Free Temporary Bliss by BJ Harvey Page A

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