Текст книги "The Dare"

Автор книги: Rachel Van Dyken

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"Whoa," Beth said. "Brutal. But honest."

"Who says politicians can't be honest?" I joked aloud even though my heart thumped in betrayal. "I hope I didn't let you down. I just don't think I'm made that way." Lies. All lies. I had been made that way, at one point, but people change. Things happen.

"What way?"

"Like Prince Charming." I elbowed her. "Walking straight into love just seems like a bad gamble to me. It doesn't make sense. Why willingly walk into a situation where the odds aren't in your favor? Why take the chance that things won't end up happily ever after? Why not just do what you're good at and be successful? To me, success makes me happy, I don't need another person in my life to know that I'm a good person. And I don't need approval from the opposite sex to feel like more of a man."

"So..." Beth smirked, "you're okay with dying alone?"

"If I don't get assassinated first," I teased.

The boat approached a dock. That was quick. Someone walked toward the boat and helped tie it up. A line of Tiki huts lit up the front of the shore. Things didn't look abandoned, but it wasn't as if there were tons of tourists.

"She sure took us a long way just for dinner," Beth said.

"That's because you aren't here for just dinner," the captain answered. "Your bags will follow in the next boat with your grandmother. Everything has been taken care of. Enjoy your stay."

"Stay?" we repeated in unison.

"For six days." The captain scratched his head and checked his clipboard. "Yup, says here you have Romeo and Juliet Honeymoon Suite. And wedding be, oh yes, Saturday. Now is there anything else you needed?"

"Wedding!" Jace yelled.

"Chill, hang loose, man." The captain laughed. "I love pulling that trick on tourists. Gets 'em every time. No wedding. But you do have the suite. It was the only hut available."

"Hut?" Beth annunciated the T with vengeance.

"Sure." The captain smiled. "Though here on the island we just call them fertility huts."

"Holy shit. Grandma's trying to get you knocked up." I chuckled. "Not gonna happen."

Beth's gaze snapped to mine; her eyes narrowed.

"Not because I wouldn't want to sleep with you. I mean, I think we can both say it was… fantastic." If only I could remember just how fantastic. Kill me now.

"Up you go!" The captain grabbed Beth and hoisted her onto the dock. "Just keep walking straight until you reach the main lobby."

The minute I followed suit and stepped onto the deck, the captain grabbed me and whispered, "Keiki, keiki, keiki."

Was he saying kinky or keiki?

"What the hell are you doing?" I pushed him away.

"Cursed." The captain slapped my back a few times then tugged my ear.

Swear, I almost kneed him in the nuts.

"Keiki, you have keiki, and you'll be happy for all eternity. Six days." He smiled. "For six days you will be cursed with her scent, her laugh, her walk, her smile. If, at the end of the six days you decide to walk away, the curse be broken, and you not feel pain from her parting. If you choose her as your mate, you be blessed."

My mouth dropped open. "Are you high?"

"Keiki." The captain nodded and slapped my back again. "Good luck, my friend. Aloha." He put a large necklace over my neck and kissed my cheek.

I reared back, ready to push him into the ocean when Beth yelled my name. The breeze picked up as I turned to face her.

And my heart froze in my chest.

Her green eyes were glowing in the moonlight. My body reacted like she was my universe, it was as if everything around me faded and all I saw was green.

Green eyes.

Beautiful eyes.

The wind picked up again as the smell of coconut floated through the air. I could taste it on my tongue. Hell, I could taste her. Damn, I wanted her. I wanted her so bad that my body was having trouble functioning.

Shit! The man, the beads, the curse. I turned to yell at him for putting his voodoo crap on me, but the boat was already gone.

When I turned back around, Beth was smiling.

And I knew.

She would pull.

I would fall.

And in the end I would walk away.

Because she deserved better, and I didn't believe in second chances, even when it came to the one who got away.

Chapter Eleven

"We don't have alcohol on the premises." The agent rubbed his forehead again and groaned. "And even if we did, I'd use it before I'd give it to you."

