Spin the Bottle (8 page)

“Now. And when you’re done I want to hear exactly what happened down in the laundry.” He walked over to her bed and sat. With a calmness that grated on her nerves, Mac swung his legs up and stretched out on the mattress, his back resting against the headboard.

Lil contemplated arguing to get her way, but the combination of her damaged dress, wet jacket and aching side convinced her she’d be better off doing as he wanted. Of course, she’d give him an abridged version of her encounter with Aaron and hope it would be enough to make him go away. Then she could take a moment to assess the bruising that was sure to be peppered down her left side.

Slipping out of her shoes, she stalked towards her walk-in-robe. Grumbling under her breath about pushy men and drunken idiots, Lil searched for another dress to wear. She shrugged out of her jacket and hung it up, pushing the clothes on either side away to make sure the damp fabric would have air flow. She’d have to remember to take it outside tomorrow and let the sun freshen it up. Lil picked a summer shift that flowed loosely over her body. Her little black dress might look hot, but it had a tendency to stick to her skin in the heat.

New dress in hand, she gripped the gapping side of the one she wore and headed for the bathroom. Lil didn’t even spare Mac a glance. He might think he was in charge, but not for long. Once she’d replaced her torn dress, she’d be ready to face him again.

Chapter Five

Mac waited for Lilli to come out of her bathroom. She’d been in there less than a minute, but that was sixty seconds too long as far as he was concerned. He wanted to know what that arsehole downstairs had done to her.
Needed
to know. The rage that had surged through him when he’d seen her pinned beneath Aaron Watson had nearly crippled him. When he’d pulled the man off her and smelled the liquor emanating from the Armani-clad jerk, Mac’s gut had rolled. Numerous scenarios had flashed through his mind between the time he dumped Watson’s celebrity arse on the floor and checked on Lilli.

At first he’d thought the worst, and he still wasn’t convinced he shouldn’t go down and beat the shit out of one of Australia’s favourite TV faces. Mac smiled, the image of a busted-up Aaron hosting his game show bringing mild satisfaction. But the incident furthered his anger at Lilli for having this stupid party in the first place. If she’d just stuck with what he wanted—

The door across the room opened and Lilli stepped out. The black dress had been replaced with a skin-coloured one. But unlike the previous dress, this one didn’t coat her body like paint. This one flowed, skimming over her curves like hot fudge on ice cream. He licked his lips and shifted position so she wouldn’t see the hard-on that had sprung to life the second she moved into sight. Damn, she was sex on legs. Long, smooth, tan legs left bare by her mid-thigh-length hem.

She wandered over to where she’d kicked off her fuck-me heels and bent to slip them on. Her hem inched higher, giving him a flash of the silky skin on her inner thighs. He knew how soft that area was. Knew how it slid beneath his fingertips with tantalizing ease. Mac swallowed, his throat going dry as he remembered having his hand on that supple flesh earlier. God, she was a distraction. He’d entered her room with the intention of finding out how her dress had been torn, not to think about stripping her out of it.

Giving himself a mental shake, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat forward, his elbows resting on his knees, Mac continued to watch her move. “Tell me what happened.”

She jerked, just a small jolt before her body went perfectly still. He studied her closely, didn’t want to miss any telltale twitch or tick that may indicate she wasn’t being honest with him. Mac had no doubt she would try to slip a pair of rose-coloured glasses over the incident. She’d do everything she could to minimise what had happened. Her chest rose as she sucked in a breath and brought her gaze around to meet his.

“We were talking, but Aaron obviously has had too much to drink and he stumbled.” Her eyes skittered away for a second but she pulled her shoulders back and met his gaze once more. “Honestly, it was my own fault for trying to stop him from falling.”

Mac narrowed his eyes. She was lying. Angry at her for protecting that shallow prick, he jumped to his feet and stormed across the room. He brought his face within a breath of hers. “Bullshit!”

Her eyes went wide and he watched as fear, guilt and finally anger slashed across their sparkling depths.

“Don’t lie to me,” he growled.

