Down for the Count (Dare Me 1)

by Christine Bell

  “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. And 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 fo
r 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 always been one-sided. Now the chemistry was crackling from all angles, and it scared the crap out of her.

  Not that it mattered. Sure, it had hurt that Marty cheated. And sure, she was embarrassed and angry that someone she cared about had broken her trust. But even though she’d come to the not-so-stunning realization that she hadn’t been in love with him—and hadn’t been able to admit to herself until, underneath all the anger, she’d felt a nugget of relief yesterday in the linen closet—she was still a married woman. At least for as long as it took to get the annulment papers worked out. Just because he was a cheater didn’t mean she had to join him in the gutter. Dimly, she heard Galen saying his good-byes to his sister.

  “How is everything going?” she asked as he disconnected. “Didn’t she want to talk to me?”

  “Nope. She said to call her later. She contacted your mom and dad to let them know you came to Puerto Rico, so that’s taken care of.”

  Lacey had forgotten that they’d called Cat last night to tell her their plan. Her friend had been all for it. Her only gripe was that she couldn’t join them because of the spring collection she had to finish putting together at work.

  As Lacey contemplated what the call between Cat and her mother must have been like, she found herself grateful that she’d smashed her own phone to smithereens at the reception hall. She couldn’t imagine having that conversation right now.

  “She also said that Marty’s been looking for you. She didn’t tell him where you were, but he wants you to call him.”

  She snorted, and he shrugged.

  “I’m only the messenger. For what it’s worth, Cat agrees with me one hundred percent. We both think you should stay.”

  Nerves sent her heart pounding as she finally allowed herself to seriously consider that option. Could she do it? Throw caution to the wind and leave the mess of her ill-fated marriage to molder while she dove headlong into Puerto Rico? “I have to call my lawyer,” she hedged. “See about getting an annulment in the works.” It was a feeble argument. It would take one phone call to get the ball rolling and months to get through the red tape. She didn’t really need to go home for that. “And my dad. I wouldn’t put it past him to do something rash come Monday morning, and I can’t allow that.”

  “Don’t think about me, or Cat, or Marty. Don’t think about your parents or what their snobby country club friends will say or what the board wants. What do you want to do, Lacey?” His eyes delved deep, searching for something she couldn’t name. She felt like she was standing on a precipice, and no matter which way she turned, she was going down hard. Changes were brewing, and it was up to her to navigate her own ship for once.

  The question hung between them like prickly vines, and in the center, the answer dangled before her like a fat, ripe berry ready to drop. She wanted to stay. But if she did—and with Galen, no less—would she ever be able to fit back into the square-shaped hole she’d left behind?

  And more importantly, did she even want to?

  …

  Galen could almost hear the slap of skin on skin as she wrestled with herself. He’d done his part and had made a vow to himself that he wouldn’t say another word. She needed to step up to the ropes here and decide—in or out. He wasn’t going to be another in the long line of puppeteers yanking her strings.

  Just when he thought she was going to bail for the second time in twenty-four hours, she shocked him. Steeling her shoulders, she tipped her chin to meet his gaze. “Okay. I’ll stay. If I can talk my dad down some.”

  It was what he w
anted, so the fear nipping at the heels of his euphoria was a little confusing. He didn’t let on, though. She was one flimsy excuse from changing her mind, and he wasn’t about to give it to her. Why should being in close quarters with her scare him, anyway? He was a big boy, and he could handle it, even if he had to spend the next two weeks taking cold showers in order to do it.

  He filed that problem under “shit to deal with later” and gave her a thumbs-up. “Excellent. Let’s eat, then you can call your lawyer and your father while I pack a bag. We’re going to the beach.”

  She popped off a snotty salute. “Yes sir.”

  They made short work of their light meal, and he handed his phone over so she could make her calls. He packed quickly and had just zipped the beach bag closed when she came into the bedroom a short while later, the crease in her brow less pronounced. That was a good sign.

  “How did it go?”

  “With my lawyer? Fine. He’s making some calls and getting things rolling. With my father?” She shrugged, handing his phone to him. “Better than I expected, actually. He’s furious with Marty, but he agreed to wait until I got back to make any decisions about the merger. Then he told me I’d better call my mother, because she’s flipping out. I made him promise not to give her this number and asked him to try to calm her down. He’s going to do his best.”

  “Great. You look less stressed already.”

  “I feel a little better. Like I can unplug for a while and maybe everything won’t fall apart around me worse than it already has.”

  Now that he’d taken responsibility for her, he was determined to buttress the walls around her and even more determined to follow through and help her figure out who she was and what she wanted to do next with her life. It was a dangerous line to walk because, over the course of one day, he was already scarily attracted to her. As they spent more time together, he had the sneaking suspicion he was only going to want her more.

  “Let’s hit the beach,” he said.