He glanced up quickly, so many emotions flickering over his face.
“Fuck…” he said.
“Fuck what?” she asked, totally unsure of what was happening with him.
“You have never, not ever”—he lifted a palm to her jaw, stroking the pad of his thumb over the apple of her cheek—“called me”—he leaned in closer—“Trav.”
The fire in his eyes seemed to melt everything in her body.
“Really?” That couldn’t be true.
“I would’ve noticed.” He turned from her, paced to the wall in the dim room, and took a visibly deep breath.
Was that true? It must be. He’d always been Travis. “Do you even know how long I’ve wanted you?” he asked.
“Travis.” She took a step closer to him, her body seemingly on a mission of its own to get closer to this man even as she resolved internally to stop the forward momentum between them so they could get back to where they were earlier. The comfortable in-between with no guarantees and just…friendship.
Abruptly, he turned back to her. “Don’t do that.”
She stopped, suddenly unsure how to get back to that comfortable spot she wanted, even as her body craved the opposite. “Don’t?”
He moved to her and shook his head.
“You give me Trav, then take it away. That’s who I am to you.” He grazed his lips against hers in a nearly there kiss that literally made her toes curl. “I’m comfortable. I’m a place you can relax. And you’re a place I can be serious. Don’t take that away.”
This man drove her batty. This man made her wet.
Made her want. Made her need.
Her body hadn’t craved a man like this for years. The question was, what was she going to do about it?
CHAPTER 17
RACHEL
“Trav.” She pressed the length of her body to his, gripping the button-down cotton shirt.
To be honest, the kissing, and the chemistry, and the desire had already complicated everything. Even if she hadn’t wanted that to happen. She’d jumped off the diving board, and now was the time to swim.
She couldn’t get her mouth to form the words, because she wanted this. Wanted him. Wanted today.
“What do you say we take a conversation break and use our bodies to communicate?” he suggested.
“Because, Rach, your body has so much to say. Let today be what it’s going to be.”
Right. Yes. She could do that. That sounded nice. She nodded.
He took that as his cue to unbutton his shirt and pull it off in a swift motion that left his abs bare.
Of course, at the pool (and on the lake) she’d noted his fairly spectacular abdominal muscles, but now she got to touch them and play and…
She reached for his jaw with her palms, lifted on her toes, and pressed her mouth to his. Kissed, sucked, and pushed her fingers into his blond hair. She owned the kiss. Owned the moment. Owned the hope of what came next.
He let her. Let it be.
Until he didn’t.
As he took over the kiss, her mind released its hold on logic and let the pure feeling of the day pull her under.
