Free Temporary Bliss by BJ Harvey

ferris wheel, so I need an outfit that will be warm, functional, and sexy.
    The third date rule will no longer apply after tonight and thank God for that! I’m dying to find out how talented Daniel is with that mouth of his. We may be stranded on second base, but that doesn’t rule out an instant home run, especially where he’s concerned. That grin, the twinkle in his eye, that delightful mouth that can turn my insides to jelly within seconds...
    Argh!
    I’m shaved, showered and exfoliated head to toe by the time Kate walks in the door. Dumping her purse and keys on the kitchen counter, she stands there blatantly checking me out. With a little twirl of her finger, I do a spin showing her the complete look.
    “Very nice, babe. New top?” she asks, leaning forward and checking the inside label. “Yes, and expensive too.” She leans against the bench and quirks a brow at me. “A lot of effort for a date, Mac,” she adds with a grin.
    “Don’t,” I say sternly but with a huge smile. “Don’t say it. I just want to look nice for him. What’s wrong with that?”
    “Nothing,” she says in an annoying sing song voice. “I’m going to shut up before you start freaking out on me. It’s nice seeing you like this. Dating, and actually wanting to go out with the same man more than once.”
    “Hush now. Can you do something with my hair?” I tilt my head and give her my best sad puppy dog look which wins her over every time.
    She lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Oh, come into my bathroom. I’ll do something with this mess of yours.”
    “Yay! Love you.” I pucker my lips at her for an air kiss just as she grabs my hand and drags me towards her miracle station aka her bathroom.
    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