Down for the Count (15 page)

He nodded, still dazed.

His sister’s face turned serious, and she closed a gentle hand over his forearm. “That look on her face when she sings? It’s the same expression she gets when she talks about you. When we were getting ready to come here she was telling me about the boxing lessons, your almost-orgy, and all the fun stuff you’ve been doing. And she was…glowing.” Cat’s green gaze locked onto his with the intensity of a laser beam, and her grip tightened. “Do not fuck with her. She’s fragile right now. I love you, but I will cut your heart out. Understand what I’m saying, bro?”

He nodded and tugged his arm from his sister’s claw before she did some damage. “I hear you loud and clear.”

He wondered if she’d given Lacey the same speech. Probably. But at the end of the day, it was Lacey and him who needed to figure out what, if anything, came next. His instinct was to push. He knew he wanted more time with her. He wasn’t ready to let go yet. And if Cat’s intuition was right, neither was Lacey. But she’d literally been a bride only a week ago. After what she’d been through, fragile was putting it mildly. Confused, scared, shocked, betrayed. She was a writhing mass of emotion when they’d first gotten to Puerto Rico. Just because she seemed okay now didn’t mean there weren’t deeper issues at play. Even if she did feel like this could be more than a fling, could her feelings even be trusted?

Rebound.

He’d tried to keep it at bay, but the term reared its ugly head and burrowed its way further into his mind, digging its hooks deep. If he were on the outside looking in, he’d call it from a mile away. He’d say, “Don’t get attached, man. You’re the rebound guy.” It didn’t feel that way with Lacey, though. It felt real and right. Then again, what rebound guy ever knew he was the rebound guy until it was over and he was left standing there with his dick in his hand and a sleepy, confused smile on his face?

Fuck, he so didn’t want that to be him.

The last note rang out and the audience went crazy, chanting her name and howling their approval. She picked her way through the crowd, stopping every few steps to give high fives to her new fans and politely shake her head—probably offers of drinks, though one appeared to be a proposal. She caught him staring and blushed, sending a beaming smile his way that warmed him clear through.

And just like that, it was decided. He might be the rebound guy right now, but there was no way he was going out like that. It was time to do what he did best.

Fight for what he wanted.

Chapter Ten

Lacey stared at the bedroom door, silently willing it to open. They’d gotten home from the karaoke bar a couple hours before, and Galen had been conspicuously absent since. He’d claimed he was “going out for a while,” but she and Cat had watched almost all of
Good Will Hunting
and he still hadn’t come back. Cat’s head had started bobbing and she struggled to keep her eyes open, so Lacey had sent her to bed. She’d waited a few more minutes but finally followed suit, promising herself that she wouldn’t wait up for him. The villa’s front door had squealed open a little while later, but that was twenty minutes ago, and he still hadn’t come into the bedroom.

She flicked off the light, forcing herself to stay in bed and not get up to grill him about where he’d gone. He was a big boy, and if he wanted to stay out all night, who was she to say anything?

No one. She had no claim on him at all.

She covered her face with the pillow and tried not to cry. He’d probably decided to sleep on the couch now that Cat was here. Whatever they’d had was over. She’d never get to kiss him again, or run her hands down the thick muscles in his back, or smell—

The sound of the doorknob turning sent her heart into overdrive. “Cat?” she called breathlessly.
Please don’t be Cat, please don’t be Cat.

She tossed the pillow aside and squinted, straining to see the doorway in the darkness. It opened on a whisper, and a hulking silhouette filled the space.
Not Cat.

“Did I wake you?” His voice was soft and gentle.

“No.” She struggled to keep her tone even, not wanting to sound like a demanding harpy, despite the questions crowding her brain.
Where did you go? What did you do?
And most pathetic,
Do you still want me?
She bit her cheek to keep from crying.

“Sorry I took so long. I had to pick up a few things, and they were a little harder to locate than I had originally planned. The, ah, language barrier proved to be a problem. I was going to call Cat, but I left my phone in my other pants.”

She didn’t trust herself to speak without a telling crack, so she slid over to make room for him on the bed and hoped it would be answer enough.

“Nope. I need you to get up and come with me.” He crossed the room and held out his hand.

“It’s almost midnight,” she said in halfhearted protest but gave him her hand. There was no question she would go. She just needed a second to recover from dizzy relief over his return.

“So it is. Are you going to turn into a pumpkin?”

She shook her head.

“Well then what are you waiting for? I promise to make it worth your while.” The slow drawl was brimming with sensual promise. She shivered.

“Are we leaving the villa? Wh-what should I wear?”

“Whatever you have on is fine. We’re not going far.”

