Boy Meets Nerd (3 page)

Levi stared at the computer screen. His gut twisted as he read through the conversation for the second time. Something wasn’t right.

Hope:

I’m

sorry,

sweetheart. Tonight just isn’t good.

Levi: Again?

Hope: You know it’s hard for me to video chat. But we will soon. I promise.

Levi: You always promise.

I don’t even know why I bother asking anymore.

Hope: I’m sorry

Levi: Do you take this

seriously? Or is this a joke to you?

Am I not important?

Hope: What? Of course you

are! This has nothing to do with you.

Levi: I’m beginning to doubt that.

Hope: Please don’t be mad.

You know you mean the world to me.

Nice words. It was just nice words meant to lure him into complacency. “Who
are
you?” he whispered.

He wanted to scream it. He wanted to reach into the computer and grab a hold of her, first to shake her then he’d kiss the hell out of her. Frustration rose and he grinded his teeth together. He would put every ounce of angst he’d felt in the last four months into that kiss. And if he had his way, he’d fuck her against the wall too.

In his head, he’d imagined it many times. Undressing her, taking his time perusing her body. He realized that he’d never appreciated just looking at his past girlfriends.

But with Hope, he’d be happy to just sit there and watch her. He’d take her slow first, enjoying every moan, every sound that left her lips.

Then he’d let loose and take out his frustration on her – for all the times she’d cancelled video chat. He’d make her come so hard, she’d never forget to video chat again.

But she was more than just an object of lust. Yes, he wanted to possess her, but he wanted to dote on her too. He wanted to play the song he wrote about her and watch her smile light up her face. He desperately wanted to hear her laugh. In his head, her laugh was amazing, her voice feminine but not too girly.

“Like little bells and fairy giggles,” he muttered then pushed back in his seat with a sigh.

Fuck Me. I’m lost.

Maybe he should write

another song and call it Fuck me, I’m Lost. He chuckled at himself.

Or Fairy Giggles.

The chat alert dinged and he checked his messages.

Hope: I’m looking at dates to come to Boston.

He shot up in his chair. Was she serious? She’d talked about coming here but never anything as concrete as deciding on a date. He typed back.

Levi: When?

Hope:

Memorial

Day

weekend?

That was two months from now. It was farther away than he wanted but it was better than nothing.

Levi: Really? You’re not

messing with me, are you?

Hope: As long as nothing comes up between now and then.

Why

did

that

sound

conditional instead of enthusiastic?

God, this girl really knew how to keep him on edge. If he wasn’t so addicted to her, he’d do the smart thing and demand she meet him
this
weekend or end the relationship.

Hope: You mean so much to

me, Levi. You’re in my thoughts all the time. Every little thing makes me think of you. Our song was on the radio yesterday and I almost broke down and cried. I want to see you so bad.

Yes! It was about damn

time. Months ago would’ve been about damn time. So why was it taking so long? If he knew where she lived, he’d hop in the car and drive there tonight.

Levi: You know I’ve been waiting to see you. It’s not me that’s taking so long.

Hope: I know. And someday

you’ll understand.

Understand?

Was

she

catfishing him? He felt so torn about this hacking stuff. On the one hand, he deserved to know. The more he thought about it, the more the red flags popped up. But trust went with love. And by spying on her, he was admitting he didn’t trust her. But how could he trust her when she wouldn’t video chat, seemed so private even after almost a year, and made these cryptic comments all the time?

Levi: Understand what?

He held his breath, eyes glued to the screen.
Please don’t
say you’re a dude. Please don’t
say you’re eighty.
A long moment later, a message finally came up.

Hope: You’ll understand

why it’s taking so long. After we meet, you can decide if you still want me.

If?
Why was she even thinking he’d dump her? He squeezed his eyes shut. Why didn’t he just ask her straight up? It wasn’t like him not to be forward. This girl got him so twisted up inside. He was pretty sure this wasn’t healthy, but he couldn’t stop. He was too obsessed to end it.

Levi: You’re not a dude, are you?

Hope: Lmao! No!

He exhaled in relief though it didn’t ease his anxiety that much.

Something still wasn’t right.

Hope:

Seriously,

it’s

nothing like that. You know me. I’ll always be me. Your Hope.

