And Mara screamed.
I came to a stop facedown on the dirt and lifted my head to see what had happened to Mara.
She lay on her back on the ground.
The shuttlecock guy had landed smack on top of Mara, but in the opposite direction. His face was between her thighs, and his dick was crushed to her face.
Mara screamed again, flailing her arms in an attempt to shove the guy off her.
I scrambled to my feet and rushed to her. "Get off her, you dickwad."
The guy seemed stunned, and he didn't move.
So I thrust my hands under him and pushed the shuttlecock ass off Mara. He ended up on his back beside her, laughing so hard his eyes watered.
"Are you okay?" I asked Mara, kneeling beside her. "Did that jerk hurt you?"
She shook her head, but her lips were trembling.
I picked her up and cradled her to me, kissing the top of her head.
And I glared at the dickwad.
He was still laughing.
"Shut up," I snarled at him. "Get your shit and get the fuck out of here. You're banned from Au Naturel Naturist Resort for life."
The idiot stopped laughing. "What? You can't do that, man, it was an accident."
"I told you to calm things down and behave like grown-ups. You and your pals think it's funny to act like lunatics, but we do not condone that kind of behavior here. Your broke all the rules." I hugged Mara tighter. "Get out of here. Right now."
The guy stared at me for a moment, then got up and slunk back to the guest house. His friends followed him.
Every single one of the remaining guests started clapping and cheering.
"Way to go, Ollie!" someone shouted.
Ruth Norris gave me an appreciative nod.
Mara, snug in my arms, was gazing up at me like I'd just defeated Godzilla single-handed. "Thank you, Oliver. You're my hero."
I opened my mouth but couldn't think of a damn thing to say.
Two people, a man and a woman, stood separate from the crowd, doing their damnedest not to look at all the naked guests. The woman lifted her chin and marched straight up to me and Mara. The man trailed after her. He had auburn hair and green eyes like Mara, and the woman had Mara's golden skin coloring and almond-shaped eyes. I'd met these people earlier, so I knew who they were---Peter Severins and Sheryl Kanda Severins.
They were Mara's parents. If I hadn't met them already, I would've guessed who they were based on their clothes. Mrs. Severins wore a navy pantsuit that I figured was designer, not that I knew squat about women's clothing, and her husband wore a gray suit and tie.
It was eighty degrees today.
Mrs. Severins puckered her lips, narrowing her gaze on me. "What have you done to our daughter?"
"Uh, I was just helping her---"
"She's filthy. And wet."
Yeah, Mara's dip in the hot spring had gotten her clothes wet when she put them back on, and her hair was still drenched. Since she'd gotten knocked down by that asshat, she now had dirt on her backside.
Mara wriggled in my arms like she was trying to get free.