Chapter 190 - Act Normal (R)
The bungalow was only a ten minute walk from the cemetery.
Zac carried Roxie’s school bag over one shoulder. Roxie stayed close beside him, watching the cracks in the pavement instead of the graves behind the iron fence.
Neither spoke until she unlocked the front door.
Claire’s ashes sat beside the blue mug near the sink.
Roxie saw them immediately.
The temporary container looked wrong beside something Claire had used every morning. The mug waited for a hand that would never pick it up again.
Her chest tightened.
Zac entered behind her.
The door clicked shut.
Roxie looked at him instead.
He placed her school bag near the couch and set a bag of McDonald’s food on the coffee table.
Roxie removed her jacket. "Tired of cooking?"
"I cooked yesterday."
"I should have known that was a one time thing."
"You still ate."
"Because I was emotionally vulnerable."
Zac dropped onto the couch. "I knew the stew was powerful."
Roxie sat beside him and opened the bag.
Within minutes, wrappers, ketchup packets, fries, and two drinks covered the table.
Roxie curled into Zac’s side and placed her legs across his lap.
He wrapped one arm around her waist.
The television played quietly.
Neither paid attention to it.
His hand settled on her thigh while they ate.
The warmth reached through her leggings.
Roxie rested her cheek against his chest and listened to his breathing.
The steady rise beneath her face helped.
He was warm.
He was moving.
He was here.
"How was the trip home?" she asked.
Zac’s mouth curved. "Nobody was there."
"Seriously?"
"My father had some military academy dinner. My mother went with him."
"So you disappeared for two nights, went home long enough to shower, then escaped again?"
"That was the plan."
"They’re going to kill you."
"They need to catch me first."
Roxie smiled. "I keep dragging you into everything."
"You’re my girlfriend." His hand moved once over her thigh. "I like being dragged."
"That doesn’t mean you have to sleep here whenever I can’t handle my own house."
"I wanted to stay."
Roxie looked toward the kitchen.
The container remained beside Claire’s mug.
Claire’s hand had stayed cold beneath Roxie’s fingers at the morgue.
Roxie had touched it twice as though the second time might feel different.
The memory came too quickly.
She sat upright.
"Okay."
Zac lowered his burger. "Okay what?"
"We need to think about something else before I ruin the night."
"What do you want to think about?"
Roxie looked at him for a moment, then stood.
"Wait here."
The teasing smile came easier than she expected.
Zac watched her cross the room.
Roxie entered her bedroom and closed the door halfway.
Her cheer uniform waited where she had left it.
She stripped out of her clothes and pulled on the fitted shell and skirt. She tied her hair higher, smoothed both hands over the uniform, then studied herself in the mirror.
The uniform made her recognizable again.
Cheer had counts.
Mistakes had corrections.
Her body could still be trained into doing what she wanted.
Roxie returned to the living room.
Zac stopped with a fry halfway to his mouth.
He swallowed and leaned back against the couch.
"Is this some kind of role play?"
Roxie placed both hands on her hips. "You wish."
His gaze moved slowly down the uniform.
A small rush of satisfaction warmed her.
"I need you to tell me what I’m doing wrong."
"Nothing so far."
"I haven’t started."
"That doesn’t change my answer."
Roxie pushed the coffee table toward the wall and started the music on her phone.
There was enough space to mark the routine without tumbling.
She counted herself in.
Her arms snapped into position. She stepped through the opening, marked the jumps, hit the turn, and moved into the dance section.
Five, six, seven, eight.
Her body followed the counts.
She finished with one hand raised and the other against her hip.
"Well?"
Zac sat forward with his elbows on his knees.
His eyes remained on her legs.
"Was it right?"
"It looked right to me."
"That tells me nothing."
"It told you the important part."
Roxie smiled despite herself.
"My heel stretch keeps collapsing."
She turned toward the back of the couch and rested one hand against it.
Zac stood behind her.
"Lift it."
Roxie raised her right leg.
He caught her ankle before it dropped. One hand closed around her heel while the other settled against her waist.
"Higher."
He lifted.
Her knee bent immediately.
Roxie tightened her thigh and forced it straighter. Her supporting leg trembled beneath her.
Zac stepped closer.
Her foot reached the upper part of his chest.
"Hold my hip."
His palm shifted lower and pressed her hip forward.
The stretch pulled sharply behind her thigh.
Roxie breathed through it.
"Again."
He lowered her leg.
She shook it once, then lifted.
The second attempt reached higher. Her ankle settled near his shoulder while Zac held her waist steady.
Roxie locked her knee.
The muscle burned.
Then her balance slipped.
Zac’s arm tightened around her middle and pulled her back against him.
Her shoulders struck his chest.
His body pressed along the length of hers.
Roxie went still.
A low breath left Zac near her ear.
His hand remained firm around her waist.
Then he lowered her leg carefully.
"You need to stretch first."
"Then stretch me."
Roxie turned and lowered herself onto the carpet.
She lay on her back and raised one leg toward him.
"Come on."
Zac knelt and caught her ankle.
The skirt shifted higher on her thighs.
Zac noticed.
Roxie noticed him noticing.
He pushed her leg toward her chest.
The pull tightened behind her knee.
"I think that’s enough."
"It isn’t."
He pressed farther.
Roxie locked her knee and gripped the carpet.
The ache moved deeper into her hamstring.