"Well, that's rude." Grandma sniffed.

"Can you help me at all? Can you give me anything? Any information?"

"Yes." Grandma sighed. "I suppose I can, but it will cost you."

"Bribery? Of a government agent?"

"I kidnapped a US senator. You said so yourself. Do you think the law applies to me? Furthermore, do you think I care?"

"Ma'am, I can say with absolute certainty, that you are under the illusion that no law or rule applies to you."

"Why, thank you! How sweet." Grandma leaned back in her chair. "Where shall I start?"

"The beginning."

"It began with a curse."

"Shit."

"Don't worry, it was a good curse. And it wasn't real, but he didn't know that. You see, sometimes we just need to be given permission to do things. We need to be told something is okay."

Beth

Jace looked like he'd just seen a ghost. I waved in front of his face; he sucked in some air and began choking wildly and tugging at the beaded necklace around his neck.

"When did you go shopping?" I fingered the necklace.

"Don't touch it. I'm cursed!" he shouted.

I'd never witnessed a nervous breakdown. But I was almost one-hundred percent sure that's what was taking place. Jace pulled at his neck, nearly choking himself in the process and kept holding his breath.

"Get it off!" he yelled again.

"Jace. Breathe," I demanded.

His wild eyes looked everywhere but my face. Finally I grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. "It will be okay. It's just six days."

"You can't touch me. I'm serious, Beth. This is serious!"

"Right. You and your necklace are cursed." I patted his back in a motherly fashion. "You're under a lot of pressure right now. It's okay to freak out every once in a while. Just take some deep breaths, and we'll get some food in you."

"I'm not…" He started hyperventilating. "What the hell kind of perfume do you have on anyway?" He pulled back, eyes wild.

"I'm not wearing perfume."

"Aw, shit!" Jace finally pulled free from the necklace and threw it into the ocean, nearly popping his arm out of the socket in the process.

"Better?" I crossed my arms.

"Immensely." His chest was still heaving from exertion. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, it's fine. I've always wondered what it would be like to watch someone completely lose their mind." I smiled.

And was rewarded with a middle finger.

"Whoa there, Senator, manners."

His eyes narrowed. "The damn captain cursed me. He cursed me with you!"

Mad as hell, I smacked him on the arm. "Then why don't you just go back to your perfect life with your ridiculous amount of money and leave me the heck alone! I need this vacation, and I don't need you here being all—" I pushed him again, "—angry!"

"Fine!" Jace shouted, and then he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I mean, you're right. I'll leave. I just. He just—"

"Aloha!" A lady approached us on the dock. "I don't mean to interrupt what I'm sure was a very healthy and emotional conversation where you're both searching for your feelings deep down inside and—"

"Who are you?" Jace interrupted.

The lady was wearing all black and had a name tag that said Dr. Z.

"I'm the manager of this fine establishment, and I've been expecting you." She couldn't have been more than five foot two, was of Asian descent, and had black-rimmed spectacles that covered half her face. "Now if you'll just follow me to the center."

"Center?" I repeated. "I thought it was a hotel?"

"Oh, it's so much more! Here at Ocean Breezes Couples' Retreat, we pride ourselves on being up-to-date on the latest couples' therapy, relaxation treatments and—"

"Back up." Jace held up his hand. "Couples' therapy?"

"Of course." Dr. Z nodded. "That is why you're here, is it not?"

"Not," I answered for both of us. "Not, not, not, not."

"Strange." She folded her arms. "I've had your reservation for over a month."

"A month!" I yelled. This time Jace braced me as I lunged for the innocent doctor.

"Come along." She ignored my violent outburst. "Dinner starts in about ten minutes, and we need to get you in your clothes first."

"You have our suitcases?" That was the best news I'd heard all day.

