Coming Home by Leslie Kelly Page A

hair on his chest tapered down to a soft covering on his flat belly, and disappeared into the waistband of his suit. Wyatt turned around to lay his shirt on the towel, and Nicole saw how the soft material cupped his taut butt. She nearly groaned out loud.
    She bit her lip as she watched him turn and walk toward her, his muscles rippling beneath his skin with each step. Nicole shivered again. Raw lust coursed through her veins, so unfamiliar she nearly didn't recognize it. The last time she'd felt such sharp—nearly painful—physical desire had been with this same man, on a beach near here, a long time ago.
    "Well? Are you coming?" he asked softly.
    She nearly snapped back a very sexual retort, but bit her tongue in time. She wasn’t going to allow Wyatt to see how much the sight of him affected her. No way would he ever know her body was betraying her mind and she'd consider dropping to the sand with him in a heartbeat with just a little provocation--one kiss, a touch, a hot, thorough stare. Hell, a single word.
    Damn, she was in trouble.
    Not willing to acknowledge it, she tore her attention off him and began to strip out of her own clothes. He didn’t move, didn’t speak, merely watching as she lifted her shirt and pulled it over her head. A loud squawk of a seagull sounded overhead, but just before it had broken the silence, she’d have sworn she heard him groan softly. She heard the sound again when she pushed her shorts off her hips to reveal the tiny pink bikini bottoms.
    “Jesus, Nick…”
    Suddenly feeling every one of her many bared inches of skin, she tilted her head back, willing him not to think she’d bought the suit just to try to catch his interest.
    And interested he was. He didn’t seem able to tear his gaze off her. He lifted a hand, rubbing it over his square jaw, and swallowed hard.
    Heat swirled between them and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the air. This came strictly from inside them. It was old—primal—and powerful. Heaven help them, after all they'd been through, and all the years that had passed, they both wanted to fall together on the sand and give in to the powerful hunger encompassing them. She knew it. He knew it. They didn’t have to speak it.
    The possibility hung there for a second. Only, of course, it wasn’t possible. They weren’t alone on the beach, anyone could walk by. And a huge amount of baggage stood between them, creating a nearly insurmountable barrier.
    Finally, releasing a hissed breath through his teeth, he muttered, “Ready?”
    She nodded, turning toward the ocean. Wyatt, with his long-legged stride, reached the water first, not waiting for her, as if he didn’t quite trust himself to. By the time she hit the foamy surf, he was already several yards away, jeweled drops of wet sunshine sparkling on that smooth, delicious-looking skin.
    The surf wasn't too rough and the ocean's temperature did a lot to cool Nicole, both mentally and physically. Wyatt splashed her and swam out further, his strong arms cutting evenly through the waves as he paralleled the shore. She treaded water, watching him silently.
    "Too bad we don't have a surf board," he teased as he swam back toward her. "You used to say you wanted to learn how."
    "Who needs a board?"
    Eyeing an approaching wave, Nicole dove toward shore, allowing the surf to push her on top of the water. She sensed Wyatt right beside her and kicked her feet to propel herself ahead of him. She enjoyed herself thoroughly...right up until the second the current caught her bathing suit top. Feeling the ties giving way around her back, she cursed the new bikini and immediately dropped beneath the surface. Unfortunately, she'd ridden the wave too close to shore and could feel rough sand and rocks only a couple of feet beneath her. No way could she stand up. Nearly out of breath, she lifted her head out to gulp a mouthful of air.
    "Problem?" Wyatt asked with an amused grin.
    "Not at all," she snapped.
    He stood