Sydney laughed at his antics, patting him on the head to reassure him every time he returned to her. “He’s a big baby,” she said. “Although it’s such a relief to see him being playful again.”

From the blanket, Luke chucked the tennis ball and sent the dog flying down the beach. “That ought to give us three or four minutes.”

“For what?” Syd asked.

Smiling, he slipped a hand around her neck and drew her into a kiss that started out soft and sweet but turned hot and wild.

They were interrupted when a spit-soaked tennis balled landed with a plunk on Luke’s back.

“Ugh,” he said, pulling back from her. “Gross, man.”

Buddy barked, demanding Luke throw the ball again.

“All right, hold your horses.” Luke put some serious muscle behind the throw this time and sent the ball even farther down the beach.

Buddy took off like a shot.

“Now,” Luke said, turning back to Sydney, “where were we?”

She opened her arms to him. “Right about here.”

“Mmm, I love it here.” He left a trail of kisses from her collarbone to her ear.

“Luke?”

“What, honey?”

Her hands slid over his shoulders to his back and muscular backside. “If we were to, you know, do what we used to do here, would it be about us?”

Groaning, he recaptured her mouth in another torrid kiss. “Not here,” he said when he came up for air. “I want a shower and a bed.”

“You’re no fun anymore.”

He grunted out a laugh. “Gee, thanks.”

“Now where did Buddy go?” She called for the dog.

“Is that him?” Luke pointed. “Way down there?”

“Yes! What’s he doing?”

“I’ll go get him,” Luke said, kissing her quickly. “Don’t go anywhere.”

“Hurry.”

Sydney shivered at the almost predatory look he gave her before he jogged down the beach to where Buddy was working on something he’d found on the sand. She hoped it wasn’t gross or smelly, because she really didn’t want to have to give him a bath. Not right now. Not when she and Luke had better things to do.

She reclined on the blanket, letting the afternoon sun warm her face. Am I really going to do this? Did all widows feel guilty and torn the first time they made love with another man after losing their husband? “Seth would want me to be happy,” she said. “That was all he ever cared about.” But would he want her to be happy with Luke, the only other man she’d ever loved?

Of course she’d told Seth about Luke and how she’d left their relationship unfinished. She didn’t think Seth had seen Luke as any kind of serious threat to him or their marriage, but then he hadn’t known how often she’d thought of her first love or how badly she felt about leaving him without a word.