"Oh no." Dr. Z snapped her fingers. Two men came running; one handed her a packet, and the other handed her a key. "Here at Ocean Breezes Couples' Retreat, oh my, that is a mouthful. Here at OBCR, we value equality over style. Both men and women wear the same white outfits every day to show their commitment for a clean slate."

"Clean slate?" Jace gave me a nervous look.

"Ah, here we are." Dr. Z led us down a pathway to a large hut. "You'll find a change of clothes inside. Please hurry. As you were dropped off later than expected, we do not want your dinner to get cold."

With that she closed the door, leaving Jace and me alone in the hut.

After a few moments of silence I said, "I think we were played."

"You think?" Jace snapped.

"Don't try to pin this on me!" I stomped over to him. "Besides, it's not like we could have made an escape, what with you grabbing at your chest like you had fleas or something. My necklace, a curse, a curse, a curse!"

"Not funny. I was cursed!" he argued.

"Yeah, with a nervous breakdown, and now we're at some mental institute for unhappy couples! Screw you and your advice on the boat. I want the fairytale, you hear me!" I pointed up at the ceiling. "I want the fairytale, damn it!"

"Who are you talking to?"

"God."

"Why?"

"So he can tell Grandma I want a do-over."

"Nice." Jace smirked. "And I'm the one with the nervous breakdown."

"Don't push me." I pointed at his chest and held up my fingers. "I'm this close, this close to snapping."

"Well, we don't want to see what that would look like, you snapping. Hurry up and hide the cookies."

"Aghhh!" I pushed him against the bed, causing it to move against the wall. And then I realized I was on top of him. Straddling him. And he was warm. And great gods of Asgard, my body savored it.

"Nice thighs." He smirked. "They're strong. Mind unleashing me before I have to get both legs amputated from blood loss?"

"Please, like it's your legs you're worried about."

A knock came on the door. "Five minutes!"

"She's just going to keep coming back." Jace grunted from underneath me. "I say we hurry up and change, get some damn food in our bodies, and then call Grandma. We can take the next flight out of here and still have time to have a nice quiet vacation."

"How brave! You're running away with your tail between your legs."

"Are you saying you want to stay here?" Jace lifted his arms into the air and turned around in a circle.

"No, that's not what I'm saying." I put my hands on my hips. "What I'm saying is I can handle staying here. I have balls of steel. What do you have?"

"Balls. Normal ones. Ones I'd like to keep intact, and if I stay here much longer, they're going to pull back up into my body and render me a eunuch. You want that to happen? You want that on your conscience?"

"Three minutes!" Dr. Z shouted.

Beth threw a set of white clothes at me. "You're ball-less, just like I'm chargeless!"

"Excuse me?" he shouted, reaching for his pants.

Was he going to show me? Was this a pissing contest? Seriously?

"You heard me!" I peeled off my shirt and threw it onto the floor. "You don't want to stay because you know you couldn't take it!"

"Is that a challenge?" He took two steps toward me. "Hmm, Beth?"

"It's only a challenge if the other person stands a chance."

"What do I get if I stay?" His eyes roamed greedily over my chest.

I crossed my arms and glared.

"Not that."

"Like I'd have to ask."

"You're an ass!" I hissed, pulling the white linen shirt over my body and following with the white linen pants.

"I'm a politician, sweetheart. I've been called worse."

"Time's up!" Dr. Z said, knocking on the door again.

"So what do you say?" I held out my hand. "We have a bet?"

"Wager."

"Dare."

"Deal," we said in unison.

"You stay for six days, and I help you with the whole I'm a prostitute situation. I'll say whatever I need to say to those nice little cameras. I'll even kiss you on national television."

"And I'll…" Jace frowned.

"You'll give me six days." I licked my lips out of nervousness. I hadn't meant to ask for that, but the more I thought about it, the better the idea became. After all, it was his kiss I hadn't been able to get out of my head for twelve years; his touch I'd been thinking about every single time another man put his arm around me. If anyone in that godforsaken hut was cursed, it was me. Cursed with memories of a man that made me wish for the fairytale. I'd been feeling sorry for myself for too long. And Jace was probably right. Maybe the fairytale wasn't real, but I wanted to experience it just for a little while. And he was going to be the one to deliver it.

