Temporary Bliss (28 page)

It frustrates the hell out of me!

Now that I have an extremely sated and happy Mac lying beside me, I decide it’s the perfect chance to raise the subject again. “Gorgeous, we need to decide what we’re going to do once the baby arrives,” I say, raising my arm and slowly stroking my hand up and down her naked back.

“Ah, what do you mean? We’ll have to look after it, you know, like most other new parents.”

I chuckle. “You know what I mean, Mac. Where are the three of us going to live?”

Her body stills before she lifts her head up, propping her head up on her hands as she looks up at me. “Babe, what do you mean? I’m going to live here with Kate.”

Now I’m pissed off. It takes a lot to annoy me, but being separated from my family will do it every time.

“Mac, that ain’t gonna happen. You, me, and the baby will be living together, in the same house, under the same roof, at the same address. You understand me?”

“Yeah, but...”

“No buts. We’re going to be a family. I love you, you love me. Together, we’re going to raise this baby so that means we need to live in the same fucking house. I know you and Kate are close, and yes you’ll miss each other, but it’s not like you’re moving to another city or state. You’re moving two blocks south.”

I pull my hand up, tangling it in her hair before bringing her face closer to mine and kissing her softly at first, deepening the kiss when a moan reverberates in her chest, egging me on. My grip in her hair tightens, and I can feel a shudder run through her body as I suck her tongue into my mouth, my other hand gently massaging her breast. Point understood.

One of the best things about Mac being pregnant is her tits. I swear to God that those puppies grew overnight. And they’re so sensitive, the lightest of touches affects her.

It’s fucking awesome.

Mac has always been a freak in the sack, but pregnancy has definitely made her hornier and sexier than ever before. I give her another sneaky grope before she pulls back and just looks at me, centimeters away from my face.

“It’s not that I don’t want to because I do. In fact, there is nothing I want more than for you, me and baby to have our own place, our own home. But Kate needs me. She doesn’t have someone like you in her life to lean on. I’m it for her. Her family live out of state now. I’ll constantly be worried that she’s sitting at home alone. I can’t do that to her, Daniel. She’s always been there for me.”

Her face is flushed, and her eyes are glistening with tears. I know this is a touchy subject for her, and I can’t help but smile at her sincerity. She does want the same things as me, she’s just worried about her best friend and I can’t fault her for that. Those two girls are so close that they’re almost like sisters.

“Okay, babe. We’ll shelve the idea for now, but bubs isn’t going to stay inside you forever, you know. In four months’ time, our little boy or girl will make their grand entrance and all I want is for us all to be settled and ready. A baby needs a home. And as for Kate, she’s a big girl, and I think she would’ve realized by now that there will be changes in the living arrangements sooner or later.”

I cup her cheek with my hand, wiping away a lone tear that is sliding down her cheek with my thumb. She smiles down at me, brushing her lips softly against mine, then snuggling back down and burrowing her head into my chest.

“And I love you for that.”

“Say it again,” I sleepily murmur against her hair, pulling her in tight against me.

“I love you,” she says as she lightly kisses my collarbone and lays her head down.

“Never gonna get sick of hearing you say that, gorgeous. Three of the best words in the world when they come from you.”

There will be more of Mac and Daniel in

True Bliss – Kate’s Story

Continue reading for an exclusive preview of True Bliss

Due for release December 2013

I’ve just arrived home after yet another dud date, this time with my local coffee shop’s barista. I knew the date was going to be a dud when he turned up dressed as if we were heading out to a rave instead of a restaurant.

And his hair! Ugh. Don’t even get me started on the length, the product, and the bleached tips that did NOT belong on a twenty-seven year old bachelor living in Chicago.

I gave him a chance, I really did. But by the time he started talking about his Xbox and his online gaming buddies, I knew he wasn’t the one.

As I put the key in the apartment door, I brace myself for what I could see when I open it. Since Mac and Daniel have sorted their shit out and made their relationship ‘official’, you can’t imagine the sights I’ve seen, the embarrassing situations I’ve walked in on, and the body parts I’ve been subjected to. Something about pregnancy has turned them both into a pair of horny rabbits. Seriously, without ear plugs and my radio playing at night, I swear to God that I would not get any sleep.

AT ALL.

Mac’s just lucky that I love her to death and that I’m super happy she’s finally getting her happily ever after with her own prince charming. Or, in her case, her own Superman.

Those two are so cute; it’s obvious that they were made for each other.

For the past two months, they’ve been alternating between our house and his apartment. I know Daniel wants her to move in with him, but Mac is just getting used to the idea of being in a committed relationship again. Daniel wants her to be happy and comfortable, so they’re not rushing things. Granted, with the baby coming along in four months’ time there is a time limit for moving forward in their relationship. But until then, I love the fact that my best friend is still my roommate.

When will it be my turn?

When will I get past all the frogs and find my prince?

I’ve always been a dreamer. A girly girl who wants the dream courtship, the big princess wedding, the white picket fence and a yard full of kids. I know that I’m still young at twenty-four and that my biological clock is far from stopping, but I still have a lot of time up my sleeve to find that once in a lifetime love.

