Page 72 of Coming Home

Where is he?She sat up in the bed. The sheet slid to her waist, exposing her very naked top half, which matched her very naked bottom half. Why had she wasted space in her suitcase for pajamas?

The only thing better than going to bed with Noah would be waking up with him. It still hadn’t happened, but she wouldn’t push. Sleep was difficult for him. The memories of what happened on that roadside in Iraq seemed to visit him most nights.

“Noah?” she called, hearing the shower turn on.

After no answer came, she slipped out of bed. The running water may have drowned out her voice. The sound of the shutting door must have been him returning rather than leaving.

Nat tiptoed to the bathroom, easing the door open. Tendrils of steam filled the bathroom, warming her body, which was both cold from leaving the bed and heated with the sight of Noah’s muscular back and ass facing her.

He stood underneath the showerhead as hot water rained down on him. The droplets cascaded across his defined physique.

Nat’s eyes fixed on the small Marine bulldog tattoo on his right shoulder blade. She’d never really seen it before. Her fingernails had skated across it or dug into it when he drove into her, but she’d never gotten a good look at his backside. The white bulldog outlined in blue appeared both fierce protector and an adorable playmate. Just like the man it was inked on.

Goddess, he’s beautiful.Licking her lips, she stepped over the small pile of workout clothes on the white tile floor and opened the glass door.

Noah turned. “Good morning, gorgeous,” he said with an almost wicked grin.

“Good morning, handsome,” she said with very wicked intentions.

“Care to join me?”

“Well, I am undressed for it.”

With a sated ache between her legs, Nat sat in the brown armchair, a fluffy white towel wrapped around her. The coffeeshe sipped was hot and rich. Noah, who would be heading down for the conference, was getting dressed in the bathroom.

She was going to meet Preeti for breakfast. It would make that story she’d told her family about visiting a friend from college the tiniest of white lies. After breakfast, she’d attend Noah’s speech. He secured a pass for her to visit the conference’s vendor area and attend his keynote speech at the end of the day.

Noah stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a fitted navy suit. As he turned to Nat, her breath hitched. The sight of Noah dressed like that, so fine and fit, was knee-wobbling. She resisted the urge to fan herself. Some men wore suits. Some suits wore men. What Noah did to that suit defied all laws of fashion.

“Good goddess,” she gasped. “Have you seen yourself in a suit?”

“I think you’re biased,” he said, walking over to her.

“I have half a mind to lock you in this room. You may cause a hormonal riot in that suit.”

Nat’s gaze swept over the perfect fit of the fabric on his broad shoulders and cut body. The color made his eyes shimmer like the Caribbean Sea. The combination of his boyishly dimpled smile, strong jawline, and that suit melded into a sexy boy next door package. A sexy boy next door that not thirty minutes ago pressed her against the tiled wall of the shower, driving into her and causing her to scream his name so loud that they feared someone would call hotel security.

Oh, goddess.The memory pooled liquid heat between her legs.

She was acting like a teenager. Although, she’d not acted like this as an actual teenager. Nobody had ever set her entire body on fire sexually while capturing her heart at the same time the way he did. Whether having sex or just being together talking, she burned for this man.

Noah bent and kissed her. “They’ll have your pass at the check-in desk at the conference. Have fun at your breakfast, and I’ll see you after my speech,” he said, starting to straighten up.

Nat grabbed his emerald tie, pulling him back to her lips. “Kick ass today, baby.”

A huge smile erupted on his face. “You called me baby.”

“Sure did,” she crooned. “You said baby first, so I thought I’d return it. It’s only fair, after all.”

With one last kiss and a big grin, Noah left. After she lounged in the memory of him in that suit and plotted to peel it off him later, she got ready to leave for breakfast with Preeti, her undergrad roommate and fellow primary care physician, who lived in Syracuse.

After breakfast and lots of “I can’t believe we did that” stories from her undergrad days, Nat went to the room to change from her casual sundress to something a little sexy business casual. After Noah’s speech, they’d be attending a cocktail hour and then head out for a romantic dinner.

Nat pushed into a pair of rose gold heels and then stepped in front of the full-length mirror in the hotel room’s small entryway. Twirling, she admired herself. The light green sheath dress fell just above her knees and hugged her petite frame. She may not have luscious curves like Summer, but this dress perfectly punctuated what she did have. She pulled on a fitted navy blazer and finished the outfit with a pair of rose gold hoops that popped out of her blown-out sandy locks.

“Look at you,” she said, wiggling her hips in the mirror. Grabbing her purse, she headed out.

Nat zigzagged through the vendor tables outside the large auditorium where Noah would speak. Each table highlighted different rural business resources. Business consultants, social media/marketing experts, and various small business organizations filled tables lining the long stretch of hallway. She wandered, grabbing pamphlets, cards, and free swag to share with Noah and for Summer’s growing event planning business.

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