"Pardon?"

"A real six days. No strings attached. Six-day vacation with food, drinks, fun, and…" I felt heat rising to my cheeks, "just six days. Six days of being a normal girl in a normal relationship with a normal guy." If the normal guy happened to look like you could break boulders off his abs.

"Stop saying six." Jace swore. "It sounds like sex, and I just watched you take off your shirt."

I felt my cheeks heat.

"And it makes me want to slam you against the wall and rip it from your body, so when you ask for six days, know that you're asking for a real six days. I'm not going to keep my hands to myself."

"Fine." My lower lip trembled. "I just want to be romanced."

"You want the fairytale," he said in a low voice.

"Yeah. I do."

"I can do six days," Jace whispered. "Just don't hate me on day seven, because I will walk away."

I snorted. "Easy, Jace. You aren't that irresistible. It's a risk worth taking. I want to put Boring Beth away for a while." Besides, he'd walked away before. What's one more time?

"Beth." Jace sighed. "You're not boring. Look maybe this isn't—"

A whistle sounded, and then Dr. Z opened the door. "Ready?"

Jace held out his hand to shake mine. I touched it, feeling the sizzle all the way down to my toes.

"Ready."

Chapter Twelve

"This ship captain, did you pay him to curse the senator?"

"Of course not!" Grandma shook her head. "No money exchanged hands."

The agent took a long sip of coffee.

"However," Grandma paused, "there are other ways for payment."

The agent choked. "Ma'am, prostitution is illegal."

"I would never sell my body." Grandma shook her head vehemently "Besides, the captain's already tasted the goods. Past lover, you understand. He was only too happy to… aid me in my quest."

"Your quest for love?" The agent's eyebrows narrowed.

"Yes. Let's call it that. It has a certain ring to it!"

Jace

I'd just made a deal with the devil. I'd signed the contract in blood, and now all I had to do was live through the next six days. The good news? I could save my career. And Beth was right. She was the answer. I'd send a text to Rick as soon as I could.

As for giving her six days of a fairytale? I imagined it would be like babysitting, more or less. Lavish her with gifts, feed her, give her enormous amounts of wine, and wait for her to fall asleep at night. Okay, so maybe if I wanted to get arrested, it would be like babysitting. I just needed to keep her happy, repeat for six days, and home free. How hard could it be? To woo a woman? I wooed people on a twenty-four-seven basis. Then again, most people I wooed weren't ones I'd been pining for since I'd gone to my first dance.

The other issue would be that damn curse. I wasn't an idiot. I didn't believe in curses, but the man had been right. Thirty-two minutes ago we'd gotten to the island. And for thirty-two minutes, I'd done nothing but stare at Beth's mouth, watched her hands as she gripped her silverware, and closed my eyes when the breeze carried her scent into my personal space.

Shit.

Six days.

Less than a week.

I could do anything for a week.

"Jace." Beth's soft voice carried across the table. At least she didn't sound pissed anymore. "Did you hear anything I just said?"

"Sure." I sipped my wine.

"So you agree?"

"Absolutely."

"On the neck, don't you think?"

"Uh…" Well hell, that's where daydreaming got a person. "The neck is perfect."

"How long should it be?"

"Long enough." I was the king of vague. I could field questions all day long without actually giving an answer. Point, Jace.

"And color?"

"I think bright colors are the best." I nodded. "They seem to… attract attention." I gave her my best politician smile.

"Hmm, maybe you're right." She looked down at the paper in her hands and started scribbling. "Tomorrow good?"

"Sure." I leaned over to see what she was writing down. But she jerked the sheet back. "I need you to sign."

"What am I signing?" I asked, giving her another polite smile.

"You said you were paying attention." She handed me the pen.

"I was. I am."

"Good. Sign here."

