Unknown
Road
Somewhere in rural Virginia
"Unbelievable. This is just...unbelievable," Mac reiterated, unable to come up with a better word for their current situation.
"What? It’s not like I purposely TRIED to get us lost, Mac," Harm stated, irritated that, as the man and in charge, he should have been able to get them to the Halloween party without having to stop and ask for directions.
"No, but you could have stopped back at that gas station and asked," she insisted, turning in her seat to look out the window. Rain pelted the car causing visibility to be nil, but still she looked, choosing the blurry scenery over her riding companion.
He looked so good, dressed up in his costume, the gangster type suit and fedora only enhancing his already impressive features. He looked dark, dangerous, and good enough to eat. He’d even went so far as to rent a 1936 Chevrolet Sedan, for which she just knew he had spent a small fortune, just so they would completely look the part.
Honestly, she had been more than a little taken aback when he’d suggested she dress to match him for the JAG Halloween party, but she’d been touched as well. He’d been wonderful to her lately. So, of course, she had to agree, and now here she sat in her circa 1930's vintage outfit, complete with hat and naughty under-things. Of course, he didn’t know about those, but it was hard to ignore the flair in his eyes when he’d picked her up at her apartment that evening and saw her for the first time. She looked like something out of a fetish catalog, and Mac couldn’t help but feel a little powerful at the hungry look in his eyes. She smiled at the thought.
"Okay, now that’s a little scary. One minute you’re mad at me, the next you look like the cat that just ate the cream. What are you thinking about, Mac?" Harm asked, curiosity and amusement tinging his deep voice.
Now that was a loaded question. "Well, one, I’m thinking that we’re never going to get to this party tonight. And two," she hesitated to tell him the real reason, not sure how he’d take it.
"Yes?" he prodded, glancing over at her briefly before looking back at the road.
She shifted in her seat, uncomfortable. "That this rain is getting worse. We either need to turn back, or find some place to stop and wait it out."
Harm smothered a smile, knowing she had just hedged in telling him the truth. No woman smiled like Mac just did without a reason. But he decided to drop it, for now. "I agree, it’s getting damn tough to drive this thing. Only thing is, turning back would be just as bad; we’re in the middle of nowhere."
She twisted in her seat to face him, her arms crossed over her chest. "No kidding. I never would have guessed."
He looked at her, ready to retort, when her exposed thigh caught his attention. Her long tapered skirt had a high slit down the side and the material had fallen away to reveal the top of her hose and the clip of a garter belt. His mouth went dry.
The clearing of her throat raised his eyes level with hers. Her raised eyebrow and slight smile was enough to make the heat start creeping up his neck. All of a sudden it was really warm in the car. "I...um...well..."
Mac just shook her head and looked forward, and her breath promptly lodged in her throat. "Harm, look out!"
Jerking his head, he slammed on the breaks to keep from running into the wrought iron gate in front of them. The car skidded and fish-tailed before sliding to a halt an inch from the rusting metal.
Both Harm and Mac were breathing hard, stunned at the near miss. When he had gathered his wits enough to move, Harm unbuckled his seat belt and moved across the seat, his shaking hands immediately coming to rest on both sides of her face, bringing it level to his. "You okay, Mac?"
Unable to find her voice, Mac only nodded that she was. His thumbs brushed her cheek bones, his eyes searching hers for any sign of a falsehood on her part. When he seemed to be satisfied that she was indeed telling the truth, he brought her closer, his forehead coming to rest against hers until he could get his breathing under control.
Stunned by his reaction, Mac pulled back, her hand coming to rest on his cheek. "I’m fine."
Feeling the effects of her touch, and her nearness, Harm had the overwhelming urge to kiss her. He leaned in slowly, just about to brush his lips across hers, when the loud clanging of the gate caught their attention.
Before their eyes the gates began creaking open. The rain was falling even harder now it seemed, making it even more difficult to see. Harm looked around them and was only then aware that there was also nowhere else to go but forward. Straining to see, he could just barely make out the silhouette of a large house up on a hill at the end of the long and winding drive. "Well, would you look at that."
Mac followed the direction of his gaze and she too saw the eerie outline of what looked to be an old Victorian mansion in the distance. There was no way to tell from their current position if it was inhabited or not, but it didn’t look like they would have much choice but to find out. "Well, Hammer. What now?"
With a crooked smile he replied, "Guess we’re going up."