The Dating Dare

by Jayci Lee

  “I know.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “It seems we’re dabbling in some dangerous magic.”

  “Right? Caution: No kissing in public. Might rip each other’s clothes off.” She laughed shyly as she fanned her face with her hands.

  “You’re killing me. You know that?” he choked out, vividly imagining ripping her clothes off.

  “No. You’re not there, yet. You’ll know when I’m trying to kill you,” she promised, biting her bottom lip. He was doing it. He was going to jump her in the park. Then a slow smile spread across her face. “Softly. With my words.”

  “God. That’s horrible,” Seth said, laughing so hard he had to clutch his side to breathe. “You’re supremely talented at telling dad jokes for someone who isn’t a dad.”

  “See. You’re fine now.” She flicked a glance at his jeans. “If you’re decent, we should pack up and get going. I think our Save the Prince game ate up our riverside-walk time. I need to get home.”

  “Home?” He didn’t want to part with her already.

  What happened to his plan to have her all to himself? Well, he chose to share her with a bunch of adorable kiddos. How could he have said no to that? But in hindsight, he regretted his decision just a little. He wasn’t ready to let Tara go.

  “Yeah. I told my brother I was going out to run errands. I can’t believe I didn’t have a better excuse. Sorry.” Her shoulders drooped. “There are only so many errands I could hypothetically run.”

  “Let’s get you home then.” At least, she wanted to stay longer with him, too.

  He grabbed the nearest container and began cleaning up the remains of the picnic. As he’d predicted, they’d eaten up pretty much everything he’d packed. Tara joined in right away. Every accidental touch of her hand and a bump of her elbow sent electricity striking down his spine. From the way her eyes shot to meet his, she felt the same spark.

  They worked silently and efficiently and loaded everything back into his car within minutes. The air in the car was charged as he drove her back home. He snuck a peek at her, but looked away blushing when their eyes met. Christ. He was acting like a love-sick kid.

  “Can you pull up here? I’ll walk the rest of the way,” Tara said, a block away from her house.

  “You’re taking this sneaking-around business pretty seriously.” He shifted the gear into park, and turned to face her.

  “You better, too, if you don’t want our next date to be dinner with my family.” She unbuckled her seat belt. “Like you promised, I had fun today. Thank you for the lovely picnic.”

  “My absolute pleasure.” He sat awkwardly for a second, wondering if it would be okay to kiss her again. But he remembered their kiss in the park and settled for a quick peck on her cheek. He wouldn’t be able to handle anything more if the goal was to let her go home. “Bye.”

  “Bye.” Tara placed a sweet lingering kiss on his cheek in return.

  He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to pull her against him, and watched her get out of the car. Long after she disappeared from the rearview mirror, Seth exhaled and unclenched his hands. Then he reached over to crank up the AC.

  If he wanted any chance of sleeping that night, he better hit the gym hard.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Tara tossed and turned all night, sleeping fitfully and dreaming of brownies. She woke up groggy and cranky the next morning, not at all certain what she was feeling.

  Her phone chimed when she stepped out of her bathroom, wringing her hair with a towel. She adjusted the towel around her and checked to see who it was.

  SETH: If you tell me you slept like a baby, I’m gonna have to take you down.

  She laughed, her crankiness immediately relaxing its hold on her.

  TARA: Let’s just say I woke up craving brownies.

  SETH: That brownie was the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted.

  Heat flared to life in her vagina, and Tara checked to see if her towel had caught on fire. No arson attempt had been made on her person.

  TARA: Are you in bed?

  SETH: Yes.

  She squeezed her thighs together.

  TARA: Lazy. It’s past eight. Get up.

  SETH: Like I implied, I didn’t fall asleep until four in the morning.

  TARA: What are you wearing?

  SETH: I thought you wanted me to get up?

  TARA: I do. Get out of bed and tell me what you’re wearing.

  SETH: I don’t wear anything to bed.

  She needed another shower. A cold shower.

