8. Giana

CHAPTER 8

Giana

W ith only two more days until we’re scheduled to close on the cabin, I’m getting antsy. There’s only so much work Leo and I can do without having the keys. Not only that, Leo and I have barely been alone since Pete and Nettie’s wedding night.

All these thoughts are racing through my mind on a continuous loop. Wondering if I did something wrong. Or if he even wants to have sex with me again. What if that one night was all we get?

When I receive a phone call that the refrigerator we ordered from an appliance store in Denver has arrived, we make a trip to pick it up using Pete’s grandfather’s truck. While we’re there, we grab a few more home improvement items we couldn’t find at Martin’s Hardware. I climb onto the shopping cart while Leo stands behind me and pushes it down the aisles.

Out in the parking lot, he pushes the cart faster, and I squeal, and we both laugh. I feel young, giddy, and weightless. The warm breeze whirls around us. It’s like summer has finally reached Colorado .

After we load our items into the truck, Leo drives around to the pick-up area, where two men are waiting with our new refrigerator on a dolly. Our new refrigerator. It’s still unbelievable, and I feel like I should pinch myself to make sure this is real life.

Leo helps the men secure the appliance in the back of the truck. As he slides in behind the driver’s seat, confidence fills my veins. I’m in the mood to be a bit reckless. To take advantage of these precious moments we have for ourselves.

“Wanna stop for a bite to eat before headin’ back? I saw a burger joint on our way in,” Leo suggests nonchalantly, glancing my way.

I must look insane as I flash him a coy smile because he does a double take.

“What’s wrong? Are ya not hungry?”

Oh, I’m hungry . But not for food . Desire presses on my core and reverberates between my thighs. Biting my lower lip draws his attention even more. I shake my head slowly.

“Darlin’, if you keep looking at me like that, I’m gonna park this truck and have my way with you,” he says teasingly.

But when I don’t shift my gaze from him, his eyes darken.

“Promise?” I shrug and dip my chin, the timidity beginning to seep in.

Tearing his fixed stare off me, he glances over his shoulders as he continues driving through the parking lot. “Hey, if ya wanna do it, here, now, I’m all yours, Sugar.”

The nickname purrs from his lips and sends a quiver low in my belly. But as much as I want to have his hands and his mouth on me, in broad daylight with traffic buzzing around, it loses its appeal quickly.

“How about we sneak away tonight and head up to the cabin?” I suggest .

“The bank tol’ us we’d get in a lick of trouble if we’re caught inside the cabin again.”

“So we won’t go in the cabin. Let’s bring sleeping bags and light a fire. It’s supposed to be a warm night.”

We make eye contact, and his lips curl into an enticing smirk. It makes me want to smash my mouth against his right at this moment.

“Under one condition.” His brows lift.

“Anything,” is my response.

“We only bring one sleeping bag.” He winks, and goose bumps travel across my skin.

I sit in my seat in the uncomfortableness of my yearning for him. The anticipation of our upcoming night together burns between my thighs. I rub them together as I pinch my eyes shut and imagine his hand there.

T he two-hour drive back to Maple Ridge is excruciating. But Leo’s company is delightful. I could spend a hundred years glued to his side and still probably never tire of him. The twang to his rugged voice. The way his laugh comes out sounding all throaty at first before it really bellows. His funny stories of growing up in Texas on his family ranch and pranking his little brother.

But my mind can hardly focus on any of those things.

The memory of his sandpaper chin scraping against my neck and his rough hands gliding over my bare back is front and center in my mind. The tender way he eased himself into me haunts me in the best way possible. After another night spent wrapped in his arms and giving myself to him, I worry all my thoughts will be consumed by him .

When we arrive at Pete’s parents’ house, we can’t unload the truck fast enough. Since we have the truck for the night, we stop by my house next for supplies for our evening spent outdoors at the cabin. Besides my sleeping bag, we grab pillows and snacks, and I borrow my dad’s lantern.

It’s dark when we reach the cabin. Leo gets the fire going while I set up the sleeping bag. He passes me an eager smile over his shoulder from where he’s crouching in front of the fire, and a shiver races down my spine.

“I got a surprise for ya,” he says, straightening.

The tops of my ears burn hot. “Yeah?”

Leo shuffles to the truck, and I sit on top of the sleeping bag while anticipation whirls in my belly. My jaw goes slack a bit when he returns with a guitar in his hand. There’s just something about a man and a guitar that gets me riled up and makes my panties damp. If a guy can not only sing but play guitar too, where do I sign up for a life spent with him?

Because I’d sign that contract in a heartbeat, I think.

“Well, isn’t someone sneaky,” I muse.

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 need more .

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 chiseled pecs and smooth skin engross me, and I press a light kiss over his heart. The heat from his bare skin sears my lips.

Leo groans and unclasps my bra. “I feel like the luckiest son of a bitch.”

“That makes two of us,” is my reply, already breathless.

He slides the straps of my bra over my shoulders until I wiggle free from the fabric. His mouth goes to my breasts, which are on full display for him, gifting each one with a kiss before he favors one. He sucks, he licks, and he savors.

“You taste so good,” he mumbles in between his relishing. “So fucking good.”

My head falls back, my eyes flutter closed, and I can’t refrain my moan. The racing thoughts in my mind dull, and somehow, his dirty mouth turns me on even more. I dig my fingers into his hair and hold him to my breast. I’m equally wanting him to never stop what he’s doing while yearning to have him inside me. The need to have him satisfy this constrained ache is nearly painful.

