Page 62 of My So-Called Perfect Life

Dani Girl.

The sound of such a juvenile nickname slipping past his perfect lips makes my tipsy heart flutter. The thought of him in tight jeans while lip-syncing “I Want It That Way”has my lady bits fluttering, too, but in a different way.

“Oh my God,” Amelia interrupts my fantasy. “You’re totally picturing it right now, aren’t you? You look like you’re about to come.”

Jesus, she has no filter.

“Like you know what I look like when I’m about to come,” I scoff.

“No, but he does.” She juts her chin in Ryan’s direction. “And with the smoldering look in his eyes, I’m guessing that’s yourI’m seriously turned onface.”

I could probably warm the building with the heat blasting my face. “You guys are so embarrassing.”

Roxy saves the day with another drink. “You guys are killing it.”

Amelia and Mercy chat with Roxy, giving me a moment of reprieve.

Ryan steps closer to the bar and leans in toward me. “Oh, you were definitely enjoying that little fantasy, Dani Girl. I bet I could just stroke your clit and have you singing a tune of your own.”

He struts away from me, down to the other end of the bar, and the throbbing between my legs intensifies.

Damn this incredible, sexy barman.

* * *

Ryanand I have been having a silent conversation with our eyes most of the night. As he finishes up in the back, the tension mounts.

Mercy and Amelia took off about an hour ago. When Ryan invited me to hang out and come back to his place with him, there was no way I was going to say no.

I’ve spent all day analyzing everything about us.

My feelings about him really shifted after last night. That game was hands down the best date of my life. It was even better than the date Scott had taken me on when he proposed. Granted, it was just a dinner at a fancy restaurant, so I guess there wasn’t much competition there.

Ryan was patient and calm when I asked questions during the game. He made sure I got the most out of the experience. We laughed and simply enjoyed each other’s company. I feel as though I know so much more about him. I have a better picture of him as a whole. The night was perfect. The morning too.

The awkwardness didn’t exist. It melted away, and we were able to move past it.

I’d been concerned that maybe our first night together was a fluke. That maybe it was so great because I was expecting nothing at all. Or it was the adventure of having a one-night stand. But last night blew all those doubts away. Jesus, it was amazing.

I’m secretly hoping for another bang-up night tonight.

Ryan and I have an easy chemistry, and I like it.

“You ready?” Ryan asks as he exits the back office I don’t think I’ll ever be able to face again.

“Yep.”

He links his hand with mine, and we head out the front door. Ryan locks the door and steps to the curb to grab a cab.

I’m kind of excited to see Ryan’s place. He’s hard to read in some respects. I mean, based on his appearance, he looks like he would be a gorgeous asshole. Thelove ’em and leave ’emkind of man. Not the man who stays and makes you breakfast in the morning. That’s totally snobby and judgmental of me, but I can’t help remembering that I thought I’d need to be scraped up off the floor after him. I just didn’t expect him to stick around to be the one to do the scraping up.

The yellow cab stops at the curb, and Ryan opens the door for me.

We slide in, and he gives the driver his address. “State and Third, please.” As the driver pulls away, Ryan asks me, “Did you have fun tonight?”

“I did.” I smile and then look out the window, realizing his place is uptown, not downtown. “I thought you said my school was on your way home this morning. It’s the opposite direction.”

He graces me with his boyish grin. The one where his lips tip up only on the left side. “I might have lied to get a few extra minutes with you.”