Chapter 460 - Lips Don’t Lie

Chapter 460: Chapter 460 - Lips Don’t Lie

Roxie pulled him down and kissed him.

For a moment, Zac went completely still, and she felt the first terrible realization of what she’d just done. She was about to release his shirt when his hand settled against her waist and he kissed her back.

Fuck.

She hadn’t expected that. Or perhaps she had, considering she’d spent the last three days catching him looking at her in ways she remembered far too well.

But kissing him was different.

The moment his mouth moved against hers, Roxie found herself remembering things she hadn’t thought about in years. Kissing him outside her house before he went home, stealing kisses between classes, the way he’d always leaned down because she complained about having to stand on her toes. She remembered how he’d sometimes smiled against her mouth when she was annoyed with him, usually making her angrier because he knew exactly what he was doing.

And she remembered how much she’d loved kissing him.

Her fingers loosened slightly around his shirt.

For a few seconds, she forgot that they were standing in a garden at Lake Como, that ten years had passed, and that she’d spent most of the evening insulting him.

It was the same mouth, the same familiar way he tilted his head, and the same impatient pressure whenever she tried to pull back.

God, she remembered him.

Then she remembered why she was supposed to hate him.

Roxie opened her eyes and bit his lower lip.

Hard.

Zac jerked back with a sharp breath.

"What the fuck!"

She released his shirt and looked at him, her own breathing uneven. A small red mark had appeared on his lower lip, and when he touched it with his thumb, she saw a faint smear of blood.

Oh.

She’d actually made him bleed.

For some reason, that gave her a ridiculous amount of satisfaction.

"Oops."

Zac stared at her.

"Oops?"

Roxie smiled sweetly, although her heart was still beating far too quickly.

"Sorry. Got carried away."

"Are you fucking serious?"

"What? You kissed me back."

His jaw tightened. "You kissed me!"

"And apparently, you enjoyed it."

He looked at the blood on his thumb, then back at her.

Roxie raised her eyebrows.

"What? Can’t handle a little bite?"

The expression on his face changed.

She recognized that look too, although she hadn’t seen it in years.

"You’re really asking for it tonight, Roxie."

She laughed. "Oh, please. What are you going to do?"

Zac stepped toward her.

Roxie lifted her chin, refusing to move. She was still smiling when his hand came around her waist and he pulled her close enough that her palms landed against his chest.

Then he kissed her again.

Hard.

Roxie made an indignant sound against his mouth, her hands immediately pressing against his shirt. For a second, she was still furious enough to shove him away. She’d bitten him to put an end to whatever ridiculous thing had happened between them, and the bastard had apparently decided to respond by kissing her again.

She could taste the faint metallic trace from his injured lip.

Oh, that asshole.

She pulled back just enough to glare at him, but Zac’s hand had already moved from her waist to the back of her neck, his fingers slipping beneath her loose curls.

Roxie froze.

She knew that touch.

His fingers settled against her nape, then tightened slightly in her hair as he tilted her face upward and kissed her again.

Oh, fuck.

A shiver ran through her, and she hated that he could still do that to her.

He used to hold her like this when they were together, especially when she was being difficult and refusing to admit she wanted another kiss. She remembered the gentle pull against her scalp, how he’d tilt her head to meet his mouth, and how she’d always ended up grabbing his shoulders because she wanted him closer.

Ten years, and he’d apparently remembered exactly how she liked to be kissed.

Roxie’s fingers curled against the fabric covering his chest.

She was still angry. She wanted to say something awful, preferably something that would wipe the satisfaction off his face.

Instead, she felt herself leaning into him.

Fuck. No.

She tried to hold on to her irritation, pressing her palms against his chest as if that might somehow remind her why she was furious with him.

But his mouth was warm, his hand was still beneath her hair, and she could feel his other arm tightening around her waist.

She made a small, involuntary sound as he drew her closer.

Goddammit.

Zac shifted his hold, lifting her slightly onto her toes, and Roxie found herself reaching higher to keep kissing him.

Her right hand moved first, sliding from his chest toward his shoulder.

Then the other followed.

Before she could stop herself, both arms were around his neck, and she was pulling him down closer.

There.

That was the problem.

She wanted him closer.

She was still furious with him, still remembered every nasty thing he’d said about her, yet she was standing there with her fingers in his hair, kissing him as though she’d been waiting ten years to do it again.

She tightened her arms around him.