It’s as if he senses my impatience, or maybe he’s feeling it as much as I am, because he lowers me back onto the sleeping bag once again. A tremble racks my body as my bare back touches the chilled fabric. And instantly, I feel the separation from him like a violation.

“Don’t worry, Sugar. I plan to take my time and savor you,” he says reassuringly, but a hint of disappointment settles in my chest.

“Please,” is all I can utter before I sweep my tongue out to wet my lips.

I don’t want him to take his time. Greediness for him to release this pent-up desire almost has me arguing with him. But I blow out a shaky sigh of relief as his fingers work on the button and zipper of my jeans. My heart beats faster as the anticipation flows through my veins.

I’m desperate. “Leo, please,” I try again.

“Hold that thought. I’m hopin’ to have ya beggin’ real soon.” He leans forward, dropping a kiss to my stomach near my belly button before he returns to his haunches.

Oh, I plan on begging. Pleading. Insisting . Whatever it takes until my cravings are requited. He tugs my jeans over my ass and down my thighs. Goose bumps take residence across every inch of my skin. Partly out of excitement and partly from the air outside growing colder around us.

Leo’s brows raise, and without speaking, he sits up on his knees and reaches back for a few pieces of wood. He chucks them onto the fire and returns to me. A new smile takes residence on his face. It’s one I’ve seen before. From that first night when we made love. It’s brooding and enticing.

And it’s all male.

It’s an image of him I already know I’ll be thinking about for a long time. Possibly forever.

Lowering his head, he nudges my legs apart with his calloused hand and brushes a gentle kiss to the inside of my thigh. My skin burns beneath his lips. I hold my breath while I stare up at the sparkling, dark sky that looks like someone’s tossed a million diamonds into it. All my senses are on overload. Wanting mixes with fear of the unknown and battle in my mind. But I trust him. So the craving wins over the worry.

Leo teases me with a trail of kisses inching toward the tendon of my thigh. He’s so close that I ache and need to rub my thighs together. But when I try to draw them in, he presses his warm hand to the inside of my leg and shoves it open further.

“Nuh-uh, sneaky girl. We’re jus’ gettin’ started.”

I swallow. I have no idea what that means, but at the same time, I know exactly what that means. And I’ve never longed for anything more .

He drags a tongue along the seam of my panties, starting near my leg and moving to the waistband. Before I know it, his hot breath radiates through the fabric over my pussy as his mouth comes down on me. My insides clench, and all I see is black when I squeeze my eyes shut.

His fingers are quick as he tears my panties down, propping on his knees to yank them off me completely. It feels like he stares at me for an eternity when I know it’s really only moments. His eyes are dark, and his tongue sweeps out, wetting his lips. I mimic him without thinking.

“Shit. You’re really somethin’, ya know that?”

I’m not sure if I’m supposed to answer or if he’s mostly thinking out loud.

“You’re breathtaking. Those perfect tits of yours. That pretty pussy. And y’all are lettin’ me have a look. Have a taste.”

A low dip in my belly makes me hyperaware of what’s forthcoming. I’m not opposed to it. Not in the slightest. This is something new for me, and I’m more than ready to experience it.

I’m desperate for it.

He lowers his head, and when his lips gift my clit with a kiss, I arch against his mouth. The rock of my hips must unleash something feral in him because he does away with his earlier reservations and devours me. His tongue glides over me so torturously fast that I clench and hold my breath so I don’t cry out from sudden pleasure. A continued sensation works its way through my limbs and builds with intensity.

I can’t help but whimper into the quiet night. I toss my arm across my eyes “Shit. It’s a good thing we’re all alone out here,” I mutter.

“Don’t hide yourself, Darlin’.” He tugs my arm away from my face. “You taste incredible. You’re a fucking delicacy.”

At his words, I feel my cheeks go hot. But the embarrassment passes the more he licks and sucks.

He clamps a hand to the inside of my thigh, and I spread my legs wider for him, like I’m holding up a Welcome sign. I dig my heels into his back. His finger slides over my clit a few times before he slips it inside. While his tongue continues to tease me, his finger pushes in and out, stretching and scissoring.

My insides constrict, and a thrilling hum racks my entire body.

“Leo?” I whisper into the night. “I need you.”

A rough, quiet chuckle sounds out between my legs. “You don’t know how insane that makes me to hear ya say that. I jus’ might come with you,” he teases. But it’s not in a condescending way, it’s sweet. “But I’m not done with you yet, Darlin’.”

What the hell does he want from me? To finish me off like this? To see me dissolve into a puddle of pleasure?

At my thoughts, he says, “I wanna watch ya fall apart, Sugar. I wanna see what I do to you.” And then his face disappears between my legs once again. I suck in a shuddering breath when his tongue strokes against me.

The intensity builds again. Faster this time. Relentless. It’s everything unfathomable and perfectly magical at the same time. I gasp as each shudder builds deeper in my core, curling and wrapping around me until I don’t know what is causing this sheer pleasure. Is it his hand, his tongue? Does it even matter? Because the orgasm pulses around me before it finally zeroes in, and I fall. I teeter over that edge of bliss before I, at last, plummet.

By the time I finish, my breathing has accelerated, and I blink open my eyes. I find him watching me. Lustfully, satisfied, enamored. It does something inside me. A sense of power builds in me. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.

And I’m not ashamed to admit— I like it .