As Evan slowly pulled off his shirt, my throat suddenly dried up. This was the first time I was seeing him without his shirt and to say that he was handsome would be an understatement.

His tan, ripped body glistened under the sunlight. His abs stood out the most and made me wonder when does he work out. He wasn't overly muscular like those boxers or wrestlers, just the perfect amount of lean ruggedness to make him look like a Greek God.

"Old you say?" he said, breaking my chain of thoughts and that's when he shifted in front of me to pick up the ball. He dribbled it up and down in quick speed and I just watched him cautiously.

I had never played it before so I was just doing it for fun but he looked like he could play it well. It reminded me of when he told me he used to play sports in college. And here I was, the ultimate potato, challenging him.

I tried to take the ball out of his hand but he was constantly bouncing it up and down, all the while flashing me a stupid smirk, as if making fun of me. Every time I extended my arm, he would slightly tilt towards the other direction to protect the ball from me. It took him few seconds to score his first basket and he jumped upwards to catch the ball once again.

"Ugh, give it to me." I whined when I failed to take the ball from him.

"Whine harder. I can't hear you over the sound of victory." he said and I groaned. And then, with a swift motion, he scored another basket.

"When you are old enough to play with me, we will talk." he grinned at me, stretching his arm over his head. His muscles rippled with every motion and I had to gulp harder to swallow the ball of nerves down my throat.

"It's not fair, I am a girl." I said and crossed my arms in front of my chest. My actions urged him to move his eyes lower to my bosoms. "We tend to be shorter."

"Excuses, excuses." he smirked again, lifting his gaze from my chest once again.

"Go to hell," I shouted in embarrassment as I stomped towards the folding wooden chair. I lay down on it and closed my eyes, resting my arm over my eyes.

I could feel his eyes on me and it made me self-conscious of being in a swimwear. But I didn't want to show him his effect on me so I kept my face confident, as if his attentive gaze on me didn't affect me at all.

My thoughts moved to last night when he had placed small kisses on my jaw. I hated how once again, I let him come near me the way he wants. It was bad for my self-respect and I hated myself for it but I couldn't stop. His touch was too tempting to leave.

"I didn't know you are a sore loser." I heard his voice from a distance.

"You are a loser." I yelled back, still with eyes closed.

The sound of another deep chuckle reverberated through my body and I clenched my eyes harder. He was making feel different things and I wasn't ready for this. So when I finally heard the sound of door, I let out a sigh.

.........

When I opened my eyes, the sun had already started to set which meant I was sleeping for last two hours. The reddish hue of the drowning sun was decorating the sky. The contrast of it with the blue waves of water was too beautiful to be real.

Stretching my limbs, I stood up and wore a poncho over my bikini. I slowly made my way back to the house and the tentalising aroma of something on the stove pulled me to the kitchen.

My eyes widened when I saw Evan cooking something. It was the first time I saw him cook anything and the scene was a sight to behold. He looked so focused and calculating, as if it was another one of his projects.

"Go take a shower. I will set the table." he said. Surprised and impatient to taste his food, I nodded and hurried towards the bathroom to take a quick shower to wash off all the dust.

I wore the floral maxi dress I had bought and then let my wet hair loose. Spraying some perfume on me and applying some lipstick to color my lips, I made my way back to the lounge.

He had set up the table in front of the glass door through which the beautiful scenery was visible. Two plates of spaghetti and meatballs and two glasses of wine were already set on the table, waiting to be devoured.

"Is it a date?" I joked as I settled in front of him.

"Would you like it to be?" he asked with a teasing smile. He looked good in a the light blue T-shirt he was wearing. Such colors suited his eyes and made him look more boyish and young.

Is he flirting with me? This was not the Evan I had married. He was never in such a good mood and flirting was an unknown deal to him.

"I'd rather not," I said and refused to let him get to my mind once again.

"Then it's not," he shrugged and took a sip of the wine. I mimicked him and took a sip, feeling the sharp taste burning my tongue.

After this, I took a bite and closed my eyes in relief when it didn't turn out to be bitter or sweet. I remember the first time Liam cooked pasta; he added one tablespoon of sugar to 'lessen the acidity' according to him.

"We are invited to a party tomorrow night." he said. "It's hosted by our investors."

"Oh, okay. Thank God, I brought a black evening gown with me. Nate said the color suits me." I told him.

"Ahan? Nate said that?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah," I said and took another large sip of the wine. The first sip was a torture but the second sip made me feel good and light.

"Maybe he is interested in you." he said bitterly.

"Oh, come on. He was just being nice." I defended, taking another sip of the liquid.

"You said the same about Liam." he said in annoyance.

"Yes, because not every guy in interested in every girl. Can't a guy just be courteous to a girl without wanting anything in return?" I replied. I had finished the whole glass of wine and although I didn't feel drunk, it helped lower my inhibitions.

"Not when the girl looks like you." he said, pouring some more wine in his glass. I took the bottle from him and then poured some in my glass as well.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" I asked. I didn't understand if he praised me or insulted me.

He smiled at this and then leaned back in his seat. "You don't get this, do you? You are fucking beautiful Scarlet, too beautiful for your own good." he said and my cheeks felt warm all of sudden.

I had no idea how to reply so I lowered my gaze to my plate, fighting the smile that wanted to appear on my face.

The rest of the dinner went in silence, with his keen eyes on me and my eyes on the wine. By the time I stood up, I felt a little dizzy. The three glasses of wine had started to show its effect and I started to feel drunk. I should have thought about this earlier. Alcohol and I never went along, if my late teenage had taught me anything.

"Is the world spinning?" I asked and then tried to take a step but ended up faltering back in my seat.

"Why am I surprised? Of course you are a lightweight." I heard him say after which he stood up and walked towards me.

He picked me up with my hips and guided my legs around my waist. I snaked my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder. He started walking with me in his arms and I smiled at our approximate position.

When we finally reached our room, he lowered me down to the bed. With blurry vision, I watched him as he covered me with blanket, his dark hair looking exceptionally soft today.

"Evan," I whispered and he looked at me.

"You are beautiful too," I mumbled under my breath. His mouth curved into a beautiful smile and he nodded sheepishly.

Walking around the bed, he lay down beside me. It was still early to sleep but we both were somehow tired because of the heavy dinner and the alcohol.

His warm presence beside me was too inviting so I scooted closer to him and rested my arm over his torso. He looked at me with sleepy and confused as eyes when I did that. "Good night husband," I smiled, squinting my eyes to get a better look at him.

"Good night, wife," he replied and then pulled me close and wrapped his arm around me. I succumbed to sleep in his warm embrace, wishing every night was like this between us. How amazing would it be!

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