Violet And Her Alien Matchmaker by Jessica Coulter Smith

their date, but they still had some time to watch TV a little longer, or talk. Not that she had any idea what to talk about.
    “We have about two hours before we need to leave for our reservation.” Tiraz took her hand and kissed her palm, making her shiver with desire. “Why don’t you soak in the tub? The one in the master bath has jets if you’d really like to relax. I promise to stay out of your way.”
    Her cheeks warmed just thinking about bathing in his tub. “The hall bath is fine, but thank you. It’s a far nicer tub than we had before.”
    “Then why don’t you go relax with a book for a little while before you have to start getting ready?” he suggested. “You seem nervous about tonight.”
    “It’s silly, isn’t it? I mean, we’ve been to dinner before. It’s just…this time Simon isn’t with us. And it’s Valentine’s Day, a romantic holiday, and romance hasn’t been a part of my life since Simon came into it. I’m worried that you’re expecting something I may not be ready to give, and at the same time, I’m worried that I might be ready to give you all of me, and that scares me.”
    “Violet, I’ll never ask for more than you’re willing to give. All I have planned for tonight is dinner and maybe some dancing.” He drew her closer. “I’ll admit, I’ve wondered what it would be like to kiss you, but if you’re not ready for that, then I can wait.”
    Violet cupped his cheek. “And that’s what makes you different, in a good way.”
    “Go take your bath. Be ready in two hours and we’ll go have a nice dinner,
    maybe dance a little, and then we’ll pick up Simon.”
    She wanted to kiss him and gave into the urge by brushing her lips against his cheek. There was heat and longing in his gaze as she turned from him and hurried to her bedroom. She didn’t dare carry her new dress into the bathroom, but she did grab her under things and her ratty robe.
    While the bathtub filled with steaming hot water, she added a bath bomb and a bit of scented oil. Violet piled her hair on top of her head to keep it dry then pulled out a towel and wash cloth. Before the tub was full, she sank into the water and sighed in relief as her muscles flexed then relaxed. Violet leaned back and closed her eyes. When the water reached her shoulders, she shut it off with her foot.
    She wished she had a way to listen to audiobooks while she was in the tub
    because she didn’t dare take the chance of ruining a paperback. Of course, if she were listening to audiobooks, she’d run the chance of ruining whatever gadget she played them on. Still, it was sacrilegious to ruin a good book. Far better to accidentally drown an iPod. If she didn’t like spicy romances, she’d play them on a portable CD player, but she could just imagine the narrator reading the sex scenes aloud where anyone walking past the bathroom could hear. She’d be mortified if Tiraz caught her listening to that, and she didn’t even want to think of the horror of Simon overhearing it.
    Violet stayed in the water until her fingers and toes were pruned. Popping the stopper on the tub, she got out and dried off, smoothing some lotion on her skin. She wished she’d thought to buy some nice stuff at the mall, but all she had was unscented cheap stuff, and even that had been a luxury. Her life had changed so much in the last week, and it almost seemed as if it was a lifetime ago that she’d gone to the dating agency.
    She’d never been so happy that things hadn’t turned out the way she’d expected.
    If they’d accepted her, she would have been off on another world and may have never met Tiraz. He was the perfect gentleman and more than she could have hoped for.
    When she’d gathered the courage to seek the help of the dating agency, she’d thought perhaps she could find someone who would be kind to them, but love had never entered the picture. But with Tiraz…her heart raced whenever he was near, and she craved his kiss and his touch.