I was ashamed to admit I signed, only because I didn't want to look like an ass.

Dr. Z approached the table. "I take it you filled out the information?"

"We did." Beth grinned.

"Fantastic." Dr. Z took the folder and pulled out the sheet I'd signed. Her eyes widened slightly. "How very brave of you two!"

"We thought so." Beth reached for my hand.

I had a bad feeling.

"A twin dragon tattoo! And on your necks! How lovely! The dragon is the symbol of being connected. It's rare for couples to be so committed upon arrival!"

"That's us," I said in a dry voice. How the hell was I going to talk myself out of that one? I'd signed the damn document. "Committed." I kicked Beth under the table.

She winced as Dr. Z examined the rest of the papers. "Alright, I'll just schedule the rest of your week and slip the paper under you door this evening. Your first session is with one of our newer therapists. She's absolutely lovely."

The sound of Dr. Z's heels clicking against the tile floor felt like a noose getting tighter around my neck.

"Tattoo?" I tilted my head. "You think you're funny, don't you?"

"You weren't paying attention."

"I was." Sort of. If watching her mouth move was paying attention, and memorizing her scent was my pop quiz. Yeah, I was paying attention.

"No, you weren't. We shook on it. Six days. I don't want you ignoring me, I don't want you texting. I want the fantasy. God knows, it's only six days." Her face fell a bit before she smiled to cover up her disappointment.

Shit.

"You're right." I reached for her hand. "I'll do better. It's just been a long day." And if she kept saying six, I was going to six the hell out of her in a public forum.

"I know." Beth stared down at our hands.

I should have pulled back. I should have run. Instead, I placed my other hand on top of hers and whispered, "Why don't we go back to the room. I'll draw you a bath and romance the hell out of you."

Which also meant I was going to be rewarded with sainthood for not trying to seduce her the minute we were alone.

"I thought you were gifted with words?"

"Exhaustion. It's set in. Plus, I'm cursed. Don't expect perfection."

"Who said I wanted perfection?" She winked. "I just want the fairytale."

"Didn't we already have this talk? They're the same thing."

"No," Beth stood, "they aren't. And that's why you're so bitter. Some things aren't always black and white, Mr. Senator. Now romance me."

"Day one." I smirked.

"Day one." She agreed.

I held her hand the entire way to the hut.

****

"Sure, I'll dance with you." She put her hand in mine. I walked her to the dance floor, unable to take my eyes off her glistening dress or pretty brown hair. My cousin was going to kill me if I bailed on her, but the pull was too strong.

"You're really pretty." I pulled her into my arms and tried act smooth, even though I was pretty sure my hands were shaking. "What's your name?"

"Beth." Her head tilted back, enough for me to see her crazy green eyes. "What's yours?"

"Jace." My voice cracked at the end. Great, I'd just give away my age. No doubt she was a senior and thought I was about as cute as seventh grader with a cold.

"Thanks."

She leaned her head on my shoulder. At least I had my height going for me.

"For what?"

"The rescue." She laughed. And a part of me that had been dormant for a lifetime flared to life. God, she was beautiful.

"I'll rescue you anytime. Day or night."

"Is that a promise?"

Her smile was deadly. It made me want to kiss her, and the last thing I needed to be seen doing was kissing a girl from another school while I got my ass handed to me by the defensive line of the football team. It was their territory, not mine.

But I couldn't stop the words from coming. "Of course."

My head descended; she met me halfway. Our lips touched, and I kissed her hard. Harder than I'd ever kissed a girl before in my entire life. It was a hello and a goodbye kiss, because I knew it wasn't something I'd be repeating. She was way out of my league. As it was, I was playing with fire even kissing what I'm sure was the quarterback's girlfriend. But I couldn't help myself.

"Brevik," a male voice sneered from behind.

I pulled away from Beth and slowly turned to face, who I was sure, would be the largest kid in school.

Instead, it was the coach from the football team. Aw, hell. He only knew me because I'd unintentionally put one of his players out of commission for the rest of the season.

