Root (Band Nerd Book 2)

by Danica Avet

  His smile is sheer mockery as he starts to turn away.

  “Wait,” I say before he takes a step. Anders shifts uneasily beside me, but I can’t let Nathan destroy him, destroy us. And yeah, I’d make a deal with the devil if that’s what it took. “Do you swear you can get everything? Make it seem like the footage never existed?”

  Ivan looks at me over his shoulder, face half in shadow. “Blondie, I can make it so it seems like Nathan never existed.” His voice is ice cold, his expression almost cruel “The price is a marker from each of you, to be called on by me whenever I need it, no questions asked.”

  I glance up at Anders, who doesn’t look happy at all. Neither am I, but this seems like our only hope of getting out of the mess Nathan’s thrown us into. “I don’t like this,” he mutters, his gaze glued to Ivan as though expecting him to attack.

  Ivan draws my attention once more. “Nathan has twenty thousand riding on this game. The payout would be four hundred thou if he wins, not the kind of money the people he’s betting against would like to pay out, especially if he fixes the game. It’s also the kind of money a guy like Nathan would go to any lengths to win.”

  “Twenty thousand…” I can’t even finish the thought. Where would he get that kind of money? Do I even want to know? And what would happen to Mom?

  “It’s your choice, but when I walk away from here tonight, my offer ends. Permanently,” Ivan says in a bland voice, as though he isn’t talking about lives about to be ruined. Either mine and Anders’ or my mom’s. “And if it helps, anything I ask of either of you would most likely be legal.”

  Yeah, I don’t find that comforting, not when it’s accompanied by a flash of white teeth. “Anders?” I ask softly, looking up at him.

  “I don’t like it,” he mutters again, then takes a deep breath. “But it might be the only chance we have.” His big hand cups my cheek before he kisses my forehead. “I love you and if this is the only way I have to protect you, I’ll take it.” He looks over my head at Ivan, his glower firmly in place. “You have our markers.”

  Ivan’s smile is wide and wicked. “Excellent choice,” he says with the kind of satisfaction that makes me wonder if we’ve just messed up. “The markers are mine.” He takes his hand out of his pocket to show us a recorder or something. “I like to get proof of the agreements I make. I’ll start working on Asswipe—Nathan’s hacker—tonight. I’ll text you when shit’s taken care of. It’s been lovely doing business with you both.”

  He starts walking away, about to disappear into the darkness again when I recall that question he had in class. It seems like it happened a lifetime ago, but it was only last month. “Wait,” I call out. “Did you still need to ask me a question?”

  He’s mostly in shadow, just a vague outline amongst the trees, when he says, “Not anymore, I found my answer the same day.”

  Then he was gone. Just like that.

  “I don’t like that guy. We’re putting an awful lot of fucking trust in someone neither of us know jack shit about.”

  Tearing my gaze away from the blank darkness of the park, I look back up at Anders who really doesn’t look happy. I touch his cheek, drawing his attention back to me.

  “If I have to walk through hell to sign a deal with the devil, I’d do it in a heartbeat to stay with you, Anders. And I refuse to feel guilty if something bad happens to Nathan because he’s brought this on himself.” At least I’m pretty sure I won’t feel guilty. I might though. Ugh.

  “Yes you will,” he says with a small smile. “But I’ll be here to make it sting a little less. I promise.”

  Anders

  Ivan the fucking Terrible is our hacker, the person we’re putting the majority of our faith in to make this shit with Nathan go away. I’m not feeling a lot of confidence in this plan Rien came up with, if that’s what it could even be called. Plus the whole owing Ivan a marker… To say it makes me nervous is an understatement. I don’t like the guy under normal circumstances, but to know he’ll have access to those clips of Lena… That he knows what’s happening to us? It pisses me off.

  There’s nothing honorable about Ivan. The way he treats girls appalls me. The asshole has zero fucks to give about anything. I suppose it shouldn’t really surprise me that he’s into shady shit like hacking. Rien vouched for him though, so unless I’m prepared to go on the hunt for a new hacker—it isn’t as though they advertise their services and if they do, they can’t be very good—I’ll have to suck it up.

