Page 23 of The Dating Dare

“Why? Are you afraid of little children?”

“Not afraid. I just don’t know what to do with them.”

“Well, you won’t need to do anything with them,” she reassured him. “Their moms are over there watching them.”

Her heart dropped when she saw an acquaintance among the group of moms. Tara waved casually at her to avoid looking like she’d been caught doing something wrong. The woman waved back, saying something out of the corner of her mouth to one of the other moms. The pair looked toward them with obvious curiosity. Of all days… She never ran into anyone she knew here.

“Someone you know?” Seth asked, glancing over. “Are you sure we don’t need to take cover?”

Tara laughed, her anxiety easing after the initial panic. “We don’t really hang out in the same crowd, so I’m not too worried about her spotting us together. Besides, a picnic is hardly gossip-worthy.”

“Good to know,” he said. “Ready for dessert?”

“Which one? There are so many to pick from.” In the guise oflooking over the desserts, Tara scooted back to create more space between them. Although she wasn’t overly worried, there was no harm in being extra careful.

“Why do you have to pick?” Seth grinned at her, eyes twinkling. “Just eat a few bites of every single one. I promise you there won’t be any leftovers.”

“I like the way you think.” She rubbed her hands together, eyeing the desserts with renewed greed. “Why eat just one when you can eat them all?”

“Exactly.” He methodically opened all the containers and lined them up in front of her. “Go for it.”

Tara went for the slice of black-sesame and white-chocolate cake. The nuttiness and mild bitterness of the black sesames and the smooth sweetness of the white chocolate was a match made in heaven. The thick, dark cream, the soft white mousse, and the moistest genoise cake filled her mouth with incredible texture and a tornado of flavors. She’d eaten at least twelve dozen of them, but she still couldn’t stop the whimpering moan that escaped her lips.

Her eyes had involuntarily slid shut. When she opened them, Seth was staring at her with such heat in his eyes that she stopped breathing. “You… you want a bite?”

“Yes.”

That was the single hottest word she’d ever heard, and she was certain it wasn’t the cake that he wanted a bite of. She wanted to jump him. Just literally straddle his lap and kiss the living daylights out of him. But she couldn’t give into the temptation, especially with an audience nearby. Instead, she scooped up some cake on her fork and extended it to him, thinking it would be harmless. Seth leaned forward, wrapped his lips around her fork, and claimed the delectable morsel. He licked a speck of snowy confectioner’s sugar from thecorner of his mouth. Her lips parted and she forgot where they were. She wanted to flick aside his tongue so she could lick the sugar away instead.

He chewed and moaned much like she had, and warmth pooled at her center. She realized Aubrey named the cake Cloud Nine for this reason. It was foodgasmic.

She didn’t know what she was doing. She certainly hadn’t ordered her torso to stretch and lean toward Seth. When he moved to meet her in the middle, the lust in her veins sangHallelujah.

Their lips were only inches apart, and she could feel his breath against her lips. The kiss that would quench her thirst was so close that her mouth watered. Their breath quickened in harmony, their inhale and exhale mingling and blending.

“Oof,” he suddenly grunted, spinning away from her.

What the hell?Where was her kiss? Tara sat up when Seth scrambled to his feet and retrieved a soccer ball by their picnic blanket.

“My friend accidentally kicked the ball over here.” A girl with corn-silk hair ran up to them, holding her hands out for the ball. “He’s sorry, but he’s too scared to come over himself.”

“That’s okay. It was an accident.” Seth’s expression smoothed into a gentle smile as he handed the ball to her. “It’s very brave of you to come over to apologize for your friend.”

“Thank you.” With a wave she bounded away to her waiting friends.

Tara was much more annoyed than Seth that the rude soccer ball interrupted their kiss. The disappointment was brutal, and she was tempted to stab the ball with her fork to deflate it. Then it hit her. They’d almost kissed.Holy heck. A picnic could be brushed aside, but a kiss would provide enough fodder for town gossip. She went limp with relief that they were interrupted.

Even after the close call, watching Seth interact with the littlegirl so sweetly made her heart melt, making her want to flutter her lashes and moon over him.Ugh.She wished she could rub some dirt on herself and be rid of the warm and fuzzy feels. She was never this emotional. She blamed the lingering effects of Aubrey’s wedding for her uncharacteristic sentimentality. Weddings were definitely going on her allergic-to list along with haikus and rainbows on rainy days.

Everything about their date so far was unexpected. He wasn’t what she’d expected. He was kind, considerate, and endearing. The version of Seth in her mind was cocky, superficial, and entertaining. He was still cocky and entertaining, but superficial just didn’t fit with her impression of him today.

The girl with the pale gold hair ran back to them and said in a breathless voice, “We need a prince.”

“A prince?” Tara said, arching an eyebrow. Did she mean Seth? He did make a rather swoony fairy-tale prince. But the bigger question was whether Tara was willing to share. “What for?”

“To rescue, of course,” the girl said with aduhexpression. “None of the boys want to play the prince who’s locked up in the tower. Now we have no one to rescue. Then what are we princesses supposed to do? Sit and wait for some clueless prince to come rescue us? No, thank you.”

Seth pulled his eyebrows down to hide his grin and said in a serious voice, “Well, I’d be honored. I would love to be rescued by a beautiful princess.”

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