How to Keep a Secret

“No,” she said. “I never saw the queen.” She lives in a palace, dumbass.

She glanced across the beach and saw Nick making out with someone she recognized from her English class, a girl who sat next to Kennedy. Even as she looked, the girl fumbled for the zipper of his jeans and Mack looked away quickly.

“Ignore them,” Mitch advised. “They need to get a room. Which they probably will later. Help yourself to a beer.”

Mack hesitated. If she refused, she ran the risk of being teased, and if she accepted she ran the risk of being caught drinking under age and that wasn’t good either.

In the end she accepted and decided to find a way to spill some of it.

She half wished her mom would call to check where she was, but for once her phone was silent.

Mitch lit a cigarette, took a long drag and then offered it to her.

Mack shook her head. Not even to fit in was she prepared to inhale that noxious stuff.

He shrugged and smoked it himself instead.

She glanced round to see where Kennedy was and caught a glimpse of her blond head inside one of the cars. The windows were steamed up so you couldn’t even see inside.

Mack decided that was probably a good thing.

She shouldn’t have come.

She definitely shouldn’t have come.

The wind was cold and she shivered.

“You’re cold?” Mitch crushed the cigarette under his boot and pulled her against him. “I’ll warm you up.”

She wanted to push him away but she was so cold she was grateful for any warmth she could get.

“How long are we staying?”

“

We only just got here.” He pressed his mouth to hers and she tasted cigarettes and almost choked.

It was gross. How could anyone think this was fun?

She tried to shove him away, but his arms were like bands of steel.

For the first time since she’d agreed to this stupid trip, she felt a flash of real fear.

Mitch grinned down at her. “You could be a little more friendly.”

“I need to get home.” She tried to push him away again but the more she pushed the more he tightened his arms.

“Hey, relax. We’re having some fun, that’s all.”

She knew this wasn’t fun and she also knew she was in serious trouble. If she ever found a way out of this, she was never, ever making a bad decision again. “Let me go!”

“You heard her.” The voice was deep and came from right behind her.

She recognized it instantly. It belonged to the same person who had come to her rescue last time she’d been in trouble.

Scott Rhodes.

Relief flooded through her. She knew that later she was going to feel humiliation along with a whole lot of other uncomfortable emotions, but right now all she cared about was that she was safe. It didn’t occur to her that Scott might not be able to handle this group. He looked like the kind of guy who could handle anything.