Down for the Count

by Christine Bell

  Cat cracked out a shocked laugh. “Woo-hoo! Good for her. I’m going to have to get her a plaque or something to celebrate her total kick-assery for doing that. Did you guys stop and get her a new phone before you dropped her off? I’m worried about her being alone.”

  “I’m still with her.” Cat was quiet for so long, he wondered if the call had been dropped. “Hello?”

  “I’m here.”

  Her suspicious tone made him feel twitchy, so he hurried to explain. “You said it. She didn’t want to be alone, and I didn’t feel right leaving her.”

  “You’re being nice, right?”

  “Of course,” he grumbled. “What am I, a monster?”

  “Well, should I come there? After dealing with the guests, all the details, and Lacey’s mother, I’m stone cold sober now, so I don’t mind driving up.”

  She definitely sounded sober, but she also sounded exhausted. It couldn’t have been an easy night holding down the fort and keeping Lacey’s family at bay. From what he knew of her, Rowena Garrity was one tough bitch. “I don’t think you need to. We’re managing fine, and she’ll need you more tomorrow, I’m sure.”

  “How is she holding up so far?”

  He snuck a glance at Lacey. Her head had lolled to the side. Light snores trembled on her lips and he resisted the urge to run his thumb across the plump bottom one. “She’s good, considering.”

  “Does she want to talk to me?”

  “She’s sleeping right now. I’ll have her call you in the morning.”

  “It’s only eight o’clock at night,” she protested. “Wait, are you guys drunk?”

  “Her, totally. Me…mostly.”

  She chuckled on the other end of the line. “Good. She’s so uptight sometimes, I was afraid she wouldn’t let herself have a day to break down a little. I was half thinking she’d be in a hotel somewhere writing apology letters to the wedding guests and re-mapping her future out on a spreadsheet or whatever.” She paused. “Listen, I’m sorry I doubted you. I’m sure you’re doing a great job, and I feel a lot better knowing she’s got someone there looking out for her.”

  They said their good-byes and he disconnected, setting the phone on the coffee table.

  Lacey stirred, opening her eyes. “Cat worried?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, but I told her you were handling it like a champ.”

  She used the arm of the couch to drag herself into a sitting position. “You really think so? Because it sure doesn’t feel that way.”

  Her hair was sticking out in all directions and he reached out to pat it into place. “I do.”

  When he pulled back, she clutched his hand to her cheek and murmured, “Thanks again for all of this.”

  He allowed himself to stroke the soft skin with his finger for a second before pulling away. “No sweat. You ready to get some sleep?”

  “Not yet. Please?”

  “It’s early, so I’m good to stay up for a while if you are.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Not even nine o’clock.”

  Her eyes clouded with sadness and she shook her head. “Nine o’clock. That’s what time the limo was supposed to pick us up.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Marty and me. We were supposed to leave for our honeymoon late tonight. Hey! There’s one for I Never.” She bent forward, and this time she didn’t even bother with the glass. “I’ve never been on an amazing vacation to Puerto Rico,” she said, and took a shot straight from the bottle, but she didn’t stop there, thrusting it in the air for emphasis. “On the beach, with sugar-white sand and aquamarine water. And mojitos with umbrellas in them instead of this crap.”

  Her tone was incongruously jovial and he knew she’d reached point break. She moved to drink more of “that crap” but he stayed her hand.

  “No more. You’re going to make yourself sick.”

  The borderline hysteria faded from her eyes and she let him take the bottle. “I’m already sick,” she mumbled, absently mopping up a few spilled drops of whiskey with the sleeve of her shirt.

  He set the bottle on the table and gave her arm a tug until she toppled into his chest. “It’s going to get better. I promise you,” he whispered into her sweet-smelling hair.

  “I know it will. But right now, it blows. I’ve never been on a real trip without my parents. I was so excited. It felt so decadent and fun. I thought…”

  “You thought?”

  “I thought I could be someone else for a couple of weeks. And maybe Marty could be someone else, too. We could do all the fun, wild things we—well, at least, I—imagined doing. I know that sounds so stupid.”

  The thought hit him like an oncoming bus, and no matter how hard he tried to squash it, his liquor-soaked brain wouldn’t let it go. He pushed her away. “Let’s play truth or dare.”

  “Wait, wha?” Visibly baffled by the abrupt change in subject, she stared at him, a question in her eyes.

  “Truth or dare. Let’s play,” he pressed.

  She held up her hands in surrender. “Uh, okay.”

  “I’ll go first. Do you want truth or dare?” He tried not to let the importance of her answer show on his face, but it was all riding on this. If he truly wanted to help her—and God help him, but for some strange reason, he did—he needed to set her free. Over the past few hours, he had realized how much she deserved that, and he wouldn’t rest easy until he’d done it. He was going to find a way to show her what she’d missed living under her parents’ thumbs. If only she’d let him…

  She finally met his gaze after a long pause, fire lighting her eyes, and he knew her answer before she even spoke.

