Free Spin the Bottle by Rhian Cahill Page B

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.”
    It was all the invitation he needed.
    Mac scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. He placed her on the mattress, nudged her over to the middle and crawled on beside her. On his knees, he leaned over and skimmed his fingertips up and down her arms before trailing them over her shoulders to her collarbones. He traced the high edges, dipped into the hollows and