Zac’s hand remained at her nape, and when he changed the angle of their kiss, she followed without thinking.

It was horribly familiar.

She remembered making out with him for so long that they’d lose track of time, only separating when one of them finally remembered they had somewhere to be. She remembered complaining when he pulled away, then denying she’d been complaining at all.

And the bastard still kissed her in a way that made her forget what she was angry about.

At least until laughter sounded from somewhere along the pathway.

Roxie jerked away.

Her hands slipped from his neck, and she stepped backward, breathing hard as she looked toward the approaching voices.

Two guests appeared at the far end of the garden, walking together and laughing about something. They barely glanced in Roxie’s direction before continuing toward the hotel.

She quickly turned away, pressing her fingers against her lips.

Oh, fuck.

What the hell had she just done?

She’d kissed Zac Prescott.

Then she’d bitten him.

And then she’d practically wrapped herself around him while he kissed her again.

Wonderful.

Absolutely fucking wonderful.

Roxie glanced toward him.

His shirt was badly wrinkled, his hair was slightly mussed where she’d grabbed it, and his lower lip still had a small red mark from her teeth.

He looked furious.

She was rather relieved about that, because she was furious too.

Especially with herself.

She could still feel the warmth of his hand against her neck, and the fact that she’d immediately remembered what that particular gesture used to do to her was humiliating.

Roxie folded her arms, trying to recover some of her dignity.

"So, what was that?" she demanded.

Zac looked at her. "What?"

She gave a bitter little laugh.

"Was that supposed to prove you’re not gay?"

The words came out before she could reconsider them.

Zac went still.

For several seconds, he simply stared at her, and Roxie watched the anger return to his face.

She knew what she’d done. Bringing up Dylan again after that kiss was cruel, especially when she knew perfectly well what had happened between them.

But she’d already embarrassed herself enough for one evening, and hurting him seemed considerably easier than admitting she’d wanted that kiss.

Zac brought both hands to the back of his neck, looking away from her.

"You’re fucking unbelievable."

Roxie lifted her chin.

"Well, you’re the one who..."

"Enough, Roxie."

He turned back toward her, his jaw tight and his expression colder than it had been a moment earlier.

She opened her mouth, preparing another insult, but Zac stepped closer and reached for her hand.

"Come on."

Roxie stared at him.

"What?"

He started toward the hotel, and she followed for several steps before recovering enough to protest.

"Where the fuck are you taking me?"

"Inside."

"Who the hell said I wanted to go anywhere with you?"

Zac stopped and turned toward her, releasing her hand.

Roxie glared at him.

She could turn around and return to the reception. Karen and Angela were probably still dancing, and she could spend the rest of the evening pretending this entire incident had never happened.

Instead, she remained standing beside him, wondering whether he was going to kiss her again.

Fuck.

She really had lost her mind.

Zac turned toward the hotel once more, and Roxie followed him, still muttering insults under her breath.

They passed several guests near the entrance, and she became painfully aware of how she must look. Her lipstick was probably ruined, her curls were a mess, and Zac had a bloody mark on his lip.

If anyone recognized them, she was going to die.

Fortunately, the guests were occupied with their own conversations.

They reached the elevator, and Zac pressed the button.

Roxie folded her arms, looking at him suspiciously.

"Where exactly do you think we’re going?"

He glanced at her.

"You’ve been complaining about wanting to go inside."

"That doesn’t answer my question."

The elevator arrived before he could respond.

Zac stepped in, and Roxie followed, only to have another guest hurry toward them just as the doors were closing.

"Hold it, please!"

Zac pressed the button to keep the doors open, and an older gentleman entered with a grateful smile.

"Thank you."

Roxie smiled politely and stepped toward the opposite wall.

The man pressed the button for a lower floor, then glanced between them.

"Beautiful wedding, wasn’t it?"

"Absolutely," Roxie answered.

"The bride looked lovely."

"She did."

Roxie kept smiling as the gentleman continued talking about the ceremony, although she was painfully conscious of Zac standing beside her.

She glanced at him once and noticed the faint trace of her lipstick near his mouth.

Oh, God.

She immediately looked away.

The elevator finally stopped, and the gentleman stepped out, wishing them a pleasant evening.

"You too," Roxie answered.

The doors closed.

She turned toward Zac.

"Now, what the fuck do you think you’re..."

He moved closer, and Roxie’s next words disappeared when he kissed her.

