The Dare Me Date Read online

  Only for today. I reminded myself to play it cool and keep my head on straight. Only it wasn’t my head that I was worried about. It was my heart.

  “You look great. I love what you did with your hair.” He ran his finger down a strand of hair that took Babb two hours to accomplish. She told me not to get it wet or it would go right back to the shag top, so I made sure that I had my ski mask and hood with me that covers anything and everything on this part of my body.

  “Thanks.” I shrugged, looking down at my feet. “I like to wear my hair all sorts of ways.”

  “It really is great that we could meet like this.” Hhe said the words with the certainty of a man who could never be satisfied with only a dream. And this was the beginning of a dream to me.

  He leaned in and before I knew what was going on, his lips touched mine like a whisper. His hands slipped up my arms, bringing me closer.

  “So?” His sweet southern drawl filled the hollow space in my heart.

  My eyes flew open, and I jumped back, realizing my lips were still positioned in a big pucker.

  “I…uh…” I pressed my lips together uncertain of what he wanted me to say. I gave him a little punch on the arm. “Good job?” I asked more than complimented.

  “Good job? That is all you have to say after all the planning we have done for that first kiss?” His questioning eyes gazed into mine as he pulled my chin up to face him. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

  “Of course I do.” The words shocked me as they came pouring out of my mouth. I was never so sure about anything in my life more than finishing this date out. The money was the furthest thing from my mind.

  I’d tell him in a heartbeat who I really am if I knew that he was into Jozy and not Jasmine.

  “You seem so different in person than you did in your emails.” There was a twinge of disappointment in his voice.

  Trying to swallow the lump that lingered in my throat I said, “I’m just nervous. That’s all. I have never used a dating service before and didn’t know what to expect. My nerves get the best of me sometimes.”

  “Are you sure you’re up for skiing?”

  “Absolutely!” That was one thing I was up for. Little did he know that I’d been skiing all my life and was kind of a pro at it.

  “I think we go this way.” He pointed in the direction of the bunny slope.

  I nodded, trying not to say anything to give away that this was my element. Happily, I followed him, hoping that I was going to impress him and maybe figure out a way to tell him the truth.

  Chapter Four

  “’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” ~ Alfred Tennyson

  “What was that?” Benjamin flipped his ski mask off. Even in a mask, he was beautiful.

  “What was what?” I smiled, knowing that I had beaten him down the bunny slope in exquisite form.

  He plunged his poles deep into the snow.

  “For the first time out, you sure knew what you were doing.” His eyes showed a dullness of disbelief. “It seems to me that you know exactly how to ski.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?” I dug my poles deep into the back of my skis to help get them off. Picking them up, I nodded or him to follow me toward the lift. I was going to show him some real moves.

  “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t take any lessons until I showed you. Wasn’t it going to be our thing?” He shoved his gloved hands in his jacket pockets, his shoulders hunched.

  “That’s all I know. The bunny slope.” I pretended to be cold. But even that was a lie. I had grown to love being in the snow and my body never feels better than on the slopes. “Let’s go warm up and then you can take me to the big ones.”

  Benjamin straightened his shoulders and cleared his throat. “That sounds good.” He took my skis and poles. “I’ve got them.”

  I followed like a good little girl, trying to remember that I couldn’t act as if I was any good at skiing and pretend to be someone I clearly was not. Jasmine sounded a little needy and being needy was a hard thing for me to pretend.

  The warmth of the lodge hit like a hot furnace. I wasn’t use to going in the lodge at all, and he wanted to spend time in there with all the lovers that had nestled on the overstuffed couches and love seats by the fire.

  “Look!”

  The blood siphoned from my face when I saw what he was pointing to. A photo booth. Not only a dumb photo booth, but one with a big line of handholding, lip-smacking lovers.

  “You’re joking, right?” I searched his face for a sign of humor, but he was a serious as a heart attack.

  “You know what,” he paused, “this is not working out the way that we planned.” He gestured between us. “Maybe we should call it quits while we are still ahead.”

