The sock elves not only stole her socks but every presentable piece of clothing she had. Tara had nothing to wear for her first date with Seth. She palmed her forehead and blew out a frustrated breath. It was a beautiful spring day, and she was tying herself into a knot over her picnic outfit.
She chose the park for their first date because it wasn’t really a hangout point for anyone she knew. And it was spread out enough that she and Seth could have some seclusion. Basically, no one would see her, really, except for him, which made her problem beyond silly. Clicking her tongue, she grabbed a pair of black leggings and a loose blue tunic from her closet and put them on.
“There,” she said to her perfectly pleasant reflection on the closet mirror. “Why did that have to be so hard? Is this Seth guy a big deal or something?”
She laughed at herself. He was not a big deal or something. Seth was the guy she was going out with on four dates. He was also the one leaving for Paris in a month. In a nutshell, he was like any other man she casually dated but had an even shorter shelf life. With no option of extending the arrangement. Her stomach dipped ever so slightly at the thought, and she ignored it. She was going out to be not-alone for an afternoon with a fine-ass man. Stomach dipping of any sort was not included. And definitely not recognized or analyzed.
She picked up her favorite lip stain but hesitated before putting it on. Stop it with the overthinking. She wore lip stain all the time. Tara wasn’t doing it to look good for Seth. It just made her feel good.
“Relax. Quit analyzing every breath you take.” With those parting words to her reflection, she grabbed her purse and jacket and walked out to the living room.
“You look nice,” Jack said, wiping sweat off his brows with a small towel. He must’ve just come back from a run. “Going out?”
“Nice? What? Going out? No,” she replied, cool as cucumber slices on ice. Oh, for Gollum’s sake. “I’m just wearing what I normally wear on my off days when I run errands. That’s where I’m going. To run errands.”
“You are so weird sometimes.” Her brother crinkled his nose with a hint of concern on his face.
“Weird? No … I’m always like this.” She was freaking out. She didn’t want her brothers to know that she was seeing Seth, but she was doing the opposite of not acting suspicious. What the hell? Sneaking around was her forte. That was how she kept her love life shrouded in mystery for her family. “This is me being normal.”
“Yeah … normal. Okay. I’m going to my room now.” Jack hurried away with a wary glance over his shoulder.
Tara raised her eyes to the ceiling. What was wrong with her? She was a single woman going on a date with a single man. It was ridiculous how nervous she was. Embarrassingly ridiculous. She yelled a loud “bye” and shot out the door before she gave a repeat performance of her bumbling-jackass act.
She was five minutes early, but Seth’s car pulled up to her house. She should’ve told him to meet her a block away. He opened the driver’s door and stepped out of the car. Crap. He was going to slow down their getaway.
“Get back in the car,” she yelled as she jumped into the passenger seat. “Drive.”
“Woah. What’s the hurry? Did you just rob your own house?”
“Drive now. Ask questions later.”
“All right.” Seth shrugged, his lips quirking to the side. “Who knew a picnic could be so exciting?”
In response to her urgency, he floored the pedal and shot away from the curb with enough speed to shove her back into her seat. She laughed with unexpected exhilaration, and her heart flipped when Seth’s deep laughter joined hers.
Once her house was out of view, he slowed down to something close to the speed limit and quirked an eyebrow at her. “So. What was all that about?”
“I didn’t think this through very thoroughly.”
“What? The picnic?”
“Yes. No. The fact that you and I are having a picnic together.” She snuck a peek at Seth’s face. A small frown formed between his brows. “It’s not you. It’s me.”
“Seriously? I pick you up for our first date and you give me the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ spiel?” He kept his eyes on the road, but a smile played around his lips.
“It’s just that I don’t want my family to find out about our dating arrangement. We’re only seeing each other four times, and I don’t want to complicate things.”
Seth nodded, pursing his lips. “So you’re having second thoughts about having a picnic at the park?”
“No. It’s highly unlikely I’ll see anyone I know there.” She offered him a wry smile. “It’s more about having you pick me up at my house. Silly little mistakes like that could blow our cover.”
“I guess you’re right. I don’t need Landon to lecture me when he comes home. He thinks I’m a player, too.”
