Page 47 of The Dating Dare

“You can’t be serious.” Her eyes widened with disbelief. “I can handle it.”

“Oh, no you can’t, sweetheart,” he growled, letting his half-hooded eyes travel down her body.

Tara’s jaws went slack as she stared at him, her cheeks glowing pink. He bared his teeth in a wicked smile, quite pleased with himself. It was his turn to torment her a little. But before they could tease each other into a frenzy, they were interrupted by the arrival of their bags. Seth tipped the bellhop and closed the door behind him. Then he brought Tara’s duffel bag for her to sort through.

“I’ll get the water going for your bath.” He walked into the luxurious marbled bathroom with its Jacuzzi tub and separate shower. He raised his voice to be heard over the water. “You’re in luck. It’s a Jacuzzi tub. Do you want a bubble bath?”

“Ooh, that sounds heavenly,” she purred.

When Seth came out of the bathroom to get her, Tara was already standing on one foot, holding on to the back of the chair for balance. She hugged her change of clothes to her chest with her free arm.

“Can you help me get to the bathroom?” she asked.

“No, I’m just going to stand here and watch you army crawl over there.” She let go of the chair for a second to punch him in the arm. “Ow.”

“And I don’t want you carrying me there, either. Just let me lean on you and I’ll hop the few steps to the bathroom.”

“Sure, if you want the people below us to call the front desk for making a ruckus.” Ignoring her protests, Seth scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bathroom. Then he described the game plan as though it were a simple matter. “There’s a vanity stool you can use to… um… undress, but the tub is pretty high, so you’re going to need help getting in there.”

“I can manage,” Tara said quickly, blushing to the roots of her hair. Was she embarrassed or majorly turned on by the thought of being carried by him with only a towel between them? He was hoping for the latter.

“You’re going to break your neck trying to hop around on one foot. Just put a towel around yourself when you’re ready, and I’ll perch you on the side of the tub.” And he wouldn’t be tempted to rip the towel off of her. Not at all. He settled her on the stool, and scowled when she gave him a narrow-eyed glare. His intentions were honorable. He couldn’t help the odd lustful thoughts here and there. Hewasn’t dead after all. “I’m not trying to get you naked. I have some self-preservation instincts. Besides, I’ve already seen you naked, remember?”

“Now I do,” she groaned, planting her palm on her forehead. “Fine, fine. Go away. I’ll call you when I’m ready.”

He went outside and stood a couple feet from the door, so he didn’t feel like a lecherous creep but was still close enough to get to her in one bound if she needed help. There was some grunting and shuffling on the other side of the door, so Seth focused his mind on naming the capital cities of all the states, not her undressing progress.

“Ow, ow, ow,” she whimpered.

Shit. He was at the door in an instant with his hand on the handle. “Tara? Are you okay? Do you want me to come in?”

“No! It just hurt a little to pull my foot out of my ski pants. I’m fine now. Give me two more minutes before you burst in here.”

He growled with frustration. If he’d helped her, she wouldn’t have hurt herself getting her foot out of her pants. Seth wished they were already at the point in their relationship where he could help her undress and get her in the bath without all these obstacles. But they only had two dates left then he would be leaving for Paris. Rather than the usual excitement and anticipation, he felt something akin to regret at the thought. Why did he have to leave for Paris so soon? Because he had an incredible job he couldn’t pass up, and a promising future ahead of him.

With an impatient sigh, he raked his fingers through his hair. They weren’t in a real relationship. They were playing a game. But was he just playing a game with her?Shit. Acid filled his stomach at the unavoidable truth. He wanted more. More time. More than a game. More Tara.

“Okay. I’m ready,” she said quietly from the other side of the door.

Pushing aside his troubling thoughts, Seth took a deep, steadying breath and let himself into the bathroom. The hair she’d braided for skiing now fell in waves down her naked shoulders. The towel covered her from her chest to her knees, but so much glorious skin was laid bare for his perusal.Fuck.She wasn’t displaying her nakedness for him to admire. She was waiting to be carried to her bath.

He cautiously lifted her into his arms, making sure he didn’t jostle her injured foot. “You all right?”

“Mm-hmm,” she said, not meeting his eyes.

That was a wise decision. Their faces were only inches apart, and if she turned toward him, he didn’t know if he had the willpower to resist kissing her. He set her down on the tiles that surrounded the whirlpool tub. Now all she had to do was pivot on her bottom and slide into the tub.

“Okay. You’re all set.” Seth took a step back and then another to put distance between them, because she looked criminally beautiful perched on the corner of the tub. “I would offer to bring you another drink, but I don’t want you drowning in the bubbles.”

“Haha. I’ll be fine.” When his worried gaze lingered on her, she continued, “Seriously, shoo. You don’t need to stand guard.”

“Don’t try to get out on your own,” he warned again, terrified that she might slip and smash her head somewhere. “Call me when you’re done.”

“All right. All right. Stop with the fussing,” she said, but there was a smile behind her voice.

Seth closed the door, tempted to lock it behind him. But he wouldn’t be able to get inside again to help her, so he was just going to have to rely on his self-control not to bust in there and jump into the tub with her. He paced the small expanse of their one-bedroom suite like a caged predator to work off some of his restless energy. Evenin his teenage years, he’d never felt this kind of suffocating sexual frustration before. His skin felt stretched so tight around him that he could imagine himself bursting out of his body like a fucking werewolf.

He stomped to the kitchen and poured himself a tall glass of ice water to cool himself off. He chugged it down all at once and was rewarded with a brain freeze, but at least he didn’t feel quite as overheated.

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