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They subtly touched hands and lingered on the sidewalk for a moment, staring at each other. “How did your painting turn out?”
Her smile brightened, and he took that as a good sign. “Oh, Kiel. It's gorgeous. I don't know what came over me today, but everything flowed. The colors, the scenery. I brought it here right away to show my aunt, and she loves it. It's just . . . it's so hard to explain.”
“Try me,” he said. “I want to know.” He motioned for them to walk over to the coffee shop. He pulled one of the wrought iron bistros chairs out for her, waited for her to sit, and then sat across from her. The table was small, and the chairs were short. He hunched forward, kept his hands under the table, and touched her legs.
“I think every profession has that ah ha moment, the lightbulb that goes on, where everything falls into place. Mostly when I'm painting, I end up taking my canvas back to my place to finish it because I can't seem to find the missing piece before I lose sunlight. Sometimes, I finish them. Other times, they stack in my corner until I'm ready to look at them again. But today.” Eloise’s eyes widened and her hands flicked in the air like fireworks. “Today was different, Kiel. I stood there on the boardwalk and took it all in. Soaking up the sun, the sand, the surf, the way the sand smells after the sun has warmed it and transferred to the canvas. I don't know. I just feel like I finally figured out the secret.”
“To painting at the beach?”
Eloise laughed. “No, honing my craft. Like I said, it's hard to make sense of it all. But I'm eager for tomorrow. I want to be up before the sun. I want to capture it and get every detail of the sun coming back to life.”
“What time is the sunrise?”
She shrugged. “I’ll have to look at the app. Why? Do you want to join me?”
Kiel smiled and tilted his head slightly. “You may or may not be aware of this, but I like you, and I want to spend as much time with you as possible.”
Eloise ducked her head shyly. Kiel reached across the table and lifted her chin. “You can’t be shy around me.”
“Is that so?”
He nodded. “I’ve seen you naked and extremely vulnerable.”
Her cheeks reddened. “This is true, and pretty unlike me.”
On the inside, Kiel fist pumped. “Thank you for showing me that side of you. What we did last night?—”
“And this morning,” she pointed out.
Kiel chuckled and felt his cheeks flare. He wasn’t embarrassed or even shy, but being around her made him giddy. Her presence made his heart race. His palms sweated. And he sometimes felt tongue-tied. It was like he had an entire list of things to say in his head, but the words barely made it to his mouth.
He sat back and took her in. She was a mess, and he loved every part. Half her hair was in a bun, some kept back by a headband that had paint smudges on it. He was certain the rest of her hair was meant to be up but had fallen. She had dabs of paint on her face. Kiel reached out and touched a fleck, moving it off her skin. Eloise smiled and wiped her hands over her face.
“I should’ve showered and had you pick me up at my apartment.”
“I think you’re perfect.”
Eloise didn’t fit the mold of the previous women he brought home. For that, he was thankful. Those relationships didn’t work out for various reasons. Again, he was thankful because Eloise had crossed his path. As he stared at her, he saw her as part of his future, and he really liked what he saw.
“I feel like the past twenty-four hours have been the best of my life, and yes, I know we weren’t together for the full twenty-four. You haven’t left my mind since.”
“I feel the same way, Kiel.”
His body, mind and soul alighted with desire, warmth, and longing. He’d never felt a connection this deep before. It scared him. Yet, he wanted to explore it for all it was worth.
“So, back to the sunrise. I’d love to join you. Even if it’s carrying your things. I don’t even have to spend the night.”
Her eyebrow popped up in question.
“Nope,” he said, shaking his head. Kiel leaned forward. “We don’t live that far from each other.”
“We don’t?”
“Yeah.” He let out a long, exaggerated sigh as he ran his hand through his hair. “Turns out I’m directionally challenged.”
“Where’s your rental?”
“About two blocks down from your place.”
