“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.