The straps of her gown disappeared with her tension. One slipped down and off and the other followed. The yellow gown hung suspended on the thrust of her breasts before she tugged. It fell at her feet, a puddle of sunlight splattered on midnight. She walked to the edge of the pool, lifted her arms above her head, and leaned forward. Her fingertips parted the water, and then it flowed over and around her, caressing her skin like a wanton lover. She surfaced with a quiet laugh and began to swim.

*  *  *

Cole stood in the shadows of the kitchen, moved beyond words at the sight he beheld. He’d walked into the house just as Debbie had walked out. His ears caught the sound of the patio door catching, and instinctively, he went to investigate. He’d expected to catch a thief. And in a manner of speaking, he had. Debbie Randall had stolen his sanity weeks ago. Tonight she’d just stolen his heart.

His breath was tight within his chest. His lungs expanded in shock as he watched her gown come off. She offered herself to the night and the water, and he resented the fact that it hadn’t been to him. His feet moved of their own accord as he walked out of the house. Silently, he stood in the shadows and witnessed the water covering her, caressing her. It was more than a man could stand.

He bent down. His shoes came off. He straightened and began to undress. His jacket fell across the patio table, his gun and holster beneath it. Next came his shirt. His fingers paused at the button-fly of his jeans when something—an unbreakable code of honor—made him hesitate. No matter how much a rejection might hurt, he’d have to ask. He couldn’t take. Not with her.

“Can anyone join in, or is this a private party?”

His deep, husky voice startled her. She stopped in midstroke and made a small, splashy U-turn in the pool. Her feet weren’t touching, so she paddled until they did, swiped her hair from her face and the drops from her eyes, letting the water’s turbulence lap at her breasts.

She stared, missing nothing of the fact that he was nearly undressed. She lifted her arm and motioned, a silent beckoning, then held her breath in wanton fascination as Cole stripped away the last of his clothing, leaving him bronzed and bare in the shadows of the night.

He was already hard and yearning. She tried not to stare at his body, but couldn’t resist. He wanted, and it was because of her. It made her own body echo with an ache he could not see.