Page 48 of The Dating Dare

“Seth?” Her lovely voice reached his ears from far away.

Muttering to himself while pacing back and forth sure made time fly. A good twenty minutes had passed. “Yeah, I’m coming.”

In front of the bathroom door, he shook out his arms while he shuffled his feet like a boxer. When he was somewhat in control of himself, he entered the bathroom and promptly wanted to walk back out. She was up to her neck in bubbles with her wet hair piled on top of her head and cheeks rosy from the warm water. She looked like a fucking cupcake, and—God—he wanted to eat her up. How the hell was he going to keep his hands off of her tonight?

“Can you come stand here and hold your arms out for me?” she asked in a tiny voice. “And please close your eyes.”

He rolled up his sleeves as he walked to her, and stood with his eyes closed as wet, slippery hands gripped his arms and pulled. Her arms slid against his forearm as she pulled herself up higher.Just a little longer. You can’t possibly die from a hard-on.

“Eek!” she squeaked and wobbled with a splash.

Seth’s hands wrapped around her instinctively to steady her. By some miracle, his eyes were still shut. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She sounded breathless.

Only after confirming that she was okay did Seth realize the placement of his hands. He’d hooked his hands under her arms, and theedge of his palms were grazing the sides of her breasts.Fuuuck.In a low growl worthy of a werewolf, he said, “Can you grab your towel?”

“Yeah. Got it.”

“Can you wrap it around yourself?”

“Done.”

He finally opened his eyes and glared at her. She stared back at him with giant eyes. He unceremoniously lifted her out of the tub and set her down on the vanity chair. After handing her an extra towel, he walked out of the bathroom without another word. He was a fucking stone Buddha for resisting the temptation known as Tara.

CHAPTER TEN

Well, fuck.

Tara was so turned on she was practically panting. She never knew that one smoldering look could push her to the point of trembling need. She squeezed her thighs together and tilted her head back, running her hand down her neck.

When she finally felt a bit less frenzied, Tara used the extra towel Seth left her and briskly dried herself off. She’d thankfully packed a loose, oversized T-shirt and a pair of yoga pants to wear when they were inside. Her real nighttime wear consisted of a black silk chemise and lace underwear, but since they were going to be good and chaste tonight, she kept the chemise in her overnight bag. There was nothing she could do about her minimalist underwear.

And there was no way she was going to tug on her yoga pants over her grapefruit-sized ankle. It would hurt like hell. So she was left with her gray Totoro T-shirt that barely hit her mid-thigh and her lacy black panties. She hoped the shirt was thick enough to obscure her nipples, because she refused to wear a bra to bed.

Once she was dressed, she sat still for a moment, making sure she was ready to call Seth back in. The man was too sexy for her sanity,and she had to prepare herself for the visceral impact of his gorgeousness.Deep breaths.

“Um, Seth? I’m ready to come out.” Her voice came out an octave higher than usual.

“I’m here,” he immediately replied, making her jump a little. It sounded as though he was right outside the bathroom door.Oh, Lord.She hoped he didn’t overhear her heavy breathing.

He opened the door slowly, as though he couldn’t trust that she was decent. Finally, he walked in and found her sitting demurely on the stool. His eyes didn’t have wildfire burning in them anymore, so she was saved from yanking her shirt off and offering herself to him.Thank goodness for small mercies.Since there was no point in arguing with him, she wrapped her arms around his neck when he lifted her off the stool as though she didn’t weigh close to her healthy 137 pounds.

“I’m going to put you down on the bed, so you can lie down.”

“I don’t need to lie down,” she protested as he laid her down on top of the covers, resting her head on the fluffy pillows.

“Yes, you do. We need to elevate your foot above heart level,” he said, lifting her injured foot and layering pillows underneath it. He studied her for a second, then added one more pillow. “It can’t be helped. I’m keeping you on your back all night.”

She gasped, happily scandalized, the same time Seth cringed.

“I didn’t mean…” Were his ears red? Yup, he was definitely blushing.

“I knew what you meant.” She did, but she’d been hoping he meant other, dirtier options.

“And you’ll get to sit up when room service comes,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ooh, room service. But wait.“Did you already order?”

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