  TARA: So you’re naked? Right now?

  SETH: Yes.

  Why was she torturing herself like this?

  SETH: Hello?

  TARA: I’m here.

  SETH: Your turn.

  TARA: My turn what?

  SETH: Tell me what you’re wearing.

  It was time to torture him a little.

  TARA: A towel.

  SETH: Is it a small towel? A tiny hand towel?

  TARA: Oh, for heaven’s sake. It’s off. Happy now?

  SETH: Fucking hell.

  Delight raced across her bare skin. It felt so fantastic to be wanted by him.

  TARA: Okay. I need to get dressed, and go to the brewery. Have a good rest of the morning.

  The ellipses flickered and stopped. Flickered and stopped.

  SETH: You, too.

  Tara stepped out of her house with a smile on her face, and it stayed with her as she sped to work on her bike. She was going in early to start a new batch of ale. She’d always loved this part of her job, but sexting with Seth first thing in the morning added to her excellent mood.

  Alex was already at the back, pouring the grist bill for their India Pale Ale into the mash tun.

  “Hello, brother dear,” she said with a wide smile on her face. “Let me get geared up and join you.”

  “Please do.” He shook the bag over the tun, emptying out the last bit, then turned around to pin her with a quizzical look. “Why are you so chipper today? You’re practically glowing.”

  “Because it’s our brewing fun day,” she replied, dialing back some of her cheer. She glanced sideways at Alex as she pulled on her rubber boots. She lived and worked with her brothers. They were way too attuned to her moods. Worse yet, they could always sniff out her bullshit.

  “Sampling day is your über-happy day. You’re disproportionately cheerful for brewing day.”

  “What? Are you telling me to dial down my happiness?” Tara conjured an exaggerated injured look. “What kind of brother are you?”

  “Sorry.” Alex eyed her suspiciously but didn’t continue his line of inquiry. “Be sampling day happy on brewing day. It’s a free country.”

  She’d always been able to separate her dating life from her real life, but thoughts of Seth were crossing the line. His sweet, considerate side had punched a hole through her armor. What happened to the superficial playboy she’d signed up to date? And that kiss. After only one date, he was getting under her skin. Had she underestimated the effect he could have on her?

  “Which grains should I bring?” she asked, scattering her inconvenient thoughts.

  “The base malt is already in. We just need to mix our specialty malt.”

  “Well, this one’s your recipe, so take the lead. I’ll assist.” They usually helped each other on brewing days—an extra pair of hands were always welcome—but the main brewer of the particular batch manned the helm. “Speaking of assisting, where’s Jack?”

  “It’s accounting ‘fun’ day for him,” Alex said, cringing in distaste. “I can’t get used to how much he enjoys that part of the business.”

  “If it weren’t for him, the brewery wouldn’t be what it is today.” Tara automatically defended Jack. “We’re lucky to have his brilliant business mind on our side.”

  “I know that. But the word ‘number’…” Alex shivered dramatically.

  “Was derived from the word ‘numb,’ meaning the bringer of numbness,” she rattled off in monot
one. “And we must avoid brain numbness at all costs.”

  “You got it.” He beamed at her like she was his star pupil. “Let’s get on with the real fun part of the business.”

  They filled the mash tun with various bags of malt, working in companionable silence. And her mind wandered predictably to Seth. I wonder what he’s doing right now. He couldn’t possibly still be naked. But he was in her mind. He was taking photos naked. Building Landon’s website naked. And having lunch naked.

  Tara was in trouble. She was troubled. How could she be working with her older brother in the sacred duty of brewing while unsanitarily daydreaming about naked men? Well, in her defense, it was only one man.

  Once the mash was lautering, she and Alex took a lunch break. While they ate their roast beef sandwiches on pretzel rolls—the spicy mustard gave it the perfect amount of zing—Tara fidgeted with her phone, turning on the screen every twenty seconds.

  “Now you look all sullen. Brewing day really isn’t as fun as sampling day, is it?” Alex said affectionately.

