Bliss Series Boxed Set: The Whole Damn Harem (9 page)

At seven-thirty, Kate and I are sitting on the couch watching our favorite entertainment news show and catching up on all the celebrity gossip when there’s a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Kate says, jumping to her feet and rushing to the door before I have a chance to stop her.

“Hi, you must be the smoking hot volcano of fine I’ve heard so much about.” Her voice is full of glee as she greets him. Damn that girl! “I’m Kate, Mac’s best friend and roommate.”

She’s holding her hand out to him which he shakes firmly, being the gentleman he is and I don’t miss the low chuckle he makes at Kate’s introduction. I shake my head as I walk towards the kitchen to grab my purse.

“Nice to meet you,” he says before looking my way. He stops and stares at me.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” I ask, rubbing my hands over my face. Dammit, that’s all I need.

“No, gorgeous, you look beautiful. I just wanted a moment to take you in,” he says with a wide grin.

I look down at my outfit. A burgundy tank with lace cut outs, a pair of cute black skinny jeans with cargo pockets on the legs and three zips on the thighs, and black leather, zip front ankle boots that I saw in Nordstrom’s today and couldn’t leave behind.

“Oh!” I blush. Damn that man and his ability to make me lose my head at a moment’s notice.

He walks towards me, stopping so close I can feel the heat radiating off his body. He lifts his hand up to my face and pushes a wayward hair back behind my ear. “You look sexy when you blush,” he says so quietly that I’m sure I’m hearing things. He kisses my cheek softly before pulling back and smiling. Damn he has the straightest teeth I’ve ever seen, and perfectly white. Does he not have anything wrong with him? Like even just one thing...well, not that thing because that would be a disaster for all women kind.

“Do you want to have a drink here first, or should we get going?” I ask, doing a last minute check of my bag for the essentials: lip gloss, mascara, perfume, deodorant, condoms.

Check!

“Well, if you don’t mind I’ve made us a dinner reservation for eight so we should probably get going,” he suggests.

“Sure. Kate, love you. See you when I get back?”

“I won’t wait up,” she replies with a wink. “Anyway, I’ve got a date with the Salvatore brothers.”

Daniel walks towards the front door, grinning ear to ear. He turns and grabs my coat off my arm, holding it out for me. “Bye, Kate. Hope to see you again sometime.”

I walk up to him and guide my hands into the arms of the coat. Daniel runs his hands over the shoulders and down the front of the jacket, his hands skimming my breasts as he smoothes it out for me. “Perfect,” he says before leaning forward and kissing my forehead. “Just like you.”

I hear Kate sigh behind us, and I giggle as I wave bye to her and walk out the front door with my Delicious Daniel.

I’m barely fifty feet down the sidewalk before I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket with a text. Pulling it out, I see its Kate, I sigh, already knowing what I’ll see when I read the message.

“Kate? Already?” Daniel muses.

“Yes, no doubt it’ll be about you,” I say jokingly. I open the message and snort at what I read.

Kate:
Hot damn, Mac. If you don’t want him, I’m more than happy to take him off your commitment phobe hands. He has me drooling at both ends!

I hear a chuckle come from Daniel, and as I look up at him I see that he’s read the message over my shoulder. Holy crap!

“I’m so sorry! Kate lost her brain to mouth filter a long time ago.”

“I like her. She tells it like it is.” He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into his side, kissing my hair before murmuring, “Although, I’d love to know if I make you drool too.”

“I bet you would, Superman. Remember, you said you’d show me how well you play cards,” I say with a slight hip bump.

“Oh, I will, Mac. Don’t doubt it for a second.” He flashes me that sexy grin of his again.

After another block of walking, and me silently scolding myself for choosing such ridiculous but pretty shoes, we stop outside a cute little Italian restaurant. To be honest, it doesn’t look all that inviting from the outside. Daniel sees the disbelief on my face and grins.

“Just trust me on this, Mac. You’re going to love it.” He grabs my hand and steps forward. I think he’s going to open the door for me, but instead he pulls me into his arms and dips me backwards, planting the mother of all hard kisses on my waiting lips. Having kissed the life out of me, he pulls me back up and holds me while I regain both my breath and my senses. He literally just swept me off my feet, in the middle of the freaking sidewalk.