  “It went well,” Lena’s saying on the phone, having called her girls as soon as we drove away from the park. I glance over to see she’s frowning at the windshield. Then she laughs. “No! Actually, we uh, sort of know him already.” Her forehead crinkles again. “Yeah, it’s Ivan the Terrible.”

  The shrieking I hear makes my ear hurt and I’m not even holding the phone, but Lena just sighs and shakes her head. The talk on the other end is loud and fast. I have no fucking clue how these girls manage to understand each other on these three-way calls, but it seems to be the only way they’ll talk on the phone. I just keep my head down and smile if Lena happens to look over at me because I do not want to be dragged into one of those conversations.

  “No, of course not!” Lena interrupts. “Becca, really? No, I’m not asking him— No!” She laughs loudly, her shoulders shaking. “Oh god, no, please don’t. Nessie, can’t you talk some sense into her?” Her laughter fades. “Okay, I’ll talk to you later.” She pauses again and then says, “Do either of you know what’s going on with her lately?” She hums. “Yeah, I know. It’s strange.”

  I shake my head and concentrate on the drive. I still kind of have a hard time figuring out why Savage was almost eager for us to stay with him, but I’m thankful. I haven’t been back to my dorm since I packed most of my shit. There’s no way I’m leaving Lena right now. It isn’t as though I don’t trust Savage or anything, but she doesn’t realize she’s had nightmares the last two nights. She didn’t wake up from them, but I want to be there comfort her if she does.

  Of course, my reasons aren’t completely altruistic.

  I love her, so spending every night with her in my arms, her taste on my lips… Well, it’s been torture because neither of us were really in the mood for sex, but that didn’t stop me from kissing her and touching her, or wanting more. When it comes to Lena, I’ll always want more. Which is why my dick is twitching with interest as we both know Savage is in Baton Rouge overnight. Some kind of charity thing with his family, which means we’ll have the cottage—along with that jacuzzi out back—all to ourselves.

  “Becca,” she says warningly. “No, I’m not asking him th— Oh, that’s low!” She laughs, raising her hand to cover her face. “Fine! Hold on.”

  I glance over to see her looking at me, eyes shining even in the near darkness of the cab. “Anders, Becca wants to know if your brother’s hot,” she says in a strangled voice. “And if he needs any help putting a hurting on Nathan, she says she’s pretty good with a box cutter.”

  I roll my eyes, but feel a smile tug at my lips. “I have no fucking clue if he’s considered hot,” I mutter. “And no, she cannot help him rough Nathan up.”

  Lena relays my message, laughter clear in her voice. Those chicks might be crazy, but at least they’ve lightened her mood. As far as I’m concerned, their easy acceptance of our problem and the way they’ve chosen to handle it, and Lena, has firmly placed all three girls in my circle of protection. Even if they don’t want it.

  “Okay, I’ll see y’all tomorrow,” Lena says, finally bringing the call to an end just as we pull up to the gate of the Sauvage estate.

  The guard knows my car by now and lets us pass. I have no idea if Savage even told his family about us staying with him for a little while, but so far no one’s said anything. Either they don’t give a shit, or they’re okay with it. Both work for me.

  Lena sighs and puts her phone in her purse. “They’re so crazy,” she mutters to herself, but I can hear the smile in he
r voice. “Although something’s going on with Nessie. She’s quieter than usual and I swear as soon as I mentioned Terrible, she went completely mute. I hope it isn’t about that incident this summer.”

  I hum and keep driving, although my mind isn’t on Nessie or Ivan. It’s on what I’m going to do with my girl the minute I get her in that house.

  “Becca and Jolene noticed the same thing, so we’re going to stage an intervention as soon as we get this mess with Nathan take care of,” she continues chatting, completely unaware of my rising excitement. “Do you suppose we could fix her up with someone? Maybe Titus?” I don’t respond. No way in hell would I set anyone up with Tight. Or Savage. Or Crash. Just the thought of that drama leaking over into my relationship with Lena is enough to douse a little of my arousal. “Nah, he’s not the right fit for her. She needs someone who’ll challenge her.”

