Page 28 of Off the Grid
“No. I was—” He stopped abruptly and frowned, returning his attention to his backpack.
“You were what?” she asked, partly curious, partly just wanting to pry.
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
“What?”
“No, really. It’s nothing.”
The wistful edge to his tone made her remember her conversation with Jo moments before she’d been grabbed outside the restaurant. “Plane snacks.” She sighed. His gaze jumped up, finding hers, surprised. “You really were on your way to Hawaii?”
“How’d you—”
“Jo.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Leo glanced away and retrieved the Gatorade from the bag, then lifted it to his lips. He tipped his head back, drawing her eyes to his Adam’s apple as he took a long sip. His bronze skin glistened in the sun, covered with a fine layer of sweat. She dipped her gaze lower, noticing the way his black T-shirt stuck to his chest and molded to the contours of his muscles, bringing definition to what must have been very cut six-pack abs. She looked away as her throat, and maybe another part of her, tightened.
“Have some.” He offered her the bottle.
McKenzie took it and stared.How much of this is backwash and how much is actual Gatorade?She wasn’t a germaphobe necessarily. Good hygiene just made sense. But her throat felt raw it was so dry, her lips were one step away from cracking, and in the heat, she was already feeling a little light headed. Now wasn’t the time for her neuroses to come out of hiding. She took a tentative sip. As the liquid rushed down her throat, all her tension eased away and her shoulders dropped. She tilted her head back for more.
“Not too much,” he told her gently. “I’m not sure how long we’ll need that to last.”
She hastily ended her sip and shoved the bottle back in his direction. Leo offered her the opened bag of chocolate almonds, and she took a handful. Holding her palm before her face, McKenzie arranged the pieces by size, smallest to largest, then popped the tiniest in her mouth first.
“Do you always do that?” he asked, gesturing toward her hand as he reached into the bag, grabbed a few almonds, and threw them all into his mouth at once.
The very sight made her shoulders writhe. “Um. I guess.”
“Why?”
McKenzie stared at her palm, wondering who between the two of them was the odd one. She’d been by herself for so long, with no one else to compare her quirks to, that she honestly didn’t know. The longer she considered the answer, the more her skin began to crawl. So she took the heat off herself, and shot back, “Why aren’t you in Hawaii?”
He held his hands up like a peace offering. “It was just a question.”
“So was mine.”
He stared at her. She stared right back.
Leo cocked a brow and lifted the edge of his lip in challenge, as though silently whispering,I’m game if you are.“I’m not in Hawaii because while I was at the airport, I got a call from my partner, Nate, who also happens to be Jo’s new boyfriend. He said one of her friends was in mortal danger and he didn’t trust anyone else to keep her safe. So I came, simple as that.”
“For a lot of people, that situation wouldn’t be so simple.”
He shrugged, looking away. “I guess I’m not most people.”
No, she thought, studying his profile. His dark hair spilled over his forehead. The barest dusting of scruff coated his cheeks. His jaw muscles ticked as he clenched them, uncomfortable with something about this question, though she couldn’t for the life of her guess what.I guess you’re not.“Why didn’t you want to tell me? That doesn’t seem like an answer you should have any reason to feel ashamed of.”
His head whipped up. “I’m not ashamed. I just…” Leo paused as his brows twitched. “I don’t like being praised for things that I think should be deemed common sense.”
Are you even real?McKenzie silently asked, studying the golden centers of his eyes as he held her gaze. He was too good, too kind, as though some magic spell had brought a GI Joe to life just in time to come save her. If the situation had been reversed, if she’d been the one to ditch a vacation to come save his life, McKenzie would’ve thrown it in his face so fast. It was the perfect guilt trip.That’s because New York turned me into an asshole, she thought wryly.Or maybe I’ve always been this way.
McKenzie sighed—she didn’t want to focus on herself. Instead, she brought them back to neutral territory, and quipped, “It’s a good thing I wouldn’t have praised you then.”
He snorted, all signs of discomfort wiped from his face. “Oh, really?”
“I’ve been to Hawaii,” she drawled. “The black sand beaches. The turquoise water. The cocktails. Only an idiot would give all that up for me.”
