Page 3 of Come Back to Me

But ever since I came across the listing for that vacant cabin, I’ve been saving every dime from my job waiting tables atthe diner for the last five years. Even if no one else finds the potential in the abandoned cabin, I do. And one day, it will be mine.

“I had a feeling the two of us would hit it off,” Leo says to me as we continue strolling behind Pete and Nettie while the early summer evening air cools around us.

I flick my attention up at him, finding I don’t mind the way he admires me. His brown eyes hold promises in the dark hue. Promises I’m tempted to find out if he can keep. “I think that’s rather presumptuous of you,” I say, but I can’t keep from smiling at him.

“There’s somethin’ you should know about me,” he says.

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“I never back down from a challenge.” His voice growls against the bare skin of my arms.

When we lock eyes, desire pools between my thighs. A brand-new part of me awakens from a slumber I wasn’t even aware existed. No other man has made me feel this way with a single look. It’s as if I am suddenly alive.

And I am unexpectedly desperate to start fully living.

CHAPTER 3

Leo

My purpose for this trip to Colorado has instantly become jaded. I came to witness my cousin marry the love of his life. But now that I’m here and I’ve met the incomparable Giana Russo, my intentions are less than admirable.

Not only is Giana beautiful, but she’s also got a spark to her. Like a lit firecracker. There’s confidence seeping through her, and it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen on a woman. Despite her being drop-dead gorgeous, I have a feeling her most enticing qualities are invisible. And that makes me want to get to know everything about her.

At the bowling alley, Giana distracts me when she bends, dressed in tight blue jeans. She knocks half the pins down in the first turn, telling me I’m less of a distraction for her. My gaze tracks her as she picks up the ball for her second turn, then slips her fingers into the holes, and my mouth waters.

When she shoots a teasing grin over her shoulder, my knees weaken, and I clutch my chest subconsciously. I shuffle my feet backward till my legs hit the empty chair, and I drop into it.

Pete elbows me and gives me a knowing look. “What did I tell ya? I knew you’d have it bad for her,” he whispers.

Denying it is foolish. Not to mention useless.

“Pete, my man, ya see that gal right there.” I point at Giana as she saunters toward us, her eyes sweeping over me and making my body heat up about a thousand degrees. “I’m gonna make her mine.”

Pete chuckles and slaps me on the back as he stands. “All I gotta say is, good luck.”

“I don’t need luck. All I need to know is what makes her tick.” I grin.

“You wanna know what makes her tick? Ask her about the cabin she’s got her eyes set on.” Pete heads to the ball return to take his turn.

“Cabin?” My brows lift, my interest piqued.

“Now, Pete, don’t be going and telling him all my secrets. He’s gotta work for some of them,” Giana says teasingly, and my skin tingles.

“I have no problem workin’ hard for what I want.”

“Then that makes two of us.” She drops down in the seat next to me and crosses her leg.

My vision dances up the length of her legs. My mind can’t help but wonder what they look like beneath those fitted blue jeans. Are they smooth like her face? Or do they have a map of freckles like her arms? Are they tanned like a lot of women in Texas, or are they pale and porcelain like Marilyn Monroe’s?

I’m desperate to find out. I set it like a goal in my mind that by the end of this trip, I’m gonna find out.

“The mention of this cabin has me intrigued,” I say, throwing my arm over the back of her chair. “Tell me more.”

She brushes her hand over her long auburn curls. “There’s a cabin on the outskirts of Maple Ridge that sits on a couple acres. It’s been for sale for a while. It’s in rough shape, but that’swhat I love about it. I’m hoping to buy it and fix it up. Live there year-round or use it as a vacation home. Somewhere to call my own.”

Her face brightens. The way she speaks about this place like it’s heaven on earth, I’m so enamored, I gotta see it for myself.

“Can ya show me?”

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