After what seemed like hours, they reached the familiar brick wall of the hotel. They hurried across the car park, the automatic doors opening for them and, just as quickly, shutting behind them, dulling but not eliminating the sounds of the storm.

Marnie, the receptionist, stared aghast as they caught their breaths, dripping water onto the polished floor. She disappeared as Hannah pushed her hood off her face.

‘Who’s this guy?’ Noah asked, taking off his own hood.

‘I don’t know, but he was getting drowned.’ The dog stared up at Hannah, Noah and then Daniel, his dark eyes intelligent. ‘I know he’s probably not allowed in the hotel, but I couldn’t leave him there.’

‘Of course not,’ Daniel said. ‘I’ve never seen him before, and I would have thought that if he belonged to someone in the village, I’d recognize him.’

The dog pulled a leg free from Hannah’s coat and pawed Noah’s arm. Now he was out of the storm, he seemed curious rather than frightened. Hannah unzipped her coat all the way, and the dog turned and licked her cheek.

‘He’s very cute,’ she said, ‘but I don’t know what to do with him.’

‘He can stay here for now,’ Daniel replied. ‘He can’t go back out in that.’ He took his phone out of his pocket and his expression softened. He pressed a button and held it to his ear, grinning when his call was answered. ‘Charlie, you made it home OK?’ He walked away from them as Marnie appeared with large, fluffy towels. She handed them out and then stopped, her eyes fixed on the dog.

‘We found him out in the storm,’ Hannah explained. ‘Daniel said it’s fine to keep him here for the moment. He doesn’t recognize him – do you?’

Marnie held out a hand and the dog sniffed it. ‘I’ve never seen him before. There’s no collar, either.’

‘He doesn’t look like a pedigree,’ Noah said. ‘Just a good old mutt. No offence, dog.’ He said it affectionately, ruffling the fur under its chin. When he unzipped his coat, Hannah could see his dark shirt was soaked, the cotton clinging to his torso.

‘Can I put the dog down?’ she asked Marnie, turning away from Noah.

‘Sure. He’s no more bedraggled than most of the guests this evening. I’ll make sure the floor is dried before anyone else walks on it.’

Hannah could see they’d all tracked in a fair amount of water, the stone even shinier than usual. She set the dog down gently and he started exploring, Marnie keeping a watchful eye on him. Hannah took the opportunity to dry her hair with the fluffy towel which, she realized with glee, was also warm. She took her time, running it over her hair and face, imagining the hot shower she would have when she got back to her room.

‘Better?’ Noah asked, when she emerged. He’d also dried his hair, and for the first time his curls were unleashed. They were thick and dark and unruly, and so gorgeous that Hannah didn’t know why he ever tried to hide them. He gave her a tentative smile, and she felt a surge of pure lust.