Back for You Read Free Page A

Because in that moment, it was Thea’s image that had passed before
his eyes, making him realize he’d never stopped loving her. “That was it for
me. I finished the assignment and made arrangements to leave.”
    “Man, that’s rough.”
    Cain glanced back at Jake. “Coming that close to death made everything
crystal clear. About coming back here to live, and about Thea. Life’s too short
not to spend it surrounded by the people you love. Sounds like a cliché, but
it’s true.”
    A waitress dropped off their drinks, and Cain was grateful for the interruption.
    As if reading his mind, Jake leaned in and changed the subject. “So, how’d
it go with Thea?”
    Cain grimaced.
    Jake laughed. “She shot you down, didn’t she?”
    Cain frowned at Jake’s succinct summation of his first meet-up with Thea
since coming back to town yesterday. “With the force of a powder keg dropped
right on my head. She all but kicked me out.”
    Jake chuckled. “I told you she would.”
    “Yep, you did. Not that I thought any different. It didn’t help any that
I kissed her.”
    Jake’s eyes goggled. “Holy hell! You kissed her? You’re lucky she
didn’t kill you.”
    “Stupid move, I know.” Cain shrugged. Yet another thing to regret. “I don’t know what came over me. Before I knew what I was doing I was kissing
her. I guess I wanted to prove she still had feelings for me. That the
chemistry was still there.”
    “Did it work?”
    “Yeah, I proved it all right. And then she kicked my ass out of there.”
    Jake chuckled. “That’s just what you deserved.”
    “I know. I didn’t think it through.”
    “No kidding.”
    Truth was, he hadn’t thought at all. He’d seen her anger and wanted to
break through her walls. It was pure impulse, and a big damned mistake. One he
could add to all the other big damned mistakes he’d made with her.
    “I’m not giving up though.” No way.
    He’d tried keeping his distance, but he’d been drawn back to her. There
was no way he could stop himself from trying again. He still wanted her, still
loved everything about her, her smile, her spunk, her strength, and the way she
instantly turned him inside out without even trying. She was still the only
woman for him. As far as he was concerned, giving up wasn’t even an option. He just
wished he’d stopped to think about how to handle things with her instead of
rushing over to see her and making things worse.
    “Never thought you would. So, what are you going to do next?”
    Cain’s mind raced with the possibilities. “I’m not sure, except that I’m
going to give her a little space for the next few days. Give her a chance to
cool off. Who knows, maybe I can wear her down.”
    Jake laughed and shook his head. “Not the Thea I know.” He nodded at the
box of cookies. “You need to do some romantic shit like sending her flowers and
candies, or something.”
    “Yeah, I was already thinking that.”
    “I wouldn’t wait too long though. As far as I know, she’s not seeing
anyone, but I’m not sure, and a woman as hot as she is won’t stay on the market
for long.”
    Cain’s gut twisted in knots, and he fought back the instant flare of
jealousy. He’d tried not to think about the fact that Thea might be seeing
someone. “Maybe I should rethink giving her space.”
    “Yeah, maybe. I think what you really need to do is figure out how to
prove to her you’re serious about her, and about staying here in town.”
    Cain knew he was right. Had known it before he’d come back. “Don’t worry,
I’ve already set things in motion. Soon enough, she’ll know I’m dead serious
about being back to stay.”

Chapter Three
    “Cain’s back ?”
    In Thea’s apartment above the bar, her best friend Asia sat back against
the well-worn couch. Her incredulous expression would have made Thea laugh out
loud if she hadn’t been in such a foul mood.
    As it was, she couldn’t keep the snark out of her voice. “That’s what