The Dating Dare Read online

  Seth packed up his equipment and locked up the restaurant. Since he volunteered to bring a picnic basket, he had to figure out what went in one. His family used to have picnic lunches in the backyard or the park when he and Landon were small. He should’ve paid more attention to what his mom packed for their excursions. He was almost certain his mom packed their favorite sandwiches and a fruit salad. While his brother was a world-class chef, Seth was the opposite of handy in the kitchen. But even he should be able to make sandwiches, right?

  He could go to the market and buy the ingredients for some BLTs. You can’t go wrong with bacon. What if Tara didn’t like mayonnaise? There were no peas or cooked carrots in mayonnaise, so he should be safe there. Besides, he would load the picnic basket with Comfort Zone’s mouthwatering desserts. No matter how much he messed up on the rest of the stuff, the desserts would save the day.

  But first things first, he needed a picnic basket before he could fill it. Did Aubrey and Landon own one? There was no time for him to go up to the house to check. He should just buy one when he went into town. What else did people bring to picnics? A picnic blanket. He’d better pick up one of those, too.

  Seth pulled out of the restaurant parking lot and headed for Weldon. He knew where the market was, but that was about it. But the folks in the tiny town were so friendly and helpful, he could ask them about everything else he needed and be pointed in the right direction.

  Excitement fluttered in his stomach. Was he having first-date jitters? He chuckled under his breath. When was the last time he felt really excited about something? He couldn’t even remember. All he knew was that he was looking forward to having Tara all to himself.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  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 int
o 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.