"Who are you here with?"

"My cousin." I swallowed nervously.

He peered around me at Beth and chuckled. "She doesn't look like your cousin."

"Not her." I ground my teeth together. "She's just… a friend."

Behind him, my cousin waved frantically.

"Look, I gotta run. My date needs me." Geez, it wasn't like I was getting secret plays from Beth or anything. I turned and gave her hand a quick squeeze. "It was fun."

She gave me a sad nod, and I walked away.

When I looked back, she was gone.

The sound of the alarm jolted me out of the dream. Why the hell was I dreaming about that now? I smacked the alarm clock with my hand and peeked over at Beth. She was sleeping like the dead, too beautiful for her own good, and I was horny as hell from that damn dream. I shouldn't have walked away. I should have gotten her number. Not that it would have changed a damn thing. People didn't date in high school and then get married right away anymore. At the time, I'd still believed in love at first sight. Hell, I'd thought it had been love; the rest of the memory was painful as hell. My therapist said my mind had somehow pushed the rest of the night out of my consciousness; he'd said accidents had a way of doing that. I was protecting myself. But from what? I wasn't sure.

When I'd woken up in the hospital, I was changed – everything had changed. My parents had said I wasn't the same, but I had no idea why. It had made me even more paranoid about pleasing them, about getting things right. Getting my career right.

Speaking of careers, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and was rewarded with a low-battery signal. I got up to grab my bag then remembered that I didn't have a bag. The same checked bag that had yet to appear.

My guess was that Grandma was holding it hostage. Or maybe Jake and Travis. Those bastards must have known. And how the hell did the woman have this planned a month ahead of time? A month ago I was saying yes to her scheme with Char and Jake.

A light bulb flickered on in the darkness of my brain.

I'd said yes.

That's where I'd gone wrong. I should have stayed far, far away.

Russia. I should have moved to Russia.

"Beth." I nudged her a bit.

She was lying on her stomach, wearing the outfit from the night before. She stretched, her shirt inching up on her body, exposing her flat stomach and a slight scar where her appendix had obviously been.

She moaned again and lifted her arms high above her head.

The shirt followed.

So did my eyes.

I blinked a few times, fascinated with how smooth her skin looked. I wanted to touch it – to hell with that, I wanted to lick it. Had I licked it the other night?

"Jace.

Her voice was low, sexy as hell, raspy. Shit, I was in trouble.

"What?"

"Do we have to go to couples' therapy?"

"Aw, sweetheart, backing out already? Where's your balls?"

"I don't want balls." She yawned. "I just want a damn charge. I have girl parts. I talk a big game. I use big words. Right now, I want a big-ass coffee and a big sleep."

"Stop saying big."

My body was responding to that word in a very big way, and I was already struggling after watching her yawn and stretch and mew all over the place.

"Fine. Large. I want a large coffee, a large—"

I covered her mouth with my hand. "Let's establish mornings as quiet time. A time of reflection, and thinking, and—"

She bit my damn hand.

"Coffee."

"Bite marks." I showed her my hand.

"Woo me."

She fell back onto the bed in a heap, and I had to admit I liked the bossy attitude. I got up and started fumbling with the Keurig.

The shower turned on.

"I'm so proud!" I yelled without turning around. "You turned it on all by yourself."

And I turned myself on by saying turn on. Damn curse! I gave myself a little shake and placed the cup under the spout.

"Aghhh… mother of—"

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Absolute silence then an ear splintering, "Jace!"

I ran toward the bathroom.

"So big!" Beth yelled.

The shower was one of those walk-in ones, where there was no curtain or door or anything to hide any scratch of your body.

Beth was standing in the corner with a shampoo bottle in her hands, pointing at the opposite corner.

The first thing I noticed was her nakedness, but it was quickly trumped by another shout and a shampoo bottle flying by my head, causing another thump.

"Get him!"