  “Why?” I asked. Was he completely serious about the photo booth thing? It was cute and all, but I didn’t picture him as that type of guy. Then again, I had never pictured him as any type of guy.

  “You are acting completely strange.” He unzipped his coat and laid all his outerwear on a lodge table before taking a seat. “First you tell me to meet you in front of Brew Ha Ha’s and I found you inside with a friend, and then you told me that you can’t ski, when you are clearly better than the instructor. And here,” he pointed to the photo booth, “you said that you loved photo booths and we should go up to the Jersey shore when I come to visit you in New York to get some taffy and a picture. Now all of the sudden, you make fun of something you suggested.”

  I took a seat next to him. I had to tell him the truth. This had gone on long enough.

  “I’m sorry.” I hung my head down. I couldn’t stand looking at him when I told him the awful lies that I had been living for the past fifteen hours now.

  “Don’t be sorry.” He reached across the table and placed his hand over mine. His fingers were cool and smooth as they touched mine. He ran his hand up my arm, past my shoulders, and touched my trembling lips. “We had to find out if we have the same chemistry in person that we had on date.com.”

  “I don’t want to end the date.” There was something about him. No man had ever given me the excitement I was feeling in every single crevice of my body that a single look from him gave me. It was something that I wasn’t willing to throw away so easily. If I only had a few more hours with him and could feel the way he made me feel during that time, it would be worth never finding love. “I brought my friend because I’m a good girl at heart and you never know who you are talking to on line. It was really to protect me.”

  He scooted his chair closer, wrapping an arm around me. I drank in his nearness.

  “And the ski thing was totally a fluke. I do want you to show me how to go down that really big hill.” I liked the way he looked me over seductively as I spit out more and more lies. “Of course I love a photo booth. But what man does?”

  I was afraid to blink. A tear trembled on the edge of my eyelids. My heart was hurting knowing that in twenty-four hours, this dare was over and Benjamin would just be a dream. A dream to me, a nightmare to him once he returned home and got in touch with the real Jasmine.

  How did I let this happen to me?

  “Jasmine.” His lips came coaxingly down on mine. I quivered at the sweet tenderness of his kiss. “I felt I was falling in love with the person on the other end of the computer, but I know I am falling in love with the woman sitting right here in front of me.”

  I felt transported, as if on a soft wispy cloud, as he pulled me deep within his arms, sending new spirals of ecstasy through me. I didn’t care who was around to see it. It was Valentine’s Day and I wasn’t alone. I was with a man who was falling in love with me. He might think my name is Jasmine, but he fell in love with me.

  “Let’s get that picture.” His eyes glowed with a savage inner fire. “And then we can get a bite to eat before I take you down the big slope.” He leaned in, whispering in my ear and sending shivers all over my body, “And then we can go back to my room where we
can change before dinner.”

  As we waited in line, I fantasized about an even deeper ecstasy with him. I desperately needed more of him than these small touches, passing kisses, and gazing looks. I wanted him. I wanted all of him, even if I was only going to get that by pretending to be Jasmine.

  With a few more kisses, sweet glances, and even more intimate touches, the pictures turned out to be fun and playful.

  “Here, you keep them.” He smiled, kissing the top of my nose. “You can hang them in your office and won’t be able to forget about me when some suave New York rich guy tries to steal you from me.”

  We walked back to the table to gather all our outdoor gear to hit the slopes one last time.

  “I’m not that popular.” I shied away. If he only knew how unpopular I was and had been all my life, and that he was the first and only exciting thing that had ever happened to me.

  “Good.” He zipped up his coat, and then came around the side to help me get mine on. “You are all mine then.”

  “I guess you are stuck with me.” I winked. This flirting stuff was getting a little easier.

  “Do you have any suggestions for dinner? Some place cozy.” He had an irresistibly devastating grin.

