3. Leo

CHAPTER 3

Leo

M y 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’s what 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?”

Her dark brows lift, and she looks like she’s considering my question. Finally, she says, “We’ll have to go at night. Can’t risk an agent or banker being there.”

“Great. Let’s go tonight.”

“Tonight?” Nettie glances back and forth between me and Giana. “We’re getting married in less than a week. I can’t risk getting arrested before my wedding.”

“Don’t be silly. We’re not gonna get arrested. We’ve been there plenty of times.” Pete assures her, running a hand up her bare leg.

My mind runs wild, wondering if my cousin and his fiancée have already had sex. It’s not completely unheard of. And they have been dating for a few years. The only reason why they delayed the wedding was that Uncle Jim, Pete’s dad was stationed over in Vietnam. He came home with shrapnel in his knee, a Medal of Honor, and now has a heavy addiction to alcohol. We’re all just relieved he made it back at all.

I make a mental note to have this much-needed conversation with my cousin later when the two of us are alone.

“If we leave now, we can make it back before anyone misses us,” Giana suggests.

“Let’s do it. We can grab some beer on our way,” Pete suggests.

“Now you’re talking.”

It’s three to one. Nettie chews on her bottom lip but doesn’t argue .

We stop at a small store, and I purchase two six-packs since Pete is borrowing his dad’s car to drive us to the cabin. I sit in the back seat next to Giana. With her so close, I can smell the scent of her perfume. It’s rosy and intoxicating, and I find myself craving to get even closer.

Even though it’s dark, the moon and stars are lighting up the sky enough that I get glimpses of the hills and mountains. It’s so different from Texas, where I’ve grown accustomed to the dry and flat land. Even the air in Colorado is different. Somehow, it’s crisper and feels cleaner. My heartbeat picks up speed when Nettie announces we’re almost there.

“We’re here,” Giana says, and I duck to peer out the windshield.

A log A-frame cabin comes into view under the glow of the moon. It looks dilapidated, with missing shingles and broken windows. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see the charm that Giana yammered on about.

Pete parks the car, and we all climb out. We unload the beer and blankets from the trunk. Pete passes Nettie a flashlight. And to me, he hands not only a flashlight, but his guitar as well.

My chest warms. “You brought your guitar?”

“He doesn’t go anywhere without it,” Nettie mutters.

“Let’s see if you remember how to play.” Pete shoves a six-pack underneath each arm, and we head toward the cabin.

The stairs to the porch are rickety and one is missing completely. I hike my leg, stretching until I’m on the porch, and then hold a hand out to assist Giana and Nettie.

Giana’s hand lingers in mine, and she sucks her lower lip in between her teeth. It’s the cutest thing I’ve seen all day.

“Thanks,” she mumbles.

When I turn to face the door, it’s already swinging open, and Pete is on the other side. “Welcome,” he greets, grinning .

I scratch my chin. “You got a key to this place?”

“I climbed through a broken window. We do it all the time,” he confesses.

As we file inside, Nettie says over her shoulder, “You see now why I was worried about getting arrested?”

Inside, the floorboards creak beneath my feet. If it’s possible, it’s worse than the outside. There’s a musty scent that I can’t decipher if it’s because this place is that old or if it’s a result of being exposed to the outdoor elements. The main room is spacious with a wood-burning stove in the corner, and there’s a decent-sized kitchen. There’re a few cupboard doors hanging from their hinges, and something scurries across the floor.

“Oh shit!” I yelp and jump back.

“What’s the matter? You scared of a little field mouse,” Giana teases, and her sultry voice immediately turns me inside out. “C’mon, let’s go start a fire. At night, it’s better outside anyway.”

Anything sounds more appealing than being in here with the rodents and God knows what else. My flashlight tracks Giana’s movements as she makes her way back outside. I stay close behind her, lighting the way for the both of us.

Pete and Nettie make quick work of getting a fire started in the pit outside. Giana collects more firewood, and I mostly observe them. It’s obvious they’ve done this more than a handful of times. It makes me think of my friends back home. But something tells me this group is tighter.

When the fire is roaring, Giana pats the space on the log next to her. “Come sit by me.”

I take a seat and prop the guitar on my knee.

“Will you play something for us?”

I try to swallow the lump that’s been in my throat since I first laid my eyes on her on the sidewalk in town. Nerves vibrate all the way to my fingertips as I give a light strum across all the strings. “What do you want to hear?”

The look she gives me is heated. Her deep-brown eyes soften as a lazy smile draws on her lips. “You pick.”

Across from us on another log, Pete tickles Nettie and she laughs.

It’s been a while since I played, and I want nothing more than to impress the beautiful woman sitting so close to me. She may have grown up in this small mountain town, but something tells me she’s more experienced than most. That thought causes a song to pop into my mind.

As my fingers strum the chords, I allow myself a few moments to get a feel of the guitar in my hands before I go into the riff. Once I begin, I feel Giana still next to me. Everyone knows this song. It’s being played on every radio station across the US.

“Ooo, I love this song,” Nettie says.

A sweet little smile stretches on Giana’s face as I hum along to the song. It grows when I begin singing the lyrics, “I want to hold your hand,” gazing right at her as I do.

