Page 12 of One More Time

She slipped past me, her arm brushing mine. That glancing touch sent a little jolt of electricity radiating outward. McKenna had an unsettling effect on me, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

Of course, she was beautiful. I still recalled the first time I’d seen her. Stepping out of my room on the ferry, I’d unintentionally opened the door right into her face. Even in the jumble of that moment, she’d been stunning. Just as she was now.

“There!” She swung the door open, and the crisp winter air gusted inside in a little swirl.

Reflexively, I reached above her, opening the door wider and gesturing her through. “Go ahead.”

After a beat of hesitation, she sidled past me. She carried a sweet scent, barely there with a hint of vanilla. I wanted to step closer and breathe her in. I followed her out onto the back deck. Just like the rest of the house, it was cute.

The small covered porch offered a view of the mountains and the harbor. There were two matching chairs and snow-covered flower boxes.

McKenna wrapped her arms around her waist, looking out toward the harbor. I wanted to step closer and slide my arms around her. My reaction to her was unexpected. Rather than dissipating, it was like an engine revving louder and faster.

“It sure is pretty here,” I offered.

Her eyes slid to mine. Her cheeks were a little pink from the cold. “It is.”

“Do you ever get tired of the view?”

She shook her head quickly. “Never.”

“Have you always lived here?”

“I was born and grew up here, but then I went away for college. Until about two years ago, we had our headquarters in Seattle.”

Our conversation was mundane, with nothing remarkable about it at all. Yet the entire time I looked at her, it felt as if sparks shimmered in the air. Chemistry sparked like a live wire between us.

In spite of that, I could also feel her reaction to it. She might as well have been waving a stop sign. I understood that all too well. She shivered, tightening her arms around her waist. That galvanized me.

“Let’s go back inside.” I reached for the doorknob, and it didn’t move. “It’s locked.”

McKenna let out a huff. “It has an automatic lock. I always forget.” She reached into her pocket before rolling her eyes. “I left the keys inside in my purse. The front door has a keypad. I’ll go around front.”

I glanced at the snow piled up around the edges of the porch. Just as I was about to offer to go around front myself, McKenna jumped off the steps into the snow.

I immediately followed. She glanced over her shoulder. “Are you worried about me in the snow? I can handle some snow. I grew up here.” She threw one arm in an arc. “I love snow! I can totally deal with it.”

“Okay, Miss I-can-totally-deal-with-it, I can too. But I can’t wait on the porch while you walk through the snow by yourself.”

With another glance back, she rolled her eyes. “It’s barely above my knees.” Her voice drifted over her shoulder as she turned forward again.

I chuckled. “Barely above your knees,” I muttered as I eyed the snow that was easily halfway up her thighs.

Her throaty laughter sizzled like a bolt of lightning in my system. Fuck me. This woman had tapped deep into a vein of need.

When she rounded the front corner of the house, her footsteps faltered, and she stumbled, letting out what sounded like a painful yelp.

I clambered through the snow to her side. “Are you okay?” I reflexively reached to steady her.

She drew in a breath through her teeth. “There’s a stupid boulder here. It’s decorative.” She looked up at me. “I forgot it was here.”

I glanced down to see that her jeans were torn where she scraped her knee, enough that a little blood was in the snow.

I wasn’t even thinking when I stepped closer and lifted her into my arms.

“What are you doing?” Her eyes were wide when I glanced down.

“You’re bleeding.” As if that explained everything.