Captivate Me (Book One: The Captivated Series) (6 page)

I scurried to my closet to find
something suitable. Surely I had brought a skirt. I couldn’t
remember. “Where we going?” Anna asked with a yawn.

“Into town.”

“We can leave?”

“If you have a car, you can. They let
us leave on the weekends as long as we’re back by
dinner.”

“Awesome!” she replied, bouncing from
the bed and rummaging through the suitcase she hadn’t had time to
empty yet.

I cheered internally as I pulled out a
jean skirt that was hanging in the very back. “We’re all wearing
skirts today,” I informed her and grabbed a matching top. As I
headed to the bathroom to shower, I reminded myself to find Levi
before we left and thank him for the flower.

* * *

“You sure this looks okay?” Anna asked
with a sheepish grin, tugging on the only other skirt I owned and
had let her borrow. I could tell she wasn’t used to wearing
anything short.

“Looks great,” I said, appraising her
as we hurried out to the parking lot where the girls were already
waiting in Sarah’s silver Volkswagen Jetta. “You have great
legs.”

A suggestive whistle from
the courtyard stopped us in our tracks.
Ronnie.
He and Levi lumbered toward
us with footballs tucked under their arms, their wide eyes doing
their own appraisal of our outfits – and I think they liked what
they saw. “Where you guys going?” Levi asked as he pulled me into a
hug and sweetly kissed my hair. I contemplated tilting my head so
his lips would plant to mine, but I wanted our first kiss to be in
private. “And nice outfit.”

“Thanks. We’re having a girls’ day,” I
replied.

“Oh,” he said with a tinge of
disappointment.

“We’re looking for dresses,” I
added.

He instantly perked. “Oh! For the
dance?”

“Yep.”

“I guess I should have asked you,
huh?” he said, kissing my head again, “In case you weren’t clear
that I wouldn’t want to go with anyone else.”

I chuckled. “I already made that
assumption.”

“Dude…” Ronnie
interrupted. “You didn’t
ask
her?”

“I didn’t have to!” he
argued.

“Do I have to show you
how
everything’s
done?” He grabbed Anna’s hand and kneeled, laying his
football on the ground beside him. Her eyes widened, her face
flushing with embarrassment and joy. “Anna-Grace?” he said
theatrically, almost too melodramatic to sound genuine. Everyone in
the courtyard paused to observe, and my own face flushed
pink.

“Y-yes?” she managed.

“Will you do me the sublime honor of
accompanying me to the dance?”

“Of course,” she said, and I could
tell she tried with every fiber of her being not to squeal and jump
up and down.

Ronnie kissed her hand and
slid a glance at Levi. “Now
that’s
how it’s done.”

Levi rolled his eyes as if to say,
“oh, brother.”

Everyone in the courtyard clapped
enthusiastically, and as Ronnie stood to give Anna a hug, I turned
to Levi to make sure Ronnie hadn’t completely humiliated him. He
looked like someone had taken away his favorite toy. “Hey,” I said,
nudging him. “You didn’t have to ask me.”

He shrugged and averted his eyes. “But
maybe I should have.” Yep, he was embarrassed.

I took his face in my hands, making
sure his eyes met mine and clung. “Hey,” I insisted. “I didn’t need
you to ask me. I know how you feel.” I hated the look on his
handsome face – sad and frustrated with himself. I fought the urge
to kiss him right then and there.

“Good. But I’ll ask you formally if
you want me to.”

I smiled, holding his gaze until he
smiled back. “You’re plenty romantic as it is,” I said, thinking of
the flower. I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Thank you for the
flower last night.”

Surprised, his head jerked from my
grip. “Flower?” he replied, his smile wavering.

“Yeah…” I searched his eyes, confused.
Did he have amnesia? “The one you put on my pillow last
night?”

He blanched. “I…” Humiliation seeped
back into his face. “I didn’t leave you a flower, Kat.”

The revelation stopped my
heart for a beat, and my hands dropped to my sides.
He didn’t?
Well
who
did?

“Did they leave a note?”

I shook my head, numb. Who
the hell would sneak into my room in the middle of the night?
Hoping to conjure a face or an explanation, I scoured my memories
of classes and everyone I’d talked to the past week. Nothing stuck
out. I focused back on his face, hardened with jealousy. So much
for making him feel better. I pressed my hand over his heart. “I
don’t care about the flower,” I said confidently, although my
elusive visitor both intrigued and horrified me. Had they watched
me sleep? And quite frankly, I
did
care, but I wouldn’t let him know that it made me
feel anything at all. “If it wasn’t from you, I don’t want
it.”

He ran his hand through his hair, his
eyes portraying his internal struggle to grasp it all. This
bothered him more than being shown up by Ronnie, and he wouldn’t be
able to shake it as easily, either. Maybe I should kiss him now;
that would be the only thing that could turn this disaster of a
morning around. Why couldn’t anything go smoothly for
us?

Honk! Honk!

We all turned to see Sarah
and Ivy waving us to come on.
Jeez!
I held up my finger to say “hold on.” We were
well past our agreed upon leave-time, but the dresses would still
be there if we didn’t leave for five more friggin’ minutes. I
wanted to make sure Levi was okay. “Have fun,” he said, giving me a
quick hug and heading for the courtyard. I pulled on his arm.
“Levi,” I said, desperate to make him feel better. He turned to me
with an unreadable expression. It killed me. “I’ll be back by
dinner,” I said and decided to inject some levity, “and I want to
see a smile on that gorgeous face of yours when I
return.”

His lips quirked into a
half smile.
Much
better.
“Okay, babe,” he said,
planting one last kiss on my head, and he and Ronnie made their way
back to the courtyard. An afternoon with his crazy friends and he’d
feel better when I got back. Hopefully.

