Chapter 456- Playing Dirty

Chapter 456: Chapter 456- Playing Dirty

Angela looked around the table, considering her options, then turned toward Olivia.

"Alright, Olivia. You start. Give us something interesting."

Olivia laughed. "Why me?"

"Because you’ve been behaving yourself all evening, and I want to know what you’re hiding."

"Oh, God." Olivia thought for a moment before smiling. "Fine. Never have I ever had a one-night stand."

Mason immediately reached for his glass, followed by Angela and Zac.

Roxie’s eyes went straight to Zac. She knew he’d been with other women over the years. It was practically impossible to follow football without occasionally coming across photographs of him with some model or actress. Still, seeing him drink so casually while Olivia sat beside him was irritating.

"Angela, how many?" Karen asked, looking at her over her cranberry juice.

"Why are you asking me? Mason drank too!"

"Because I’ve known you longer."

Angela rolled her eyes. "I’ve had a few. And before you start, I regret absolutely nothing."

"Really?" Roxie laughed. "Absolutely nothing?"

"Well, there was this one guy. I woke up in his house wearing his mother’s slippers."

Mason almost spat out his drink. "What?"

"I couldn’t find my shoes."

Karen stared at her. "Why were his mother’s slippers there?"

"How would I know?"

"Angela, whose house were you in?" Roxie demanded, already laughing.

"His, obviously."

"Was his mother there?"

Angela shrugged. "I didn’t stay long enough to find out."

Olivia burst out laughing while Mason shook his head in disbelief. Karen kept trying to get an explanation, but Angela refused to say anything else, insisting that everyone was becoming far too interested in her personal life.

Roxie laughed and let her dig her own grave.

"Alright, my turn," Mason said once everyone had calmed down. "Never have I ever fooled around in a car."

Angela immediately drank again.

"Seriously?" Karen asked.

"What? I was young! We all did it."

Mason laughed as Olivia raised her glass. Roxie hesitated before reaching for hers, remembering Zac’s old truck back in Briarwick.

Raven’s Point. The dark roads outside town and the number of times they’d parked somewhere because they wanted to be alone. She remembered the cramped seats, Zac complaining about the lack of space despite being the one who suggested stopping there, and how impatient they’d always been with each other.

Roxie reached for her glass.

God, she’d been an idiot.

She drank, trying to concentrate on Angela, who was arguing with Mason about whether making out in a parked car counted.

Across the table, Zac was drinking too.

Roxie immediately looked away. She’d spent years trying to put that relationship behind her, and now one stupid question had reminded her of things she’d rather forget. Having her past sitting directly opposite her, casually drinking with another woman beside him, was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

"Of course it counts!" Angela insisted. "He said fooling around. That’s practically everything."

"Alright, fine," Mason conceded, laughing.

Olivia shook her head. "You guys are terrible."

"Your turn again," Angela told her.

Olivia considered it for a moment. "Never have I ever almost gotten caught having sex."

Roxie’s fingers tightened around her glass.

The storage room.

Fuck.

The memory came back so suddenly that she almost flinched. She remembered being young and desperate for Zac to take her back, and how she’d ended up doing something that embarrassed her even now. She could still remember the voices outside the storage room, the possibility of someone opening the door, and how terrified she’d been of getting caught.

But she wanted him back. God, she’d been stupid.

She reached for her drink almost automatically, wanting something to distract herself.

Then she looked up.

Zac was watching her.

His glass was already raised, and he took a drink without looking away.

Roxie froze.

Shit.

She’d only reached for her glass to occupy herself. Now putting it down would take more attention to her.

She drank, feeling the alcohol burn slightly as she swallowed.

When she lowered her glass, Zac was still looking at her.

His expression was serious, his jaw slightly tense. He hadn’t smiled or reacted to anything else, and that made his attention considerably harder to ignore.

Roxie’s stomach tightened.

Was he remembering the storage room too? She knew he’d probably had plenty of other experiences over the years, but the way he was looking at her made it difficult to dismiss the possibility.

