His cock twitched as she bent over to pick up the tools she dropped.Boone moved in to assist, but she was already working at the padlock once more.
He shoved his prior thoughts down almost as quickly as they’d arisen, but hell.Radley was pretty much his ideal woman.And they’d have to remain no more than friends.
She picked the lock with expert ease, handing it to him as she put her tools away.Boone set the padlock aside and followed Radley into the cabin, his lips quirking as she insisted on going first.He’d have no problem letting her go first in some instances—in bed, beneath him, crying out his name in pleasure.
Fuck, he was such a goner.
The floor creaked as he stepped inside the cabin, and Boone aimed his flashlight around the space, noting the empty room.Radley was already walking in like she owned the place, heading toward the hallway.
“Did you search the rooms in the back?”he asked.
“Just a brief sweep.”
He clenched his jaw as he moved further inside, frowning at the sawdust on the ground.Radley’s gaze followed his own.“There’s a lot of sawdust out back, too.They were building the crates here.”
“But not filling them?”he mused.
Radley shrugged.“There was no evidence of that, but the place was mostly deserted.Maybe they were continuing to make crates while searching for a new location to send shipments from.”
“All right.Let’s move further in.”
“Yes, sir,” Radley joked.
“You’re trouble, kitten,” Boone chided as he moved after her down the hallway.He was close enough to breathe in her sweet scent, and suddenly he hated the idea of Radley searching this place alone.“You were supposed to wait for me the other day.”
“We’ve already been over that, soldier,” Radley said, entering the first room.She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder, aiming a flashlight around the space but shooting him a sly look as he aimed his own light into the room.
Boone frowned at her but moved to the closet.He yanked open the door, noting it was as empty as the room.
The second room was more of the same—bare, but with a pile of sawdust near the window.“This is weird,” Radley said, shining her flashlight on the floor and moving closer.“It looks like something is written in the sawdust.”
“What?”Boone asked.
He walked toward her, then paused, the hair on the back of his neck suddenly standing up.Radley crouched down as Boone swung his flashlight back to the hallway, suddenly feeling uneasy.He didn’t hear anything but somehow sensed they were no longer alone.Boone took a step closer to the door.
“Yeah.Someone wrote something...,” Radley said, oblivious to any possible danger.“Shit.”
“What’s it say?”Boone asked in a low voice, keeping his eyes on the hall as Radley remained crouched down by the window.
“Help.Someone wrote the wordhelpin sawdust.”
***
THE SOUND OF A DOORslamming shut had Radley jolting in surprise, and then she sprang up and was running from the bedroom, Boone right on her tail.“Rad—wait!”
Their footsteps thumped down the hall, and the daylight coming in before was completely gone.The living room was complete darkness aside from the beams of their flashlights.
“Shit!”Radley said, rattling the front door.“I took the padlock with me the other day so this wouldn’t happen.”
“I was too busy chasing your ass inside to stop and grab it,” Boone retorted.
Radley rolled her eyes.“And yet you’re the one who caused this particular problem.You left the padlock outside.Now we’re locked in the damn cabin!”She shook the door again, Boone grumbling beside her.
“Let me try.”He gently brushed her hands to the side, and Radley tried to ignore the electricity sparking between them.Even in her panicked state of alarm, she was acutely aware of Boone’s big frame.He smelled good—of male and wood and spice.And the heat from his solid body was comforting.He wasn’t panicking like her—he was pissed.Handing her his flashlight, he shook the door himself.When it didn’t so much as budge, he took a few steps back.“I’m going to try to breach it.”
She nodded, biting her lip, and watched as Boone hurled his big body at the door.He hit the solid wood with anoomph,but staggered back, cursing.
“Let’s use the table,” Radley suggested.