“He thinks you are?” Tara cocked her head to the side and stared at his profile. “Are you saying you’re not?”
“I’m saying there’s more to me than you think. At any rate, he probably doesn’t think I’m suitable for Aubrey’s best friend.”
“Well, tell him to mind his own freaking business. Aubrey’s best friend can take care of herself just fine. Even with a renowned playboy.”
“I’m not as bad as you think.” Seth half groaned and half laughed. “I don’t go through women like they’re single-use items. They’re human, real, and fascinating. Many of the models I’ve been seen with are truly just friends.”
Tara waved aside his words. She didn’t mind if he was a player. In fact, she preferred it that way. They were both looking for a good time. No complications. “Anyways, we’re in agreement that the dating dare will stay between us, right?”
“Sure.”
“We don’t have to sneak around and meet at remote cabins or anything, but there’s no reason to announce it to our family. Or friends. Aubrey might freak out if she knew that I was dating her little brother-in-law.”
“Cut it out with the little-brother jabs. You’re only two years older than me. I’ve dated women older than you, and they had no problem with me being younger than them.”
“Okay, fine. I honestly don’t want to date a man who calls me noona either.” She should let it go, but she couldn’t stop herself. “So … you’ve dated lots of older women, eh? Did they, you know, teach you things?”
“They certainly had a willing student.” He glanced sideways at her with a wicked smile. “Do you want details?”
“You’re coming on to me.” Tara gasped with feigned horror. “Is it because I’m an older woman?”
Seth burst out laughing, and almost missed a turn. “I’ve dated a few older women. They were beautiful and interesting. That’s it. I don’t have a fetish for older women or anything, so you can relax.”
“Sure, you don’t.” She gave him an exaggerated wink, channeling her inner Lucy Ricardo. “Anyway, what I said about you being Aubrey’s little brother-in-law is a fact. Aubrey and Landon seem so protective of you sometimes. Which is pretty odd. From what I’ve seen, your friend The Ego should shield you from trivial things like hurt feelings.”
“Hey, stop making fun of my ego. You’re hurting my feelings.” Seth grinned. “Anyway, Landon has been protective of me ever since our dad left. He thinks I’m his responsibility. It must’ve rubbed off on Aubrey. But you’re right. I don’t need protection from anything … or anyone.”
“But you do need protection from The Ego. You know, someone might kick your ass for that one day,” Tara mused. “I have a sinking feeling that person might be me.”
“Hmm. I’m not sure I totally dislike the idea of you kicking my ass.”
“How masochistic of you. You don’t know the power of my roundhouse kick.”
“Ooh, sexy,” he said with a shit-eating grin.
“You’re playing with fire,” she warned.
“That’s so hot.”
“Ugh. You’re just … ugh.” She threw up her hands and stared out the window to hide her smile.
Very pleased with himself, Seth drove the rest of the way humming under his breath. After a few turns, they found street parking across from the park. Tara stepped out of the car and shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. The green of the grass and the bright primary-colored play equipment sparkled vividly beneath the spring sunshine. A contented smile lifted the corners of her mouth.
“Okay,” he said, grabbing a huge picnic basket and a blue gingham blanket from the trunk. “Let’s go pick a spot.”
“This way. I’ll take you to my favorite spot.” She led him toward a tall tree with long, outstretched branches full of leaves. The tree had been around as long as she could remember, like an old friend, strong and steadfast. “I like to come here to read sometimes. It’s quiet, and away from the main bustle of the park.”
“Nice.” Seth placed the blanket on the edge of the branch’s reach half in sunlight and half in shade. “In case you got too cold in the shade, or too hot in the sun.”
“Thank you.” Tara soaked up his considerate gesture like a cactus planted in cracked earth, enjoying its first taste of rain.
“You’re welcome,” he said, his voice warm and his smile endearing. As their gazes met and held, heat swirled in the air between them.
“That thing is huge. Did you pack a dining room table in there?” Tara broke eye contact before she melted into goo, and got on her knees to peek inside the basket. “What did you bring?”
“Nothing much. I might’ve gone overboard with the jumbo-sized basket. I’ve never packed a picnic before,” he said as he set out containers of sandwiches, brightly colored fruit salad, plates, and utensils followed by at least seven kinds of desserts.
