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Evan smiles at me, but then he frowns at something at his feet.
What the hell? He seems to be upset over an empty plastic water bottle. Muttering a curse, he picks up the bottle and a plastic shovel that a kid must’ve left behind after making sandcastles.
“This sunset will really up the bar in the romance department,” he says, resuming our walk while holding the garbage like nothing is amiss. “I guarantee it.”
“You missed something.” I point at an ice cream wrapper a few feet away.
“Ah.” Evan picks up the wrapper. “Thank you.”
“A billionaire who doubles as a beach cleaner?”
He shrugs. “I’d rather be that than a beach bum… a moniker I’ve gotten in the past.”
Spotting something in the distance, he strides there intently, and I follow.
The something turns out to be a trash can. Evan deposits his haul into it, then picks up a candy wrapper that missed the trash and drops it where it should’ve gone.
When he resumes our walk on the beach like nothing’s the matter, I blurt, “Do you have OCD?”
His house was pretty clean. As was my rental.
He shakes his head. “I just don’t like to see the ocean polluted, that’s all.”
Ah. Makes sense now that he mentions it. “Given your money and all, wouldn’t it make more sense for you to hire people to clean the beaches instead of doing it yourself?”
“I kind of do,” he says. “Not directly, but some of the causes I donate to do that.”
Now that he’s reminded me, I’m curious about the causes he supports, so I quiz him about it for a while. There is a definite pattern to his philanthropy, and even when the cause isn’t directly related to the ocean, it’s still tangentially related. For example, he donates to research projects that work on biodegradable materials.
“Want to have a seat there?” Evan points at a pristine patch of white-as-snow sand.
“Did you call ahead and get someone to clean up this spot?” I plop down and luxuriate in the feeling of warm sand on my toes.
As Evan joins me, he sits so close that our elbows brush each other—which wakes horny butterflies in my belly… and lower too. Despite all the sun exposure I’ve had today, I’m still in desperate need of some Vitamin D.
“That’s the Palace.” He gestures at a castle-like structure behind us. At my confused expression, he says, “It’s part of the most expensive hotel chain in the world, so its portion of the beach is kept pristine.”
Before I can reply, the sky catches my attention and renders me momentarily speechless. The setting sun has painted the clouds with a glorious mixture of purple and orange that belongs more in a surrealistic Dali painting than in the real world.
“You weren’t kidding about the sunsets,” I gasp.
He puts his arm around my shoulders. “It would’ve been worth the drive just to see this, right?”
“Yeah.” But I’d take that logic a few steps further. It was worth going on vacation—with a flight from New York and everything—just to experience this moment of pure contentment in Evan’s embrace.
But that special moment is fleeting because I remember that my vacation is ending very soon. And my time with Evan. And?—
“So beautiful,” Evan murmurs.
I turn his way and realize he’s looking at me, not at the sunset.
I moisten my suddenly dry lips. “If you hadn’t gotten there already, I’d suspect you’re trying to get into my pants.”
A charming smirk is his reply. Then he closes the small distance between us and claims my lips in a searing, heart-stealing kiss.
Chapter Twenty
Evan
