Page 56 of Off the Grid
She gasped as soon as she turned around. The massive floor-to-ceiling windows on either side of the stone fireplace had been nothing but fog and rain the day before, but now, they displayed a little slice of paradise. Beyond the towering trees, sunlight shimmered across the surface of a still lake. The waters were crystal blue, reflecting the sky overhead. Hardly a cloud was visible. The whole scene was like a postcard, inviting her to dive in.
This must be a vacation home, McKenzie realized, thinking of the empty house, the stocked freezer and pantry, the minimal amount of clothes.Are we in the Catskills? Maybe? Why would the mob have brought me here?
The question fled as soon as her gaze landed on the body fast asleep on the couch. Leo was curled on his side, bare chested with his pants slung low around his waist. A pillow was roughly folded between his ear and one arm, while his other arm dangled limp over the side of the cushions. He looked like a boy almost, innocent and scared—completely at odds with the confident, assured man she’d come to know. Part of her wanted to brush his hair from where it had fallen over his face, and remind him with a simple touch that he wasn’t alone. Part of her didn’t want to wake him. Not out of fear—he could never do anything to make her afraid of him, not after everything they’d been through. A different set of nerves twisted and coiled deep in her stomach. It had been so long since she’d had a morning after, and she’d never had one quite like this. They’d bared their bodies, but more importantly, they’d bared their souls. What could she say after that?Good morning?
Instead, McKenzie retreated.
After a few minutes digging around the kitchen, she found a French press in a drawer and a bag of ground coffee in the freezer. While the coffee brewed, she did what she always did when she needed to escape her thoughts but couldn’t bake—she cleaned. First the pots and pans from the night before, then the plates and the silverware, then she wiped down the counters, until everything was spotless. She organized the pantry and a few of the cabinets. Finally, when there was nothing left to do, she filled two cups of coffee and faced the inevitable.
Leo’s eyes opened as soon as she held the full cup beneath his nose. The shadows gradually disappeared from his irises as he blinked, coming fully awake. He sat up and ran his palm over his face to rub the sleep away.
“Is that coffee?”
“Yup,” McKenzie said cheerfully, though her heart fluttered in her chest.
“Are you some kind of sorceress or something?” He smiled and grabbed the cup, then breathed in the smell before taking a slow sip. The tension in his shoulders eased and he leaned into the couch. “Oh, that’s good.”
“Not a sorceress,” McKenzie clarified as she dropped into the open spot by his side, sinking into the plush cushions. “Just generally awesome in every way, I guess.”
Leo cut his eyes toward her, raising his brows.
Good, McKenzie thought.He’s still being playful.“There was a French press in one of the cabinets.”
“Ah.” He nodded.
“Yeah.”
Her mind flashed back to a moment from the night before, with her legs wrapped around his hips, his lips on her skin, the steam of the shower curling between them as the spray of hot water drowned out her sighs.
McKenzie took a sip of coffee.
So did Leo.
The silence extended a bit too long. If they’d been two people who hadn’t slept together last night, it would’ve been normal. Comfortable, even. But it wasn’t. And they were. An awkward tingle permeated the narrow slip of space between their bodies.
Is he thinking about the fact that we had sex?
Why I am thinking about the fact that we had sex?
The longer the quiet lasted, the stronger the flashbacks became. The two of them on the bed. The way he’d done that thing with his tongue. The feel of his weight above her.
Speak, McKenzie. Speak!
“Leo, I—”
“McKenzie, I—”
They both stopped at the same time.
“I—”
“I—”
Oh, for goodness’ sake.Her nostrils flared and she gripped the cup tighter.Do I even know what I want to say? I, what? I like you? I didn’t mean for last night to happen but I’m happy it did? I’m glad you opened up? I’m not sorry at all?
McKenzie swallowed all those confessions back down and turned toward Leo, taking the coward’s way out. “Leo, go ahead. What were you trying to say?”
“I…” He paused, swallowing a nonexistent sip of coffee as he stared into the brown liquid, searching for the right words.