And she hated that she still remembered how it felt to be that close to him.

She raised her eyebrows slightly.

What?

Zac lowered his glass but neither said anything.

"Why’d you take such a big drink?" Angela suddenly asked Mason.

"That’s how drinking works, Angela."

"Yeah, but you looked very enthusiastic about that one."

"Are you seriously going to interrogate me after every question?"

"Yes."

Everyone laughed, and Roxie took the opportunity to look away. She pressed her fingers briefly against her warm cheek, irritated that she’d allowed herself to get flustered over Zac Prescott again.

When she glanced across the table, he had already turned toward Olivia, who was laughing at something Mason had said. His arm rested along the back of her chair, and he looked perfectly comfortable.

He’d been the one staring at her.

Why the hell was she the one getting embarrassed?

"Okay, I’ve got one," Angela announced. "Never have I ever disappeared from a party to hook up with someone."

Roxie stared at her.

Angela stared back, looking far too pleased with herself.

Seriously?

Had she made it her personal mission to embarrass everyone tonight?

Roxie reached for her glass, and across the table, Zac did the same.

Their eyes met briefly.

She was already frowning when she noticed him watching her. His expression remained controlled, although he held her gaze a little longer than necessary before taking his drink.

She could feel her face getting hot again.

For fuck’s sake.

The worst part was that she could still remember the physical details of being with him. She’d spent years trying to forget the relationship, yet her body apparently had other ideas.

Whatever. He’d been a great lay. She could admit that much to herself.

"Roxie, are you alright?" Karen asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"You’re awfully red."

Roxie sighed. "It’s warm, okay?"

Karen looked amused. "I was just asking."

"Well, I’m fine."

Angela glanced across the table, then back at Roxie. A grin appeared on her face, but thankfully, she turned toward Olivia, who was telling Mason about a party she’d attended in Los Angeles.

Roxie reached for her drink, annoyed with herself.

She was twenty-eight years old. She had a career and a life she’d spent years building. She’d dated other men and turned down plenty more because she couldn’t be bothered with the trouble.

Yet here she was, reacting to a man she’d left ten years ago.

He barely spoke. Occasionally, he laughed at something Mason said or answered Olivia when she addressed him. He hadn’t said a single word to Roxie throughout the game.

She wondered whether he was doing it deliberately.

Then Olivia leaned against him, and his hand settled comfortably on her shoulder.

Roxie felt another wave of irritation.

Of course he was enjoying himself.

He’d spent the afternoon lecturing her about Dylan, and now he was sitting there perfectly relaxed, enjoying a party with his beautiful date.

She remembered the way he’d looked at her during the storage room question. She was almost certain he knew what she’d been thinking about.

And apparently, he could carry on with his evening as though nothing had happened.

Roxie looked at him again.

Well, she could do that too.

"My turn."

Angela smiled. "Finally! Come on, Roxie."

Roxie leaned forward slightly, looking directly across the table.

"Never have I ever slept with someone of the same sex."

Mason stopped smiling.

Olivia laughed. "Oh, that’s a personal one."

Roxie shrugged. "We’ve been asking personal questions all night."

Nobody drank.

Zac left his glass on the table.

But when Roxie glanced at him, she found him looking directly at her.

His expression had changed. His mouth was set, and the easy manner he’d maintained throughout the game had disappeared.

Roxie smiled sweetly.

What?

She knew exactly what she was implying. After the way he’d defended Dylan that afternoon, she couldn’t resist making another remark at his expense.

Mason gave an awkward laugh.

"Well, I was waiting for at least one of the girls to take a sip." He cleared his throat and glanced around the table. "Anyway, maybe it’s time we..."

"My turn."

Everyone looked toward Zac.

He removed his arm from the back of Olivia’s chair and sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

Roxie raised an eyebrow.

Oh, he was annoyed.

That was interesting.

She leaned back in her chair, a small smile appearing on her lips.

You want to retaliate? With fucking what?

"Go ahead," she said.

Zac looked directly at her.