  “It’s not that. I … promised Aubrey that I’d help Seth with building Landon’s restaurant website.” Where the hell did that come from? And why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? It gave her the perfect excuse to spend more time with Seth. “But we’ve been so busy lately, I feel like I’ve been neglecting my duties.”

  “I can handle the rest of the brewing if you want to go work on that until the pub opens.”

  “Really? That would be so great.” Tara squished two bites’ worth of sandwich into her mouth and washed it down with some root beer. “Thanks, Alex. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  “And there she goes like the wind,” he said wryly.

  She was full of shit. No one had asked her to help with the website, obviously. It was just an excuse to see Seth sooner than later. She didn’t question why she wanted to see Seth badly enough to fabricate an excuse to do it. Their date had been fun, and she wanted more of it. Girls just wanna have fun and all that. No big deal.

  It was just about one o’clock, and she pedaled her bike to Comfort Zone and parked it outside. Why was she so excited? It wasn’t like her excuse allowed her to see Seth immediately. She needed some coffee and sweets to fuel her brain. She had to plan how she could offer Seth her help without seeming like she was desperate to spend more time with him. She walked into the busy bakery and seated herself at the counter. Justine and Lily were both in the back, but the new part-timer recognized her.

  “Hi, Tara,” she said brightly. “What can I get for you?”

  “Can I just get a cup of Americano for now?” she asked, her thoughts elsewhere.

  “Sure thing.”

  She took a big breath and pulled her cell out, but after a moment’s hesitation, she put it down on the counter. She couldn’t just text him. He didn’t need to know how much she wanted to see him.

  She stared down at her phone for a long while, both excited and uneasy about luring Seth out. There was a desperation there she remembered. The last person she’d felt that way about was her college boyfriend. Even though she’d seen Jason the day before, the hours had seemed to stretch miserably long until she’d gotten to see him again. Her heart had ached just like it did now as she waited for the next time she met Seth.

  It was unacceptable for her to feel that way about him. About any man. Tara had learned her lesson the hard way about what lay that way. Such emotional vulnerability could open her up to the kind of hurt she never wanted to endure again. But this was different. She made a conscious effort to draw her shoulders away from her ears. There was no need to panic. No harm could come of her seeing Seth. He was flying off to Paris in less than four weeks. Things couldn’t possibly lead to a toxic relationship. She wouldn’t let it.

  The dating dare was all about fun and forgetting her woes. Seth had a way of making her feel seen, respected, and valued. The hollowness that had been eating away at her since Aubrey’s wedding was receding, and she felt far less alone thanks to his entertaining ways. She simply enjoyed spending time with him. That was all. Nothing more.

  “Tara, when did you come in?” Justine walked out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a pristine white towel that she tucked into her apron once she finished. “Why didn’t you come back to say hi?”

  “Oh, I knew you guys were busy with your afternoon bake. I didn’t want to distract you.” Tara got off her stool and went around to give Comfort Zone’s sous-chef a big hug.

  “Well, you’re always welcome in the kitchen whether or not Aubrey is here. I miss her already, and it’ll help if you came in to chat with us. Lily still barely talks.” Justine laughed. “She would rather scowl or roll her eyes at my attempts at jokes.”

  “She probably misses Aubrey, too.” Tara missed her best friend like a toddler missed her binky. “Why don’t you stop by the brewery tonight. We can catch up.”

  “I’d love to.” The lovely baker’s smile widened. “Can I get anything for you?”

  The salted caramel brownie was the first dessert to pop into Tara’s mind, and she blushed furiously. No. She wasn’t going to order that, or else she would be daydreaming about their kiss for as long as the taste of the brownies stayed in her mouth. She needed to plan, not daydream. “I’ll have two … no, three … cherry-almond cookies.”

  “I have a fresh batch coming out in five minutes. I’ll bring it over when it’s ready.” Justine winked at her.