Zac eased back when her breath caught.
"Keep going."
His eyes moved over her face.
Then he shifted closer.
Her ankle rested against the front of his shoulder. One knee came down beside her grounded leg.
He leaned forward.
The pressure folded her thigh toward her chest.
A moan escaped Roxie.
Zac stopped immediately.
She caught his sleeve.
"Stay."
"That hurt."
"It’s supposed to."
His brows pulled together.
"Push again."
Zac lowered himself onto both knees.
His legs settled on either side of hers while her raised leg remained braced against his shoulder.
He leaned forward.
The stretch burned hard enough to clear her head.
For the first time since the morgue, Roxie could think about something besides Claire.
"More."
He pressed farther.
Roxie breathed through her teeth.
His face hovered partly behind her raised thigh. One hand held her knee straight while the other supported the back of her leg.
"Release."
Zac eased back.
The strain softened.
"Again."
He leaned forward.
His hips shifted closer.
Something hard pressed against the center of her briefs through his sweatpants.
Zac froze.
Roxie looked down between them.
Then she looked at him.
His ears had already turned red.
"Seriously?"
He started moving back.
Roxie caught his sleeve again.
"Stay."
"Roxie."
"You got hard stretching my leg."
"You’re wearing that."
"It’s my uniform."
"You danced in front of me."
"You were supposed to watch the routine."
"I watched the entire thing."
His eyes dropped briefly.
Roxie’s mouth curved.
Zac tried to move back again.
She kept hold of his sleeve.
"I’m trying to keep it away from you."
"You’re barely touching me."
Silence filled the living room.
Heat rushed into Roxie’s face.
Zac stared at her.
The red spread across his cheekbones.
Roxie laughed.
Zac closed his eyes.
"This is humiliating."
"You brag about it enough."
"I brag when I’m wearing jeans and standing upright."
Roxie laughed harder.
For several seconds, Zac’s expression occupied all her attention.
She wanted to keep it that way.
"Come on." She pulled lightly on his sleeve. "Finish helping me."
"You’re enjoying this."
"I am."
Zac gave her a flat look.
Roxie lifted her leg higher against his shoulder.
"Push."
He lowered himself while keeping his hips back.
The stretch barely deepened.
Roxie stared at him.
Zac exhaled.
His knees slid closer along the carpet.
He leaned forward.
Her leg folded toward her chest.
His erection pressed against her again.
A rough sound left Zac’s throat.
Roxie’s breath caught.
He stopped.
"You did that on purpose," she said.
"I pushed your leg."
"With your cock?"
Zac’s jaw tightened.
Roxie bit back another laugh.
"Again."
He pressed forward.
The stretch deepened while the hard length of him dragged over the center of her briefs.
Roxie’s smile faded.
The movement felt better than she expected.
Zac eased back.
Roxie caught the front of his hoodie and pulled him forward again.
The pressure moved directly over her clit.
Her hips shifted beneath him.
Zac groaned.
His fingers tightened against her thigh.
"You moved."
"It hurt."
"Liar."
Roxie kept her hand twisted in his hoodie.
"Do it again."
Zac looked at her face.
Then he pushed forward.
The friction sharpened through her briefs.
A moan left Roxie.
Zac held the stretch, breathing heavily above her.
She could feel him twitch through his sweatpants.
He slowly eased her leg down.
Roxie wrapped it around his waist before her heel reached the carpet.
Zac stared at her.
Roxie pulled him down.
His mouth met hers hard.
She grabbed his hoodie and brought him fully against her.
Zac settled between her thighs.
His hips pressed forward without pretending the movement had anything to do with stretching.
Roxie moaned into his mouth.
A deeper sound came from Zac as his hand slid beneath her back and held her tighter against him.
Roxie tightened both legs around his waist.
Her hands slipped beneath his hoodie.
Her nails dragged across his stomach and up his side.
Zac groaned against her mouth.
His fingers tightened at her waist.
"Too hard?" he asked.
Roxie shook her head and pulled him back down.
The kiss turned rougher.
His weight pressed her into the carpet.
Zac kissed along her jaw and down her neck.
Roxie tilted her head.
His fingers caught the bottom of her cheer shell.
He stopped and looked at her.
Roxie lifted her arms.
Zac pulled the shell and sports bra upward together.
Cold air touched her breasts.
Then his mouth closed around one nipple.
Roxie cried out. "Zac."
His tongue moved over it slowly.
Her fingers tightened in his hair.
Zac ground against her.
"Fuck, Roxie."
The words broke against her skin.
The pressure struck through her briefs.
Roxie arched beneath him.
Zac’s hips pressed harder.
Another rough sound left him as he moved to her other breast. His hand closed around the first, his thumb brushing the wet nipple while his mouth worked over the second.
Roxie’s hips lifted against him.
Zac groaned and caught her waist, holding her against him while he moved again.
She pulled him back to her mouth.
Her nails dragged across his shoulder beneath the hoodie.
He reacted with a low sound and pressed closer.
The phone rang.
Zac froze above her.
The sound continued beside the television.
Neither moved.
It rang again.
Roxie let her head fall against the carpet.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Zac pressed his forehead against her shoulder, breathing hard.
The phone kept ringing.
Roxie turned her head toward the glowing screen.
DAD.
The warmth left her body.
Claire’s ashes remained beside the blue mug in the kitchen.