A spider that looked a hell of a lot like a shrunken MMA fighter barreled toward me. Now, I wasn't a fan of spiders. I didn't hate them, but that didn't mean I particularly enjoyed the idea of something hairy sinking its fangs into me. So I did what any logical man would do.

I looked for a gun.

And when I realized I wasn't James Bond nor did I live in a spy novel, I grabbed the next best thing.

The hair dryer.

It wasn't plugged in, but it was big enough for combat. I smashed the hell out of the spider until all that was left were tufts of legs and pieces of hair.

"Did you get him?" Beth came up behind me, shivering.

"Yeah" I wiped my brow with my arm, "it was a battle. Lots of lives lost. Blood shed. But… I got him."

"My hero," she whispered, wrapping her arms around me from behind.

I froze.

Not because she was calling me her hero. Please, I wasn't that narcissistic. It was because she was naked. And she had forgotten about her nakedness at a very fortunate time.

Men everywhere: Applaud. I didn't even react. Not one gasp or shudder. I simply basked.

Basking: Another word for utter stillness when a lady is pressing against you in such an erotic way all you can do is close your eyes and smile. See also: Euphoria.

"I'm naked." Beth released her hold. My body immediately tightened in all the wrong places, and I'm ashamed to admit, I let out a pathetic whine. Or maybe it was a growl, because the next thing I knew, I was turning around and pushing her into the shower, up against the wall, and taking her like a—

Great, so not only had I frozen in a euphoric state, but I had resorted to daydreaming.

"Thanks." I saw movement out of the corner of my eye as Beth leaned back under the shower and closed her eyes.

It was like watching my own personal Pantene Pro-V commercial, only the girl was hotter and available.

But not to me.

Not in reality.

"Are you going to watch me, or are you going to get ready?" Beth said, water dripping from her face.

"Do I get a choice?" I half-pleaded.

"No, but you'll get a knee to your balls if you don't leave in five seconds. The spider's gone, you've saved the world, now take your hammer and go."

"Uh, hammer?"

"Hammer, hair dryer – same thing. Go, Thor. Go get your cape on. We have therapy."

Men. We're easy. No really, we are. She'd basically called me an Avenger, which, in my book, meant I was like two steps ahead of Iron Man, and a hell-of-a-lot better-looking.

I sported a smug grin the entire time I got ready.

****

Thanks to the water-stealing princess, I wasn't able to shower in time. And Doctor Z had specifically said that we needed to be on time. Not wanting to start off therapy on a bad foot, I took one for the team.

"It's only an hour, and then we have what the schedule states as Couple Fun Time by the pool." Beth checked her watch and handed me the map of the place.

I locked the door to our hut and turned the map sideways.

"North," I said, examining the red circle that said Serenity Circle.

"I don't like that name." Beth snorted. "It sounds like a place to get high."

"If they have drugs, just say no." I stuffed the paper into front pocket of my lame-ass linen shirt and grabbed her hand.

"What are you doing?" She tried to pull away.

I held tighter. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Holding my hand." She squeezed back, and then a girlish smile appeared, all sense of hostility evaporating instantly.

"That I am." I pulled her closer and inhaled. Damn, her shampoo smelled good. "You said you wanted six days of a fairytale. I thought holding hands was a good place to start."

"Oh."

Her face turned crimson, and I instantly felt it in my gut as if someone had taken a baseball bat and beat me crapless.

She'd never had her hand held.

I'd bet money on it.

Girls didn't blush over things like that. Most girls didn't give a rat's ass. What type of man wouldn't hold her hand? What type of man wouldn't first at least try to woo the shit out of her?

Wrong wording. One should not woo shit out of anyone, but I digress.

Sighing, we walked hand-in-hand toward the building, and I made myself a promise. One I knew I would most likely regret this time next week.

I was going to actually try. I was going to leave my baggage at the door, check into the happy romance hotel, and make her feel wanted.

And when it was time to leave, I'd do so without looking back. But I'd also do so without any regrets, and that was reason enough to take the leap.