Her back met the padded wall of the elevator, and she caught his shoulders, kissing him back before she’d even finished being angry about the interruption.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

She’d been ready to give him another lecture.

Instead, she was doing this again.

Her fingers moved toward his neck while his hand settled against her waist. She recognized the way he leaned into the kiss, and it irritated her that their bodies seemed to remember each other so easily.

She tightened her arms around him, pulling him closer as the elevator continued upward.

She had absolutely no idea what she was doing anymore.

The elevator chimed, and Zac drew back.

Roxie stared at him, still trying to collect her thoughts.

The doors opened.

They’d reached her floor.

Zac took her hand and stepped into the hallway. Roxie followed, still trying to recover from what had happened in the elevator. Her lips felt swollen from kissing him, and she was painfully aware that she’d spent the last several minutes practically throwing herself at a man she couldn’t stand.

What the fuck was wrong with her?

She’d spent three days fighting with Zac, and now she was following him through the hotel as though they’d somehow gotten back together. Worse, she hadn’t even questioned where they were going until he stopped and looked at her.

"Which one?"

Roxie blinked. "What?"

"Your room."

"Oh." She glanced down the corridor and pointed. "That one."

They walked the remaining distance in silence, and Roxie gradually began to feel relieved. Perhaps he was simply bringing her back to her room. That would make sense, wouldn’t it? They’d both had a few drinks, gotten carried away, and now they could go their separate ways and pretend the whole ridiculous thing had never happened.

Yes. That was exactly what she was going to do.

She’d go inside, wash off her makeup, drink some water, and sleep. Tomorrow she’d wake up with a clear head and never mention this evening again.

Perfect.

They reached her door, and Roxie stopped, suddenly embarrassed by the entire situation. Her face grew hot as she remembered how she’d grabbed his shirt, bitten his lip, and then practically wrapped herself around him when he kissed her again.

God, she’d actually done all that.

She was about to turn around and tell him to fuck off when she felt his hand settle against her waist.

Roxie gasped as Zac stepped closer behind her, his arm moving around her stomach and pulling her firmly against him. She instinctively reached for his forearm, but then she felt the unmistakable hardness pressing against her backside.

Oh, fuck.

Her eyes widened, and her fingers tightened around his arm.

Well, that certainly answered one question.

Zac lowered his head beside hers, his breath brushing against her ear.

"Open it," he murmured.

Roxie’s heart started pounding.

So that was where this was going.

She could feel his broad chest against her back and how firmly he wanted her close. After three days of Zac treating her with such cold indifference, the realization that he was physically affected by her too was almost impossible to process.

His breath brushed the side of her neck, and when his face moved closer to her hair, she instinctively tilted her head.

She remembered that.

He used to kiss the spot just below her ear, and she remembered how much she liked it. Apparently, her body remembered too, because she was already waiting for him to do it.

But he stayed close to her ear.

"Open the door, Roxie."

She swallowed, annoyed that he was giving her instructions again.

She opened her handbag and began searching for her key card, growing increasingly irritated when she couldn’t find the stupid thing.

She moved her phone and lipstick aside, checked behind her wallet, then finally found the card tucked into the smaller pocket.

There.

She pulled it out and was about to bring it toward the lock when she stopped.

Oh, fuck.

If she opened this door, Zac would be coming inside with her. K

She could tell him to leave. He was standing close enough that she could turn around and say it directly to his face. They’d both gotten carried away, and she had every reason to put an end to this before things became more complicated.

Especially considering they’d spent the last three days arguing about Dylan, Olivia, and their miserable relationship ten years ago.

And yet she was standing there wishing he’d kiss her neck. The pressure of his other hand on her left hip is making her leg lose strength.

God, she was pathetic.

Roxie glanced over her shoulder.

Zac was watching her, his expression serious, his hand now resting loosely at her waist.

She looked at his face, noticing the faint mark she’d left on his lower lip. She remembered biting him in the garden, the way he’d reacted, and how she’d ended up with her arms around his neck when he kissed her again.

She’d wanted him closer then.

She still did.

And that realization made her want to scream.

She’d spent years getting over this man, and now she was considering inviting him into her bedroom after one evening of kissing.

What the fuck was she doing?

Roxie turned back toward the door and stared at the key card for another moment.

If she opened it, she was making a choice she might regret tomorrow.

But she wanted him to stay.

Fuck it.