  I nod.

  She keeps talking and I’m a horrible fucking boyfriend because I stop listening. The closer we drive to the cottage, the harder my dick gets at the thought of having her all to myself. Just me, Lena, and whatever flat surface I can get her on. I don’t feel bad about that either. It isn’t like I’m after her just for a piece of ass. If I have my way, she’s gonna be the girl I marry, have kids, and grow old with. That’s how fucking serious I am about making sure she’s safe from all harm. She’s my future.

  She just might not realize that yet.

  “Anders?” she asks in a soft voice as we round the last curve leading to Savage’s cottage.

  “Yeah babe?”

  There’s the soft snick of her seat belt being released, then her hand lands on my thigh. “I love you,” she says softly, scooting across the bench.

  I gulp because, while I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of her telling me how much she cares for me, her hand’s in a hot zone. As in, my dick starts to harden even more, as though it’s trying to reach for her.

  “I love you, too.” She snuggles up to me, her head on my shoulder and that hand of hers sliding up my thigh. My entire body tenses. “Lena?” My voice is almost a squeak—a manly squeak—because her fingers are tiptoeing closer and closer to my suddenly throbbing cock. “Babe?”

  “Hm,” she hums under her breath as she wraps her fingers around my dick through my shorts. “You’re always hard for me.”

  True, I am. And I’m getting harder by the second. “Babe, we’re almost to the house,” I garble. With her fingers exploring me through the fabric, I start to leak. “Just wait until we get home and I’m all yours.”

  Soft lips brush the side of my neck. “Then you’d better drive faster,” she whispers in my ear, her teeth tugging on the lobe, sending a chain reaction of pleasure through my body. “Because I want you. Now.”

  Holy fuck. Holy fuck! For a second, I forget which pedal does what and the Bronco comes to a sharp stop. Lena giggles at my confusion, her fingers squeezing me through my clothes. Then my brain gets with the program and tells my foot to use the pedal on the right. The Bronco’s engine roars as we speed down the drive, my only thought to get out of the vehicle and into the wild girl of my dreams.

  Lena

  A laugh bubbles in my throat when Anders hits the accelerator, the force pressing me back against the seat. But I don’t lose my grip on him. I feel…free. I know, weird, right? I mean, we’re still in as much trouble as we were only a couple of hours ago, but it’s as though that meeting with Ivan—Ivan the Terrible of all people!—eased my mind. Do I trust him a hundred percent? Hell no, but something about that exchange with him makes me feel as though he’s a man on a mission. Yeah, he’s going to ask us for favors, but I somehow don’t think it’ll be anything bad.

  Maybe that makes me naive, especially considering I find him terrifying, but it’s almost as though my brain says if anyone can scare the hell out of Nathan, it should be the guy who reminds me of the Devil. Of course, the addition of Anders’ brother, who’s another badass from what he’s told me, only makes me that much more confident that we’ll beat Nathan. Not like, physically or anything. I just want the videos permanently destroyed and my stepfather out of my life. Although if someone punches him in the nose, it wouldn’t break my heart at all.

  And that’s why I’m driving my boyfriend crazy, squeezing his big erection through his shorts, teasing him. The truck barrels down the road, the porch lights guiding the way to the cottage, and yes, my panties are soaked in anticipation of what’s going to happen the minute we get through those fancy doors. Tonight is about us celebrating the formation of a plan and reaffirming our love for one another.

  It’s also about sex because he gets me hotter than the Fourth of July.

  When Anders hits the brakes, it’s a race to get out of the truck. I have a head start, since he has to put it in park, and I manage to reach the front door before he catches up to me. I freeze in place as his front presses to my back, his erection nestled against my butt, his arms coming around my waist to pull me in tighter. My heart thunders and I’m beyond soaked.

  “Unlock the door,” he says softly. “First time’s gonna be on the floor, or maybe against the wall, second’s going to be in the jacuzzi.”

  “Oh my god,” I whimper as I pull the key Beau gave me out of my pocket.

