Page 10 of The Dating Dare

“No, no, no. Don’t climb in that way. Your bottom goes there not your knees. Here, let me help you. Wait. Watch your head.” He inserted his hand between her head and the roof of the car just in time to stop her from banging her head against it, and crushed his hand instead. “Ow.”

He grunted and cursed as he maneuvered her onto the passenger seat, but finally had her safely ensconced in her seat. When he came around to the driver’s side and reached over to buckle her in, her eyes were drooping.

“Tara, you can’t fall asleep now.” He gave her shoulder a gentle shake. “You need to focus and tell me where you live.”

She snored softly in response.

“Wait a minute,” he said to himself. “Her driver’s license.”

He reached for her purse and searched through it with a mumbled apology. He saw her giant set of keys, her phone, a tube of lipstick, and some crumpled up cash in there, but no license. Then he remembered her telling him that she had driven to the wedding with her family. She must’ve left her driver’s license at home.

Seth grabbed fistfuls of his hair and groaned. He had no idea where she lived, and taking her to his hotel wasn’t the best idea for his sanity. She was so breathtaking, especially when she’d relaxed and laughed with him. He’d been tempted to kiss her all night until she went from zero to drunk in the blink of an eye. Sleeping next to her soft warm body was going to be torture.

But what choice did he have? He wasn’t going to leave her alone at the brewery. Nor was he going to spend a night in the car with her when he had a warm bed waiting for him. Well, for them.

“Shit,” he said, which helped marginally with his frustration.

He pulled out of the brewery’s parking lot and drove the few blocks to his hotel. Lola’s Inn and Trattoria was a charming Italian restaurant with a few welcoming, thoughtfully appointed rooms on the second and third floors. He loved everything about it. The warm, dark wood of the décor in the restaurant to the cozy, farmhouse-style rooms. This was his go-to spot to stay when he visited Landon. His brother let him get away with staying at a hotel since Seth wouldn’t get a good night’s sleep with Morgan waking up several times during the night.

It was past two o’clock in the morning, so there was no one watching the front counter, which made sneaking into the hotel with Tara a bit less nerve-wracking. Even so, he scanned the parking lot to check that there was no one around. She was a local, and he didn’t wanther subjected to prying eyes while she stumbled out of his car dead drunk.

“Tara.Tara,” Seth said, unbuckling her. She mumbled something and opened one eye.

“Wassit? Who’s you? Seth?” Then she closed her eye again.

“I don’t know where you live so I brought you to Lola’s. I need you to walk up with me to my room. Okay?” Seth shook her lightly by her arm. “I’ll make you a cup of coffee, and take you home once you sober up.”

“Mar-ma-lade.Orangemarmalade,” she said with gravitas as though her words were of great importance.

“Yes. Marmalade. Sure,” he said agreeably. He just needed to work quickly while she was conscious. “I’m going to help you out of the car, and we’re going to walk a few small steps at a time. Easy peasy, right?”

“No, peas. Hate. Much hate.”

Despite the predicament he found himself in, Seth couldn’t help but laugh. She was so fucking cute. There wasn’t a hint of her signature sarcasm in sight. Not that he didn’t enjoy her prickly side, too.

Even though her eyes were open, she was far from alert. When he rounded his car and hefted her out of the passenger seat, she sagged against him. He wrapped her waist tightly with his arm, and held her hand over his shoulder so she wouldn’t slide down. He took a careful step forward. Her foot moved a step as well.Thank God.One step at a time, they reached the entrance to Lola’s. He dug around his pockets, holding Tara up with one arm.

Once they got through the front entrance, Seth quickly looked left and right. A vise wrapped around his lungs and squeezed, nerves jangling through his veins. He wasn’t doing anything wrong, but to anyone watching, hewassneaking around with an alcohol-drenchedwoman in his arms. This had to be the most ludicrous situation he’d ever found himself in.

He adjusted Tara so he could bear more of her weight, and resolutely walked down the hall to his room. He grabbed the key card he’d been holding in his mouth and waved it against the sensor, all the while balancing her against his hip. Opening the unlocked door, he backed into the room, half dragging Tara with him. When the door shut behind them, Seth sighed with relief. They were finally safe in his room.

“That wasn’t so bad,” he said, winded from the exertion. He righted Tara in his arms, wondering where to settle her, when she raised her head and looked straight at him.

“Seth,” she said with surprising clarity.

Her eyes were focused on him, burning with intensity. For a moment, he thought she was going to kiss him, and his blood sizzled. But it wouldn’t be right to kiss her. While he thought of gentle ways to refuse her—to remind her that they had time—Tara bent at her waist and hurled on his shoes. He quickly moved to her side and held her hair back in one hand and thumped her back with the other.

“You okay?” he asked as dry heaves wracked through her body. He rolled his eyes at himself. It was highly unlikely that she felt okay.

“Stop. No more.” She weakly waved her hand behind her, trying to grab his arm to stop the thumping. “Bathroom.”

When her knees buckled, Seth caught her by her arms and led her to the sink, where she rinsed her mouth swaying left and right. He hovered near her to catch her in case she fell, but she managed to stay upright.

“Better?” Maybe she was awake enough to tell him her address. “Do you want me to take you home? Can you tell me your address?”

Instead of answering, she sank down to the floor with a miserable moan.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” he muttered.

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