Chapter 212

We pack up the remainder of our picnic, and take the short winding path back to the car.

Zack slides into the passenger seat and pulls me onto his lap, closing the doors of his orange McLaren, and trapping us in our own private little bubble. He sweeps his arms around me, and I revel in the feeling of strength, of being protected.

“Oh, Marnye,” he murmurs, putting one of his big hands on the back of my head and pulling me in for a kiss. The way Zack Brooks kisses is so different from the other boys, slow and sensual and romantic in a way that can’t be faked. He really believes in that kind of stuff, that fuck-the-rest-of- the-world, sun-is-always-shining, pink-clouds-are-in-the-sky sort of romance. Soulmates. Together forever. Young love.

I groan as Zack sucks on my bottom lip, the faintest brush of his stubble on his face tickling me as he moves his mouth along the line of my jaw, and down my throat, paying special attention to the racing of my pulse. Between my t