Her curiosity was piqued but nerves made her hesitate. If she didn’t know where they were going or what they were doing, how could she mentally prepare? What if she might need something and she didn’t bring it because he hadn’t given her a chance to make a quick list? What if—

“Stop thinking, squirt. Feel for once.” He bent low and scooped her into his arms. “Do you want to come…with me?” he whispered, his warm breath caressing her cheek.

His body was warm from the balmy night air, and she snuggled in closer. “Yes.”
And it doesn’t matter where
, she realized with a start. She would go anywhere if it meant another night in his arms.

Some of the tension seemed to drain out of him, and he dropped a kiss onto her forehead. “I’m so glad.” He carried her through the villa to the French doors leading to the pool. “Can you get that?”

She pushed down the lever, and he toed the door open. When he stepped out to the tiny pool area, she gasped. The small round swimming pool was surrounded by dozens of flickering candles, and a bottle of wine sat in an ice-filled bucket next to the steps. A snowy white comforter littered with deep red pillows lay on the patio stones.

The whole time she’d been stewing over his absence, he’d been planning this romantic tryst. She blinked back hot tears.

“I know our pool isn’t nearly as grand as Cyrus and Nikki’s, but you seemed to really enjoy the water. I was thinking we could finish what we started at their house that night right here.”

“Plus, you were afraid Cat would hear us in the other room.” She met his gaze and offered a teasing grin.

“She wouldn’t hear me. You’re the screamer.”

She started to protest when something next to the wine bucket caught her eye. “What’s that?”

He set her down and picked up the small wrapped box. “It’s a surprise for a little later.” The gleam in his eye set her heart thumping, and she resisted the urge to snatch it from him and look inside. “I know that look, control freak, but you’re going to have to wait.” He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and the tender expression on his face took the sting out of his words.

When he offered her wine, she nodded. He set the gift on the blanket and opened the bottle to pour them each a glass.

“To no regrets,” he said, clinking his glass to hers.

She mimicked his toast before taking a sip. It was icy cold and sweetly tart, and she sighed with pleasure. “Nice.”

He set down his glass and lifted a hand to the hem of his T-shirt, stripping it off and tossing it onto the chair behind him. After a week of seeing and touching him, she would have expected to have gotten over her initial obsession with his body, but that was far from the case. It was a jolt to her system every single time, and she drank in the sight, allowing her gaze to trip over his broad shoulders, down his chest, and past his sleek abs to the sexy smattering of hair leading to the button fly of his shorts. Shorts that were getting tighter right before her eyes. She dampened her lips, suddenly desperate to taste him there.

“When you look at me like that, I feel ten feet tall,” he said softly.

Emotion clogged her throat, but she swallowed it back. “Women must look at you like that all the time.”

“I’m not talking about what other women do. I’m talking about you and me.” Those dark eyes were intense, as if he knew she was trying to keep her distance and wasn’t going to allow it.

“You make me feel…special, too. It scares me.”

“You should always feel special, whether I’m around or not.”

She nodded, but inside she wanted to weep. When she tried to imagine what her days would be like without him, the sadness was unbearable.

“Are you going to get your skinny-dipping suit on or what? I’m not going to be the only one naked in the pool.” He strode to the steps and stripped off his shorts, kicking them to the side.

Even more determined to live in the moment, she soaked in the view, envying his grace as he walked down the stairs into the clear blue water.

“Come on in, the water’s fine,” he called with a wicked grin.

She didn’t hesitate. A few minutes earlier she hadn’t even been sure she would get another chance to be with him and there was no way she was squandering it. She set down her glass and straightened to slip her tank top over her head. Next came the boxers, and then she faced him. His hum of appreciation echoed across the water, and she fought the urge to cover herself, forcing her fisted hands to drop to her sides.

“Damn, woman. Elle MacPherson’s got nothing on you.” He let out a long wolf whistle.

“Oh no? Well maybe you should have a poster of
me
over your bed, then.”

“You give me a poster of you like that, babe, and I will hang it up in a heartbeat. In fact, I’ll hang one in every room.”

She stood a little straighter as the instinct to hide faded under the heat of his gaze. He held out a hand to her, and she stepped into the pool, murmuring with pleasure at the warm water caressing her ankles.

“Almost like a bath,” she said, taking his hand. He led her down the rest of the stairs until she was waist deep, standing a scant few inches from him. She craned her neck to see his face. “What now, boss?” She couldn’t keep the note of excitement from her voice as the water cradled her hypersensitive flesh intimately like an invisible hand.

“A massage.”

Not what she’d expected, but she certainly wouldn’t turn it down. “I’d love that.”

He sat on one of the wide steps and pulled her down between his legs. With a sweep of his hand, he pushed her hair aside, leaving her back bare to his attention. He traced the line of her shoulders first, and she let her head fall forward to give him more room. She couldn’t hold back the sigh at his gentle touch. He took his time, starting out soft and slow, drawing shapes on her back with his damp fingers, riding that sublime line between tickling her and making her squirm. Heat rushed to the spot between her thighs, and she wriggled against him until she could feel the weight of his sex, hot and heavy, branding her lower back.

