The Cowboy's Temptation Page 0,20

she thought, remembering how she’d watched him from the darkness of her room a few nights ago. She made him two sandwiches and left them in the refrigerator, adding the salsa in a bowl to the side.

It was an extremely hot night but Elissa didn’t want to go swimming until she was sure Jake was done for the day. Her bathing suit was not overly revealing, but she feared Jake would be able to see everything underneath the spandex. So she stayed in her room, watching from the balcony until he walked into the house. She even waited until the light from the kitchen turned off, indicating that he’d eaten the sandwiches she’d left for him and was heading upstairs for bed.

Elissa snuck down the stairs, making sure all the lights were out before she crossed the large family room that would lead to the patio and pool. Breathing a sigh of relief, she put her towel down on a lounge chair and stood at the edge of the pool, anticipating the coolness of the water, eager to let the water surround her and take the edge off the day.

She dove cleanly through the water, coming up on the other side and taking a deep breath. The water felt even better than she had thought it would. It was a glorious feeling to skim through the cold water, leaving the tension behind.

She swam several laps, pushing her muscles so she would fall asleep tonight. She had been sleeping well ever since she arrived, but the feeling was too new to take for granted. She wanted to wear herself out so she wouldn’t wake up tonight.

Getting out, she toweled herself dry, congratulating herself on avoiding Jake tonight and ignoring the disappointment she felt at the thought. She refused to acknowledge that she prepared all day just for their evening interludes. She didn’t want to admit, even to herself, that she was trying to find out what his favorite meals were so she could cook them. That path led to insanity.

“You’re a good swimmer,” a deep voice said through the darkness.

Elissa jumped and spun around, trying to find the man. “What are you doing out here?” she asked, covering her body with the towel.

“It’s my house, but I don’t remember assigning anyone to clean the pool lately.”

“Do you mind?” she asked, wondering if he would get mad that she had done it.

“I guess not,” he said and pushed away from the door where he had been leaning.

“How long have you been here?”

“Ever since you tiptoed through the family room,” he said, chuckling and swirling the ice cubes in his glass.

Elissa was glad that the darkness hid her flaming cheeks. “I wasn’t tiptoeing. I just heard your door close and didn’t want to disturb you.”

Jake ignored her lie and let his eyes skim down her towel-covered body. “Where’d you learn to swim so well?” he asked.

“I was on my high school swim team. I love the water,” she said and stepped back slightly. Jake was too close. She needed space to be able to think around him.

“Really? I would have thought you were more into the French club or maybe Latin,” he said and took a step forward for each of her retreating ones. careful,” he warned.

“You should be

“I was in the French club,” she replied, stepping back again. doing?” she asked, wary of his approach.

“What are you

But that was one step too much and her foot had nothing to step on except air and water. She dropped the towel and her arms flew out as dawning emerged that she was about to fall into the pool.

Jake reached out quickly with his free hand and wrapped his arm around her middle, pulling her to safety before she fell backwards into the pool. “Didn’t I mention that you should be careful?” he said, his mouth close to hers, his eyes scanning her own.

“Yes,” she gasped.

Elissa was arched against his arm and she could feel every muscle along her almost naked body. He was wearing his jeans and boots, but his shirt had been unbuttoned down to the middle of his chest. She could see the firm muscles were covered with a light layer of hair and her hands held onto his shoulders. She could feel his stomach muscles tense as her lips parted.

They just stood there like that, each staring at the other, their bodies fitting perfectly to each other. Elissa realized that she wanted him to kiss her, if just this once. She