How to Seduce a Band Geek (16 page)

“Levi?”

“Yeah?”

My voice shuts off, but my eyes stay open to take in his features again. He’s got a worry line just over the bridge of his nose. His eyebrows are pulled down, and his lips are slightly parted as if he’s having trouble breathing. And those blue eyes look at me like they don’t want to be looking anywhere else.

“What is it, Sierra? Do you need me to get you anything?”

I shake my head, as much as I can, and let my eyes fall closed.

“It’s nothing. I just…” I yawn, and my mind starts drifting away. “I just think you’re really beautiful.”

A light chuckle comes from the side of the bed, then warm lips press into my forehead. “Sleep. I’ll stand guard.”

I think I manage a twitch of a smile, but I’m out before I can think about it too hard.

***

It’s weird. Something horrible happens, and when you come out of that first sleep afterward, part of your brain thinks it didn’t. Maybe it’s the optimistic chum up there floating around, whispering in your ear, going, “Hey, we were just messing with you in your sleep. It’s all good.”

I smile and stretch for about five seconds, then I feel the tight, binding fabric of my jeans and a chain pulling at the pocket. My head does a one-eighty, flipping to the reality chum who remind me that yeah, that drug in your drink really did happen.

I’m still tired. My body feels like I ran five thousand miles in mud. One quick glance at the clock that says
4:37
tells me I could easily roll over and fall back asleep, but my throat’s dry, and I have to pee.

When I sit up, Levi adjusts himself on the floor, sticking his phone in his pocket and rubbing his eyes.

“You stayed,” I say, but it comes out breathy and scratchy. I need water.

He nods, bringing a knee up to rest his elbow on. There are dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. His hair sticks up in the back, like he leaned against my wall all night.

“Do you need anything?” he asks, moving his other knee up.

“Um…I was going to get some water.”

“I’ll get it.” He slowly gets to his feet, shaking his head and stretching his eyelids open to perfect circles, like he’s trying
really
hard not to fall asleep standing.

“I can do it,” I mumble, but he’s already halfway to my door. He puts his finger out in a half-assed threatening way, and I relax my butt back into my mattress. “Okay, there are water bottles in the fridge. But be super quiet. My parents…”

“Got it.”

I wait till I hear his feet on the stairs before I tiptoe to the bathroom. I definitely don’t need his help with this.

When I walk back in, Levi’s looking at his phone again, standing by my nightstand where he’s set down my water. He’s wearing his Cineplex 17 uniform and smells a little bit like popcorn. I take a step toward him, and he smashes his phone in his pocket and holds my arms as I slide back in bed. It’s like he thinks I’ll break or something.

“I’m okay,” I assure him, keeping my eyes on his bloodshot ones. “I’m just tired.”

“Sorry.” He lets go of my arms, and I wonder what the hell I was thinking not playing up the damsel in distress. But he looks worried, and I have to let him know I’m mostly coherent in the brain region. He kneels next to the bed and slams his now interlocked fingers down on the comforter as I take long gulps of my water. “I’m just… hell, it was scary, Sierra. I’m just hoping you’re really awake this time.”

“Have there been false alarms?”

He nods, but his eyes never leave mine. I never noticed how intensely he stares. Or maybe it’s because he’s scared.

“I’m trying to figure out what was in your drink, but Adam’s having a hard time getting it out of Sydney.”

At her name, instant floods rise behind my eyes, and I drop our staring contest. It’s bad enough I was drugged at a party. But it was my friend who brought it—who had to have known what was going to happen. She let them put it in my drink. She let me drink it. She sat there and let everything happen like it was no big deal. I can’t even feel anger. I’m past that. I feel so
violated.

I gulp and shake my head, trying with all my tear-stopping power not to cry. But to hell with it. It hurts to hold back.

Levi tiptoes his fingers across the mattress. “Do you mind if I hug you?” he asks, stretching his legs up so he’s closer to my eye level.

