Page 7 of Come Back to Me

Leo is right about one thing—fixing this cabin up with him sounds like fun. Even though I just met him, I feel a connection reverberating between us. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt with any boy before. There’s something about him I’m drawn to. And it’s not simply his Southern charm and good looks. Leo is someone I feel like I could wrap myself around and never let go of for the rest of my life.

As he lowers me back to the ground, I slide against thelength of him, and I can feel his desire for me. It piques my own craving. Our eyes lock, and I want to kiss him. I want to do a whole hell of a lot more than that. He dips his head, and I tip my mouth up, the buzz between us so electric.

“Hey, you two. What are we celebrating?” Nettie’s voice cuts through our intimacy, and I let go of Leo, adjusting my shirt.

Leo looks at me when he says, “I’ve decided to stay for the summer.”

“No way? Far out. This definitely calls for a toast.” Pete tosses Leo a beer.

I pick up my own I’d left on the log before our dance. My brain sticks on Leo’s words—stay for the summer. I haven’t thought about what will happen once summer ends. Will he go back to Texas? Forget all about me? Want to sell the cabin?

“To my cousin, Leo,” Pete begins, holding his beer can up, “may he have the most memorable summer ever.”

We all take a drink, and Leo’s gaze lands on me over the brim of his can. His brown eyes are dark and hooded. My body ignites, and I subconsciously squeeze my thighs together. I swallow the lump in my throat as I chug the lukewarm beer.

These intense feelings vibrating through me are new. I’ve seen plenty of nice-looking boys and dated a few of them, but none of them did to me what Leo can do with a single look. He has my nerves on hyperaware. My hormones are alive. There’s a hunger building in my core for something I’ve never experienced before. But I want to. And I want to with him.

“Giana and I have decided to pool our money together and buy this cabin and spend the summer fixing it up.”

“For real?” Nettie shrieks. The alcohol is already getting to her, I can tell. “Oh, Gigi, I’m so happy for you.” She bombards me, throwing her arms around me and hugging my neck loosely.

“Let’s just hope, between the two of us, we have enough money.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Leo winks at me. My brows pinch together as I consider his words, but I’m instantly distracted when Leo takes me by the hand. His calloused fingers send a warm zing throughout my body. “Come show me more of the cabin.”

I let him yank me back up the rickety porch steps and guide me inside the cabin, a flashlight in his hand leading our path. As soon as we’re inside, Leo wraps an arm around my waist and hauls me against him. I nearly slam into his chest and the air is sucked from my lungs. My heart beats violently in my chest.

We make eye contact in the darkness, his are wide and wild. There’s an urgency I find there that I can feel shoot straight through my limbs.

“Would it be improper if I kissed you right now?” His low voice scrapes against my skin.

I can’t decide if I’m honored he asked or annoyed he didn’t choose spontaneity and press his lips against mine.

“I think it would be improper if you didn’t.”

My answer surprises him at first until a calmness washes over his eyes, turning quickly into lust. He wants me. And the more he does, the more I want him too. My body rocks into him of its own accord. Shock ripples through me when I feel his erection against my low belly.

But I’m not nervous. I’m hypnotized by his craving for me. Completely and utterly spellbound.

As he lowers his head, his mouth drawing closer to mine, I allow my eyes to drift shut. His breath is shallow and rapid and it brushes against my lips before we even touch. And when our mouths finally collide, a spark ignites in my soul. It’s a connection so electric, I swear I can feel it in my bones. His soft lips move against mine with such precision, such meticulousnessthat I wonder if this man has manufactured this kiss to perfection.

But when the momentum picks up, and he deepens the kiss, it becomes more sporadic, wilder, and it stirs a deeper humming between my thighs. His lips part, and my tongue doesn’t pause, it sweeps into his mouth and finds his. A soft groan releases from his throat, and my toes curl inside my shoes. His fingers flex, and his hand slides down my back, but he stops just before he reaches my butt, teasing me at the hem of my shirt. A bit of disappointment settles in my belly as he pulls back, breaking our kiss.

“You still want to be my date to the wedding?” Leo asks, a little breathless.

I swallow and nod.

A satisfied grin appears on his mouth before he leans in and skims my lips with a light kiss. “Giana,” he says softly, “will you be mine for the summer?”

The question causes my heart to stall in my chest. At this moment, with our limbs entwined and our lips so close, my body aching for more of him, I want to say yes. I want to promise him eternity. My brain is working hard to focus, to talk some sense into my hormones, and not make drastic decisions on a whim.

But it’s just one summer.

So I nod. “For the summer.”

Cupping my head in his hand, he traces the pad of his thumb down my cheek. He gazes into my eyes so intently I can’t look away. “Something tells me, this is going to be a summer we’re never going to forget.”

My insides burn. Because I know, without a doubt, he’s right.

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