“You call this nothing much? It looks like you’ve cleaned out Comfort Zone and a poor, unsuspecting deli. Who’s going to eat all those sandwiches?”
“No need to worry. I have a hollow leg for extra food storage, and you don’t seem to be a lightweight either. I’ve seen you tuck away plate after plate of food.”
“How rude. One does not talk about a lady’s appetite.” She held her offended expression for exactly half a second before giving into her smile. “Of course, you’re right. And those look like BLTs. I’ll be having about five of those. Thank you very much.”
Seth paused setting the picnic to look at her appreciatively, and her heart did a loopy dance. He looked so handsome sitting there, setting out loads of delicious food for her. What could be better?
“I brought some sparkling cider and lemonade. I figured we can’t drink in a public park, but we won’t miss out on the fancy bubbles.”
“Seriously, where did you get all of this? Doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen at the delis in Weldon.”
“Because it came from my kitchen. I can make a sandwich.”
“It looks fantastic. I’m pretty impressed.” She gave him a playful shove on his shoulder. “I guess this is my first taste of a date with Seth Kim.”
“Only the first. There’s plenty more to taste,” he said in a low, delicious voice.
Tara’s pants caught on fire. But she doused it with her icy cold will. If she was going to survive four dates with Seth, she couldn’t let her attraction loose. She had a feeling that it would be insatiable.
“Neat. Can we eat?” she said in as casual a voice as she could manage.
“Yes, please.” He handed her a plate with a half triangle of BLT and a scoop of lovely fruit salad. She picked up the sandwich and took a bite. The hint of nervousness on Seth’s face made her heart go squishy. She had to remind herself a squishy heart was also not acceptable as part of the dare. Remember to keep it casual.
“This is literally the best BLT I’ve ever had,” she gushed, taking another bite. The salty, savory bacon was abundant and crunchy without being tough. With the crisp lettuce, juicy tomato, and just the right amount of creamy mayo, the sandwich was heaven between sliced bread. “I guess the Kim brothers have a knack in the kitchen.”
“Not in the least. Landon’s the cook. Sandwiches are about the only thing that I can make, and throwing together a fruit salad isn’t exactly cooking. I got fresh fruit, chopped them up, and tossed them together. I can’t take credit for it tasting good.”
“No way. Is this seriously happening? Am I truly witnessing Seth Kim being humble?”
“I’m being completely honest and feeding you. The least you can do is not insult me with your mouth full.” Seth nudged her outstretched leg with his foot.
That little touch of his big toe meeting her calf felt like a heat pack being pressed against her skin. Trying not to be obvious, Tara stretched out her foot to nudge him back. Seth dodged her with a smirk.
“I am not insulting you,” she insisted. “I really think humility is a good look on you.”
Being a little sneakier this time, she successfully made contact with his calf. Her foot rejoiced. Wow. Was every part of his body as rock hard as what she’d just felt? Inquiring girl parts wanted to know.
“Was that a compliment?” Seth widened his eyes to cherub-level wonder. “I didn’t even perceive it as such since it’s so impossibly rare from you … like unicorns.”
This time she went for a lightning-fast kick to his shin, her full plate bobbing on her thighs. But Seth moved quicker. He stopped her attack within inches from his shin with a strong grip on her ankle. She squealed and jerked reflexively. His hand felt like a molten iron clamp.
“Lemme go.” She wiggled against his grasp. “You almost made me spill my food.”
“I almost made you? You’re the one who tried to kick me.”
“Okay. Okay. I promise not to kick you if you let me go.”
“Should I trust you?”
“Only someone gullible would trust me right now.” In the same motion, she put aside her plate and delivered a playful kick to his biceps with her other leg. Startled, he let go of her ankle to block any further attacks. She didn’t attack physically but couldn’t resist one last jab. “See, gullible.”
Pushing away his food, he lunged for her, pressing her torso into the soft blanket-covered grass. “I’ve learned my lesson.”
He held her hands over her head, and she felt as though she’d had the wind knocked out her. Her heartbeat ratcheted up to a fast jog as awareness seeped into her veins like warm honey. All she had to do was lift her head off the ground a few inches to test whether his lips were as soft and plush as they looked. His gorgeous face was only a hand span away from hers, and he smelled like … pineapple and bacon. Her stomach growled.