His

Hope.

The

name

seemed ironic now. His hope. He sighed and dropped his head in his hands. Maybe he should bug Emerson to do this faster. He wasn’t sure how much more uncertainty he could take. The computer beeped and he looked up.

Hope: I adore you, Levi

Morrison.

He took a deep breath and set his fingers on the keyboard. Did she know how much he cared about her? Could she feel it through these little black words on the screen? If so, she should want to meet him sooner. Maybe she thought it was a game. It was anything but a game to him. God, if they clicked as well in person as they did online, he’d marry her.

He swallowed hard and

made his fingers move.

Levi: I adore you too, Hope

Love.

“Whatever your name is,”

he said to the screen, feeling like a big dork, “I still like you.”

A boy was coming to the apartment.

Em threw six nearly-empty mugs of coffee into the sink. She’d spent the last thirty minutes cleaning up the sitting area and kitchen. It was a bit of an afterthought that she’d roomed with someone as messy as she was. Not that she was in any position to be picky. It was hard to find someone who’d put up with an anti-social night owll who didn’t cook, clean, or host house parties. Except for the mess, Jess was a perfect fit. She left Em alone to do her work, didn’t expect a lot of small talk, and screwed at her girlfriend’s place instead of theirs.

Ugh! She threw a t-shirt she found tucked into the couch cushions into her bedroom then shut the door. Too bad they couldn’t afford a maid. Cleaning was a waste of perfectly good research time. But that didn’t mean she wanted the rest of the world to know she lived like a slob.

Her gaze flew to her work station. The desk was covered in notebooks,

loose

paper,

and

unopened mail – probably unpaid bills. Straightening it would ruin everything. Right now, amidst the clutter, she knew exactly where everything was. Yes, it wasn’t a perfect system but it worked for her. If she touched even one stack of papers,

she’d

lose

track

of

everything.

With a sigh, she left it and wiped down the coffee table with Mr. Clean. Maybe the sparkling surface would distract from the clutter on her desk. A knock on the door startled her from her cleaning frenzy. She placed the spray bottle and roll of paper towels on the breakfast bar straddling the kitchen then went to the door.

Meeting

clients

at

the

apartment felt too personal but Levi had insisted on privacy to go over the details. He was already feeling guilty about invading his dream girl’s life so she’d conceded out of pity. The poor guy was in for a shock tonight.

After plastering a small

smile on her face, she opened the door. There stood Prince Charming, looking as lickable as ever.

Butterflies took off in her belly.

Really, Em?

N o w
she was nervous? If she turned into a giggly school girl around this guy, she was going to quit. It wasn’t a real crush anyway.

She didn’t like him for his personality or anything. It was purely physical. It’d been a long time since she’d been laid. And self-pleasuring wasn’t exactly high on the priority list when she had research to do.

Fuck. Why was she thinking

about masturbating while her love-sick idiot of a client stood in her doorway, waiting for her to say something?

“Uh, come in.” God, a silly boy crush was the last thing she needed right now.

Though he smiled, she could

tell his nerves were getting to him.

His fingers twitched at his sides and his smile seemed forced. In the coffee shop, he’d flashed her wide toothy grins that reached his eyes.

Now it fizzled once he walked through the door.

“Have a seat.” She gestured

to the overstuffed couch they’d picked up at a thrift shop. Her grandma had given her a recliner and the old coffee table so the apartment was decently furnished.

But where others would place a TV, she had four monitors, a keyboard, and a giant messy desk.

Levi’s brows shot up when he spotted the desk. “Wow. That’s some set up you got there.” He sunk into their couch, shifting to sit up a little. It did tend to suck people in.

She sat on her desk chair and swiveled to face him. “Yeah.

It’s a little messy but…” Her cheeks heated and she shrugged.

“I’m pretty busy.”

Having someone analyze her

work

space

was

surprisingly

uncomfortable. They didn’t have visitors in the apartment so she wasn’t used to people looking at her stuff, even from a distance. It made her feel vulnerable and she fought the urge to cover it with something. But that would be silly.

She had nothing to prove to him.

