“That’s because no one messes with my badass woman,” he said, then pulled her in for a quick kiss. “And to think, I was just going to take care of that myself.”

Her eyes widened for a moment, and she turned starkly serious. “You don’t mind that I did already?”

“Why would I mind? We are a team, aren’t we?”

“We are,” she said, her grin returned, lighting up her face. She was magnetic when she smiled. My God, had he ever stood a chance at resisting falling in love with her?

“Hey, was that our first big test?” he asked.

“You mean besides the time that we split up and were so damned stubborn we could barely admit how we felt for each other?” she said playfully.

He nodded. “Yeah, besides that one.”

She laughed. “Then I’d say it was and we passed with flying colors.”

“Damn. We’re good together.”

“Want to go get some Chinese takeout and drip hot candle wax between my breasts?”

He yanked her closer, giving her the answer in his instant arousal. “Always. But I need an hour. There’s something I have to do. I’ll meet you at your place.”

She dropped her lips in a pout, and he whispered in her ear. “Wait for me. I want you good and ready.”

“I’m always ready for you.”

Later that evening, he knocked on Casey’s neighbor’s door. The dark-haired plastic surgeon answered and flashed a quick smile. “You all set?”

“I am. I’ll be back in three minutes,” he said, and handed Khashi a large, wrapped object. The man set it down in the entryway of his apartment, then shut the door.

Nate adjusted the gym bag on his shoulder, then rapped his knuckles on Casey’s door. When she opened it, his heart thumped hard against his chest. There was nothing inherently unique about her outfit tonight—she had on a short skirt and a tank top, with her hair high in a ponytail. It didn’t matter. She was always stunning to him, and every time he saw her she took his breath away. He thanked the lucky stars that he had a sister like Kat and a friend like Jack, because those two had talked sense into him when he’d needed it most and made sure he didn’t miss his chance with the woman he adored.

“I have a gift for you. It’s a big one,” he said, dropping his bag on the floor.

Her eyes lit up with excitement, the sapphire blue in them sparkling brighter. “Where is it? What is it?”

“Do you trust me?”

She parked her hands on her hips, and cocked her head to the side. “What kind of question is that? Haven’t we already established twenty million times over that I do?”

“Then I need you to put on this blindfold,” he said, reaching into a side pocket of his bag and brandishing a black silky piece of fabric. “Consider this sensory deprivation. I’m not sure we ever had that on our original lesson plan. But it’s on our new curriculum.”