Holy mother of God. This boy is a card shark!

He smiles at me, knowing damn well the effect he’s having on me. “You okay there, Mac?” he asks, knowing all too well that I’m a pawn in his sexy game.

“You know exactly what you’re doing to me, Superman,” I retort, “and two can play this game,” I step forward and open the restaurant door, making sure to add a little spring in my step and a wiggle in my walk as I make my way to the hostess.

He stands beside me, giving me a knowing grin before turning his attention to the young hostess who is blushing at the mere sight of him. Yes, chicky. He’s hot, and he’s mine, so back off!

Whoa, where did that green-eyed monster come from?

“Table for two under Winters,” he tells the hostess.

“Right this way, Mr. Winters.”

Daniel reaches down and grabs my hand, entwining our fingers and leading me to our table.

Superman 1. Mac 0.

The hostess leads us to a table near the back of the restaurant, and of course Daniel stops and pulls my chair out. The way he’s acting tonight is making me nervous. He’s not like most of the guys I’ve been out with over the years. He doesn’t have a game plan, and he’s not just being a gentleman to get in my pants. He seems genuine. Like he really wants to be here, having a civilized dinner with me.

Each date we’ve been on has been initiated by him, organized by him. At no stage have I felt like he’s doing it all just to get into my pants. I’m not used to being treated this way; being respected and treated like a lady. In all honesty, it’s doing my head in.

Once I’m seated, Daniel takes the seat opposite me and gives me that stellar grin of his. The one so hot it could melt icebergs. God, that smile alone has me hungry for more than just dinner. Yes, it may be our third date and I’ve managed to follow my new rule, but it definitely hasn’t been easy. Had he agreed to coming inside last weekend, I would have told him to go straight to my room, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars. And there wouldn’t have been any Monopoly going on, that’s for sure.

“You look distracted, Mac,” he says, not even trying to hide his amusement.

“Sorry, my mind was running away with me,” I reply with a smile.

Quirking an eyebrow, he tilts his head slightly. “And where was it going exactly?”

“Ah… I was wondering how I’d ever decide what to order.” I grab the menu and open it up, trying to hide my flaming cheeks.

Leaning forward, he places his finger in the middle of the menu and pushes it down so he can see my face. “Mac, don’t hide that beautiful face from me. In fact, there is no need to hide anything. I like what I’ve seen of you so far, I especially like that face of yours. This is just another date. There are no expectations, and definitely no obligations. For either one of us.”

Shit, now I feel bad. How is it possible that Daniel is so nice?

“Okay. I’m sorry. I’m just not used to being treated like this,” I say honestly, flinging my hand around in the air.

“Like what? Being taken out to a nice restaurant by a deliciously handsome man, and having to stop yourself from throwing him on the table and having your wicked way with him?” His eyes are fixed on me, but they’re dancing with amusement now.

“Exactly! How am I supposed to hold myself back?” I exclaim dramatically. He cracks up laughing and reaches over the table, taking my hand in his.

“Mac, I like you, but we are still getting to know each other okay. If you feel pressured or uncomfortable at any time, just tell me and we’ll take a step back.” I can’t doubt the sincerity in his face. We sit there for a good minute just looking at one another, and taking the other person in. The chemistry between us is undeniable.

And it scares me to death.

“Can I take your order, sir?” a young, male waiter asks, standing beside our table. The spell between us is broken, and I see Daniel shake his head to snap out of it.

“Sorry. Mac, are you ready to order?”

“You choose, Superman. I’ll judge you by your selection,” I add with a wink.

“Ooh, challenge accepted, gorgeous. Okay, I’ll have the chicken parmigiana, and my date will have, the Alfredo. Can we also have some bread with dips, and an antipasto platter for a shared starter?” Daniel asks expertly. He must really like Italian food!

“Certainly, sir. Would you like to order drinks?” he inquires.

“Yes, I’ll have Chianti, please,” I say with a friendly smile.

“Make that a bottle for us to share,” Daniel pipes up.

“Great. I’ll be right back with your wine.” The waiter turns on his heels and retreats.

“This restaurant is great. Do you come here often?” I ask.