My one true love.

But I’m impatient, I’m antsy, and I’m sick of being the single one. I go out with Mac and Daniel and it’s obvious that I’m a third wheel. And the problem is with me, they don’t care one bit. But I do.

I’m sick of Mr. Wrong, Mr. Bad, Mr. Bad Breath, and Mr. Grabby Hands. Oh and don’t get me started on Mr. Say I Love You After One Date To Get Into Your Pants. They’re the worst. That is why I’ve instigated the three date rule. No sex or below the waist action until after three dates. It seems like a good time frame to weed through the wannabes.

Except so far, there haven’t been any second dates.

I want to be loved. Is that so wrong?

See, here’s the problem. I don’t just want a good love, one of those everyday loves that you hear about. I want the kind of crazy love we’ve been warned about.

The kind of love that makes your heart skip a beat.

The kind of love that makes you want to dance in the rain and bottle up the sunset while screaming at the top of your lungs.

The kind of love that authors write about, musicians sing about, and lovers dream about.

Surely the man who can give me all of that is out there somewhere. Maybe he’s even looking for me. Maybe I’ve already met him, and our lives will intersect again.

There was one guy that piqued my interest three months ago, but he was firmly in the ‘hands off’ category. He was definitely knight in shining armor material. A drunken night at the bar went scarily wrong, and he swooped in and saved me. He brought me home, and I came on to him. Okay, I literally threw myself at him, but he rebuffed my advances and put me to bed after making me take some Advil. I fell asleep with a kiss on the forehead and hearing him tell me that as much as he’d like to lose himself in me, he didn’t want me to regret him in the morning.

So I have to forget about him and wait until I meet my knight. I’ll continue sifting through the frogs, the toads, the dwarfs, and the dragons, and continue being insanely jealous of my deliriously happy pregnant best friend and her perfect dream guy. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that listening to their hot and horny loud sex through my bedroom wall is the closest I’ll get to any action.

It must be my turn next. It has to be. Maybe it’s time to be more proactive. Go looking for him instead of waiting for him to come to me.

That’s it.

Operation Prince Charming is officially underway.

So many people have been involved in some way or another with this book. It started with a song (seems to be my MO) and evolved from there. I wanted to write something a little different. A sexually confident woman who doesn’t wanting commitment but does like the physical connection with the male of the species. And that is how Makenna Lewis came about.

To my family – thank you for putting a smile on my face and supporting me through this writing journey. I never in a million years thought I’d publish one book, let alone be on my third now and I thank you for putting up with the messy house, the lazy dinners, and the bleary eyed mum who’d stayed up too late writing or editing.

To Katie and Alisha – Thank you for putting up with my book talk and my disappearing acts. Love you to death.

Jennifer – You’re not just my editor, you are a dear friend. We laugh, we chat, and we share dirty reads. What more can you ask for? Love working with you and long may it continue. Mwah!

Kelsie – My plot conspirator extraordinaire, you’re always there for me when I hit a road block or just need to talk it out with someone. I love our Voxer and Facebook conversations and I’m so glad we connected. We’re on the same wave length and it’s one of the things I love best!

Brenna – My little Temporary Bliss addict. One conversation turned into months of chatting, voice messages and lots of begging (on your part) for me to finish this Goddamn book. You weren’t scared to tell me what worked and what didn’t and I hope you’re as pleased with the end product as I am. And just remember it is baklava, not balaclava.

Kate – My ho from another bro. Just PTFD and put another shrimp on the Barbie. Love you lots, don’t change your picky to the death ways. You were the one beta I was always nervous to show this too, and I knew that if you liked it, I was onto a good thing.

Nikki – My dirty minded Brit bestie. Thank you for always being there for me to vent to, run things by, and for encouraging me to keep going. I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.

Claire – You and your great eye for words have transformed my books. Thank you for being so thorough and finicky.

Cris – You’re my book bestie from the Middle East and I value all of your help so much I don’t ever think I’ll be able to repay you for everything you have done for me. I believe people come into our lives for a reason and I’m glad that you came into mine.

Renae – My awesomesauce cover designer. You have the patience of a saint for working with me on this cover. I was picky, I was indecisive, and I asked for so many mock ups I’m surprised you weren’t pulling your hair out. So thank you for being patient, thank you for not tearing your hair out too much with me. Can’t wait to work with you again.

Christina – I love that you are always saying yes to me when I want to run something by someone or have my WIP read even when it is far from finished. You never say no and you always tell me what works and what doesn’t, not just what I want to hear and I LOVE that. Can’t wait till I can visit Hawaii and meet you.

Kim & Josie – I love your faces!

Chrissy – My twin of sin from Boner Lake. Thank you for living in the past and talking to me in the future. You’re always willingly reading my dirty scenes and one liners, my sex scene tester. We WILL meet up one day.

Wendy – My other twin from Indiana. Another TB addict and sex scene tester extraordinaire. Hope you enjoy seeing what became of my little story.

Jen Oreto – Thank you for your help with the Americanizing of this book. I try to be an authentic as possible but some of my kiwi-isms always seem to creep in. Thank you for everything.