“I’m hungry,” she said breathlessly.
“So am I,” he said in a low growl.
Her stomach growled more insistently this time. It was the perfect excuse to get out of a dangerously tempting position. “For food. I’m hungry for food.”
Blinking rapidly, Seth released her wrists and helped her sit up. “Yeah. I meant for food as well.”
She smiled slyly, preening with feminine pride. “You should eat something quick. You look like you’re about to pass out from … hunger.”
Without responding, he grabbed a triangle of BLT from the box and ate it in two bites. He was embarrassed. How sweet was that? Feeling content, Tara bit into her sandwich and glanced around the park. The green grass seemed to stretch on forever from their spot underneath the tree, and the blue sky looked almost within reach. She ate in easy silence, soaking up the moment. But in a few minutes, a gaggle of children’s voices drowned the silence.
“School must be out early today,” Tara said, watching a half dozen kids racing toward a tree near their picnic spot.
“Should we take cover?” Seth asked.
“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 of looking 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 the corner 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 sang Hallelujah.
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 little girl 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 a duh expression. “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.”
The girl blushed and twirled a piece of her hair. Gee, even a seven-year-old wasn’t immune to his charms.
“I’m Gwen by the way,” she said by way of introduction.
“I’m Seth, and this is Tara.”
“Okay. Come with me.” Gwen grabbed Seth’s hand and tugged him to his feet. “I need you to climb up that tree and sit on one of the branches.”
“Wait. What about Tara?”
“Yeah. What about me?” Tara asked. “Can I be a princess, too? I’ll help you girls rescue the prince.”
“No, we already have too many princesses.” Gwen gave Tara a once-over. “I guess you can be the dragon that’s holding the prince hostage.”
“I like the sound of that.” Seth’s eyes twinkled with humor. “I think she’ll make an excellent lady dragon.”
“Meh,” the girl said, drawing a huff of affronted laughter from the lady dragon. Tara obviously hadn’t won over the little date crasher with her wit and charm. And she couldn’t help noticing that Gwen still held tightly onto Seth’s hand. “She’ll be okay, I guess.”
“Thanks?” Tara said as she bemusedly tagged along with the handholding couple leading the way.
Once she cut it out with the ridiculous possessiveness, her heart started puddling again. Seth was so wrong about not knowing what to do with children. He was fantastic with them, and it was so sweet of him to play the prince-in-distress for them.
“Sorry about the interruption,” he said close to her ear. He’d broken away from the circle of children and came to stand next to her. “I’m sure they’ll tire of us soon and let us return to our picnic.”
“So you don’t know what to do with children, huh?” She bumped her shoulder against his biceps, and he bumped her back.
“Gwen was sweet enough to let me join her group. I really didn’t do anything.”
Tara sighed. He was endearing her to death. “Well, here she comes to lock you up in your tower. Good luck.”
“Are you going to let the princesses rescue me?” He tucked his chin and looked at her through his lashes.
The look alone could charm the pants off anyone within a mile radius. I will fight off every single one of these adorable girls if you keep looking at me like that. “Lady Dragon will do as she pleases.”
With one last devastating smile, Seth was escorted to the tree where he would be imprisoned. Tara trailed after them again, guessing she needed to be stationed there as well to play the evil dragon. She had to admit, she was feeling the part.
He climbed the thick-trunked tree—aware that he was trying to impress Tara like a dumbass—and settled down on a sturdy branch hanging a few feet above the ground.
The rules of the game stated that the princess who defeated the lady dragon and her gremlin minions, played by the boys who refused to be the incarcerated prince, would win their happily ever after with the prince.
The game seemed like flag football with a fantasy theme at first. Then it evolved into something like freeze tag. The children wore belts with flags hanging off of them and chased each other around screaming murder. The gremlins roared and aggressively held their defensive positions, but when the ferocious princesses rained their wrath on them, they faltered.
The best thing about the game was that the battle raged a few feet away from the tree, and the prince could flirt with the lady dragon. Tara stood with her arms across her chest, leaning against the tree trunk, and watched the children with a gentle curve of her lips. She was nothing short of breathtaking.
