Willow’s green eyes sparkled suddenly. She stood on a step so that she was taller than he was, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ll tell you if you kiss me.”

He grinned in surprise, slipping his hands around her waist. “I don’t know, you drive a hard bargain...all right, I give in.”

She trailed her fingers over the back of his neck as they kissed; Alex shivered, pulling her closer. “Maybe we could sneak away into your room later,” she whispered against his mouth.

“Maybe we could just spend the rest of our lives in there, and never come out again,” he murmured back. Nothing sounded better. His lips travelled down to her neck, lingering against her warm skin; he couldn’t help smiling. “And don’t get me wrong, I definitely like the idea – but you always used to be so worried about us not having enough privacy in there.”

“I still am,” she said faintly. “But Alex, I just—” She pulled away to look into his eyes; he saw deep happiness in her expression. “I just really want to be close to you. I mean—” She touched his cheek and smiled ruefully. “Well, as close as we can be, with a dorm full of people just outside.”

Which unfortunately wasn’t as close as either of them wanted – but was a lot better than nothing. “Oh man, it’s a date,” said Alex, drawing her back against him. Then he stopped as his responsibilities crashed over him like a freight train. They had less than three weeks now. Three weeks. He glanced tensely towards the range. “But I should probably head over to the evening service at the cathedral first and check the place out; then look over the blueprints for the Torre Mayor again, see if I’ve missed anything—”

Willow put a finger over his lips. “It’s okay.”

He made a face. “No, it really isn’t. You deserve—”

“I deserve to be with you, and I am. Always. Alex, it’s fine – this is so important, don’t you think I realize that?” He could hear her frustration though, and knew how much she hated it that she couldn’t go to the angel-filled cathedral with him and try to pick up something psychically. From the moment they’d met, they’d been a team – having to sit at home with her half-angel aura must gnaw at her.

“Of course I know you realize it,” he said softly. “God, if anyone in the world understands what’s at stake, it’s you.” He tucked back a short strand of her hair and smiled. “So, have I earned the right yet to know how the aura work is going?”

Willow sighed. “Still not that well, actually,” she confessed. “It’s a lot harder than I thought.”