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“Oh, I’m not sure, Zach” It sounded like the perfect way to close out the past few shitty days Good food, plenty of wine, and Zach Not irl could need

“No? Not in the mood for Italian? How about Mexican?”

“No, that’s not it It’s just, uet in place before I leave”

“Before you leave?”

“Yeah, you know that School starts up again in Chicago in a feeeks”

“Leave Tennessee? To go back to Chicago? Where your asshole ex is? Fuck, Toni, we haven’t even had a chance to discuss how to deal with hi?”

Per Zach’s instructions, she’d written to Chris and told hiiven her At the tih time to come up with a plan to keep that video off the ithout her having to go back to Chris

“I can handle all that by myself, Zach” Liar, liar She didn’t have the first clue how to get herself out of that mess “Now, more than ever, I want to help kids like e ofchoices”

“You’ve never once even considered the idea of staying, have you? So, I was just, what? A little so to amuse yourself hile you were on an extended vacation?”

“No, Zach, that’s not—”

He shot to his feet and rounded the desk After yanking her to her feet he sealed his lips over hers in a kiss that al she’d just said Her nipples puckered and her panties were soaked five seconds in She needed him like she’d never needed anyone else, and that alone was enough to make her break the kiss and step back

“Tell me,” he said, his face aclose to this with one of those pencil-pushing suits you date and I’ll let you go”

She couldn’t, of course She’d never felt anything close to it with any man

“Zach, that isn’t the point The plan has always been for o” She scrunched her nose as it began to tingle, warning of the inco flood of tears