“Do you think you’ll have a change of heart and let me free?” he asked in a low voice.
“The question is, does Lady Dragon have a beating heart or one made of hard, jagged stone?” Her expression transformed into something mischievous and saucy that made his stomach fall and slam back into place.
“Would Lady Dragon turn into a beautiful princess if the prince kisses her?”
“Maybe the prince will turn into a dragon when she kisses him.”
Seth wanted to jump down from his perch and kiss the hell out of his captor, whether he turned into a dragon or not. Tara came to stand below him and wrapped a hand around his calf, and he felt electricity jolt up his legs. He reached down and buried his hand into her long strands and tilted her head to meet his eyes.
“Come up here,” he growled.
“Now you’re commanding me?” she said imperiously, while color suffused her cheeks. “How dare you, trifling human?”
“I’m coming down.” Releasing her hair, he swung one leg over the branch.
“No, you’re not,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “We have eyes on us, remember?”
“We’re getting out of town for our second date,” he said darkly, glaring at her for being unfairly beautiful. She blushed and opened her mouth, but whatever was on the tip of her tongue didn’t get a chance to roll off.
“Ahh!” Gwen screeched, running toward them. “The dragon has put a spell on the prince. She’s trying to eat him.”
Tara snorted but turned to face the girl with a scowl on her face. “You dare disturb me? I will fly away with the prince. Leave me in peace.”
She then stuck her arms out and flapped them around like great, sweeping wings and chased the little princesses around. They scattered, giggling and screaming. The gremlins forgot which side they were on and chased Tara around, approaching her as close as they dared and then retreating. Despite their standoffish attitude toward the evil dragon in the beginning, the kids clamored to her for more.
In the end, the kids went off for some snacks and juice. They forgot about the prince locked away in the tower altogether. Seth jumped down from the branch and strode over to Tara. She met him halfway, her face infused with pink after all the running around.
“So you defeated all my rescuers, huh?”
“They never had a chance.” She smirked. “Besides, why should the princesses always get the prince? Dragons deserve happily ever afters, too.”
“You’re absolutely right,” he said, taking a step closer to her. Seeing Tara like this made something in his heart clench tight, and he liked it. “Well, are you going to claim your prize?”
“My prize?” She widened her eyes much too innocently. “Oh, you mean the rest of our dessert. First one to the blanket gets to eat it all.”
She took off before he could respond. Her long legs carried her quickly across the grass, and Seth barely caught up with her. He tackled her and dragged her down with him, landing on his back to break her fall.
“We have a tie,” he said when she lifted her face from his shoulder. “We’re going to share our dessert like civilized people.”
“Are you sure about that?” Her triumphant grin had him twisting his torso to see where her outstretched arm went. Her index finger was poking into the picnic blanket. “Ha! I won. It’s all mine.”
He lay back down on the grass in defeat, but Tara didn’t get off him right away. She smiled down at him for a moment before lowering her head to plant a kiss on his cheek. He nearly swallowed his own tongue. Weren’t they supposed to appear platonic? To hell with platonic. He felt the caveman in him rise, and his fingers dug into her waist. Their eyes met, and their breath quickened. He lifted his head off the ground, and Tara lowered hers, her silky hair forming a curtain to one side.
“You guys. You guys.” Gwen’s clear, ringing voice interrupted them once more. Dammit. What happened to his alone time with Tara? “My mom says we have to go now. Thanks for being the prince, Seth, even though you really didn’t do much other than sit on a tree branch. But, Tara, you were such an awesome dragon. I want to be a ferocious dragon next time. It’ll be so cool.”
“We had fun, too.” Tara smiled warmly at the little girl.
“It was great meeting you,” Seth said sincerely. She and her friends were too adorable. “Sorry I wasn’t more interesting, locked away in the tree. Next time, I’ll recite a poem or something.”
“You’re silly.” Gwen giggled into her hand. “I have to go now. You could go back to kissing or whatever.”
Belatedly, Seth realized he was still holding Tara firmly by the waist as she lay on top of him. Not that he minded. They should listen to Gwen and go back to kissing or whatever. But as anticipated, the moment was over and Tara scrambled off him and dusted imaginary grass off her leggings.