  “Prima Vista down on Shore Street is a great romantic restaurant.” I had eaten there a couple of times with girlfriends and had always dreamed of going with a date.

  “And you have been there?” There was confusion all over his face.

  Staring blankly with my mouth open, I hurtled back to earth as reality struck. Gazing around, the air seemed to get thin as my brain tried to come up with some excuse as to why Jasmine would know about Prima Vista and this was not the reality. I was falling in love with someone who had no clue who I really was.

  “No, but I did Google every single place around here.” I brushed off the notion, trying to play the game a little longer.

  “All right.” He opened the door of the lodge to go outside. I followed him as we made our way to the ski lift that would take us to the harder slopes. “Prima Vista it is. Well, anything is good as long as I’m with you.”

  His eyes pierced my soul as he helped me onto the seat of the lift.

  We rode to the top in silence. Glancing over at him, I could see his eyes taking in the beautiful scenery of what Floral had to offer. Not me. I was enjoying being in his presence, even though my stomach was knotted up knowing this dream date was almost over and I was going to have to go back to my life as the single hostess at Maggie’s Bed and Breakfast.

  “Be careful when you get off the lift. You go that way and I will go this way.” He pointed to each side, and then gave a few pointers about skiing down the bigger slopes; how I need to position my feet, skis, and poles.

  I nodded, pretending that I had never been on these types of hills before. Over and over I reminded myself to not ski so well and maybe fall a couple of times to throw him off.

  “Ready, go.” He jumped off one side, and like a good listener, I jumped off the other. “You did it like an old pro.”

  “I’m learning from the best.” I smiled, pulling my ski mask down over my eyes. It was time to play the game.

  “Remember what I told you and don’t be scared.” It was cute how he was trying to take care of me.

  I was anxious to get down this hill and make up for the lost time I was going to have with him tonight.

  Slowly, I eased my poles deep in the snow and pushed myself forward while making a few little mistakes to make it look like I was a beginner. Luckily, Benjamin was ahead of me so I didn’t have to fake it too much. But when he did look back at me, I pretended to lose my balance a couple of times.

  “Be careful going around the bend!” Benjamin hollered, catching me off guard.

  “Whoa!” Not trying to stumble, I did. After a couple of forward rolls, I landed squarely on my face. Grabbing my knee, I rolled over on my back and screamed, “My knee!”

  Within no time, Benjamin and a few others had made their way over to me.

  “I’m so sorry,” Benjamin bent down, whisking me into his arms. “I’m right here with you. We’ll get some help.”

  “I think it’s broken.” I fought back the tears in my eyes.

  “I’ll take care of you,” he whispered in my ear, making my blood pump harder.

  “Owww,” I moaned, knowing that this throb of pain just came from my aching heart.

  “Clear out of the way.” Someone made their way through the small crowd that had gathered around me. “Let me see.”

  Benjamin helped me prop myself on my elbows and moved slightly for the emergency guy to look at me.

  “Jozy!” The EMT was someone I had grown up with all my life. “How did you fall? You are a pro!”

  “Jasmine.” Benjamin stroked my hair.

  “No, Jozy.” Paul pointed to me. “I’ve known her all my life. Right, Joz?”

  “I…” I tried not to look at Benjamin.

  “Brew Ha Ha’s, photo booth, skiing, it’s all become very clear.” The hurt in his eyes stabbed me in the heart. It was far more painful than the pain in my knee.

  “Please,” I begged, but had to lay back down when Paul started to strap the board under my knee.

  “Forget it.” Benjamin threw his hand up in the air and stood up. He gave me one more hard look that told me it was over. The game had been played and he had been hurt.

  As I watched him walk away, I felt an extraordinary void.

  “That was weird.” Paul helped me onto the snowmobile. “Who was that guy?”

  “My first and only love,” I whispered, as I realized that I had fallen for Benjamin on a complete dare.