  My hand fumbles as I try to fit it to the lock, taking a lot longer than usual because Anders starts nuzzling my neck, his unshaven face abrading the sensitive skin until I feel as though I’m going to melt into a puddle of Lena. The door finally—finally, otherwise we would’ve probably made another sex tape via the Sauvage family’s security cameras—opens.

  Anders guides me inside without letting me go, kicking the door shut behind him. His strength and speed, both of which have earned him a spot on the football team, are showcased when he spins us to face the wall, his teeth nipping my neck, hands roaming over my body with single-minded intent. I want to touch him too, but he keeps me captive against the wall, palms flat and feet spread.

  When his hands slip under the hem of my shirt, I drop my head back, resting on his shoulder, back arched, offering myself up to him. I love the sensation of his calloused fingers caressing my skin, which pebbles in reaction, my nipples tightening to hard points before he even reaches my breasts.

  “Love touching you,” he says, echoing my thoughts. “I’d keep you naked and ready for me twenty-four seven if I could.” His teeth tug on the lobe of my ear, sending a jolt of pleasure straight to the aching flesh between my legs. “That way I could be inside you whenever I wanted.”

  The image of him bending me over any flat surface, of laying me out, of making love to me anywhere he wanted, sears into my brain. I moan. But not just because he’s a dirty talker. Oh no, my man’s hands cup my breasts, sliding under my bra cups to pinch my nipples between his thumbs and fingers. His hips rock into mine, making my fingers curl.

  “I can’t get enough of you, Lena,” he confesses, as he continues tormenting my breasts. “And I don’t even want to. I could crawl inside you and never come out.”

  “Yes,” I whisper, grabbing one of his hands and dragging it over my stomach to the waistband of my shorts, showing him exactly where we both wanted him to be. “I want that, too.”

  The tips of his fingers dip beneath my panties, my inner muscles clenching with anticipation, my breath nothing more than harsh, needy pants, and—

  “You probably want to stop right there.”

  Deep and gravelly, the disembodied voice comes from our right, causing me to squeal and cover up my already covered chest—except, my boobs aren’t inside my bra anymore—and turn away. Anders swears loudly and profusely, reaching over my shoulder to hit the lights.

  “What the fu—? Rien?” His voice goes from pissed off to shocked in less than three words, prompting me to glance over my shoulder just in time to see my boyfriend launch himself at a man standing several feet away.

  When they meet, it’s like the clash of the titans. Seriously. They’re both tall, although Anders has a few inches on the o
ther man, and muscled. But that’s about where the similarities between them end, because Anders’ messy mop of blond hair is absent on his brother, who’s shaved completely bald. They exchange some kind of handshake slash shoulder clap thing, that exposes Rien’s face to me over Anders’ shoulder.

  Heavy-lidded eyes, a darker shade of blue than my boyfriend’s, observe me coolly from a face that could’ve been carved from granite. Don’t get me wrong, he’s attractive, but there’s a hardness in Rien that’s absent in Anders, as though he’s seen the worst life has to offer and considering he’s been in prison I know he has. My cheeks heat as he surveys me, measuring me—probably trying to decide if I’m good enough for his little brother—and finds me lacking.

  My rapidly beating heart slows, but the intensity doesn’t decrease. In Rien’s cold gaze, I see nothing but disapproval. If I thought Ivan the Terrible used to scare me—and still does to an extent—he has nothing on Rien. The only family Anders recognizes. His big brother. The one who tried to protect him, who encouraged him to follow his dreams and forget all about his life back home. Rien could drive a wedge between me and Anders, and if his cool appraisal is any indication, he’s already planning to do just that.

  Anders

  Even though my body isn’t happy with Rien’s untimely appearance, I’m glad to see him. It’s been awhile since I was able to see him without a glass separating us. Prison… I didn’t expect him to come out full of sunshine and roses, but the hardness in his face, the way he’s bulked up, and the additional tattoos that covers his arms all speak of a man who’s changed. And not necessarily for the better. But he’s here to help me, the same way he’s helped me ever since I was old enough to walk.

  “It’s good to see you,” I say, unable to keep from smiling. Then my smile dies as a thought strikes me. “How did you get here so soon? And how did you get in? The guard didn’t mention anything about you being here.”