Breaking Away (Delta Force Strong #3) - Elle James Page 0,18

sent her toward the bathroom.

“Mac,” Rucker’s voice sounded through the door’s paneling.

“Coming,” Mac responded. “Go on,” he said to Kylie.

She snatched her shirt, bra and trousers from the floor and ran for the bathroom, closing the door in time for Mac to open the outer one.

Kylie dressed quickly, her pulse pounding through her veins. She couldn’t wait to see Mac again. She had a sudden, irrational fear that she would open the bathroom door and he wouldn’t be there. Finding him, out of all the military personnel the U.S. had sent to the country, already seemed to be a minor miracle. Maybe she’d dreamed it all.

After she was fully dressed, she ran a brush through her hair in an attempt to tame the wild tangles left over from going to sleep with damp hair. Giving up, she pulled her hair back in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck.

With a quick glance at her reflection, she sucked in a deep breath and opened the bathroom door.

The room was empty.

Her breath caught and held in her throat as she raced across the room to the door leading into the hallway. Without slowing to press her eye to the peephole, she yanked open the door and ran into Mac’s back.

“Oh,” he said and turned. “There you are. Blade, Josh and Rucker are heading out in search of food. Anything in particular you might like to eat?”

She shook her head. “Josh knows what I like. I’ll trust your selections,” she said to Rucker. “As long as it’s not raw.”

“That leaves our choices wide open.” Rucker glanced from Kylie to Mac and shook his head. “You probably don’t care as long as we get out there and get back.”

“You got that right,” Mac said. “In the meantime, we’ll remain holed up in our room until you return.”

“It’s a tough job…” Dash started.

“But someone has to do it,” Mac finished.

Dash snorted. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll stick around and provide backup for you guys. I thought I’d stake out the lobby and circle the building to look for any potential dangers. I’ll have on my earbud headset.” He touched a finger to his ear. “Mac, you might want to keep yours on. If anything happens, I’ll be able to relay information to you quickly.”

Mac nodded. “I’ll put it on as soon as we go back into our room.”

“We’ll have ours on as well,” Rucker said. “If we see anything, we’ll relay the information to you. Any questions?”

They all shook their heads.

“Take care of yourselves and remain alert,” Rucker said. “Ahktar’s men play for keeps.”

Mac led Kylie back into their room and closed the door. He crossed to his bulletproof vest and fished in one of the pockets for a small headset and pressed it into his ear.

“Comm check,” he said and waited. “I read you loud and clear. Hurry back. Getting hungry here.” He glanced across at her. “What do you want to do while we’re waiting for our food to arrive?”

Kylie rubbed her arms. “I don’t know.” She tilted her head toward the television. “We could see if there’s a news channel.”

“It could be fun guessing what they’re saying,” he said. “Or we can sit and talk.”

She glanced toward the bedroom. “I’d suggest going back to bed, but…”

His lips twisted. “Without Rucker and Blade as backup, it might not be a good idea.”

“We could make out?” she suggested, batting her eyelashes.

He growled and stalked toward her. “Excellent idea.” Scooping her up, he carried her to the couch, sat with her in his lap and nuzzled her ear. “I’ve missed this.”

“Me, too.” She leaned her head back to give him better access to her neck.

She hoped the guys would take a little longer finding their food. Making out with Mac was more important. Who knew when they might run into each other again?

Chapter 6

Mac tasted Kylie’s skin from her earlobe to the base of her throat where her pulse beat strong and fast. He couldn’t get enough of her.

All too soon, she’d leave on the next plane out of Afghanistan. Then what?

His arms tightened around her. He didn’t want to let go. Not now…not ever.

“What next, Kylie?” he murmured against her skin.

“My breast,” she answered, her voice breathy as if she couldn’t get enough air in her lungs.

He chuckled and raised his head. “No, I mean what’s next for us?”

She sighed and leaned her forehead against his. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

“I know how important your career is to you,” he said. “I would