I shake my head, a few tears splashing off my face and onto his arm. He stands, then slides onto the sheets toward me. He’s taking it slow, probably because he doesn’t want to scare me or anything, but he’s going too slow. I pull his arm as hard as I can and slam my face into his chest. He lets me curl into him, rubbing my back and rocking me slightly. I wonder if he even knows how much he’s doing. My mind isn’t anywhere near what I would feel like under normal circumstances. Like how we snuggled on the couch, or when he held my hand. Those were probably the best feelings I’ve ever felt. This—even though I’m crying my eyes out, I’m terrified over what might’ve happened, or what did happen before Levi and Adam got there—this is the best feeling I’ve ever had. Knowing he’s more than a pretty face. More than a fun person. He’s someone who cares.

“Sierra?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you…can you… remember anything?”

I go to lean back, but he holds me closer.

“I know it’s probably not the right time to talk about it, but I won’t be able to leave you until I know everything.” He rocks me again. “Please?”

I suck in a deep breath then let the air seep out onto his chest. Closing my eyes, I spill everything I remember. The payment, the drinks, my confusion. Hands, voices, laughter. It’s fuzzy and blurry, but I remember it. I remember Adam and Levi talking too, and I tell him that.

“That’s it, I think,” I say, surprising myself that I made it through without any more tears. “If I knew what was happening, I never would have…”

Levi sighs, adjusting his body under me so I’m more in his lap. “Do you know what an Ambien party is?”

I shake my head, letting my gaze flick up to the bottom of his chin.

“I’m pretty sure you just experienced a version of it. Basically pills are your way in, and they play a game with them. Sometimes it’s fish in a bowl and take whatever you pick, then people have to guess what you’re on by the way you’re behaving. Then whoever guesses right gets to… well, do whatever they want with you.”

“So…those girls. Everyone… they all knew what was happening?”

Levi shrugs. “If they brought the pill, and knew if the guys were answering right or wrong, then, yeah. I’m assuming they did.”

Everyone…but me. “So, if they called my number, and I was too far out of it to answer, what would’ve… I mean, how…?”

I sit up, and he stares in my eyes again. He looks like he wishes he could give me an answer that would ease my mind, but he doesn’t. “Whoever picked your number, would’ve won by… default.”

All my insides shrivel up. I clench my legs together and pull my knees to my chest, Levi’s arms loosen around me, but they don’t let go. There were hands on my body. Hands and yelling and laughing. Warm breath on my face. I don’t remember much of anything after that. Only outside when the cool breeze took over and woke me up enough to hear Adam and Levi. But before that, anything could’ve…

“I think I’m going to be sick.”

“It’s messed up, I know.”

“No,” I wiggle out of his arms, putting a bit of space between us. Heat is starting to lick every inch of my insides. “I mean, really sick.”

He starts to move off the bed. “Do you need a bucket? A trash can?” He looks around the room for anything I could use to puke in, but that’s not the sick I’m talking about.

I feel more violated than before. I’m trying to dissect my body to see if it’s different in any places. But I just feel sore. And that freaks me out.

“No.” I pull my knees closer. “I’m tired. I need to sleep more or something. I need to make it go away for a while. Sleep it away. I need to just sleep it away.”

He pushes the comforter back, and I crawl into it, shaking and forcing myself to close my eyes. Even though all I see now behind my lids is what I couldn’t see before. Horrible images and a million different candidates.

I hear Levi move back to the floor, and I wonder if he’s ever going to sleep. He probably should sleep, but he won’t until I tell him it’s okay. But before I do, I have to know…

“Um, Levi? Did you see who it was who had my number? Who… won by default?”

“What?”

“All these faces keep playing through my head. I don’t know why, but I just want to know what the right face is, so I can avoid him, or castrate him, or—”

Arms are around me again and I jump, still somewhere in my nightmare. Levi waits till I’ve calmed down, then pulls me tight against him.

“No one touched you. Not a single person there. I promise. Adam pulled you off Sydney and dragged you from the house before anyone could lay a hand on you.”

“And Sydney?”

“I got her.” Levi pushes my face back, taking it in his palms. “No one touched you.”

A warm wave runs through my body, relaxing my limbs and making me melt further into him. I fall on him again, putting enough of my strength into getting him to stay on the bed with me. To hold me and protect me from all the bad guys out there.

“Thank you,” I whisper, right before I start to drift off again.

He clears his throat, and his voice comes out a little soggy. “You’re welcome.”