“Mmm,” she moaned. “This is lovely.”

He dropped a sucking kiss to her nape and she shivered. Her breasts felt heavy and tight from the warm water lapping at her now hard nipples and she pressed back against Galen’s hard chest, hoping his displaced hands would come around front to sooth the ache that was growing by leaps and bounds. His low, sexy laugh made her bold, and she pushed her bottom back hard until she was flush against his groin and his thighs hugged her hips tight.

“Tell me what you want, babe.” His mouth was so close to her ear, the warm wash of his breath sent a tingle straight to her core.

“You. Inside me.”

“You can count on it. But not yet.” He flipped her around to face him, and she purred low in her throat as his stiff member pressed insistently at the juncture of her thighs. If she opened a little bit, she could—

“You naughty, naughty girl.” He slid two hands down to cup her ass, holding her in place. “Naughty girls need to be punished, don’t you think?” She was only half listening as she leaned forward to nip his chin. “Don’t try to distract me. What do you think your punishment should be? A spanking?”

Her ears perked up then. “Well, I don’t know about that,” she said, and tried to climb off him. Her heart pounded with a healthy dose of fear mixed with a whole lot of something else just as scary.

“No? I think you’d be surprised to find you might like it.” He held her tight and pursed his lips, as if deep in thought. “Maybe a tongue lashing, then?”

She stopped struggling and her clit pulsed in muscle memory. Like one of Pavlov’s dogs, she was practically drooling at the thought of his mouth on her again.

His warm brown eyes danced, and he shook his head. “I guess that’s out because you look more like I offered you a money tree than a punishment. A spanking it is.”

He stood and lifted her with ease, in spite of her halfhearted struggles, and flipped her over his lap, securing her with one thick forearm. “Grip the side to brace yourself.”

His gruff command sent her nerves into overdrive. “I don’t know. I’ve never done anything like this before, and I’m not a huge fan of pain.” The words had barely left her lips when he slipped his big palm over her ass and squeezed.

“Tell me no, then.”

She couldn’t make herself say it. As afraid as she was, she trusted him, and if he said she would like it—

“Ouch!” The sting when his palm connected with her wet cheek was sharp and instant. He was wrong. It frigging hurt. She opened her mouth to tell him to stop, but then his hand was on her, kneading the offended spot. She groaned and pressed harder into his lap, rewarded when his shaft nudged against her clit.

Another slap landed. “Mmph.” This time, she didn’t cry out, instead biting her lip through the sting. And again his magic hand was there, rubbing away the hurt while creating a dull ache between her thighs.

“Your ass makes me so fucking crazy. So round and sweet.”

Smack.

This time, only a sigh escaped her when the sharp slap sent a bolt of heat straight between her thighs.

“Again,” she whispered, crushing her hips against him now, seeking some relief for the grinding need that drove her.

“Oh, yeah.” He swung again, this time switching cheeks, then rocking against her. He slipped the hand anchoring her around to caress her breast, tweaking the stiff nipple until she bucked against him. Right when she thought she might explode from sensory overload, his free hand slid down the crevice of her bottom, then lower still until he found her soaking wet slit.

He tested her with the tips of his fingers and she writhed against his hand, begging him without words for more.

“That’s my girl,” he ground out and plunged two fingers deep. Blood rushed to her ears and every nerve ending in her body went on high alert. One hand on her nipple, the sweet sting on her ass, the glide of his clever fingers, working her. She was so close…

“Jesus, Galen. You’re going to make me come.”

He pulled his hands away and cradled her to him, sucking in a few harsh breaths. “I want to be inside you. I need to feel that pussy squeezing my cock when you come.” He slid her off his lap and led her back into the water toward the ledge of the pool. She turned to face him, but he held her in place.

“Face the fence,” he said. The hunger in his voice sent a sizzle of anticipation down her spine. She rested her arms against the ledge and waited breathlessly for whatever came next. He wrapped his arms around her from behind to cup her breasts. He rolled the stiff peaks between his thumbs and forefingers and she arched against him.

“If you want to feel me come, you’d better saddle up, cowboy.” She groaned, the rawness of her voice shocking her. She waited for the shame…but it never came.

He slipped his hands beneath the water, tugging her hips backward so that she was bent at an angle, and spread her thighs. He raked his hands down her back, allowing them to drift lower, palming her ass and finally reaching her center. He drove one thick finger deep, sliding in and out, then added a second until she cried out. The need to come bore down on her like a locomotive and her legs shook.

“Now. God, please now.” She leaned forward, draping her arms over the cool marble ledge, desperate for something, anything to stop the exquisite agony and topple her over the razor’s edge.