Holding her while the warm water streamed around us started cementing a memory that I knew I’d return to on the road. The peace, the warmth, the connection. I stared into her beautiful, ever-shifting eyes as I drank it all in, reveled in the feeling of her soft hands on my skin, her trim body in my arms. Heaven. The moment could have easily become a sexual one, but I refrained. Our connection was already so strong right now, I didn’t need anything more, and for once, my hands sliding over her skin weren’t an attempt to rile her up. I just wanted to help her get ready; fully experience the moment with her.

But sadly, with time running out and the warm water fading, we had to leave our damp love nest and make our way out into the real world. I wanted to have coffee ready for her and thought she might like to ogle me for a little longer, so I wrapped a towel around my waist and headed to the kitchen while she got dressed.

Humming a song to myself as I prepped the coffee, I thought over all the notes I’d hidden around Kiera’s apartment. There were a bunch, and they were everywhere. But there were still some I couldn’t hide myself—the more obvious ones were going to need an accomplice to successfully pull off the surprise. Good thing Kiera lived with an amiable cohort. I had no doubt Anna would help me.

I leaned against the counter when I was done preparing the coffee, waiting for it to brew and my angel to rejoin me. When she finally appeared, she was carrying a bundle of my clothes. She wanted me to get dressed in the kitchen? I was about to ask her why, but the look on her face as she blatantly stared at my body stopped me cold. Her hungry gaze honed in on my chest, then lazily made its way down to my towel. It made me smile that my body pleased her so much—she was going to love Jenny’s photo when she discovered it taped to the bottom of her dresser drawer—but I did find it humorous that there was a definite double standard in our relationship. While Kiera could practically lick me with her eyes, whenever I did the same thing, I got reprimanded. I wasn’t going to complain too much, of course. I really liked it when she licked me with her eyes…and she did have a point about her body turning me on.

“Kiera?” I asked, loving her rapt attention.

Her eyes finally snapped to mine, and she almost looked surprised, like she hadn’t realized her inspection of me had gone on for so long. “See something you like?” I teased. Because I sure do. Even covered up with jeans and layered tees she looked amazing.