My singing voice isn’t terrible, but it’s not as if the Beatles will be asking me to join their band either. The flicker from the fire illuminates Giana’s freckled face, showing off her round, glowing cheeks while she grins. My heart shifts in my chest. I will sing every Beatles song if it means being awarded that smile.

“I think he’s singing to you, Gigi.” Nettie’s voice carries above my own.

I’m not mad she said it. If anything, I should thank her. Because the way the blush on Giana’s cheeks is noticeable even in the darkened night means she doesn’t hate what’s happening between us. Those pink lips of hers are so perfect they’re just begging me to kiss them .

Something tells me, if I don’t make a move tonight, I might not get the nerve again. And then I’ll be kicking myself when I’m back on the ranch in Texas.

Giana gives off vibes that she’s a no-nonsense type of gal. Like she’s got plans, and someone can either join her or not, and it’d be no skin off her back.

I’m not sure of much, but I know one thing; I want to join her. In anything, and everything she does.

Giana giggles before standing and yanking Nettie up by her hands, and the two of them dance in front of the fire. The way Giana shimmies her hips to the beat of the music has me enamored. The glow from the fire reflects against her bare, freckled arms, and it creates shadows against the trees. I’m in a trance. I’m not even sure how I continue playing, but I do.

When the song ends, Pete snatches the guitar from me and yanks me to stand. I stumble forward and rub a hand on the back of my neck. Pete nods his head in the direction of Giana before he begins strumming a familiar slow tune. It’s hard to see this time if she’s blushing against the fire’s light, but something tells me she’s not.

She’s done blushing.

“Are you gonna ask me to dance, Mr. Moretti, or are you gonna force a girl to be straightforward?”

“I love a girl who’s straightforward, but there’s also nothin’ I can think of that I’d like more than asking you to dance.”

“Nothing?” she asks, her voice laced with teasing.

My fingers tremble slightly as I hold my hand out to her. “Giana, would you like to dance?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” She gifts me with a bright smile before placing her hand into mine.

I guide it behind my neck and let go of her hand once she tethers her fingers in my hair. My dick twitches at the physical contact. Her gaze sweeps up my chest until it lands on my face, and we make eye contact, and it sets fire to my skin. Instinctively, I take her free hand in mine and hold it against my chest while I wrap an arm around her back and pull her in even closer.

Desperation to kiss her fills me, but I restrain and instead, lower my head and press my cheek to hers. The sweet scent of cherry blossoms in her hair is intoxicating, and my eyes drift closed while I inhale.

We stay like this for a while. Holding one another and swaying to the quiet strum of Pete’s guitar and the hum of his voice. As her fingers twirl and tease the hairline at my neck, I’m so turned on I’m not sure I’m able to hide it from her.

I’m not sure I want to.

But with how snuggly her body is pressed against mine, as if she and I have been molded together, I don’t think it’s much of a secret. And she doesn’t seem to mind. Which only makes my cock that much harder.

We don’t notice when the sound of the guitar stops. We hardly notice the flames of the fire have died down to a few flickers. We barely notice when Pete nudges my back and tells us he and Nettie are going to take a walk.

It’s simply me and Giana. Wrapped in each other’s arms. Cocooned in a world where only she and I exist. It hits me at this moment, that this is the only world I want to live in.

“Giana?” My whisper breaks into the darkness and interrupts what feels like a sacred moment.

“Mmmh?”

My heart beats faster in my chest.

“Do you have plans this summer?”

This idea that’s swirling in my mind is reckless. It’s wild. And it’s goddamn liberating.

Her fingers stop their teasing, and she lolls her head back to look me in the eye. An adorable line between her brows appears as she considers my question. “Besides working at the diner to keep saving for this place, nothing. Why?”

“How would you feel about spending it with me? I’ll guarantee you a summer you’ll never forget.”

Amusement flashes in her eyes. “What exactly are you proposing, Cowboy?”

“You and I, working alongside one another. Here…at the cabin.”

The line deepens between her brows, and she tilts her head. “How much have you had to drink tonight?”

“You said it yourself, your dream is to fix up this cabin. Have a place you can call your own. But you don’t have enough. What if you and I go in on it together?”

“And just why would you wanna do that? You don’t even live here. And you barely know me.”

“I know enough.”

By the baffled look on her face, it still doesn’t look like she’s buying what I’m selling.

“I think we could have lots of fun. Don’t you?”

She rubs her forehead. “I mean, yeah…but…”

I take her hand in mine. “But nothing. What do you say?”

Her eyes dance over mine, and a flirtatious smile spreads on her lips as she gives me a small shove in the chest. “I say you’re crazy.”

“ You make me crazy.”

And I feel it. I feel the recklessness flood through my limbs and settle in my toes. My mama will throw a fit. It’s one thing for her to get rid of me long enough for her and Dad to sort through their marital mess, it’s entirely another to allow me to stay for the summer and spend my inheritance. But that only adds fuel to this fire of total abandonment.

I’m tired of being sensible. Of thinking about each decision. Of doing what’s expected of me .

This, right here, right now, with Giana, feels right.

“So?” I rub my thumbs against the tops of her smooth hands.

“What the hell? Why not. If you’re good for the money, let’s do it.”

“I can assure you, Sugar, I’m good for the money.”