“I get it,” he said. “You should see my bedroom slash studio. When I get in writing mode, you can’t even find the floor. It gets buried in staff paper.”

Staff paper? So he was a musician. No wonder he was in love with a figment. He’d probably already written her poetry. This was going to end in disaster. For the first time since she’d started hacking for people, she considered finding a way to get out of this. Was there another option that didn’t include breaking this guy’s heart?

“Though it’s a temporary

mess. I’m a bit of a neat freak otherwise. I blame my mom.”

“I wish I could say this is temporary.” She turned to her desk and spotted a Starbucks paper cup she’d missed when she’d been cleaning. She picked it up. “I think this is from when we first met a week ago.”

He grimaced, making her

chuckle. “Where I grew up, that sort of infraction would get you severely punished.”

She

arched

a

brow.

“Really? Sounds strict.”

“Yup. You’d get a stern

lecture about what appearances mean to outsiders.” He mimicked a high-pitch motherly voice. “And what will people think if they see trash littered around your house like a frat party?”

She snorted. “Sounds like my mom. But not about the house.

She’s

more

concerned

with

personal appearance.”

His gaze swept over her

then he smiled. “And how’s that working out for her?”

Scowling, she pulled her

sweatshirt closed, concealing her tshirt that read
Sarcasm loading,
please wait
. Her mother so wouldn’t approve.

Levi laughed.

“Shut up.”

He put up his hands in a peaceful gesture. “Stand down, killer. I’m not judging. Some of the best people turn out to be the opposite of their parents. I’m pretty sure my dad’s aspirations for me didn’t include struggling musician.”

“Ha. I can beat that. My mom wanted me to be Miss Blushing Blueberry.” She pointed to herself. “Do I look like pageant material to you?”

His chest rumbled in a sexy

laugh. “You’d certainly shake things up. It might be fun.”

“Try funny. And no. Not

happening.”

“I’m already picturing it in my mind.” He closed his eyes, exaggerating a thinking face. “Black lace, dangly sleeves, those big platform boot things.”

When he opened his eyes, she arched a brow, trying to hold back a smile. “You’re ridiculous.” He shrugged. “Sometimes.”

“And I don’t dress like

that.”

“I know. But it’s funny in my head.”

This was a different side of him. At Starbucks, he’d been demanding about eye contact and lecturing about manners. Now she was surprised to find him somewhat silly. Most guys she knew were pretty one dimensional. This Levi had layers.

“So.” He leaned forward

and clasped his hands together. “Do you have good news for me?”

At least he looked a little more relaxed now, though he wouldn’t for long. For some reason, she felt especially sad about this situation. People paid her to give them information, not to have opinions or feel bad for them.

Normally, she didn’t stray from that. But there was something about this one that changed things, made her
feel
. And it wasn’t just his hot ass.

The news wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. She thought for a moment about where to start. With a sigh, she decided on the bad news. “Well, I planted a Trojan on her computer –”

“Trojan?”

“Yes, I used your email

account to send her one of those stupid cat videos so when she opened the attachment it planted a bug that gives me access to her desktop.”

His face paled as he stared at her. “You used
my
email to plant that?”

“Well, she wasn’t going to open it if it was from a stranger.”

“I’m so not okay with that.” He wiped his palms on his jeans.

“This doesn’t feel right. A cat video? And she opened it?”

She nodded. “It was a funny

one. This little kitten found a fan and it kept attacking the air, like, trying to catch it with its paws –”

“I

betrayed

her,”

he

muttered to himself.

“Actually.”

She

turned

toward the computer and fired up one of the screens. “She betrayed you first.” A picture she’d saved appeared on the monitor. “The pictures on her desktop don’t match the one you gave me. Neither does the name.”

“Who’s that?” He stood up and moved behind Emerson.

“That’s Heidi Jacobs. AKA,

Hope Love.” It didn’t look like the sunny blonde with the perfect body he showed her a week ago. Heidi had plain brown hair, slightly crooked teeth, and an average body.

Still prettier than Em but she didn’t look like the cheerleader he’d fallen in love with. That had to be a bit of a shock.

She turned to see his face.

His brow creased and he

frowned. His normally bright blue eyes were dull and lifeless. She wasn’t prepared for his reaction. A knot formed in her throat. She had the strangest urge to hug him.

