Free The Cowboy's Summer Love by Unknown Page B

until she had to look him in the eye. He was surprised to see tears glistening on her long, lush eyelashes.
    “You are absolutely beautiful. You should be ashamed for keeping all that hidden behind those scrubs and loose shirts you always wear. I mean it, Tessa, you look amazing.”
    Tess studied his eyes and saw only honesty there. Honesty, admiration and something else she couldn’t quite define. A smile played on her lips. “Thanks, Trav.”
    Unable to stop himself, he pulled her into a hug and breathed in her citrusy scent. She felt so perfect in his arms. He wanted to run his hands up and down her back, explore and taste every curve. Instead, he kissed her cheek, grabbed her hand and tugged her into the water.
    Joining the rest of their group, they laughed and splashed for the next half-hour until they were all tired and chilled. Resting on the beach, they soaked up the sun and warmth. By the time they pulled on their clothes over their mostly-dry suits and piled back in the vehicles, it was past mid-afternoon.
    Arriving back at the Triple T close to dinner time, Cady invited the three Morgans to join them for the meal, which they accepted. Tess was glad her brothers weren’t in a hurry to return to the Running M. She had enjoyed her day more than she thought possible and wasn’t quite ready for it to end.
    After more laughing and teasing through dinner, Travis walked her out to Brice’s pickup where her brothers were visiting with Trent and Lindsay.
    “I had a great time with you today, Tess. I’m really glad you came along,” Travis said, putting his arm around her shoulders as they walked. She fit so perfectly into the curve of his arm, like she was the only person intended to be there.
    “I had a great time, too. Thanks for making me go,” Tess said with a grin, relishing the feel of Travis’ arm around her. Although it was a gesture he’d done since they were kids, each time his skin made contact with hers, she felt sparks flashing between them.
    “That’s what I’m here for. To push you out of your comfort zone into new experiences,” Travis said, smiling at her in the dusk.
    “You’ve always been good about pushing me around,” she said, giving him a playful shove, but not hard enough to push him away. She enjoyed his closeness too much to break the contact. “I appreciated you not making fun of me today.”
    Travis stopped walking and turned Tess so they were facing each other.
    “Why in the world would I make fun of you, other than for obvious reasons?”
    “You know,” Tess said, still embarrassed. “The whole swimming ordeal.”
    “Swimming ordeal? There was an ordeal and I missed it? Why didn’t someone tell me?” Travis teased. The smile left his face and his eyes grew hot and tender as he raised his hand to her face and brushed gently across her soft cheek with his thumb. “I thought you were the most beautiful girl at the river today, Tess. That’s a fact you can bank on. You’re gorgeous so don’t forget it.”
    Travis moved toward her, watching as her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted, anticipating his kiss. The spell was broken when Ben leaned out of the truck and hollered at them. “Tess, time to go!”
    “Thanks again, Travis,” Tess squeezed his hand before running to the pickup and climbing over the top of Ben to sit in the middle.
    “Later, dude,” Ben waved as Brice started down the driveway.
    “Later,” Travis said, waving. He didn’t know how he’d ever get to sleep with visions of Tess in that swimsuit filling his head. Tess wasn’t fighting fair when she withheld ammunition like that from him. When he looked down at her on the bank of the river, he had to struggle to keep his jaw from dropping to the sandy beach. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined she’d look so feminine and alluring. He was glad they went swimming right after the initial shock of the discovery because it camouflaged the drool dripping down his chin.
     Travis would