"Never have I ever gotten so jealous that I tried to tell my partner who they were allowed to talk to."

Roxie’s smile vanished.

Oh, that motherfucker.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Angela glanced toward Karen, who had stopped smiling. Mason slowly put his glass down, his attention moving between Roxie and Zac.

Olivia looked confused.

"Wait. Does that mean telling someone to stop flirting with other people?" she asked.

Zac continued watching Roxie.

"No. I mean telling them they can’t even have a conversation."

Roxie’s jaw tightened.

Oh, he really wanted to go there.

She remembered Tennessee, the arguments they’d had whenever girls approached Zac after games, the way she’d questioned him about women who called or messaged him. She’d been so jealous sometimes that even an ordinary conversation could turn into a fight.

And there were times she’d actually told him to stay away from certain girls.

She wasn’t proud of that.

But hearing him bring it up now, in front of everyone, made her furious.

Roxie looked down at her glass.

She wasn’t going to drink.

Absolutely fucking not.

When she looked up again, Zac was still watching her.

His expression remained cold, but there was something almost challenging in the way he held her gaze.

Roxie gave a short laugh.

"That’s oddly specific."

Zac shrugged. "So was yours."

She felt her temper rising.

"Well, I suppose some people are very territorial."

"Apparently."

Roxie stared at him.

The bastard.

He knew she’d been possessive. She knew it too. But was he seriously going to sit there acting as though she’d been some crazy girlfriend who couldn’t stand him talking to other women? As if he didn’t do that himself.

She was already furious about that afternoon, and now Zac had decided to bring up one of the worst things about their relationship in front of everyone.

Roxie smiled, although she could feel herself getting angrier.

"Funny. I seem to remember having my reasons."

Zac’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Everyone always has reasons."

Her smile disappeared.

Oh, fuck him.

"Really?"

"Really."

For several seconds, they simply stared at each other.

Roxie was suddenly very aware of how quiet the table had become. Olivia was looking between them, and Angela had stopped pretending to be interested in her drink.

Mason finally cleared his throat.

"Alright, that’s enough."

Neither Roxie nor Zac looked at him.

Mason gave a short laugh and stood. "Seriously. We’ve got a wedding tomorrow, and I don’t feel like explaining to Kyle why half his guests are hungover."

Karen immediately reached for her bag.

"He’s right. It’s late."

Angela glanced at Roxie before standing. "Yeah, we should probably go."

Olivia smiled, although she still looked a little confused. "That was fun. We should play again sometime."

"Maybe with different questions," Mason answered, making her laugh.

Roxie finally looked away from Zac.

She picked up her bag, her lips curling slightly as she stood.

Well, that had worked.

He’d spent the entire evening sitting there looking unaffected, barely acknowledging her while she struggled through one embarrassing memory after another.

And all she’d needed was one question about Dylan to get under his skin. She was still annoyed by his retaliation, but she couldn’t help feeling rather pleased with herself.

Zac Prescott wasn’t quite as indifferent as he’d been pretending.

"Roxie, are you coming?" Karen asked.

"In a minute. I need to freshen up."

Angela looked at her. "We’ll wait."

"Go ahead. I’ll catch up with you."

Karen studied her for a moment before nodding. She and Angela headed toward the hotel with Mason, while Olivia said something to Zac and slipped her hand into his.

Roxie turned away before she could see his reaction.

She headed toward the restroom near the poolside lounge, still feeling an irritating amount of satisfaction.

He’d actually gotten angry.

After everything that had happened on the boat, she’d finally managed to provoke a reaction out of him. The thought made her smile as she entered the restroom.

She put her bag on the counter and leaned toward the mirror, checking her makeup. Her cheeks were still slightly flushed, although the cooler air inside had already begun helping.

She shook her head at her reflection.

God, what a ridiculous evening. It felt good.

She was still smiling when she reached into her bag for her lipstick.

Then she heard the door open.

Roxie glanced toward the mirror.

Zac walked in.

Her smile disappeared.