Page 40 of Off the Grid
She snorted, but wrapped her arms around his shoulders, nestling her head into the nook below his neck, relishing the warmth emanating from his skin as she shivered. His body was firm but comfortable. Beneath her arms, his muscles writhed, taut and unyielding. He made her feel light as air as he marched determinedly forward, eyes focused and acute.
The wind howled and the trees groaned in protest.
“Do you see anything?”
McKenzie shook her head against his chest. “No, I—”
They both froze at the same time as a set of steps appeared through the haze, leading nowhere, like the very edge of a stairway to heaven. Leo ran. After two steps, the squish of mud was replaced with the slap of boots on asphalt. A driveway—they’d reached a driveway. With each step closer, the house gained more and more detail—a wide uncovered porch and great sweeping windows, brown shingles and a sharply angled roof, but mostly, a bright red front door. Leo tried the knob, but it was locked. He rang the doorbell, once, twice. There was no response. He pounded his fist into the wooden surface.
“Hello! Is anyone home? This is a federal agent! We need help!”
He waited a minute, then two, but the house seemed empty.
“Can’t we just break in?” McKenzie asked.
Leo tossed her a look.
“Trust me, burglary isn’t my first choice either, but we have to get out of this storm. They might have food. We can use their phone. If an alarm goes off, then half our work is already done—the police will be on their way to come save us.”
He sighed, face twisting, then relented. “We need a wire or something.”
“Done. Put me down.”
Leo eyed her warily, but slowly set her back down on her feet, keeping one of his hands on her waist to help steady her. McKenzie reached back and slipped her fingers beneath her shirt to unlatch her bra. She tugged the straps over her shoulders and down her arms, then slipped the whole thing out and handed it to Leo triumphantly. He eyed the nude lace resting in his palm for a moment and swallowed slowly.
“The underwire,” she explained.
“Right!” His entire body twitched. “Right. Just let me…”
He lifted the cup to his lip and bit down on the edge, then tugged the material in two. The muscles in her stomach tightened. Suddenly, being cold wasn’t so much of a problem anymore.
“Okay,” he murmured as he pulled the wire free and knelt in front of the door. He twisted his wrist back and forth, jiggling the wire in the lock and trying the knob, until—
It swung open.
Leo stood and reached one arm around her waist, then pulled her toward him. Lifting her off the ground, he stepped into the house and kicked the door shut behind them. The world went from wild chaos to taut silence in an instant. McKenzie’s now-freed breasts pressed against his hard chest, nothing but two slips of wet fabric between them. She looked up. He glanced down. The heat in his eyes was a furnace, warming her to her core. The arm wrapped behind her back loosened, and she slid slowly down his frame. They held their stare the entire time, even as the toes of her unhurt foot landed softly against the floor. Leo didn’t let go.
A drop of water slid off his nose and splashed hers.
The spell broke.
He stepped back and looked away, gaze jumping in every direction except for hers.
“No alarm.” His deep voice cut through the quiet. Leo reached his arm toward the wall and flipped a switch she hadn’t noticed. “No lights. Electricity must be out. We should try the phones.”
His voice fell to a whisper as he turned around to face her. McKenzie stood in place, not entirely sure what to do. His gaze dropped to her toes, then traveled slowly back up, taking its time. Midway up her chest, it stopped. He spun on his heels. McKenzie glanced down, immediately understanding the sudden shift. White shirt, no bra, plus torrential rain, meant unintentional peep show.
Well, that’s…fabulous.
She crossed her arms over her chest, shivering again.
“There’ve got to be towels around here somewhere,” he grumbled, searching the closet near the door. “Aha!”
He shoved one in her general direction, careful to keep his eyes focused on the opposite wall.
“Thanks,” she muttered, taking it and turning around.
McKenzie wasn’t normally a modest person, but as she peeled her wet shirt off and slid her pants over her hips, her pulse raced. Her nerves were on overdrive. The wet slap of cotton hitting stone made her entire body jolt.Was that his shirt, his pants, or…something else?McKenzie bent forward and shook her head back and forth as she rubbed the towel against her scalp, drying her wet hair.Doesn’t matter.