  “Dare.”

  Chapter Four

  Sunlight streamed in through the window, like red knives piercing her closed lids. Lacey rolled to her side to escape it, wincing as her knee connected with something harder than itself.

  “Oof. What the hell?” a low, male voice hissed.

  She lurched into a sitting position, regretting it instantly as pain exploded in her temples and the whole room began to spin. Clutching at her aching head, she turned to see Galen stretched out on the bed next to her.

  “Sorry,” he said through gritted teeth. “It’s just, when you gave me that nice little wakeup kick to the Johnson, you grazed my nuts. Makes it hard to be polite.”

  He sat up, sucking long breaths in through his nose and blowing them out his mouth, moving the sheet in the process. His broad shoulders came into view, and she found herself needing to do the whole breathing thing, too. Man, he was fit. His traps were thick and strong. Hard-looking, like—

  Oh my God. I kneed him in the wiener. And oh my frigging God, it was like stone.

  The gauzy white curtains across the room fluttered in the balmy breeze, inviting and coy. So unlike the curtains in the Thomas family cabin. Memories from the previous night battered around in her mind until she settled on the only one that mattered right now.

  They’d done it. They’d really done it.

  “I dare you to go on your honeymoon without him,” Galen had said last night. “I’ll even go with you to keep you company. I could use the rest. I just came off a big fight, and my organs haven’t settled back into their proper places yet. You’d be doing me a favor.”

  “You’re insane!” Even as tipsy as she’d been, it had taken her almost twenty minutes to talk herself into it. She’d tossed up every roadblock she could think of at first, ticking them off on her fingers as she went, ending with, “The flight’s probably sold out by now and you don’t have a ticket.”

  “Well, if Marty doesn’t show up, then they’ll obviously have an open seat for standbys,” he’d said, a challenging gleam in his eye.

  They’d gone to her apartment to pick up her bags and then went straight to the airport. By the time their flight was called a couple hours later, though, she’d been as sober as a nun and had almost backed out. Galen must have seen it coming, because he had leaned in close to whisper, “Bock. Bock.�
�

  For a long moment, she’d just gaped at him. “Seriously? You’re seriously going to make chicken noises at me? What are we, ten?”

  He’d just folded his arms over his chest and grinned.

  “Last call for all passengers on flight seventeen fifty-six to San Juan, Puerto Rico,” the ticket agent had squawked through the loudspeaker.

  “What’s it going to be, squirt?”

  Maybe it had been the bock-ing. Maybe it was that stupid nickname that he wouldn’t let die. Or maybe it was that, when she had gone through her alternatives one last time, the thought of staying home and dealing with the aftermath of the wedding just yet was too much to bear. Whatever it was, she’d gotten on that plane.

  And now she was on her honeymoon with Galen Thomas.

  Panic threw a splash of nausea into the pitching cauldron of noxious brew that was her stomach, and she groaned.

  “It’s okay. It’s going to be fine.” His words and the awkward pat on her shoulder barely registered as she rolled off the bed and stood, scrabbling for the headboard when the room tilted.

  When she thought she could stand it, she opened her eyes, made her way over to the window, and pushed the curtain aside.

  “I can’t believe we’re here,” she whispered. When they’d arrived in the wee hours that morning, it had still been dark, and after having more drinks on the plane to bolster her waning courage, neither of them had been able to muster up the energy to do more than fall into the only made-up bed in the villa. She stared out at paradise for a long moment and then turned to take in the room—the wash of paint the color of ripe peaches and the sparse, cream-colored wicker furniture—as what had started out as a dare suddenly became very real.

  Her partner in crime scrubbed a hand over his wickedly handsome face before grinning at her. “Welcome to Puerto Rico.”

  Terror joined what was left of yesterday’s libations and sent her stomach lurching. She booked it to the adjacent bathroom and retched.

  Ten endless minutes later, her aching stomach was finally empty and she stood under the warm spray in the shower. Every time her thoughts veered to the topic of Marty, Becca, or even Galen, her brain started to hurt, so she steadfastly refused to think about anything but the mundane task of lathering, rinsing, and repeating. When she stepped out a short while later, her stomach had settled, and the hot shower had downgraded her headache from ghastly to uncomfortable.

  She ran a plush towel over the fogged mirror and groaned at the bloodshot eyes staring back at her. She’d done something crazy last night. Something totally out of character. And here she was, a married woman in Puerto Rico with a man who was more childhood crush than friend. A man who made her feel too much and do crazy, out of character things. So now what?