“You’re forgetting one thing, Mac. I don’t owe you anything, lie or not. I don’t have to explain myself to you.” She punctuated her final word with a finger poke to his chest.

With her shoes on they were eye to eye, and the fire shooting from hers did some seriously weird shit to his equilibrium. He’d always liked a good battle. He wasn’t a brilliant lawyer for nothing, and regardless of Lillian’s earlier accusation, he hadn’t gotten where he was by riding his best friend’s coattails. He liked to fight and hated to lose. Blood rushed through his veins, the thrill of combat causing an effect he’d never dealt with in the courtroom or anywhere else for that matter. His pants grew snug over his throbbing erection. A grin pulled at the corner of his mouth, but Mac refused to let it form completely. Heaven forbid Lilli work out he was getting off on their clash of wills.

“Yes. You do.” He wrapped his fingers around her nape. “And this is why.”

Mac slammed his mouth on hers. His tongue immediately thrust out to force its way between her lips. This wasn’t a kiss. It was a claim. He took advantage of her gasp and pushed his way inside.
Heat.
Slick molten pleasure waited in the dark and he plunge deeper. Lilli held her body stiff in his arms, and everything he had, everything he was, wanted her to yield. To hand herself over completely. Freely.

He gripped her neck tighter, his fingers digging in, bringing her closer. Mac’s other hand curled around her waist, scrunched silky fabric in his fist. She moaned, and the soft sound vibrated across his tongue and slipped down his throat as he breathed it in—breathed
her
in. Want and need overtook him. He’d never get over the way she made him yearn with such intensity. No more than a look, a simple movement, and his body went up in flames, but touch her…touch her and he spontaneously combusted. From the hair on his head to the nails on his toes, Mac exploded in a raging inferno he had no hope of extinguishing without her.

“Lilli.” Mac breathed her name against her mouth before nipping at her plump lower lip. He suckled at the fleshy curve then licked with the flat of his tongue.

She shivered. The tremor reverberated through his chest and set off a shudder of his own. He had to have her. Had to feel her beneath him. On top of him. Surrounding him. Inside him. Mac dove back into her mouth, searched out her tongue and sucked hard. This time, when Lilli moaned she sank into him. Her body moulding to his like hot wax. He’d never felt a surrender like it. With one move, she made him ten feet tall and brought him to his knees.

Lilli tore her mouth from his and gasped for breath. “Mac. Please.”

“Please what?” He peppered kisses along her cheek to her ear. “Tell me what you want, Lilli. Anything. God, I’ll give you anything.”

“You,” she sighed as he licked the delicate skin of her neck.

“Be sure, once we start I won’t be able to stop.” He breathed in her ear. “I’ve wanted too long, Lilli.”

Her pelvis rocked, her hips bumping into his, and a cry of pain tore from her throat. She pulled away, but he had a good grip and she didn’t get far.

“What? What the hell happened?” Mac leaned back to look at her.

She shook her head. “Nothing. It was nothing.” But she couldn’t hide the pain in her eyes.

“No. It wasn’t nothing.” He clenched his jaw, his back teeth grinding together. “Tell me.”

Lilli’s perfect white smile appeared strained before her gaze left his and she chewed on the corner of her lip. A move he knew well. She was deciding whether or not to lie.

“Don’t. Not now.” Mac couldn’t help the plea that followed. “Please, Lilli.”

Her eyes closed and she lowered her forehead to rest on his shoulder with a sigh. “I’ve got a few bruises from the fall, that’s all.”

He saw red. Aaron had marked her. Mac’s blood boiled and his muscles tensed. But it was no longer arousal driving his reactions. He’d never been a physical fighter. Always relied on his wits and words to get the better of others, but tonight… Tonight he wanted to smash heads and beat his chest like a caveman. Right after he’d grabbed the woman in his arms by her hair and dragged her back to his cave. Wrapping his arms around her back, he snuggled her against his body and tried to regain his balance. Not an easy feat when he teetered between lust and rage.

“Show me.” Mac pushed her to arm’s length. “Take that dress off and let me see.”

“No.”

“You and I both know I can have that off you in a second.” Mac didn’t want to force the issue, but he would if she didn’t agree.