I want to sleep, but his hitched breaths and sniffles make it near impossible. I pull his head into my shoulder and cry with him till we’ve both run out of energy to do anything but dream.

Chapter 17

I’m never going to make the first move ever again.

Adidas should make a popcorn scented cologne. Something with the word “comfort” in it, because that’s how it makes me feel when I inhale Levi’s black Cineplex polo. He’s still asleep, nose pushed into my pillow, and only one of his eyes is visible. His mouth is wide open, and a trail of drool travels down the corner of his lip. One arm is flopped over my stomach while the other is probably dangling off the edge of the bed. His legs are miles apart from each other, taking up the entire space at the bottom of the mattress. I’m sort of trapped underneath him, but I don’t care
at all
. I’ll just quickly shut my eyes when he opens his and do the fake snore thing so he’s not embarrassed about basically sleeping on top of me.

I wish I could reach up and touch his floppy blond hair. Even if I could move, I’m not sure if I’d have the guts to touch him like that. He’d probably wake up and be all, “Uh, why the hell are you petting me?”

Something vibrates near my hip, and before I can shut my eyes to do the fake sleep thing, Levi flies from the bed and says, “Who’s there?” to my closet. A giggle rumbles past my lips, and Levi turns to look at me, ears flaming. He blinks a few times, then his shoulders relax. “Uh, hey.”

“Hey,” I say back, sitting up. My belt buckle digs into my bellybutton, and I make a face as I adjust these stupid pants. I think I’ll have to cut them off to get out of them.

He yawns, stretching his arms, and his shirt raises enough for me to catch skin. I zap my eyes to the ceiling so he doesn’t catch me drooling, even though he just poured all over my pillow.

“I think your phone went off,” I tell the ceiling.

The mattress squeaks when he sits back down. I bring my gaze to his back as he opens his cell.

“Ah crap.” He twirls around to check my alarm clock. “I’m late for work.”

“Is that who called?”

He shakes his head, yawning again before he answers. “No, it was Adam. He said Sydney’s doing okay.”

I toy with the chain on my pants, nodding to my knees. I’m happy she’s okay, but I also have to shove the desire to tear her a new one via text deep into my gut and save it for later. Levi’s already late for work, and if I start crying and yelling obscenities at my phone, he’d probably stay.

“What about you?”

“Huh?”

He bends a leg and settles it on the bed as he turns toward me. “Are you doing okay?”

I flop back on my pillows and stretch my limbs, taking inventory of all my body parts. Nothing feels tired or sore. Just feels like I woke up from a long nap. And my brain’s back, so that’s good.

“I’m good. Everything seems to be functioning normally.” Or as normal as they can with Levi sitting on my bed. I sigh, then hoist myself upright again. That damn belt buckle is going to split me in half.

He laughs at whatever face I make. “That’s good, but I meant, are
you
okay?”

Besides the fact one of my best friends is in deep shit with me, I actually am okay. Thanks to my other friends. Thanks to him.

My fingers won’t stop shaking as I reach for his hand. “Totally fine. Thank you for… you know, all of what happened.”

He nods, but his face gets sort of funky looking. Like he’s trying to be happy, but he’s not doing a very good job of it. Poor guy needs more sleep.

“I gotta run,” he says, sliding from the bed. I get to my feet too. We walk to the front door in silence. I’m not sure if it’s because we have nothing to say, or because we don’t want to wake my parents up. It doesn’t really matter because he holds my hand the whole way.

He turns around when we get to the porch and tugs me in an airtight hug. I hold onto him as long as he lets me. The words “Thank you” never seem to be enough, so I keep quiet.

He smells so warm and safe. Without even thinking I turn my face to his cheek, breathing hard and having a hell of a time concentrating on anything but the light scruff on his chin and how his hands inch up my back.

My heart goes crazy, and party poppers shoot off in my stomach. I think I’m going to kiss him.  I keep tilting my face toward him, inching my lips closer to his. My eyes lift to his to make sure he doesn’t look totally grossed out. I see slight panic, a smile, and probably something he sees written all over my expression.

Turned on as hell.

I smile and get up on my tippy toes to close the distance, but he starts talking, stopping me in my tracks.