Bliss Series Boxed Set: The Whole Damn Harem (41 page)

“You wanna know why I cooked you pancakes?”

“Ah, yeah, that’s it. Why pancakes?” Great save, Kate.

“Because I like seeing you smile and I hate to see you cry.” He looks at me, taking me in.

We stare at each other for what seems like an eternity. I’m aware of nothing but the two of us. The feelings I felt that night so long ago have come crashing back, but this time there is no alcohol involved, no impairments, no best friend complications, nothing.

No, this is something entirely different.

"But if that's how you feel, why did you say no to me when I asked you to stay the night?” I say in a barely audible whisper.

“I said no to a quick lay because that’s not you, Kate. Now, I’m saying yes to more than a quick lay,” he retorts assuredly.

“I have a three date rule.”

“I know. Mac told me. I’m fine with that. I’m not looking for another friend with benefits, Kate.”

I gasp. Dammit, I’m going to wring her pretty little neck, superhero protection or not! “You do?”

“Yep, and I’d keep you to it. Although it’ll be a hard task, trying to keep you from jumping me,” he says, giving me the panty dropping smile that I’m sure works on all the girls. It’s totally working on me.

“Keep me from jumping you?” I ask, partly shocked, majorly turned on.

He walks around the counter and spins my bar stool around, placing his arms on the back of the chair and caging me in. My breathing picks up, and my heart starts racing. How can my emotions go from so low to being on such a high? This is doing my head in.

“Yeah, babe, how are you going to be able to hold back?”

Normally I’d be turned off by such overt cockiness, but with Zander I know it’s not cockiness. It’s pure truth. It is like he’s got a direct line to my brain and is reading all my transmissions.

He leans down until his lips are right next to my ear. “Got any plans for tomorrow?”

I shake my head the tiniest amount and his lips graze my cheek, sending a shiver throughout my entire body.

“You’ve got plans now,” he whispers huskily in my ear. “I’m taking you out. On a date. A proper first date. A fun date where we get to know each other. Eat too much. Laugh too much. You deserve a perfect first date, and I want it to be with me, so I’m going to give it to you because now I’m saying yes. To you. To this. To us. You with me?”

I just stare at him, I can’t help it. It’s not until he raises his eyebrows at me that I remember to answer. I nod. It’s all I can do. He’s rendered me speechless.

“See you in the morning, Kate.” He pulls back slightly so that he’s a hair’s breath away from my mouth. “But first, I need to do this.”

And then his lips met mine. And I am done for. D.O.N.E. Contract signed, deal done.

Our tongues tangle together, and our lips mesh as if we were made for each other. Industrial grade fireworks explode around us and again, it feels as if the earth has tilted a little off axis. Soft at first, but then the kiss grows demanding. He takes, and I give and when I think he is finished, he wages a new war in my mouth, searching out my tongue and softly caressing it while he wraps his hands around my waist, pulling our bodies close.

All too soon he pulls away, rubbing his nose gently against mine before standing up to his full towering height above me.

“Sweet dreams, Kate.” With a wink, he walks down the hallway and into his bedroom, leaving me sitting there with the biggest lady boner I’ve ever had, and with a huge smile on my face.

Not complaining. At all.

“By the way, don’t even think of doing the dishes. I’ll do them in the morning!” he yells down the hallway.

Huge smile and lady boner multiplied by ten.

“Kiss Me”

Kate

I replay the kiss in my mind over and over all night. Like a song stuck on repeat, the feelings he elicited buzz through me like a continuous spark. Long after his lips leave mine, I still felt marked. With one touch, one caress of his tongue against mine, my entire body was set ablaze. How could that one kiss transform my night from a woeful and depressing pity party into a wanton woman who can’t get enough? It’s simple really, and it takes an hour of tossing and turning in bed for the lightning bolt to hit. It was because of him. Because it was him. That kiss, albeit brief, dug deep into my soul and took hold of something that had never been touched before.

In the history of kisses, you can look at the most famous fairy tales for guidance. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid—yes, she is a fairy tale, and I’ll keep arguing it until I’m blue in the face. Cinderella had her night dancing at the ball, then she had to leave, so the prince hunted high and low until he found her. Sleeping Beauty’s prince saved her. With The Little Mermaid—the Disney version at least–Ariel saved Prince Eric, then disappeared, was tricked by the evil witch, then tried to make him fall in love with her without singing. But still, when they did kiss, everything became clear as day. Thinking about it, I think I’m the most like Ariel because Zander has already saved me, and he has no reason to search high and low because I’m not hiding anymore.

Knowing he’s sleeping in the room next to mine doesn’t help. He’s so close, but we’re so not at that point. Tonight was only our second ‘first’ kiss. I wonder what would have happened had he deepened the kiss? Or better yet, what if he’d taken it a step further? It definitely wouldn’t have been Disney worthy, maybe one of those parody porns if I were lucky. Something like “Ariel’s Big Scepter” or “Snow White and her Seventh Coming”.

Moving his soft lips along my jaw...down my neck...gently nipping the skin as he trails his tongue along until he places a soft kiss on the hollow at the base of my throat, then dragging his mouth along my collar bone...

Would I have let him continue?

Letting his hand brush against my breast...his other arm wrapping around me...pulling me closer against him...

I look over at my alarm clock and see that I’ve been lost in my musings for hours, knowing that I have a date with Zander tomorrow.

A DATE with the G.O.G. Holy crap.

Where is Mac when I need her?

Oh shit.

Mac.

And Zander.

Together.

Maybe the date isn’t a good idea. Maybe it’s too close for comfort. Do I want Mac’s seconds?

After finally breathing through my freakout, my eyes grow heavy, and I soon drift off to sleep to dream about him and our date. Our perfect date. The date that he says I deserve.

