Down for the Count by Christine Bell

waggling her brows.
    Could these cool, beautiful people actually be attracted to her? Boring, white-bread Lacey? In spite of her embarrassment, she found herself just a little tickled at the thought. Instead of hiding her flaming-hot face like she wanted to, Lacey smiled. “Sure thing.”
    They all stood around, unsure of what to do next, when Galen saved the day. “On that note, I think it’s probably best if we call it a night. Neither of us got a whole lot of sleep and we still have to walk back. We truly appreciate your hospitality.”
    Galen inched toward the side of the pool, waiting for her to follow suit. She sent a panicked glance at Cyrus and Nikki, who took pity on her by swimming off deeper into the lagoon. As soon as they were out of sight, she scurried out of the pool and into the towel Galen held out for her.
    “You okay to walk back or do you want to get a cab?” he asked softly.
    “It’s less than a mile; we can walk.” Despite the balmy air, her lips were trembling and she pressed them together to make them stop.
    “It’s okay, squirt. You’re okay. We had a great night until that weirdness at the end, and you handled yourself beautifully. Now let’s get the hell out of here before they think we changed our minds.” That got her moving and a few minutes later, they were dressed and calling out their good-byes to Cyrus and Nikki.
    They headed off back down the beach toward the villa. To his credit, Galen didn’t say a negative word to her. The old Galen would have. He would have raked her over the coals about her naiveté and busted her chops mercilessly about the whole incident. Lip gloss, indeed. Her cheeks warmed again and she broke the silence with a groan. “Oh my God, that was so mortifying.” She had opened the floodgates, so surely now he would tease her about it.
    Instead, he shrugged. “No biggie.”
    No biggie? She’d weathered her first—and hopefully last—orgy invitation, and he said, “No biggie”? She spared a glance his way, wishing she could see his expression better in the dim light. Was he disappointed? Wishing she’d agreed so he could get some one-on-one time with Nikki? The thought didn’t sit well. “I know you said you didn’t want me to have any regrets or miss out on any experiences, but I hope you understand why I couldn’t do…that.”
    It took so long for him to reply, she started to wonder if he even heard her. Then, a few short steps from their villa door, he tugged her to a stop. “For someone as smart as you, your instincts sure suck.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean there is no way I’d want you to be with someone else, especially not in front of me. But let’s get one thing straight, squirt. When you come to your senses and you’re ready to have the experience of a lifetime? I’m your guy. I’m the one you’re going to get wild with.” He took her wrist and tugged her close until they were pressed together. Thighs against thighs. Hips against hips. “I’m the one who’s going to show you that getting down and dirty doesn’t mean rolling in the wet sand.”
    The past two days had been the craziest of her life, and she didn’t know how much longer she could hold up against the battering ram of his sexual attention. Their carnal kiss and head-to-toe embrace was tattooed on her brain, a live-action trailer of what could be if she stopped being such a prude. She had been right there , but for stupid Marty hanging over her head. Even now, she felt tense, like her skin was on too tight. As if her body knew that she’d left the only orgasm of her life back at that pool and was rebelling against her for pulling away. Her muscles clenched under the intensity of his gaze, but before she could stammer a response, he stepped back.
    “But not until you’re ready.” He took out their key and opened the door.
    Relief warred with disappointment. He was letting her off the hook. For now. He waved her through the door, following close