“Always?” I echo, fear digging claws into my throat. “Like…every single time?”
“Pretty much,” he confirms, “but I’ve never been bitten. I did have one slither right over the top of my bare foot once, though. Made sure I wore shoes the next time.”
My toes curl tighter, but there’s nowhere for them to hide in my strappy brown sandals. “Why didn’t you tell me that before I came out here nearly barefoot?” I squeak, feeling more trapped with every passing second.
I glance over my shoulder, but it’s at least two hundred feet back to the main path, and who knows what lies on the other side of the orchard or how long it would take me to find my way back to the house if I run screaming in that direction.
“It’s okay,” Zack says in a soothing voice, realizing he’s set something borderline psychotic in motion.
“I just really hate snakes.” I fight to swallow past the terror ball lodged under my tongue, but it isn’t easy. At all. “Once, when I was five, I saw a boa constrictor eat a baby bunny at the zoo. I’ve never been quite the same since.”
Zack takes a careful step closer. “Well, there aren’t any boa constrictors around here. Just harmless garter snakes and rat snakes and maybe a copperhead or two, but they all just want to be left alone. As long as we don’t step on them, we’ll be okay. And I’ll make sure we don’t. I’ll keep one eye on the ground at all times.”
I shake my head, but I can feel myself relaxing as his fingers skim down my neck to squeeze my bare shoulder. “But they’re experts at camouflage. You might miss one.”
“I won’t miss one,” he promises.
“But you might, and if you get bitten by a venomous snake, I’m not strong enough to carry you back to the house.”
“Then you can leave me here and run for help,” Zack says, pushing on before I can ask what we’re going to do if we’re both bitten at the same time. Possibly by a two-headed mutant snake or a nest of vipers all coiled together and waiting for some yummy human flesh to chomp. “But I’m not going to get bitten, and neither are you. Today is going to be a good day, no matter what the music industry has to say about it.”
I cock my head, snake fears fading to a background drone. Is this what’s been bothering him since we woke up this morning? “What do you mean ‘what the music industry has to say about it?’ I thought you said Chip was just checking in about some paperwork.”
Zack’s jaw muscle tightens into a ball beneath his skin. “That was…partly true.”
Propping a fist on my hip, I arch a brow. “Partly true? That’s not the kind of true I like. You can tell me if things aren’t going well, you know.” My mind coughs out a possible explanation for a cranky music industry professional, and I add, “And if I’m slowing down your progress, I can leave. Seriously. My feelings won’t be hurt. Theo already offered to come pick me up, so I can—”
“No.” Zack pulls me against him with a sudden flex of his arm, making my breath rush out as my breasts flatten against his chest. “Don’t leave.”
“I don’t want to leave,” I whisper, my hormones starting the “We Heart Zack” party, the way they do every time he’s close to me, even with two layers of clothes between us and the threat of snakes lurking in the grass. “But if I’m interrupting your flow, then I should go, Zack. You’re here to make beautiful music, not beautiful love.” My lips quirk up. “No matter how much we both enjoy the second one.”
“We do enjoy the second one.” He threads his fingers into my hair as he cups my cheek with his other hand. “Productivity isn’t the problem. I’ve written more songs in the past week than in the past year.”
I blink. “Well, that’s good, right? So what is Chip upset about?”
“Chip and his ‘team’ don’t think they’re on point for a strong solo career launch. They’re too emotional. Too soft or…feminine or something like that.”
“Too feminine?” I huff. “That’s ridiculous. Who says only girls get to have feelings? Or only girls can be gentle? I love that you’re gentle and have feelings, and believe me, there is never any doubt in my mind that you’re also one hundred percent man.”
His eyes darken as his fingers thread deeper into my hair. “Yeah? No doubt?”
My tongue slips out to wet my lips. “Well, maybe a tiny, itsy-bitsy shred, but that’s only because I have a terrible memory. But I’m sure if you get me naked again, I’ll be back to one hundred percent again before you know it.”
“Then I guess there’s only one thing left to do…” He slants his head, but I pull back, resting my hands against his chest.