Her eyes seemed to search mine for something far deeper than wondering if I needed help throwing away a few party plates.
“You sure?” she asked softly.
What the fuck are you doing, Luca? Tell her how you feel. Kiss her. Dosomething.
“Nah, I’ve got it,” I said instead.
McKenzie nodded, glancing down. “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll talk to you later?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, of course.”
She hesitated a moment before starting down the path to her truck.
“Good night,” she called over her shoulder before climbing in, the ignition roaring to life.
“Night,” I said, shoving my hand through my hair as I went back inside and shut the door.
I blew out a breath as I walked into the kitchen, frustrated with myself for being such a fucking coward. What was I so afraid of? Why couldn’t I just tell her how I felt?
Then, I saw it hanging on the back of the chair she’d been sitting at: McKenzie’s shawl. Before I could talk myself out of it, I snatched it up with my fist and jogged back to the door, flinging it open.
My chest tightened when I found McKenzie already standing there.
“Hey,” I said, barely above a whisper.
“Hi.”
“You forgot this.” I held the fabric out to her, and she reached for it.
“Thanks.”
My heart raced, thundering in my ears. This was it. I just had to put fucking words together.
She gave me a wistful smile and started to turn away, but I grabbed her by the wrist, spinning her around to face me.
A soft gasp escaped her perfect fucking mouth as I closed the distance between us, slipping one hand around her waist, while the other snaked up her neck, my thumb running along the soft skin of her jawline.
“Luca,” she whispered, leaning into my touch. “What—”
I swallowed the rest of her words as I crushed my lips to hers, setting off a Fourth of July fireworks show behind my eyes. She let out a whimper of surprise before tossing the shawl to the floor, sliding her hands up my chest and into my hair, taking fistfuls of it between her fingers. My tongue entered her mouth, and she tasted sweet like vanilla buttercream. I pulled her tighter against me, longing to savor every inch of her.
She eventually broke our kiss, leaving me breathless, desperate to reclaim her warmth. Her chest rose and fell with shallow pants, and for a second, I thought she was going to ask me what the hell I was doing. But then she gave me a sultry smile that nearly brought me to my knees as she leapt into my arms, wrapping her legs around me.
Her hands cupped my face as she whispered against my mouth. “Fucking finally.”
NINETEEN
McKenzie
He kickedthe front door shut before propping me against it, his hands under my ass. His lips against my neck were like a white-hot branding iron, claiming me. I tightened my legs around him, feeling the outline of him through the thin fabric of his slacks as he pressed his hips against mine.
“Bed,” I managed between kisses, twining his thick, luscious hair around my fingers. It was every bit as soft as I imagined it would be, while the rest of him was as hard as I’d dreamed.
He stumbled through the house with me in his arms, pausing only to lean me against the wall once to get his bearings, his tongue taking the opportunity to taste my collarbone.
“Now,” I pleaded, and he carried me the rest of the way to his bedroom where he finally allowed my feet to touch the ground. The room was dark except for the watery ripples of light from the moon through the window.
It was finally fucking happening.