  “Ooh.” She rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “I’m going to snag that corner booth.”

  Just then the part-timer returned with a steaming mug of Americano and Tara carried it with her to the cozy diner-style booth. She planned on hunkering down for a while to iron out her plan, and the booth was much more comfortable. Her eyes slid shut with her first sip of coffee. The warm aromatic brew wrapped her in a comforting hug.

  “Tara.” Seth’s voice appeared from somewhere over her head. Was she imagining things now? She slowly turned to find a tall gorgeous man with windswept hair standing by her booth, grinning at her as though she was a surprise birthday present. “This must be my lucky day.”

  “What are you doing here?” Her heart squeezed tightly as though the burst of joy at seeing him was too much for her. It was all she could do not to throw her arms around his neck and hug him. It was disconcerting as hell.

  “The contractors put in the bar this morning, and I wanted a little break from the wood dust.” Then he pointed to the laptop case he held in one hand. “And I really need to work on the restaurant’s website.”

  How was this happening? Her chance to offer him her help just fell onto her lap. Hiding her glee, she asked casually, “How’s that going?”

  “It’s going,” he said a bit glumly. “I’ve been more focused on getting the photographs ready.”

  Time to make her move. “Did Aubrey mention that I have a degree in graphic design?”

  “Do you, now? Well, isn’t that handy.” His eyes lit up. “Are you volunteering to help me on Landon’s website?”

  “Actually, Aubrey asked me to help out if I can. I’ve just been so busy.” She was lying through her teeth, but this was about saving face. He mustn’t know how much she wanted to spend time with him.

  “I would love it if you could lend a hand,” he said with puppy-dog eyes as if she’d say no.

  “Well, you’re in luck. I have some time before I need to go back to the brewery.”

  “Oh, thank God.” His shoulders sagged in relief. “I really appreciate your help.”

  Muahahahaha. She had him.

  But her excitement turned to self-consciousness when he slid into her side of the booth and stopped a hand’s width away from her. She only had to shift her leg a tiny bit for her thigh to press against his. The bakery turned sweltering hot.

  “Um. Wouldn’t you be more comfortable on the other side of the booth?” She cursed her pale skin as heat spread on her face.

  “No, I’m perfectly comfortable here,” he said with a k
nowing grin.

  Damn him. She caved and inched away from the warmth of his body, mumbling something about personal space.

  “I need to sit beside you so we can share my laptop,” he explained, his eyes still sparkling with humor.

  “You’re right. This is much more practical,” Tara agreed in a no-nonsense voice. She refused to let him see how much she wanted to jump on his lap and call him Santa baby.

  Shit. I need my head examined.

  * * *

  Seth failed to mention that he came to Comfort Zone on the off chance that Tara might be there. There was no need to weird her out. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her all day. So he’d packed up his laptop and come to the bakery with the intent of camping out as long as he could. That sounded desperate even to his own ears.

  But he wasn’t really desperate. He just wanted to spend more time with her, because he’d had such a good time when they hung out. With her to distract him, he wouldn’t be impatiently counting down the days until he could finally go to Paris. That was why he’d celebrated with a mental fist pump when she offered to help him with the website.

  Sitting so close to her with her tantalizing scent assailing his senses was delicious torture. He wanted to do so much more than sit demurely next to her. Though she didn’t act like it, he would like to think that she was as affected by their proximity as he was. Or were her cheeks always so rosy? He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. The curl of her long lashes, the tip of her pert nose, and the lower lip snagged by her teeth as she peered into the laptop screen. Poor lower lip. He should lick it better.

  “You really meant what you said about focusing on the photographs.” She glanced sideways at him. “You’ve basically registered the domain name and created a landing page.”

  “We still have close to a month left. I thought it important to have all the content well prepared before I started,” he said. “Plus, I was procrastinating.”

  Tara snorted. “Lazy ass.”

  Before he could respond, Justine came to their booth and placed a plate of fresh-baked cherry-almond cookies on the table.