She gave her head a shake.

Hugging him was the last thing she should do, no matter how sexy he was. “Anyway, the good thing is she’s a girl. And she looks to be around the same age as she told you. I haven’t confirmed the teacher thing yet but there’s a lot of teacher type documents on her desktop so that seems hopeful.”

His lips pursed together as his face morphed to a hard anger.

“Is one lie better than another?” No, but there was a time for honesty and a time for optimism.

Optimism seemed like a good choice right now. “Well, it could be worse.”

He backed away, his hands clenched at his sides. His eyes were hard now, not the soft teasing pools

of

blue

they’d

been.

“Anything else?”

She swallowed hard and

went on. “I planted a keylogger while I was there. That will record anything she types from now on. So in the next few days, I’ll have more.

Hopefully.”

He nodded briskly, still

eyeing

the

computer

screen.

Apparently he’d gotten over his guilt about the spying. Funny how a simple lie could change a whole relationship. Morals were thrown to the wind at the first hint of betrayal. It reminded her why she was in no rush to date again.

“I want to know where she lives.”

Revenge was a risk in these

situations. And by the way he looked now, it didn’t seem far from his mind. “Hey, listen. If I give you certain information and you go off on a murdering spree, I can be implicated for aiding and abetting. I can’t find prime numbers in prison.”

Finally, he looked at her.

“Murder spree? No. I just want to talk to her. Find out why she lied. Is that so wrong? I gave her four months of my life.”

In some way, she could

relate. The time she’d spent on Jonah had felt wasted after he’d left with nothing more than a goodbye.

Four months was a decent amount of time to put into a relationship.

Finding out it might have just been someone’s sick idea of a game would piss her off too.

His eyes widened for a

moment, as if he’d just thought of something. “Is she married? Does it say it she’s with anyone else?”

“Her pictures are mostly of her and what looks like other girl friends. I didn’t see –”

“Send them to me.”

“The pictures?”

“Yes. I want to see them.

All of them.”

Emerson stared at him a

moment. His charm had turned off like a light switch. He made a formidable force when he was angry.

“Okay.” She made a zip file

then emailed it to him while he paced a path behind her. “So you want me to keep going?”

Gaze on the floor, he

nodded. “How long do you need?

Can I come back this week?”

“It depends on her activity.

I’ll email you when I have new information.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared at the carpet, frowning. She felt compelled to do something, make him feel better.

Odd. She’d never had that urge before. Especially since he, and most of her clients, had put themselves in this position in the first place. He was stupid enough to believe in an online romance. He should’ve known it could’ve ended this way.

After a deep breath, she said, “You seem like a nice guy.

You must have lots of options for girlfriends.”

He arched a brow. “Are you

about to give me the ‘there are other fish in the sea’ speech?”

“No,” she lied. Scratch that spiel off the list. “I was going to say she doesn’t deserve you.”

He snorted.

Yeah, it was cliché, but what else could she say? She thought through other sentiments she’d read on Hallmark cards and in fortune cookies, but the truth was, he was hurting. Nobody could fix it for him.

“I’m sorry.” She mentally kicked herself for not being better at this. At least she didn’t have to tell him how much he owed and that she only accepted cash. That was always awkward.

After a long sigh, he nodded then seemed to brighten a little.

“Like you said, it could be worse.

Darren will be relieved to know she’s a girl at least. She talked about being stalked before. Maybe it was worse than I thought.” Sure, she’d go with that.

“Exactly. She’s probably the same girl you know, just a different hair color.”

Nodding, he peered around the room. She felt too unqualified to say anything else. The tension was annoying and she could probably get in a few hours of work before needing to sleep. How could she get him to leave while still being tactful about it?

“Hey.” He squinted at her bookshelf beside the desk. “Is that a Nintendo?”

“Yeah.”

He moved closer. “Like a real old school nineteen eighties Nintendo console?”

“Yep.”

Standing in front of the shelf, he studied it. “Does it work?”

“Of course.” She scooted

her chair back from the desk. “I used to play it when I had a TV but we had to sell it to pay rent. Once I find a new prime number though, I’ll be able to buy it back.”