Down for the Count (Dare Me 1)

Nikki snapped her purse closed and linked her arm through Lacey’s. “Let’s go get ’em.”

She was so…so hip and seemed so together that even if it was for a couple short weeks, why couldn’t Lacey pretend she was one of the cool crowd? The past twenty-four hours had been filled with bikinis, worldly new friends, and the risk of herpes simplex B. If that wasn’t living on the edge, she didn’t know what was. Why, if Cat were there, she would’ve been cheering her on with two-fingered whistles and foot stomps.

She donned the most go-with-the-flow, cool expression she could muster and nodded. “Yeah, let’s skedaddle.”

…

Lacey Garrity had watched all of his fights. Not just watched, judging by her in-depth recollections, but studied. It humbled him, and he was buoyed by the revelation. He didn’t want to read into it too much, but maybe she’d been harboring a little crush on him at some point that had gotten her interested in his boxing. When they were younger, a few times he’d caught her looking at him when she thought he didn’t see, but he’d taken it as nothing more than girlish curiosity in the physique of a growing boy. Now he wondered if it had been more than that, and what things might have been like for them if he’d known sooner and had acted on it. Maybe she never would’ve married that asshole Marty, and they could’ve had a shot at something. But that ship had sailed.

Hadn’t it? He was still mulling that over when the ladies emerged from the bathroom. Nikki was chuckling, and Lacey looked happy and relaxed. He marveled that, in such a short time, she was already so much more at ease than he’d ever seen her. He had to admit, it looked good on her. Their day at the beach gave her skin a warm glow, and he resisted the urge to trace the delicate line of her shoulder.

“Ready?” she asked with a smile.

The four of them filed out of the restaurant and headed by tacit agreement toward the beach. The sun had plummeted off the horizon when the palm trees started to sing. Co-kee, co-kee.

“What is that?” Lacey whispered.

“Coquí frogs,” Nikki said. “Isn’t it lovely?”

“So neat. Do they do it every night?”

“Every night we’ve been here.”

They fell into a companionable silence as they strolled along the shore. With the waves lapping against the sand and the coquí singing their song, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to take Lacey’s hand. She stiffened and looked his way, but a second later, her fingers curled around his. It felt nice. More than nice. It felt…strangely right. The thought unsettled him. The last thing he needed was to get too emotionally attached. If things weren’t so complicated for her, it would be one thing, but falling in love with a neurotic woman who just got jilted at the altar and only wanted a rebound guy? That was a recipe for pain. Not going to happen. When she was ready, he would be happy to offer his body for her as-yet-untapped bad girl to practice on, but he was going to keep both hands up and protect his heart.

Cyrus and Nikki pulled ahead a bit, but Lacey seemed content to stroll, so he didn’t increase his pace. Their actions certainly weren’t doing anything to dissuade their new friends from thinking the two of them were a couple, but that didn’t bother him in the least. In fact, maybe now was a good time to see if that bad girl was ready to come out and play. He tugged her to a stop and bent low to pick up a flat stone.

“The water’s pretty calm. Know how to skip?”

She laughed. “Well, duh. Your sister is my best friend. You think the undisputed champion of Pawtucket Lake would allow me to go through life without learning how to skip a rock?” She dropped his hand and began searching the sand for a suitable stone. “A-ha!” She squatted down and came up with two perfect specimens. “Ready? I’ll bet I can get more hops than you.”

He snorted. “First off, ‘undisputed’ is entirely inaccurate. I dispute the shit out of Cat’s claim. Second, you’re on. I’ll even make it easy for you. My one to your two.”

They made their way to the water’s edge. “I know your stance on the whole ‘ladies first’ thing, so why don’t you go ahead.”

He chuckled and stepped up. “Watch and learn.” Waiting a beat until the gentle incoming wave crashed, he flicked his wrist and sent his stone skimming across the surface. One, two, three, four skips.

Lacey let out a low whistle. “Not bad. Now me.” She took a deep breath and blew it out before snapping her arm out to send the rock skittering across the water. One, two, three, four, five…shit.

“Seven! Woo-hoo! I am the champion!” she crowed, pumping her fist.

He laughed and shook his head. “One win doesn’t make you the champ, squirt.”

She stuck a hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side. “Why not? You beat Mickey Lewis one time and became champ. In fact, I think I deserve a belt.”

“I’ll give you a belt all right,” he said with a grin. But when her words sank in, he stepped closer. “Speaking of that, I’m happy to hear that you watch my fights, Lacey.”

He stepped closer, brushing a lock of hair from her cheek, and her breath caught. When her body swayed toward his, he leaned in. “Picturing you, in front of your TV, rooting me on? It makes me feel real good, and I can’t quite put my finger on why. But I know that I like it.”

The air seemed thin suddenly, and their harsh breathing eclipsed the sound of the waves. They stood, frozen for a long moment, until she tipped her head up, almost imperceptibly. He swallowed hard and bent low, his lips just touching the softness of hers, and her arms slipped around his hips—

“You guys coming or what?”

Cyrus’s voice calling from ahead dragged him back to reality with a jolt and he reluctantly pulled away. Lacey’s lashes fluttered and she shook her head.

