. His hand cups my cheek as he tips my head back to deepen the stroke of his tongue. He tastes of winter spices – cardamon and ginger – and something else. Something delicious.
It’s the kind of kiss that Taylor Swift would write a hit song about.
I’m dimly aware of Danny shouting some more and stomping out the door. The rest of the pub has hushed to watch the scene, but I don’t want to think about them because that will mean the kiss will be over. This man will go back to being a stranger and I’ll go back to being boring Winnie Preston who never does anything spontaneous or wild.
But I feel wild now – wild and untethered. I reach up and run my hand through his dark curls, letting the silky threads fall through my fingers. He tugs at my lip with teeth that are a little sharp, and a throaty moan erupts from my throat.
Did I just make that noise?
Yes. Yes, I did.
And I do it again as his lips lay a trail across my jaw, along my neck. He pauses, scraping his sharp teeth over my skin. I feel his body tremble, as though he’s on the edge of control. And I find myself melting against him, begging him for something I don’t understand …
He draws back, his features tight. “He will not bother you again,” he says, his voice formal, as if he wasn’t still kneading the skin of my backwith his fingers.
My skin burns with embarrassment. He’s just being nice, and I’m ready to climb him like the property ladder.
“Thank you so much.” I wave to Lilac. I need another G&T to burn off the mortification of this moment. She hurries over and I turn back to my mysterious rescuer. “Can I buy you a?—”
But he’s gone.
Vanished into thin air.
I glance towards the door, but I can’t see him. He’s not moving between the empty outdoor tables or splashing across the village green.
How did he manage to sneak off so stealthily?
I shuffle into the corner and pat the stool where he’d been sitting before he came over to rescue me. His wine glass has disappeared. The stool is ice cold, as if no one had sat there for some time.
“Did you see where that man went?” I ask Lilac as I settle into the vacated seat. She sets down a basket of wedges loaded with cheese, bacon and a generous dollop of sour cream.
“What man?”
“The one who saved me from Danny? He had a glass of red wine. He was standing right there, and then … poof.” I wave my arms around to indicate the empty space. “He’s gone, like magic.”
Lilac slides a new drink across the bar to me. “If I were you, I’d forget that you ever met him. He’s more trouble than ten Danny O’Hares, you mark my words. Now, how about I get you that roast dinner to go with your cheese wedges?”
CHAPTER TWO
THE KILLER
Danny O’Hare leaves the pub in a hurry, the collar of his coat pulled up over his head in a vain attempt to protect his mop of ginger curls from the downpour. Danny loves to fuss over his hair. He thinks it’s his best feature.