I wake early Sunday morning, and despite desperately wanting a sleep in, I’m unable to go back to sleep. Not brave enough to venture out of my room just yet, I grab my laptop and log into the internet dating site. I’ve barely been on this week. It started with me avoiding nightdancer. I was more embarrassed about my drunken behavior than anything else, but also the feelings he brought to the surface reminding me of Zander’s rejection. I messaged him during the week and pretty much brushed him off, saying I was busy, but now I see there is a new message from him.

Nightdancer23:
Hi. I’m sorry if I said anything to offend you or step over the line. I know our convo got a little out of hand last week, but I like talking to you. I hope everything is okay.

Aww, he really is one of the nice ones, just like Zander.

Fireinthesky24:
Hey. Sorry for being MIA. I’ve been dealing with some stuff in my head. I like taking to you too. It’s hard to get to know people over the net, though. Don’t you think?

I waste about half an hour reading the Hollywood celebrity gossip sites before I check back in to Chicago Singles. I’m happy to see a reply from my favorite dancer
.

Nightdancer23:
It’s hard to get to know people over the internet, but the more you talk, the more you get a feel for someone, especially when they have a bad night and get drunk on tequila and play question and answer games ;) Any more disaster dates?

Fireinthesky24:
No more crazy internet dates, thank god. I’m actually trying the normal kind of dating, the real life kind. Today, in fact.

Nightdancer23:
Nice! Who’s the lucky guy?

Fireinthesky24:
He’s a friend of my best friend. Funnily enough, he’s staying here for a few weeks while his apartment is being repaired.

Nightdancer23:
That’s great! Are you worried about things getting awkward if it doesn’t work out?

I don’t sense any jealousy coming from nightdancer, but then again, he seems to be trying to find out what I think of him. After chatting to me for near on a month now, there should be some jealousy if he were interested in taking things further with me, right? Right?

Fireinthesky24:
He’s a friend first, so I don’t think it would be awkward. He treated me to his family tradition of pancakes for dinner last night to make me feel better.

Nightdancer23:
That’s sweet. I’ve got to go meet a friend, but good luck for your date. I hope you have a great day.

Checking the clock, I realize that it’s been over an hour of chatting and surfing the net, and I haven’t achieved anything. Not knowing what Zander has planned today also doesn’t help with my nerves, or what to wear. I haven’t heard him get up yet, or go into the bathroom.

I have butterflies in my stomach. I’m actually going out with the G.O.G for a date. And he asked me! This calls for a Mac phone call.

“Kate, what the hell are you doing awake at this hour on your day off?”

“Sorry, hon, did I wake you?” I ask.

“Of course not. This little super heroine has been using me as a punching bag since 7 a.m., so Daniel has gone to the gym, and I’m being a lazy ass in bed reading. Is everything okay?”

“No, I’m kind of freaking out, and I don’t want to freak you out, but I need to tell you something…” I bite my lip, not knowing how this convo is going to go.

“Hon, you can tell me anything. You know that. C’mon, spill it.”

I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “Zander asked me out. And kissed me, after asking me out,” I say quickly.

She lets out a huge sigh of relief down the phone, “Oh, thank god. That boy finally grew a pair and did something. Do you know how long he’s wanted to make a move?”

“What? You already know about this?” I ask, stunned. Here, I was expecting a weird conversation, and I find Mac has been encouraging him. “You didn’t think a little heads up would’ve been good?”

“So you could do what? Avoid him again, and continue to avoid telling me whatever the hell has gone on between the two of you?” she states.

“No. I mean….um…you’re not mad or anything?” I ask, still not quite believing this. It’s like I’m stuck in an episode of the Twilight Zone.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. He’s your ex sex-friend or whatever,” I try to explain but fail miserably. Then she bursts out laughing. What the fuck?

“You said it. He was. Not now, never again. I have a superhero. His penis and everything else are all that I need. Zander is a great guy who will treat you like gold. For the record, he’s liked you for a little while I think, so this isn’t news to me. He was texting me just yesterday asking advice.”

Well that sheds a new light on things.

“And what did you tell him?” I ask curiously.

“I told him to spend time with you. That’s it. He also said that you’d been avoiding him?”

She’s on to me now, I can tell.

“Okay, here’s the thing. You remember that night a few months ago when you drunk booty-called Daniel and left Zander and me at the bar?”

“Yeah…” she says slowly, urging me to continue.

“Well, Zander saved me from a guy who wouldn’t understand no, and long story short, I jumped him, asked him to stay the night, but he turned me down.”

“Sheesh, that explains a lot.” Mac’s rendered silent for a while. This is a first.

“Yeah, and well, it was a shock him turning up on our doorstep, let alone you offering your room to him. So it has taken a little getting used to.“

“So how did you go from avoiding him, to agreeing to go out on a date with him? Hon, I knew you were hot for Zan that night. And to be honest, you couldn’t find a nicer, more thoughtful guy.”

“Really?”

“Of course, would I lie to you?”

I giggle. “No, you’d just fail to tell me that the guy I threw myself at was moving in with me.”

“In my defense, I didn’t know because neither of you guys told me that you’d almost boned,” she says.

“We didn’t almost bone. I offered, he declined. He said I was worth more than a quick lay. Oh shit, sorry!”

“Hon, we were never anything more than a series of quick lays, I’m good,” she says, laughing. “But now you have to tell me. You’re going on a date with Zander. When and where?”

“I don’t know where, but today. He says he’s going to show me what a proper date is like, so I need your help. What do I wear?”

“Well that I can help you with. Show off your legs, boobs and curves. How about that pretty yellow sundress you bought on our last shopping spree. It’s perfect!”