Something silent passed between us. Understanding. Kiera knew what I was truly saying, heard the words buried underneath my spoken words, and she got it, she got me. Because, while in some ways we were wildly different, in others, we were mirror images. Soulmates. She gave me a bright smile, one that burned away the sudden melancholy, made me feel like I could do anything, as long as she was by my side. Even live apart from her, as ironic as that was. “You’ll be all right,” she said. I believed her, but I frowned at her anyway. She laughed, then told me, “Besides, we almost always end up sleeping together anyway.”

She flushed such a bright red after she said it, that I knew she’d just realized how suggestive that sounded. Always a split-second too late. That was what made teasing her so much fun. Grinning, feeling lighthearted again and confident that my girl loved me, I reached behind her to open her bedroom door. “Exactly. Think of the gas money we’d save.” I walked her backward into her room, as I continued trying to win her over with logic. “And rent…you wouldn’t have to pay that, living with me. You could work less, concentrate on school more.”

With a sigh, she flicked on her light. “I like my life, Kellan. I finally feel…well-rounded.”

There wasn’t a single part of me that could let that sentence go. Kicking the door closed, I cupped her ass. “Yes, I know, very well-rounded.” A peeved curve to her lip, she smacked me on the shoulder. I laughed, then pulled her tight as I let out a dramatic sigh. With a soft kiss, I told her, “Fine.” I’d drop it…for now.

After a few soft kisses that got my blood pumping, I pulled back. Kicking off my shoes, I pointed at her ridiculous excuse for a bed. “But that seriously sucks. Can I at least buy you a decent bed?” Something without a hard bar running through it. Something big enough to…stretch out in. Would a California King fit in this room?

Kiera smiled, relief evident on her face. Stepping out of her own shoes, she grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the dreaded contraption. “Of course. You can even help me break it in.”

Her slim fingers began removing my shirt, and as I helped her, my grin was unstoppable. “Hmmm…you may have sold me on this idea.”

She tossed my shirt on the ground, then ran her hands down my chest. Her finger traced the swirled letters of her name upon my skin, and my breath caught. It was like a jolt of lightning up my spine whenever she touched my tattoo. “Anything that ends with sex sells you,” she laughed.

Sex with you, yes. Playfully pushing her back onto the awful bed, I leaned over and murmured, “True.”