“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.”
She arched an eyebrow, looking doubtful. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
He took her hand, led her to the couch, then asked her to sit down. As she settled in, he pressed the fabric over her eyes and tied it behind her head. He grabbed her phone and popped her ear buds into her ears. Then he called up her newest playlist, and turned up music so she couldn’t hear.
When he returned to Khashi’s apartment, the man handed over the gift and Nate thanked him. He grabbed a hammer from inside his gym bag, along with some nails, and set to work.
* * *
Casey blasted an upbeat song from her friend Jane Black, the music distracting her from whatever Nate was up to. She didn’t know if she’d find him naked doing a striptease when he took off this blindfold. She considered that image for a moment. She liked that image a lot. But a striptease wasn’t his style. For now, she’d simply have to wait patiently.
Soon, she felt his fingers on her cheek, his soft touch that melted her. He removed the ear buds, unfastened the blindfold and let it fall to her neck. She drew a sharp intake of air, then blinked several times. She was sure she was seeing things. There was no way that could be on her wall. She pointed, repeatedly, opening her mouth, but no words came out. She was like a fish trying to breathe above water.
Her collection had grown, and her wall of kisses now featured a man and a woman, caught in a rainstorm, gazing at the sky as big, buoyant raindrops fell. She stood and whispered, as if she were in church, “Is that it?”
He nodded, a huge grin in his face. “It’s the Miller Valentina you wanted.”
With quiet, careful steps she walked to the wall, raising her hand when she reached the painting, but not touching it, merely coming close. Her fingers tingled, and she held her breath. Astonishment unfurled inside her as she gazed at the work of art she had longed for that evening in London. The piece that she’d craved, but had lost out on because she couldn’t resist stealing away for a private moment of bliss with this man.
“How?” she asked, and her voice was comprised purely of wonder.
The corner of his lips quirked up. “Jack’s been working with some European companies investing in high-end items, like art. He made some calls to Sotheby’s and found out who’d bought the painting. I called the guy, and made him an offer.”
Her eyes widened and excitement took off inside her like a rocket. He had done this. He’d really done this. “I want to kiss it,” she said, staring at the painting in awe. “But I want to kiss you more. This is the most amazing thing anyone has done for me.” She cupped his cheeks in her hands, and locked eyes with him. His stunning amber eyes were full of love. “You gave me a painting.”
He nodded happily. “I gave you a painting,” he echoed.
“But it’s not just any painting. It’s The Big Love.”
“That’s what you’ve given me,” he said softly, reverently, and she melted from head to toe, her skin sizzling, her heart igniting, her body shouting and cheering with a gleeful kind of abandon.
“I have a gift for you too, but it might seem kind of tiny now.”
“Size doesn’t matter,” he said, and her eyes drifted to his pants.
“I beg to differ. Your size does matter, and it’s just the size I want.”
“Well, that size matters. Obviously.”
“Stay here,” she said, and walked to the kitchen, grabbed her box of fortune cookies, and brought them to Nate.
“Aren’t we supposed to have these after dinner?”
She gestured for him to move it along. “Dessert comes first.”
He opened the box, and found the two fortune cookies that she’d special ordered. “They’re just fortune cookies,” she said, suddenly feeling like her gift was tiny. She hadn’t known that he was bringing her a work of art tonight. She’d simply intended to give him a sweet little something. That was all. “But I had them specially made. Open them.”