Page 56 of The Dating Dare

“I know. I almost feel bad messing it up,” Tara said, popping a chunk of blue cheese into her mouth. “Almost.”

Everyone started out taking a small slice here and there to maintain the gorgeous layout as long as possible, but once the wine was poured, they all dug in properly. Tara had to remind herself to savor each bite instead of wolfing down the whole board. She didn’t want to miss out on the feast to come. But cheese.

“The pasta water’s boiling,” Aria said, stretching her neck to get a good look at the stove. “Tara, do you want to keep me company while I put together the pasta?”

“I would love to.” Tara stood and piled her plate with more meat and cheese to hold her over.

“Hey, leave some for us,” Seth teased.

“I’m in a generous mood. Knock yourselves out.” Despite all their efforts, they’d hardly made a dent in the charcuterie board. She went to stand next to Aria and watched her add the bucatini into the salted boiling water. “Need any help?”

“Sure. Just stir the pot once in a while so the noodles don’t stick together.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Tara saluted Aria with a wooden spoon. She’d really missed her friends, and being with them along with Seth almost made her giddy with happiness.

“So you must be spending a lot of time with Seth?” Aria said casually, putting chopped garlic into the tomato-based sauce.

“I wouldn’t say a lot.” Tara reined back her giddiness to formulate a neutral answer. Aubrey had told her about Aria’s dead-on instinct for sniffing out budding relationships. “We do meet up to work on the website occasionally, but I can usually work on my part at home.”

“I see,” Aria said as though she really saw all. Tara gulped. “I was just thinking it must be nice for Seth to have someone he knowshere. He must feel like he’s in limbo, living in a new town for a month while his old home is packed up and his new home is waiting for him. I think your presence might be anchoring him.”

“I’m hardly his anchor. We barely know each other.” Tara gave the pot a good stir, avoiding her friend’s eyes. She and Seth had gotten to know each other too well in the last couple weeks.

“Still, don’t you think you’ll miss him when he’s an ocean away?” Aria salted the sauce, which was bubbling away happily on the stove. The pancetta and the garlic smelled mouthwatering.

“Maybe…” Tara trailed off, her heart suddenly constricting. Seth was leaving soon, which was exactly what she’d thought she wanted, but her twisting heart strongly disagreed. She would miss him. So much.

She unconsciously sought him out across the kitchen, and he immediately met her eyes as though he felt her gaze on him. He grinned lazily at her, sexy and warm, and she mustered a small smile for him. But inside, she was free-falling. He was leaving. The thought of the empty spot he would leave hit her viscerally. And it hurt like a bitch.

Tara couldn’t let herself wallow in this pain-ridden panic. She stirred the pasta more vigorously than necessary, earning a searching glance from Aria.Shit.Had her friend been trying to gauge her reaction with her comment? She sighed. It didn’t matter. She had no time to spare for worrying.

She would make the most out of her time left with Seth. To build memories that she could pull out on those achingly lonely days. Tara finally allowed herself to admit that she cared about him. It couldn’t be helped. She wanted him. He was nothing like Jason. He was sweet, kind, and considerate, and he made her feel safe and cherished. She didn’t want to hold back anymore. Besides,she didn’t need to be afraid of giving him too much power over her. They only had two more weeks together.

Only two weeks.Well, fuck.She had better stop dragging her feet, and take him to bed tonight.

If Tara was the cat, then he was definitely the cream. She’d been staring at him with hungry eyes all night, and he was dizzy with want. He didn’t know what happened, but something had shifted. And he was very eager to find out what had changed to bring about this cat-and-cream situation.

Lucien switched to sparkling water long before the night drew to a close for the long drive to Bosque Verde. He was charming the ladies with his anecdotes despite the lack of alcohol. He was proof that designated drivers could have just as much fun.

Although he’d had a fantastic time, Seth was eager to see his guests off. He was an ungrateful bastard after Aria and Lucien had driven three hours to treat him to dinner. But this bastard didn’t exist on bread alone.

“I’m literally a bite away from exploding,” Seth said, taking another bite of the Limoncello cake.

“Boom.” Tara made a mushroom cloud with her hands—all the while looking at him like he was something she couldn’t wait to devour.

Holy Mother of God.

“Should I open another bottle of wine?” he asked like a good host, hoping his friends would take the sensible route.

“Oh, no. It’s getting late.” Aria put down her napkin on the table. “We have to get going. Lucien has a morning meeting tomorrow.”

“Aww, already?” Tara said with genuine regret. She was a much better friend than he was.

“I’m afraid so,” Lucien replied, standing up with his plate in his hands. “You’ll understand when you’re as old as me.”

“Yes, of course. Early fifties is so ancient.” His wife rolled her eyes and reached for the plates as well.

“Stop that,” Seth said, waving away their hands. “You guys did the shopping and the cooking. At least let me clean up.”

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