She held her hand up to shield her face from the sun, trying to guess how far away the nearest house was. “I don’t think your nearest neighbor could see into your bedroom with a high-powered telescope.”
He laughed. “Just the way I like it.”
The waves churned to shore, casting frothy water over her feet and ankles. The cool water felt good as they walked their way down the beach.
Evelyn wondered what it would be like to have a house like Gray had, to be able to sit on his deck and watch the waves roll in and out.
Not that she’d want to make this her permanent home. But a vacation home? A place to bring the kids? And the dog—she’d definitely want a dog or two. Maybe a Labrador, who’d want to take a leap into the ocean to fetch a ball or a Frisbee.
She laughed. It was always fun to plan out her imaginary family. The one she’d likely never have.
“What are you giggling about over there?”
She lifted her gaze to him, could imagine a dark-haired son with Gray’s stubborn chin, or a little girl with his eyes.
Whoa. Shaking off those thoughts immediately, she smiled at him. “Just playing the what-if game while we walked.”
“Yeah? Tell me.”
“Oh, it was nothing, really.”
He squeezed her hand and pulled her to a stop. “Evelyn. Tell me.”
“I was just daydreaming about your big house with its stunning ocean view, thinking what it might be like to live in a place like that. Then I decided I wouldn’t necessarily want to spend the rest of my life here, but it might be nice to have it as a vacation home, where I’d bring my imaginary children along with my imaginary dogs here for vacations. I even had my imaginary dogs fetching Frisbees from the water.”
His lips curved, and she wanted to trace that smile with her fingertips.
“Yeah? That sounds like a pretty good plan. You should add that to your things-to-do-someday list.”
“I don’t think I have a list like that.”
They resumed walking. “You should. Everyone should have a list like that.”
“Do you?”
“Uh . . . no.”
She shoved into him and laughed. “Then why tell me I should have one?”
“Because it’s a good idea, you planning to become President of the United States and all. You should get started on all those goals. Like getting married and having kids and a dog. You’re not going to get elected president being single.”
“I’m too busy getting someone else elected right now. I’ll worry about myself later.”
He stopped again and pulled her against him. “You should put yourself first more often.”
She’d thought much the same thing this morning when she realized how much being with Gray had helped her unwind. “I’ve thought about that.”
“Have you?”
“Yes. I’m very relaxed right now. And thanks to you, I’ve decided I should take more downtime.”
He skimmed his fingers along her back, making her wish she still wore her bikini instead of a tank top and shorts. She had loved the feel of his hands on her bare skin when they were on the boat. And what he’d done to her, the way he’d shattered her.
She wasn’t sure any man had ever learned her body so quickly, or if any man would ever make her come the way Gray could. A dangerous thought, because she didn’t want to become emotionally attached to him.
It was just sex—mind-blowing, really awesome sex, but that’s all it was, so making more out of it than what it was would only make her miserable when it was over.
And that was the hard truth she had to face.
She wanted more than just sex, and it was high time she started doing something about it.
But she wasn’t going to be doing something about it with Gray Preston. He wasn’t the forever and ever and two kids and the big yard and settling down and being supportive while she hustled through her political career kind of guy. He was racing cars and being on the road ten months out of the year kind of man. And that didn’t fit with her lifestyle, any more than hers fit with his.
This was a fling. A great fling, but when it was over they’d go their separate ways, and then she’d see about getting that house with the big yard and the tire swing.
He tipped her chin up with his fingers and her gaze met his, her body melting under the warmth of his whiskey eyes.
“Did I lose you?”
Not yet. But eventually, she’d lose him, his great hands, his incredible body, and the way he made her feel when he touched her.
“No. I’m right here.” Which was where she’d stay. In the moment, not waxing romantically about what could be, somewhere down the road in her future.
Somewhere far down the road.
He brushed his lips across hers and she melted into him, and when he explored her mouth with his tongue, she opened for him. He wrapped his arms around her and tugged her close. Here, out on the beach, with cool ocean water swimming over her feet, he could still heat her body to boiling.
He pulled his mouth from hers, his gaze heavy lidded and filled with the hunger that made her pulse beat erratically.
“Let’s go back to the house.”
She nodded and he grasped her hand. This time, their walk was faster as his thumb drew lazy circles over the top of her hand, driving her crazy. Her skin felt on fire, tuned in to his touch. By the time they climbed the back stairs and went through the doorway, she was ready to tear his clothes off with her teeth.
Apparently he felt the same way, because they kicked off their shoes right inside the door and he yanked her up the stairs, both of them out of breath from their near run down the beach. There was no tour of the bedrooms. He shoved open the master bedroom door and she got the barest glimpse of filtered light and windows and an amazing balcony before Gray picked her up and threw her onto one very large, soft bed. She fell into a mass of blankets and laughed as Gray climbed on top of her.
He framed her face and kissed her, his erection rubbing against her, dampening her, preparing her for him. She pulled off her top, and when he reached for her shorts, she lifted her hips, anxious to get clothes out of the way. He stood and she smiled as he tore his shirt off and tossed it aside. Content to just watch, he dropped his shorts, his c**k hard as it sprang up. She reached for it, stroking him from base to tip.
“God, I like your hands on me,” he said, tangling his fingers in her hair.