Needing a moment to gather himself, Seth sat down on the picnic blanket and set out the desserts for Tara. “You won fair and square, so here’s your bounty.”
“I’m not a total monster,” she said, settling down across from him. “I’ll let you have one bite.”
“That’s all right. I’m happy to watch you eat all the dessert,” he said in a low, teasing voice. “Just remember to do it slowly.”
“Shush for a minute. This is going to be fun.” Tara rolled her eyes, but color blossomed on her cheeks. “There’s this Korean food-fighter show where one contestant doesn’t get to eat with the rest of his friends. But as he watches them eat delectable, mouthwatering entrée after entrée, he can choose to ask for one bite. Only one. Basically, he piles up a spoon with all the food he can fit on it, and shoves the giant spoonful into his mouth all at once. You’d be amazed how much food can be piled onto a spoon. Anyway, that’s my offer. The one bite chance.”
“That does sound fun.” He grinned widely. Watching her lick and moan her way through all the desserts was tempting, but a bite of dessert was always welcome. He had his eyes on the brownie with salted caramel. “I’m game.”
With a smile that lit up her face, Tara opened the container that held her first choice, Japanese cheesecake with a hint of yuzu. She tucked in fluffy morsel after fluffy morsel of the moist, light-as-air cheesecake with ecstasy on her face. His mouth watered with hunger and lust. She then moved on to her next indulgence, chestnut mousse cake.
“This is so good,” she moaned. “Man, you’re really missing out. You sure you don’t want one bite?”
“No, thanks. I’m not that tempted.” He was tempted. He wanted to bury his tongue in her mouth and taste the sweet nuttiness she held within.
“Your loss.” Humming happily, she demolished dessert number 2.
She finally moved on to her third dessert, the salted caramel brownie. His absolute favorite. But he couldn’t just watch this time. He was so turned on, he couldn’t sit still. With the children and their moms gone, they had this side of the park to themselves. It should be safe to have their date be more date-like.
“Let’s change up the game a little.” He looked at her with hooded lids, not bothering to hide his desire. “This time, I get to feed you.”
“What? I’m—”
She stopped protesting when he plopped a forkful of brownie right into her open mouth. She tried giving him a narrowed-eye look, but once she chewed and the brownie melted in her mouth, her eyes slid closed.
Tara accepted the next mouthful eagerly. The air had stilled like a vacuum around them, and their breaths grew shallow. Every bite he fed her was exquisite torture, but he craved for more. Finally, he couldn’t hold back a second longer, so instead of feeding her another forkful, he said, “One bite.”
Before she could respond, he pressed his mouth against hers. The first touch was feather light, tentative. When she didn’t pull away, he licked her bottom lip and was gratified by the parting of her lips. Like a man starved, he dipped his tongue into her mouth and found it to be a heavenly place of heat, flavored with rich chocolate and buttery caramel.
He moaned helplessly, never wanting his one bite to end. The tip of her tongue teased his, and her hands lifted to fist around his T-shirt, tugging him closer. He growled and pulled her onto his lap, splaying his hands on her back. When she whimpered and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, his eyes nearly rolled back into his head. He’d imagined kissing her countless times, but this topped them all. It was almost too much.
This time there was no ball to interrupt them, but his annoyingly reasonable brain interrupted his lust-fogged thoughts. We’re in the middle of a park with nothing to shield us from view. If he kissed her any longer, he might lose his mind and rip her shirt off.
He managed to tear his lips away from hers. “Tara.”
She whimpered and fidgeted on his lap. He was beyond tempted to shut his brain down, so he could take her right there. And get them arrested. He placed a lingering kiss on the line of her jaw, then behind her ear, then finally on her forehead.
“If you keep kissing me like that, I’m going to take you in the middle of a park,” he murmured against her skin, not quite ready to stop touching her.
“Holy shit.” Tara practically jumped off his lap, her cheeks stained deep red, and scrambled away on her hands and feet. As aroused as he was, he couldn’t ignore her resemblance to a crab. He held on to that image, trying to put the brakes on the launch sequence.
“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.