Page 78 of Silver Fox Puck

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I don’t knock. Not this time. I simply rap my knuckles against the door once, just to let her know I’m here—then I grab the handle and turn.

It’s unlocked.

She didn’t even lock it. For a second, I don’t move. Because that decision? That tells me everything.

Kenzie is expecting me.

Even after she ran. Even after she avoided me. Even after she tried to disappear before I could explain.

She’s waiting for me. She just doesn’t want to admit it. So I step inside.

The apartment is dim, the city lights casting long shadows through the windows. A slow, instrumental hum plays, threading through the silence. And then—I see her. Standing in the kitchen. Wine glass in hand. Shoulders squared, like she’s trying to brace herself. Waiting. For me. For this.

She doesn’t startle when she sees me. She doesn’t yell at me for letting myself in. She just stares.

And that pisses me off more than anything.

Because this isn’t shock. This isn’t annoyance. This is acceptance. She knew I was coming. She wanted me here. It’s as if she was just waiting to see if I’d actually do it.

I step forward. Deliberate. Unrushed.

She doesn’t move. Just exhales slowly and sets her glass down, like she’s bracing herself.

Good.

She should.

“You ran.” My voice is low. Controlled.

Her jaw tightens. “I left.”

I let out a rough chuckle. “No, Flight. You ran.”

She looks away. “I don’t want to do this.”

I take another step forward, closing more of the distance between us.

“Yeah?” I murmur. “Then why’s your door unlocked?”

She exhales sharply.

And for a second—just a second—I see the truth flash across her face.

She doesn’t want me to leave. She never did. But she’s still too damn stubborn to say it.

So I keep going.

“Why’d you run?” I press. “Because you don’t know how to deal with the fact that you actually give a damn?”

She flinches.

Just a little. Just enough that I know I hit a nerve.

Then she squares her shoulders.

“Get out, Grant.”

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