Thank you to the reviews I got on the last chapter! I really appreciated them! You guys made me smile. So I know this is two updates in one day but I really love this story and I'm feeling exceedingly sappy at the moment. This one made me smile. I hope you like it. I'm changing the rating even though nothing actually sexual has happened. You can never be too careful.

Stefan led Elena into her bathroom, letting go of her hand as he walked towards the tub and reached down to turn on the hot water.

She leaned against the wall as he went about preparing a bath, finding her bath salts and bubbles in the cabinet and picking out a combination she had never tried before. She had no idea how he knew where any of that was but it made her warm inside to watch him take such care in drawing a bath for her. It was so…domestic. She loved it.

Once the bath was done he turned back to her, smiling softly. She pulled her weight off the wall as he walked towards her.

Stefan moved his hands to cradle her face, pulling himself in to kiss her on her forehead.

Slowly he kissed a path to her cheeks, then to her chin, the tip of her nose, and then, finally, her lips.

The kiss was slow and gentle but it sent tingles down Elena's spine.

Eventually, Stefan broke the kiss, leaving Elena breathing a bit heavier than before. He smile again and moved his hands down from her face to graze the bottom of her shirt.

He began kissing her again, leaving a trail down her neck and moving down to her collarbone where he nipped at her playfully.

Elena giggled and ran her fingers through his hair, relishing in its softness.

He smiled against her skin and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, slowly pulling it up; he moved his lips to her stomach, trailing kisses up her skin as her shirt rose. She raised her arms, allowing him to pull the shirt off of her body.

He tossed her shirt onto the floor, returning his attention to kissing her.

He reached his hands around her back, unclipping her bra and tossing it onto the floor with her shirt.

Elena waited to see what he would do next, curious to see if he would turn this into something sexual, but instead of teasing her breasts like he would before sex, he merely kissed the tops of them gently, his hands beginning to work on the button of her pants.

He eased her pants and panties off, and then trailed kisses down each of her legs, taking off her shoes and socks when he got to her feet.

He stood up after discarding her shoes and socks, bringing his lips to hers again.

"I love you." He murmured, running his fingers through her hair gently.

Elena sighed in contentment at the feeling of his fingers moving through her hair. In a situation like this she would have thought that she'd want to jump his bones and beg him to make love to her but, to her surprise, she felt differently.

It was as if every kiss and every touch left his love on her skin. She felt warm and content.

She wasn't ruling out sex. It could definitely happen tonight and she would be more than willing but, at this point, she relished the feeling of him worshiping in her body in a non-sexual way. She felt respected. She felt loved.

Stefan smiled at the look of contentment on Elena's face. The tension and weariness in her body seemed to be slowly disappearing.

He felt a rush of pride at the realization that he caused that.

Moving slowly, he picked Elena up, holding her in his arms, and carried her, bridal style, to the bathtub.

Elena giggled. "You spoil me." She said lightly.

Stefan smiled. "You deserve it." He answered with a look in his eyes that made Elena feel like he was reading her soul.

He placed her gently into the warm water, and she sighed as she sank down into what felt like a bubbly, scented heaven.

He shed his clothes quickly, tossing them in a pile on the floor and joined her in the bath, positioning them so she rested on his chest in the warm water.

Elena laid her head on Stefan's shoulder, looking up at him, smiling. He returned her gaze and placed a light kiss on her mouth, feeling her lips curving into a smile against his.

"Do you know that I love you?" he asked her lightly. "And that you are beautiful?" he moved his hands to her shoulders, beginning to massage them.

Elena moaned, relaxing further into his chest.

"And that I will always protect you and always love you? You are the light of my life. You are perfect." He continued, kneading her muscles and feeling them relax under his hands.

Stefan continued, beginning to list off all the things he loved about her. Her smile, the way she laughed when they were alone, the smell of her hair, the way she looked at him from across a room, the way her eyes expressed her emotions, her strength, her ability to love, her ability to forgive. The list went on and on.

Elena smiled, thinking that if she could, she would stay in this moment forever with him, the man she loved, and never ever leave.

I hope you liked it! I will probably continue because I'm a sap but review anyway to make me feel good! Thank you for reading! Follow me to get the next chapter. :)