“Mac—”

“Don’t. I don’t want excuses or a fight.” He took a deep breath and struggled to find the words to express the way he felt. “I have to see.
Need
to see with my own eyes. If I don’t, Lilli… God, if I don’t, I’ll go mad.”

She stayed quiet, studying him with those all-seeing blue eyes. He thought she would continue to argue when she pulled out of his grasp but she surprised him. Crossing her arms over her stomach, she gripped the dress at her hips and slowly brought the material up her body. As each new inch of bare skin was revealed Mac’s blood pressure shot up. When her see-through panties came into view, he thought he’d swallow his tongue.

But then the first mark appeared and his blood ran cold. A red blotch that grew darker towards the centre marred her outer thigh just below her hip. It reminded him of the mark left by a slap and he cursed Watson once more. His gaze was glued to the hem of her dress as she raised it higher, but he wasn’t prepared for the bruise on her hipbone. Already shades of black and blue, the darker section along her jutting bone clearly showed the impact point. Mac ground his teeth, his nostrils flaring as he sucked in a breath.

“Fuck.” He reached out and brushed a fingertip over the bruise.

Lilli stilled, her thigh muscles quivering as he stepped closer and traced the outer edge of the ugly mark. He brought his gaze up to meet hers and flattened his hand over the curve of her hipbone, making sure to use the barest pressure.

“The rest.” Mac tipped his chin to indicate the dress.

She pulled the dress all the way off. Dropping it to the floor at her feet, she stood before him in a matching bra and panties set. The strapless bra proved to be as see-through as the panties, and Mac fought against his baser urges to toss her on the bed and sink his cock between her legs. He tried to keep the emotions swirling inside him hidden by dropping his gaze to her side. Raising his hand, he twirled his finger in the air to prompt her to turn around. There was no way he could manage a verbal direction.

Lilli followed his unspoken request and Mac sucked in another deep breath as his gaze met the rest of her injuries. He could see the red marks along with more bruises already forming. They lined her left side in sections. It was obvious to him she’d come down heaviest on her hip but couldn’t work out how when the rest of the damage was more to her side and back, plus she’d been pinned to the floor on her back.

“Tell me how you fell again?”

“Aaron lost his balance and I couldn’t hold his drunken dead weight so we went down.” She shrugged. “Why do you keep asking?”

“Because all your injuries make sense except this one.” Mac ran his fingers lightly over her hipbone.

She glanced down, her forehead creasing as she stared at his fingers as they traced the ugly bruise.

“These marks.” Mac brushed his fingertips over the ones along her side. “They’re all consistent with you hitting the floor with your left side at a bit of an angle. But not this one.” Mac cupped her hip in his palm.

“Oh.” She chewed the corner of her mouth. “I think our bodies clashed in the fall. He had on that stupid belt buckle he always wears too. That must have connected with my hip.”

Mac took a deep breath and asked the question he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer for. “Did he hurt you any other way?”

Lilli stared at him, confusion swirling in her eyes. She shook her head twice before her eyes went wide with comprehension. “Oh, God, no. No, he didn’t hurt me, Mac.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, he said, “We should put a cold compress on these bruises.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

“You know, I can’t decide if I want to hold you close and kiss all those spots better or go downstairs and break Watson’s nose.” Mac stepped closer. “What do you want me to do, Lilli? It’s your choice.”

She licked her lips and Mac had to stifle a groan. He leaned forward, brushed her lips with his and caught her sigh on his tongue when she opened for him. Mac kept the kiss gentle. With lush strokes and slow caresses, he coaxed her into joining him. Nothing touched but their mouths and his hand palming her hip. Lilli moved into him. Her body pressed flush to his and he knew he no longer needed an answer to what he should do, but he wanted one all the same.

He broke their mouths apart and rested his forehead to hers. “What do you want me to do, Lilli?”

Her breath came fast and shallow, their simple kiss affecting her as much as it had him. A shiver rippled through her and her breasts lifted, her nipples pointy little beads beneath their lace covering. “Kiss me better.”