  Now she had to go out and talk to Galen, and explain why they had to leave. Or, why she did, at least. He could stay if he wanted. He had bought his own ticket, and since the villa was already paid for, someone might as well enjoy it. Maybe he’d meet a sexy señorita—

  Her newly settled tummy pitched at the thought. What the heck was the matter with her? From the second she’d laid eyes on him twenty years ago, she’d known one thing. He would never see her as more than his sister’s irritating friend. He was…everything. Gorgeous and funny and smart and strong. And she was still just the other slice of white bread. A flavorless afterthought. A foil for the deliciousness inside. Not remarkable enough for a boy who crackled with life like Galen Thomas.

  She’d accepted that as fact early on and had relegated her feelings to the deepest corner of her heart, never sharing them. Not even with Cat or Becca. Eventually, she’d learned to live with the sting of standing by while he paraded around the latest cheerleader in his life, clueless to her pain. And eventually, she’d moved on and lived her own life, engaging in a few awkward relationships with guys more her speed, despite the floopy feeling she still got in her gut whenever he was around. And then she ended up with Marty. Surely, after all this time, her heart should have gotten the memo? It was ridiculous, given the total lack of encouragement on his end. In fact, he’d gone out of his way to discourage her attention at every turn, teasing her mercilessly, debating with her over anything and everything, baiting her into petty arguments.

  Until yesterday.

  Yesterday, he’d been sweet, and thoughtful, and plain perfect. He’d come to her rescue like…like a knight on shining Harley. She snort-laughed at the ludicrous thought and picked up her comb. Leave it to her to romanticize a nice gesture. He’d done nothing more than help out his sister’s friend. No need to read into it more deeply than that. He was probably out there right now, mired in regret, and ready to gnaw off his own limb to escape the bear trap he’d found himself in. He’d be ecstatic when she let him off the hook.

  After a few swipes with the comb, she tugged her hair into a loose knot and clipped it, then slicked on some lip gloss. She pulled on the tank top and boxers she’d slept in and turned toward the door. Time to convince him she was okay, and his duty was done. Pasting on a smile, she stepped into the bedroom, but he was nowhere to be found. Music drifted from the living room, and she followed the strains of the salsa into the suite’s main room.

  “Hey there. Feel better?”

  The speech she’d planned died on her lips, unspoken as she took in the scene before her. Galen sat in a lounge chair out on the terrace in board shorts and nothing else. His swarthy skin gleamed in the sunlight, the dips and valleys of his muscles so cut and defined that they could’ve been drawn on with a Sharpie.

  “Lacey?”

  She cleared her throat, dragging her gaze upward to meet his. “Y-yeah?”

  “You okay?”

  “Yep. You’re hot.” Her cheeks burned. “I mean…it’s hot. Out here. So that’s why I’m, yanno…hot.” She fanned her cheeks for good measure. Brilliant.

  His dark eyes danced with mirth. “So, now that we’ve established that Puerto Rico is warm, how are you feeling?”

  She looked away. “I’m better, thanks.”

  “I ordered some breakfast. Just fruit, yogurt, and some toast. I didn’t think your stomach could handle much else.” He gestured to the spread in front of him. “Sit and eat, and then we can talk. You want coffee?”

  She stepped through the French doors and onto the white tiled floor. The warm breeze flirted with the wisps of hair around her face, and she sighed.

  “It’s so beautiful here.”

  In spite of the music playing in the background, she could hear the ocean lapping at the shore only a hundred yards away. She walked the length of the patio, around a small swimming pool, until she could see it. Gorgeous. Caribbean blue, so pure it didn’t seem real. Her throat went tight with regret.

  “I can’t stay, though,” she whispered, then faced Galen. “I can’t stay,” she repeated, louder this time for his benefit.

  His face gave away nothing, but he stood and pulled out a chair for her. “Come here.”

  She doubted she could eat, but she sat anyway. He flipped over her mug and poured her some coffee.

  “They didn’t give us cream. I think we have to order American coffee if we want it next time.”

  Next time.

  “That’s okay, I like it like this. But I was serious, Galen. There won’t be a next time. I need to borrow your phone and make arrangements to go home. My parents are probably a wreck. This was totally irresponsible of me, and I have to make it right.”

  He set his cup down and met her gaze. “Why?”

  “What do you mean, why?”

  “I mean, you didn’t fuck everything up. Marty did. So why do you have to make it right? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Easy for him to say. In spite of her mother’s feelings on the subject, once her dad got wind of what had happened, there was no way he would allow the merger to go forward until she talked to him. He might have been something of an absentee father, but he wouldn’t take kindly to someone mistreating his little girl this way. An
d there was still The Admiral to deal with.

