by Jayci Lee
“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 knows here. 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.”
“Yeah, you have a long drive back.” Tara backed him up. “I’ll stay and help him clean up. It’s the least I can do.”
“Are you sure?” Aria covered a yawn with her hand.
“Yes, I’m sure.” Seth gave Aria a tight hug before she could fuss anymore. She was truly an excellent human being, and he was going to miss her. Then he turned to Lucien. “It was good seeing you.”
“We had to see you before you left for my old home.” He squeezed Seth’s shoulder.
It hit him that this was really goodbye for a while, and emotion clogged his throat. “I should’ve taken some French lessons from you. I’m going to be that uncouth American when I get to Paris with my awful French.”
“Landon said it was better than your Korean,” Aria said teasingly, grabbing him for another hug. “Take care of yourself. We’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you guys, too,” Seth said into her hair.
He and Tara walked their friends to their car and watched until the taillights disappeared into the night. She placed a warm hand on his shoulder, sensing his distress.
“Dammit. It’s not like I’m never going to see them again.” Seth pulled Tara into his arms and buried his face in her neck.
“Saying goodbye is tough. Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she whispered, drawing soothing circles on his back.
“God, Tara. It’s going to wreck me to say goodbye to you.” His voice was a husky rasp, saturated with fear.
Tonight made real to him that he had to leave her soon, and the thought was unbearable. Holding her in his arms felt like home. How the hell was he supposed to walk away from this?
“Don’t say that. We’ll make the best of the two weeks we have left together.” She spoke with quiet determination.
“And how do you suppose we do that? Our first two dates were interrupted by a bunch of rascally kids and a speed-hungry teenager. It’s like the world wants to throw in a monkey wrench before we get too cozy.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll body block any and all monkey wrenches. Our last two dates will be all about us, but we’ll talk about that later. First, we need to talk about the nondates.”
“I want nondates with you every day,” he said. “Please don’t say no.”
“I want to see you every day, too,” she said, her face buried in his chest. He pressed her closer to him. “When we first started the dating dare, one month seemed like forever. But now two weeks seem far too short. So I’m changing some of the rules.”
“Like what?” he asked with half trepidation and half curiosity.
Tara tilted her head to meet his eyes. Her expression held secrets and promises, bold and captivating. “The first rule I hereby ban is the keep-your-pants-on during nondates rule.”
He dragged in a breath with great difficulty. “I second that.”
“Do you now?” She got that cat look again, and Seth swallowed hard.
“Yes?” Why the hell did that come out like a question? He was all for taking his pants off during nondates. Like tonight. To show her how much he wanted to take his pants off, he made his voice low and growly and repeated, “Yes.”
“Good,” she said. “That’s very good.”
Then she buried her fingers in his hair
and tugged his head down. Her kiss was fire and sugarplum, delicious and multifaceted like she was. She licked, nipped, and dropped butterfly kisses on the corners of his mouth. Her greedy hands traveled down to his back and clung tight.
He held back and let her lead the kiss as long as he could, but when she nibbled on his bottom lip and mewled, his control snapped. With a long groan, he tipped her head back and drove his tongue into her sweet, sweet mouth.
“You’re my undoing,” he rasped, trailing kisses along her jaw until he reached her ear. He sucked her earlobe into his mouth and was rewarded with her moan.
“Good,” she said breathlessly, pressing herself against him until not a single molecule could get between them. “I spin out of control when you touch me, but I don’t care as long as I can have you.”
“God, yes.”
She could have him as many times as she wanted. Tonight and every night for the next two weeks. His heart froze remembering he had to leave soon, and he shoved the thought far, far away. Making love to her was not just another hookup. She was special. She was Tara. And he wasn’t going to continue groping her in the driveway. He lifted her into his arms and walked toward the front entrance.
“I’m taking you inside.” To my bedroom. To my bed.
Tara nodded vigorously while clinging to his neck. He burned everywhere she touched him, and his hands were on fire where he held her. It was almost too much to bear, his need for her. He took the stairs two at a time to reach his bedroom.
When he lowered her onto his bed, she kept her arms around his neck so he couldn’t go far. “Confession. I’ve fantasized about being carried to bed like this.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” He grinned down at her as he climbed into bed next to her. “Making your fantasies come true.”
“Oh, goodie,” Tara said, cupping his cheek in her hand.
“We’re going to be so good together,” he promised. They were going to fit perfectly.
He slipped his hand under her shirt and caressed her silky skin from the bend of her waist to her back, traveling up until he reached the clasp of her bra. He undid it with a single flick of his wrist.
“Wow. Did you just do that with one hand? On the first try?” She giggled nervously. “I’m pretty sure I’m far less experienced than you. I might not be as good at this as you.”
“That’s impossible,” he said fervently. And her lack of experience appealed to the caveman in him. He much preferred to show her the many ways they could enjoy each other himself. “A kiss from you can bring me to my knees. No one else has ever affected me that way before.”
As though she wanted to test what he said, she rose on her elbow and brought her lips to his. With a groan, he pulled her on top of him, and spread her legs to straddle his hips.
“Take your shirt off,” he said.
Tara grasped the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head in a single, fluid move, throwing it on the floor. Her unclasped bra quickly followed suit. He lay frozen because it hit him that Tara was sitting topless on him. She was fucking spectacular. His hands twitched at his side but he was too much in awe to touch her right away.
“How are you so beautiful?” he whispered, suddenly unnerved by how much he wanted her.
“If I’m so beautiful, why aren’t you touching me?” Tara grabbed his hands and planted them firmly on her breasts, and both of them moaned loudly.
