the rusty door and eased herself out to drink in her new neighborhood. The heady fragrance of the flowers washed over her. She made her way to the sidewalk, noting the black shutters that framed every window of the house, the front door painted a muted red in welcome.
The house was gorgeous. She adored every last detail. Even more when the front door swung open, and Dylan came into sight.
She sank back against Bessie’s warmth as he loped down the three stairs to the walkway, a slow, sexy smile spreading across his face. He’d cut his hair short and crisp. The ends of his unknotted tie flapped in the breeze on either side of his unbuttoned oxford shirt. He looked as he did the first time she’d seen him, a delightfully, sexily undone professor, fresh from teaching class, showing off the carved beauty of his chest like a tease. Except he looked happier, and that warmed her from the inside out. They’d been apart for only a week, but her libido screamed as if it had been a century.
He growled in a low, sexy voice as he came in like a fighter jet landing, “I’ve been waiting for you all day, woman.”
She squealed as he seized her and hauled her off the ground. He spun her around on the sidewalk. Her head fell back, and the tree boughs blurred in her dizzy sight.
“Missed me, did you?” She clutched his head, dropping her chin to focus on his hungry blue eyes. “I missed you so much.”
She leaned down for a kiss. Their mouths locked, and suddenly they were in the deep woods, light dappling their naked bodies, his hands roaming. Not another lucid thought passed through her mind until he reluctantly pulled away.
His grin lit up the world. “That’s the kind of welcome I was hoping for.”
She could barely feel her toes, her body was so alive with sensation, her mind bright with joy.
He put her back down but didn’t let her go. “How was your visit with your sister?”
“She’s good. We’re both good. We’re all good.” They had talked and cried and cried and talked. When she’d left this morning, their hug had lasted an age. “She can’t wait to meet you.”
“The feeling’s mutual. Let’s drive down during the October break.”
She nodded. She couldn’t stop touching him, his jaw, his throat, the collar of his shirt. “The article will be online by then.”
He raised his brows. “You finished it?”
“In two days. It rushed out of me.” Was it the chill in the air? The freshness of the breeze? Around Dylan, she felt so alive. “I had to write it quickly, while the experience was still fresh.”
“I’m pleased.” His smile went sly. “That means you’ll be all mine for the next few days. Nothing to distract your attention.”
“Not for a while.” She dragged her hands down his chest and glanced beyond him to the house. “We can unload this car later…if you want to show me around my new bedroom.”
His smile dimmed. “About that—”
Someone shouted her name. Casey leaned past Dylan and saw, at the top of the stairs, Anne waving with a wicked look on her face.
Dylan muttered, without turning around, “I did warn you about my family.”
“How did they know I was coming?”
“My bad. I called Garrick at his new winery a few days ago.” He twisted to face his sister, who looked like a cat that got into the cream as she wandered down the walkway. “During the conversation, I made the mistake of telling him you were moving in today. Garrick then gave my brother Bill a friendly call with the news. They’re both pranksters. I’ll be having words with both of them later.”
“I’m glad they’re here.” She stepped out of his embrace and returned Anne’s wave. “I wish they were about an hour later, though.”
“You and me both.”
“I’m still getting used to this.” She leaned into him. “It feels really good to be welcomed home by family.”
He dropped a kiss on her forehead as more MacCabes tumbled out of the house, shouting greetings. Casey’s heart lightened. Life was unpredictable, but some of the surprises were beautiful. Like this day, this home, this family, and, most of all, this man.
Anne stopped at the end of the walkway, gifting them with a teasing, mile-wide smile. “Stop staring at each other, lovebirds. This van isn’t going to unload itself.”
“Anne, I’m so glad you’re here.” Casey took Dylan’s hand and tugged him around to the back of the van. “We