“W-we shouldn’t do that anyway.” She sucked in a ragged breath. “Or anything else. Probably.”

He pursed his lips together to keep from smiling. “Okay. Then you might want to get your hand off my ass.”

She snatched it away like he was on fire and took a leaping step back. “Right. Sorry. I want to…kiss you. But I’m married.”

Hearing those words come out of her mouth sent an irrational spurt of jealousy coursing through his veins. “Semantics,” he said. “You won’t be soon, and considering the circumstances, surely you don’t feel like you’re bound to those promises.”

“I don’t know how I feel.” She bit her lip and slowly shook her head. “Yesterday morning I was a newlywed. Today I’m a separated, soon-to-be divorcée, and I’m not really sure how to be that.”

“You need to learn to live for you and do what you want to do.” He brushed the hair from her face. “We’re here together now. In thirteen days, it’s back to life. I, for one, would love to spend those thirteen days with you. Touching you. Kissing you. Showing you all the things Marty couldn’t.”

Her face crumpled, and he swore under his breath. He’d pushed too hard. Just because it was obvious to him that she didn’t owe Marty a damned thing didn’t mean it was obvious to her. If and when she realized that, and recognized that she wasn’t suffering from a broken heart, but from a bruised ego, he’d be there, ready to blow her mind. The thought of teaching her about the pleasure her body was capable of made him ache. He pulled away. “You’re right. Let’s take a step back here. I want you to know that I’m here. For whatever you need.”

“Thanks,” she said softly.

“Hello-o-o?” Nikki yelled.

He took her hand and they jogged toward the other couple. “Sorry, we’re right behind you,” he called.

A little ways farther down the beach, Cyrus stopped in front of a sprawling villa made of white sandstone.

“This is you?” Lacey asked with a nod to the house.

“This is us.” Nikki grinned. “Pretty nice, right? Cyrus’s boss owns it and offered it up for the whole month after Cyrus closed a huge deal for them.”

“Nice,” Lacey agreed.

Cyrus unlocked a whitewashed wooden gate and they stepped into what looked like a miniature rain forest. Calling this setup a patio was the understatement of the millennium. It was an oasis. A slice straight out of The Blue Lagoon. The pool, which was illuminated from within by ethereal lights, was the irregular shape of a natural spring, encased in ochre-colored stone. A waterfall flanked by towering palms flowed over a shelf of heather gray boulders.

“Wow.” Lacey gasped. “Our villa has a little pool, but nothing like this. It’s breathtaking.”

“I know, right?” Nikki chuckled. “It’ll be hard going back home after this. You guys can get in or hang while Cy and I make some drinks.”

The couple went into the house, leaving him alone with Lacey.

She shook her head in amazement. “This place is ridiculous. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Let’s go in then,” he said.

“I don’t have a suit on under this, and I don’t want to borrow one from Nikki. I already shared lip gloss with her,” she confided. “It was in a little pot and I used my finger, though. You think that’s okay?” she whispered, shooting a glance to the patio doors to make sure their hosts didn’t hear.

“What do you mean, okay?” he whispered back, trying not to grin.

“I mean, I’m not going to get mono or something, am I? All this spontaneity is a little scary, if you ask me.”

“I’m thinking you’re probably okay on the mono thing. As for a swimsuit, a bra and underwear is no more revealing than a bikini,” Galen reasoned. “And we’ve already established that you’ve gone skinny-dipping, not to mention you flashing half of San Juan this morning. This should be a cinch.”

She groaned and covered her cheeks with her hands. “What are the odds of my living that down anytime soon?”

“Very slim. Now come on. We’ll hop in before they come out and they won’t see. I’ll even turn my back.” He did so and waited. A long, silent moment passed. “Well?”

“I’m scared,” she mumbled.

“We’re never going to be in this spot again. I don’t want to leave and for you to have regrets about the things you didn’t do while we were here. Besides, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I would never let anything happen to you. If I did, Cat would kill me,” he added hastily in case she confused his declaration of loyalty with something more.

She blew out a sigh. “You’re right.” The determination in her voice gave him hope and he waited. His patience was rewarded as the sound of rustling clothes came from behind him. He unbuttoned his own shirt and tossed it onto a lounge chair.

“Ready?”

“I’m getting in first, so don’t turn around yet.”

A light splash of water, a sharp hiss of breath. The instinct to turn around was so strong he fisted his hands at his sides and silently counted in Spanish. It took concentration, since his Spanish was only slightly better than his needlepoint, and he’d only gotten to seis when she called to him.

“Okay, ready.”

When he turned, Lacey waded toward him in the lagoon-like pool, long wet hair spread around her bare shoulders, looking like a water nymph from a fairy tale.

“Come on, it’s nice and warm.”

Oh, man, he bet it was. She dove to the side, breaking through the water with a splash. If an iridescent scaled tail had trailed behind her, it wouldn’t have seemed out of place.

“She’s a stone cold fox,” Cyrus said as he stepped onto the porch with a tray of drinks in hand.

“You’re not kidding.” Nikki stopped short behind her fiancé and added a low whistle for good measure.