  Chapter Five

  “All you need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” ~Charles Schulz

  “Yep, another Valentine’s Day alone.” I stared out the window and looked out over the mountains. The hospital room had a nice view of the slopes, which reminded me of how stupid it was for me to take Maddie’s dare.

  “I didn’t think you were going to fall in love with the guy and go breaking your neck for him.” Maddie sat at the edge of the bed.

  “It’s a knee, not a neck.” I closed my eyes. All I could think about was the warmth of his lips on mine. “Besides, I knew better.”

  “Jozy, I’m really sorry.” Maddie touched my shoulder. I couldn’t look at her. I didn’t want her to see the tears. “Do you really believe in love at first sight, or is it just the Valentine’s Day atmosphere?”

  “You didn’t see his eyes,” I mumbled, trying not to remember his eyes, his touch, his scent. “He is such a nice guy. Everything that Jasmine wanted to do, he had planned. His Valentine’s plans for her were so selfless. He wanted her to have a special day and I ruined it for him.”

  “No you didn’t.” Maddie was good at trying to make me feel better, but it wasn’t working.

  “Yes I did. What if Jasmine was waiting for him like they had planned? What if Jasmine is the girl of his dreams and he’s the guy of hers?”

  “We can ‘what if’ things all night long, but it won’t change what really happened.” She was right. “I should’ve never dared you.”

  “No you shouldn’t have.” I tilted my head towards her. “The funny thing is, he never wished me a Happy Valentine’s Day.”

  It made me wonder that if in the back of his mind he knew I wasn’t really Jasmine, but wanted me to be her.

  “Happy Valentine’s.” Maddie held a box of chocolates up with the one-hundred dollar bill in the air. “You deserve this, and more.”

  “I don’t want it.” I shook my head. My hair was curlier than ever from when I had thrown off my mask when I was on the slope in pain. “Well, maybe a couple of chocolates.”

  Maddie grinned, and ripped open the box. We stuffed our mouths with two each.

  “I might deserve most of the money from your goofy dares, but not this one. He was worth the pain and suffering. And I can’t say I regret taking that dare.” I stuffed my m
outh with a caramel one this time.

  “Am I really?” Benjamin walked through the hospital door with a bundle of red roses and get well balloons. Abraham was right behind him.

  “Benjamin?” I ran my fingers through my curls trying to make somewhat of a decent appearance, and wiped my mouth free of any leftover chocolate.

  “Yea, yea.” Abraham, following Benjamin through the door and smacked him on the back. “I found this guy bellied up to the bar at Brew Ha Ha when I got to work. He told me all about this little gal who sounded vaguely familiar. It sounded like Maddie had her hands all over it.”

  “Let me explain.” Maddie put her hands in the air. “Jozy always takes one for the team. She never puts herself first, and I knew she needed to get out and have fun.”

  “No, let me explain.” I fluffed up a few pillows behind me.

  “First, I need to tell you something,” Benjamin bent down and whispered in my ear, sending chills all over my body, “Jozy, Happy Valentine’s Day.”

  “I’m so sorry.” A tear fell down my cheek, leaving a hot trail. Benjamin brushed it away with his soft hand. “I never meant for it to get. . .”

  “Shh… His warm lips caressed the side of my face. “If it hadn’t, then I wouldn’t have fallen in love with Jozy. I knew there was something wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Jasmine wasn’t for me or I wouldn’t have fallen for you the first moment I laid eyes on you.”

  “What?” Now I was confused and felt like he was playing me.

  “I was supposed to wait for Jasmine outside of the Brew Ha Ha.” He ran his hands through his hair. “But I saw you walk in and somewhat hoped you were Jasmine. So I went inside to wait. Then Maddie said your name was Jasmine and I wanted it to be. I felt like it was fate.”

  “But what about Jasmine?” It didn’t seem right for him to stand her up.

  “When I went back to my room tonight, I went to my profile on Date.com to delete it. She had left me a message saying she got cold feet and she wasn’t really the girl that she had been pretending to be and she was sorry.” He chuckled. “Sound familiar?”