“I try to pop in once every few months. The food’s authentic and I love the ambiance.”

“That’s cool. I love it when you come across a good little restaurant like this one. They seem to feel more relaxed and comfortable if that makes sense.” I’m sure I’m rambling like a nervous teenager. I don’t know why, but I’m really nervous tonight. It might have something to do with the fact that I’ve never made it past the first date with a new guy before I tell him about my no commitment vow, or I’ve found something irritatingly wrong with him and have to blow him off.

I can’t find anything at fault with Daniel.

He’s hot. Check!

He’s kind and courteous. Check!

He’s totally fucking hot. Triple check!

And he’s a gentleman. Home run!

Why can’t I find anything wrong with him? Surely he can’t really be this perfect.

“Okay, so tell me about your family. Any brothers or sisters?” I ask.

“Yes, actually. I have one brother and two sisters. All are still here in Chicago too,” he answers just as the waiter returns with our bottle of wine. He shows Daniel the label before corking it and pouring us a glass each. After placing the bottle on the table, he leaves us alone again.

I pick up my glass and hold it out to Daniel, who reciprocates as we clink our glasses together. “To third dates with superheroes,” I say with a cheeky grin.

Daniel raises a brow like he’s accepting my challenge. “To third dates with sexy women who don’t realize how truly breathtakingly beautiful they are, inside and out.”

Holy God! This man is on fire tonight! With one toast, he’s managed to make me swoon and clench my legs together at the same time.

Superman 2. Mac 0.

Dammit!

“Hot in the City”

After a thoroughly enjoyable dinner, and a few glasses of the fantastic Chianti, I’m relaxed and happy.

The date has been filled with awesome conversation where we’ve talked about our jobs, our families, even how we both like to go running in the summer. We decide to order a Tiramisu to share to finish off our meal.

The waiter brings the dessert to our table with two spoons. As soon as he’s gone, Daniel looks over at me with that cheeky grin of his that I swear he’s been wearing all night. The one that screams that he’s imagining me naked while the gleam in his eye reminds me that he’s still got a few cards left up his sleeve.

“Can I feed you?” he asks with a dangerously low voice. Again, I’m forced to squeeze my legs together to try and dull the growing ache.

Although I’m taken aback by the intimacy of such a request, I’m trying not to show that he’s making me nervous. “I’d love you to.”

He dips his spoon into the creamy dessert and moves forward in his seat to reach over the table until the spoon lashes my lips with exquisite vanilla cream. I take the whole spoon in my mouth, my eyes never leaving his until he sees my tongue dart out and catch a small amount that has stuck to my lip. His gaze drops to my lips, and I can see his eyes dilate as he watches me clean it off me.

“Damn, I want to taste your mouth right now,” he mutters under his breath.

“What’s stopping you?” I retort with a smirk.

I hear him growl. “You’re such a little tease, you know that?”

“I may have been told that from time to time.” I dip my finger into the whipped cream and hold it out to him. He softly takes my finger into his mouth. My eyes widen, and my breathing picks up as he swirls his tongue around my finger inside his mouth, lightly sucking it before releasing it with a loud pop.

I groan in delight. “Damn, boy. You’re giving me way too much to think about.”

He stands up and leans over the table until his lips are only an inch away from mine. “Then don’t think. Just go with it,” he murmurs against my lips as he traces his tongue along my bottom lip. My mouth opens, and as soon as my aching tongue touches his, the kiss becomes ravenous. I wrap my hands around his neck and we battle for supremacy while tasting tiramisu on each other’s lips. Then, as quick as it starts it ends as he pulls back, resting his forehead on mine while we catch our breaths.

“If I start now, Mac, I won’t be able to stop until you’re underneath me on this table. So I’m thinking…” he says huskily, stroking his hand softly down my cheek, “that we need a change of scenery.”

He stands back up and walks around the table, holding his hand out to me. Placing my hand in his, we briefly stop at the hostess booth to take care of the bill, then walk out the door and into the warm spring night. I check my watch and see that it’s only nine o’clock.

Daniel stops and turns to face me in the middle of the sidewalk outside the restaurant. “Where to now, m’lady?” he asks with a fake, and really bad, British accent.