Page 49 of The Dating Dare

“Of course not. You haven’t even looked at the menu yet. I wasn’t going to pick your food for you.”

“Oh, good.” She nodded in approval, and eagerly grabbed the menu he handed her. “I was starting to worry that you might be a caveman with all the carrying me around you’ve been doing.”

Tara reached for the phone on her nightstand when she made her decision. A chicken club with steak fries. “You know what you want, right?”

“I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger with a side of shoestring fries. Thanks.”

“Ooh, perfect.” Her mouth watered with all this talk of food and fries. “I’m getting steak fries. Can we share?”

“Hell, yeah.” He grinned happily at her.

“Yay,” she said, smiling back at him. Nothing was sexier than a man who shared his fries. “I’m going to order.”

“Go right ahead.” He walked away from her and rummaged around the plastic bag they’d brought back from the ER.

After she ordered, she leaned back on her pillow. “I hope they hurry. I’m starving.”

“I’ll make you some hot chocolate to hold you over once I’ve bandaged your ankle,” he said, coming to sit by her feet with a fresh roll of elastic bandages.

“I can do that.” She pushed herself up on her elbows. He’d been taking care of her all day.

“Lay back down, Tara. I want to do this, okay? I still feel like shit that you got hurt.”

“Okay. If it makes you feel better,” she said, holding back a smile.

If she were honest with herself, she quite enjoyed having him take care of her like this. It felt like a big warm hug, and made her heartache a little. She liked it a lot.Hmm. This should worry her. Warm and fuzzy feelings had no part in the dating dare. Well, she was hurt, dammit. She deserved to be pampered a little, and she might as well enjoy it. Just for tonight.

“See. That wasn’t so hard.” He’d bandaged her ankle, not too loose, not too tight, and it felt worlds better.

“Thank you.” Her smile felt more than a little sappy.

“Now, I’ll get you that hot chocolate with whiskey, then I’m going to jump in the shower.”

She nodded happily, excited for her hot chocolate and imagining him wet and naked. Humming to himself, Seth set about making her drink, then placed it on her nightstand. He stacked her pillow behind her so she could sit up halfway.

“I won’t be long. And I’ll leave the door ajar in case you need me.” He handed her the mug and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Enjoy your drink.”

What she wanted to enjoy was a peek at him in the shower. Tara laughed quietly, shaking her head. She’d had no idea she was so lascivious. She must’ve been looking forward to their weekend getaway and first night together more than she’d thought. But thanks to her sprained ankle, she was relegated to bed rest.

When she was halfway done with her spiked cocoa, there was a knock at the door.

“Room service,” a voice said from the hallway.

“Hold on please,” she yelled, pushing herself up into a sitting position.

“Stay in bed. I got it.” The shower turned off, and Seth hurried out of the bathroom with a towel tied around his waist.

She might’ve swallowed her tongue. Wet, nearly naked Seth was something to behold. How were his abs so defined when he atetruckloads of food? And as she’d suspected, his pecs were sculpted masterpieces. Her mouth was suddenly dry, so she gulped down the rest of her hot chocolate as her eyes followed her date.

Once their dinner was rolled into the sitting area, Seth turned to her. “Give me a second to dry off and put some clothes on.”

Boo clothes.Tara managed not to pout. “Sure. Take your time.”

By the time Seth returned in a soft, worn T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts, Tara’s stomach was growling impatiently. The smell of greasy fried food was enough to make her drool.

He maneuvered the rolling tray to rest flush against her side of the bed and brought himself a chair to sit across from her. When he removed the silver lids, she couldn’t help but squeal with delight.

“Oh, my gosh. That’s heaven on a plate,” she said, taking a huge bite out of her chicken club. The chicken was soft and juicy, and the bacon was crispy without being overcooked. With the cool crunch of the lettuce, the sweet tartness of the tomato, and the buttery avocado, she couldn’t have asked for a more perfect bite.

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