Page 57 of Off the Grid
Beneath her skin, McKenzie’s pulse thundered.Does he regret it? Is he sorry? Oh, please don’t apologize, Leo. Please. Please. I wouldn’t be able to stand it.She buried the emotions away, hating how exposed she felt as he finally looked up and met her gaze.
“I feel like I need to state for the record that I did not foresee any of last night happening,” he finally admitted, lifting the edge of his lip in a smile. “And that isnotwhy I suggested we both get drunk.”
She put her palm against her chest and feigned shock, reverting back to jokes because they were oh so easy. “You mean youdidn’twant to have your way with me?”
“McKenzie,” he chided. “That’s not—”
“Relax,” she teased with a wink, keeping their words surface. She didn’t want to do deep right now—she didn’t know how, not when she was sober and the sun was up and the comfort of darkness was gone. “MaybeIwanted to getyoudrunk. Ever think about that?”
He scoffed.
“The Thriller wasn’t going to dance itself, you know.”
Leo’s jaw dropped open. “Did you play me, McKenzie Harper?”
“You were like putty in my hands, Leo Alvarez.”
She hid her grin behind her coffee cup and waggled her brows. He rolled his eyes and released a half-hearted puff of air. For a second, she thought maybe he was going to let it go, and maybe they’d move on with the day. Then he put his coffee down and turned toward her, taking her free hand in both of his.
“Leo—”
“Just let me say one thing,” he cut her off, keeping his gaze down, studying their intertwined fingers. “Thank you.” He looked up, finding her eyes. “What you said last night? It meant—it means—a lot to me. So, thank you.”
Her chest tightened, but she kept a carefree smile across her lips, giving nothing away. “You’re welcome.”
“Okay,” he said louder with a heavy exhale. “Time to get you home safe and sound.”
Leo pulled his hands away. McKenzie let him go, resisting the urge to tighten her grip and hold on. As he stood and brought some distance between them, she curled her fingers into a fist, hating the way they suddenly felt so empty and cold. Being alone was easier. It was how she’d gotten this far in life, how she’d protected herself for so long. Yet for the first time, watching Leo cross the room to stare out the window, she wondered if it was better. Or if all those people had it right when they said nothing worth having came easy.
“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”
McKenzie blinked and cleared her mind, glancing toward Leo. He nudged his chin toward the window. “You mean the lake?”
“No,” he clarified. “Though it’s sort of hard to believe we missed that yesterday. I mean what’s happening on the other side of the lake.”
“What?”
McKenzie stood and crossed the room to look outside. She took a spot by his side, close enough to see, but not so close she could feel the tempting warmth of his skin. Taking a sip of coffee, she swallowed the lump in her throat. Her eyes widened the moment she saw what he’d seen.
“Is that a wedding?” McKenzie asked, stepping closer to the glass.
Across the lake, a swarm of people ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. Some were clearing branches and leaves from a pristinely cut grass lawn. Some were setting up rows of white chairs. Some were carefully hanging fresh pink flowers from an arbor. The home behind them was massive—McKenzie wasn’t sure how she’d missed it before. Knowing what she knew about the rich, she could easily believe it was a private home. But she suspected it was some sort of club or hotel, which meant…
“They must have a generator!” She snapped her gaze to Leo.
He grinned. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
“Do you think they have a phone?”
Excitement bubbled beneath her skin at the prospect of this nightmare finally being over. Yet at the same time, a tingle slipped down her spine. Every step closer to New York City was one step farther from Leo. She didn’t know how she knew. She just did. Everything that had happened between them would remain in these woods, a dream. The process had already begun with their brushed-over conversation, and it would keep going unless one of them dared stop it. McKenzie wasn’t ready to make that leap of faith anytime soon. She’d had so few perfect moments in her life, and last night had been one of them. She wanted to keep the memory cased in glass like a snow globe she could look back on and shake anytime she wanted to smile. If they dove any deeper into this thing between them, they’d ruin it.
Wouldn’t we?
“There’s only one way to find out.”
McKenzie turned toward Leo with her brows pinched. She’d forgotten their entire conversation. “Huh?”
“There’s only one way to find out if they have a phone we can use,” he repeated, eying her as though she had three heads.