  She sighed. “There are people to call and apologies to be made. I can’t hide in a bubble while everything goes to pot around me. This isn’t two people deciding to call it quits. We have a merger in the works here, too. My father will pull the plug on the whole thing in a misguided effort to protect me. The merger is a good thing for both firms, and I don’t want it on my conscience that it didn’t pan out. Everyone shouldn’t be punished because Marty couldn’t keep it in his pants. I’ve got to go and talk to my dad and the board and work this through.”

  His eyes widened incredulously. “Are you kidding me? Your husband banged your bridesmaid on your wedding day, and you think you should be expected to deal with PR issues and play Miss Manners right this second? Come on, Lacey, even your mother couldn’t expect that.”

  The barb about her mother stung, but he had reasons for his animosity. Growing up, The Admiral had never gotten used to her friendship with the less affluent, wild “Thomas girl.” The Thomases had inherited the cheapest house in their pricey neighborhood from a distant aunt, and Lacey’s mother had never let anyone forget it. Kitty and Bill didn’t give a rat’s ass, though, God love them, and they never put a dime into improving it. Instead, they scrimped and saved to afford their cottage on the lake.

  In spite of her mother’s desperate attempts to keep the girls apart, Lacey’s friendship with Cat was the one thing Lacey wouldn’t budge on. Her mother could pick out her clothes, make her change schools, and could even try to pick her boyfriends. But Cat was too precious to lose. She was a beam of light in the perpetual smog of Lacey’s dreary days. The person who taught her how to kiss by demonstrating on a pillow, and got her to sing into a brush in front of the mirror. If not for her, sometimes Lacey thought she would’ve withered up and died.

  And she certainly had no delusions about her mother. “You’d be surprised what my mother expects.”

  “I guess I misspoke. What I meant was, it’s not reasonable to ask that of you.” He reached out and covered her hand with his own. “Stay.”

  His fingers were warm on her wrist. She swallowed hard as electricity pulsed between them. “I don’t get it. W-why is it so important?”

  “Because I want you to.”

  “You don’t even like me.”

  He shoved himself back from the table and stood. “That’s the last time I want to hear that,” he said, a warning in his tone. Two steps brought him to her side, towering over her. He pulled her to her feet and she wound up nose to flat male nipple.

  She moistened her suddenly dry lips. “Well, we haven’t exactly been great friends all these years.”

  “We’re friends now, okay? I wouldn’t be here if we weren’t. Besides, what guy hangs out with his little sister’s bestie? You guys were three years behind me. That would’ve been creepy. But we’re adults now. And hey?” Mercifully, he nudged her chin up so her gaze was no longer locked on that tempting chest of his. “I’m sorry it took me so long to recognize that. When I moved out to the city to train, I thought when I got back everything would still be the same. I guess I fell back into the old routine of yanking your chain without really taking into account that you’d grown up. In my defense, once you started dating Marty, it was easy, what with all the ammunition.”

  His pearly teeth flashed in a wolfish grin that she found herself returning. “I’m starting to wonder if maybe I was drugged or something. He is sort of a weird choice,” she admitted ruefully. In fact, as she thought of him now, even the anger had started to fade.

  Galen nodded. “See what I mean? After a couple weeks here, you’re going to go home as convinced as I am that this was all for the best.”

  “Maybe it’s more than that, though.” She paused, her throat aching. “I never in a million years thought Becca would do this to me.” Her voice cracked on the end, and she cursed herself for being such a wimp. But damn, it hurt. “Was it my fault, Galen? Did I do something to make this happen?”

  “No. Not even a little bit. Hell, even if you were a nightmare of a friend and a terrible fiancée, it wouldn’t be your fault. He should’ve broken up with you if he didn’t want you.”

  She laughed bitterly. “Thanks loads.”

  “You didn’t let me finish.” He brushed away the tears on her cheeks with his thumb. “Thing is? I’ve known you a long time, and I know for a fact you were neither of those things. You were a great friend to Becca and a better woman than a guy like Marty could ever hope for. They don’t deserve you. Not him, and not her.”

  She sniffled and swiped a hand over her eyes. “You say that, but you don’t even li—”

  “Stop that. I like you fine. Hell, more than fine.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, but he hesitated for a beat too long, tracing the shell with his forefinger. Just that simple touch sent a shiver through her, and she pulled back.

  “Lacey, I—”

  The theme song from Rocky blared from the pocket of his shorts. He lowered his hand and stepped back. “That’s Cat.” He rolled his eyes. “And so you know, I didn’t program that song in—she did.”

  Lacey nodded dumbly and stepped back, grateful for the reprieve. She didn’t know what kind of strange voodoo was going on with Galen, but this seemingly newfound awareness on his part was driving her nutty. How she felt about him had