Page 22 of Come Back to Me

He shrugs and gives me a sheepish grin. “Had it hidin’ underneath the backseat.”

“And what are you gonna play for me this time, Cowboy?”

Leo sits on the edge of the log across from me and props the guitar on his knee. His long legs sprawl open and wide, and he looks sexy as hell. He resembles the musicians I’ve seen on the cover of Rolling Stone and drooled over. Only he’s in bell bottom jeans and cowboy boots.

“I’ve been working on somethin’.”

This has my attention. Electricity buzzes across my skin.

“Something, huh?” I draw my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them, holding them tight.

“Yes, ma’am,” he drawls, his smile appearing easy.

The exaggeration of his accent has me feeling even more eager.

As he begins strumming the cords, warmth covers me in a woosh. My heart presses into my ribs, unforgiving. A low dip in my belly has me fully aware of what this man is capable of making me feel. And it’s too much. Too intense. My fingers ache with an urge to touch him, and I fear my body will combust if I don’t soon.

And now he’s singing. And that’s it. I’m done.

If I hadn’t already decided that Leonardo Moretti was it for me, this moment would cement my decision. He’s everything rugged and handsome, and delicate and warmhearted. The way he works things over in his mind, taking into consideration others’ feelings and paying close attention to the small things.

It’s funny how he is everything I’m not, while he’s also everything I am. It’s like his attributes complement my own, and the downfalls of my disposition are softened by his virtue. I love this man. I love him for all that he is and isn’t, and for all he will be.

At this realization, instead of the world tilting on its axis, it feels as if it aligns. Like everything that was once off and blurry is now suddenly clear. My broken dad and neglectful mama and their unconventional parenting. It all disappears.

Leo sets his guitar down and I blink up at him through glossy eyes. Not even aware I’d been crying. A twinge of guilt hits me in the center of my chest. I missed some of the words of his song for me, too caught up in the awareness of my emotions. But what I heard was a confession of his feelings for me. And all of mine are being reciprocated.

“So? What’d ya think?”

A smile tugs at my lips. “It was incredible. You’re incredible.”

He hunches a shoulder to his ear.

He’s humble. And it’s another thing I’m grasping at this moment that I adore about him.

Pushing a hand through his dark hair, he says, “Well, you make it easy, Sugar.”

I tilt my chin. “Come here.”

Without hesitating, he crouches and crawls to join me on the sleeping bag. I can’t lie, it’s erotic. It’s a visual I’ll imagine on repeat in my mind for days to come; him crawling toward me. He nudges my knees down from my chest and he lays me back onto the sleeping bag, hovering above me. The fire’s flames reflect in his dark-brown eyes, heightening his lust for me.

I swallow down a lump of last-second nerves. “That song was sweet.”

“I meant every word.” He drops a kiss to my forehead, and I close my eyes, reveling in the tenderness.

“Show me,” I demand, challenging his gentleness.

And even though it’s dark, when he peers down at me, I catch a glint of hunger in his eyes that challenge me right back.

“Better be careful what ya ask for, Sugar.”

“I want it. I want…all of you. Now…and forever.”

With that, he smashes his lips against mine. An awareness of the desperation between us is like a vibrating electric current. Our kisses become rushed and messy as the urgency elevates. He grips one hand to my hip and one to my breast. His fingers dig into my side.

But it’s not enough. I needmore.

I gather the hem of his shirt and wrestle it up his torso, taking a brief moment to admire the solid muscles rippling beneath my fingertips, before I yank the shirt over his head. He leans down and holds me against him, tugging me up with him. He strips off my shirt, leaving me in my simple bra. I bite my teeth into my lower lip, almost feeling self-conscious until I get distracted by his naked chest in my line of vision. His chiseledpecs and smooth skin engross me, and I press a light kiss over his heart. The heat from his bare skin sears my lips.

---