It was as though she was custom-made to fit his hands. Her firm, small breasts were perfectly round and crowned with pinkish-beige tips, which turned hard as he swirled his thumbs around them. Tara’s head titled back as she thrust her breasts into his hands. Unable to hold himself back any longer, he raised himself into a sitting position with his hands firmly grasping her ass.
He bent his head and teased her breasts with his mouth. Drunk on the small, whimpering sounds she made, it took him a moment to realize that her hands were tugging impatiently at his shirt.
“Sorry,” he said, and whipped it off to give her the access she sought. When he tried to return to what he was doing, Tara planted her hands on his chest and held him off.
“I want to look at you.” Her eyes roamed his torso hungrily until she laughed incredulously, shaking her head. “How do you even look like this?”
“Why? Do you like it?” he asked, shamelessly fishing for compliments. He hissed when Tara’s soft fingers traced the grooves of his abs.
“What do you think?” She pressed her breasts against his chest and sighed deeply. “I can look at you all day. But I’ll save that part for after we give each other earth-shattering orgasms.”
“You first,” he growled, and flipped her onto her back. He finished undressing her and threw his own clothes on the floor. Then he positioned himself on top of her, naked skin against naked skin. God, it feels so good. “Is this okay?”
“A hell of a lot better than okay,” she said breathlessly.
With a satisfied smile, he traced kisses down her torso, making sure to give her lovely breasts the attention they deserved. He paused when he reached her hips to trace a tattoo of a vibrant iris. The royal purple, rich burgundy, and a splash of deep yellow of the tattoo made the flower almost look real.
“I like this. The iris reminds me of you. Sensual and passionate,” he said with his mouth brushing kisses over the tattoo.
“Thank you.” She shivered against his touch.
He moved down to kiss the junction between her thighs. “I like this, too. You’re just pretty everywhere, baby.”
Then, because he wanted to taste her and have her fall apart against his tongue, he kissed, teased, and licked her until her hands fisted in her hair and she screamed his name.
“Good girl.” He slid up to kiss her firmly on her lips. He had to be inside her. He couldn’t wait another minute. She protested when he broke the kiss. He placed another quick kiss on her lips to settle her. “Condom.”
“Here. Let me,” she said, once he pulled one out of the nightstand.
She reached over and took the condom package from his hand and ripped it open. Fuck. When she reached over to roll the rubber over him, he had to keep a tight rein on himself so he wouldn’t come before he even got inside her. But it was a close call with her warm, firm hand gripping him.
“Are you sure you want this?” he asked, holding himself still at her entrance.
“I want this very, very much,” she said, pulling his hips closer to her.
“Good.”
They came together with a sigh, and he worshiped her with his trembling body until the world splintered and fell around them.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Good morning, baby.” Seth’s voice was husky with sleep on the other end of the line. Tara could almost see him lying in his bed with his sheets low on his waist, revealing his glorious chest and abs.
“Good morning,” she replied, suddenly wide awake.
“I wanted to wake up with you beside me,” he said softly, sending a shiver down her back.
“Me, too. Sorry I had to come home.” She lay flat on her bed and stared up at her ceiling. She would so much rather look up at Seth’s face as he held himself over her.
Last night had blown her mind. Seth hadn’t been kidding when he said he was there to make her fantasies come true. So. Many. Orgasms. She was still limp from them.
“When will I see you?” he asked, impatience lining his tone.
“When do you want to see me?”
“Right now works.”
“It’s barely past seven.” She laughed, delighted at his urgency. She felt the same way.
“I make some mean scrambled eggs, and Landon’s toaster does a decent job of popping out toast.”
“Coffee?”
“French-pressed,” he said smugly.
“I’ll be there in forty-five minutes. Bye.”
Tara jumped out of bed and dived into the shower stall. She had to leave in twenty minutes if she wanted to get to Seth in time. It was a good thing she was so
low-maintenance. After a quick shower, she brushed out her damp hair and put on some tinted lip balm, and headed out the door.
She reached his place on autopilot, busy thinking about what she wanted to do with him, and parked in a cloud of dust. She ran up the steps to the front entrance, dismissing self-control and dignity. He opened the door before she even rang the doorbell. “How do you always do that? Do you look out the window waiting for me?”
“Yes,” he said, smiling happily.
It made her happy, too, so she threw herself into his arms with enough force to make him widen his stance for balance.
“Whoa.” Seth laughed, his warm breath against her neck.
“This is good,” she sighed.
“Yeah, it is.” His voice was muffled because he was busy placing soft kisses along her jawline.
Just as she melted against him, her stomach protested loudly. Food now. Sex later. The rest of her lust-infused body thought otherwise. How barbaric to think of food at a time like this. The glory of sex awaits us. When her stomach growled again, Tara buried her face in Seth’s chest and mumbled, “About that breakfast…”
“I did tempt you over here with the promise of breakfast.” He lifted his head after one last kiss behind her ear. “Sorry, I got sidetracked.”
“Lead the way,” she said, linking her arm through his. “I’m assuming you’ll be stripping down to your boxers to cook for me?”
“What? You know I’m shy.” His eyes twinkled with mischief. “But if you join me, I might take my shirt off.”
“Are you sure you can take it?” She employed her medium eyebrow arch to express mild cynicism.
“Actually, no. I don’t want to feed you burnt eggs. But I could still take my shirt off.” He grasped the hem of his shirt with a cocky grin, giving her a tantalizing view of a strip of abs.
“Wait,” she said, reaching out to stay his hands. She swallowed, literally salivating after him. “Don’t. I can’t take it either.”
“You’ll be fine.” Her hands dropped to her side without resistance when he proceeded to pull his shirt above his head.