The living room was sunken and filled with leather and chrome furniture. It was all homey feeling though, and not cold and masculine. The white floors certainly helped brighten everything up, as did the myriad of floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased the incredible views.
She turned to him. “This is amazing. I don’t know how you ever leave this place.”
He smiled. “It’s hard sometimes, but I love my job, so that makes it easier.”
“I imagine so.” Her gaze flitted to the winding staircase. “Bedrooms upstairs?”
“Yeah.” His lips lifted in a smile. “We’ll get to those later. How about a walk?”
“Definitely.”
They headed out back onto the deck and down the stairs toward the beach. It was secluded, the nearest house rather far away.
“You must own a lot of land,” she said as they made their way south along the shore.
“A bit. I like my privacy.”
“For all those wild parties you throw when you’re here?”
“I’ve been known to have a few during the off-season. But I wouldn’t say they’re wild. I just don’t want my nearest neighbor to be able to peek into my bedroom.”
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.