“You guys all right?” Anna asked,
noting our awkward exchange.

“We’re fine,” I said and debated
whether or not to tell her about the flower. Maybe later. All I
wanted to do now was some mindless dress shopping with my
friends.

Honk! Honk!

And to jab a knife into Sarah’s
steering wheel.

* * *

The outing was much-needed; I hadn’t
had a girls’ day in months, which really felt like years. I finally
felt like my life had settled back into normal – my new normal,
anyway… minus creepy visitors leaving me flowers while I slept… and
weird dreams about the boy in the woods.

While riding down the absurdly long
driveway back to school, I slipped on the wedge sandals I had
kicked off once we got in the car to come home, but my feet still
ached. I should have worn sneakers today. We had shopped at three
different dress stores in town, ate at a trendy sandwich shop, and
made sure to browse every store on the square just for fun before
stopping by a shoe store on the way back to find heels that went
with our dresses. We were now skidding into the parking lot with a
few minutes to spare.

“I’m so glad you went with the black
one, Kat,” Sarah said.

“Yeah,” Ivy echoed.

“You sure it doesn’t look like I’m
going to a funeral?”

Anna shoved me playfully. “Stop that.
It looks gorgeous on you!”

“And Levi will love the neckline,” Ivy
added.

“Too late now, anyway,” Sarah said.
“You’ve already bought it.”

True. It was a done deal. I had
teetered between the black one and the royal blue, but I liked the
way this one plunged in the front – enhancing what little breasts I
had – and the way it flared at the bottom like a princess gown,
showing off my slender waist. The fabric also shimmered with a hint
of silver iridescence. I had matched a scalloped diamond necklace –
well, a cubic zirconium necklace – with it and a pair of strappy
black heels. When I came out of the dressing room, everyone gasped,
even the sales lady, who I could never tell if she was saying
dresses looked good on us because they really did, or if she was
trying to make a sale. Either way, the girls seemed to love it, and
Sarah would definitely tell me the truth. I think her exact words
were, “you look like freakin’ royalty!”

Because we were the last ones to
arrive back by curfew, we parked in the farthest parking spot in
the back. Just my luck. I’d have to hobble in with my sore feet
like an old, worn out pack mule. I certainly felt like one,
complete with shopping bags. I secretly wished for Levi to come
pick me up at the car and carry me in. He probably would have if I
was able to use my cell phone to text him. Not having cell service
here sucked.

We all clambered out of the car with
our fists full of shopping bags and hurried for our rooms. Except
me. I hobbled. Anna glanced back. “Don’t wait on me!” I yelled
after them, making a mental note to wear these shoes in the future
when I would only be in them for an hour or two.

When they disappeared through the
large double doors, I slowed even more, and my eyes involuntarily
cut over to the woods. No silhouette this time, but I felt this
strange pull – like in my dream – to go exploring. My gaze stopped
on a bush with the white flowers from my room this morning, and I
halted. The visitor from my dream appeared in my thoughts, soft,
crystalline blue eyes and all. Now I really wanted to go exploring.
I looked back at the school. Everyone would wonder where I was if I
didn’t show up for dinner, but I could always sneak out and go
tonight. The idea sent an odd, pleasing thrill through my soul.
Shouldn’t I be scared to go into the woods at night?

The bell rang for dinner,
and I jumped.
Crap.
I needed to get going.

* * *

I dumped my bags on my bed, hung up my
new dress, and changed into my uniform in record time. I scampered
down the hall toward the lunchroom – much easier to do in
comfortable flats. As I rounded the corner, a hand reached out,
gently grabbing my forearm. I squealed. “Shhh,” Levi said, pressing
me against the wall. My mind had to take a moment to adjust, but
once it did, I read the excitement and mischievousness on his face.
A better look on him than before. He had taken the time to fix his
hair, and he smelled of crisp, clean soap and fabric softener. His
bronze skin had been kissed by the sun from playing football
outside. A day with his buddies had served him well. “I missed you
today,” he said suggestively, his lips at the cusp of my
ear.

My entire body hummed. “I missed you
too.”

Before another thought
could form, his lips eagerly fused to mine. So soft and warm. He
pulled me closer so my body molded to his, and my hands tangled in
his golden hair.
Our first
kiss!

His tongue slid between my
lips, and a shiver ran through me.
Oh
my…
Our heads wove together as the kiss
deepened, warming me from the inside out. I could have stood here
and done this with him forever. Screw dinner!

An unwelcome noise
interrupted us – someone making kissy noises. Startled, we pulled
away from each other and saw Ronnie’s head peeking from behind the
lunchroom door. Levi gave him a triumphant smile, went back in to
plant another brief kiss on my lips and took my hand. “And
that
, Ron, is how it’s
done.”

CHAPTER FOUR

___________________

Footsteps and
Flowers

It took the better part of
dinner to form a coherent thought, and I knew now that I was in
trouble… I’d want to make out with Levi every chance I got – a hard
thing to accomplish in a school where they were always watching. I
could practically feel my teenage hormones surging through my veins
like a raging river. And it was a good call on Levi’s part to
surprise me with an impromptu lip-locking-fest; I didn’t have time
for thoughts of doubt or other girls who might have wanted him
more. Hannah
who?
He was officially mine.

My mom’s voice echoed
through my mind.
“Just have fun… at this
age you’re just supposed to be having fun.”
And I planned on it. All my others concerns seemed like a
foggy, distant memory.

As I glanced at Sarah and
Dawson, Dawson looking worse for the wear with his disheveled hair
and circles rimming his eyes, I brought a forkful of spaghetti to
my mouth. Word had it they were already having sex; surely she
would know of some private places around here that Levi and I could
go to. Then I realized that it would skeeve me out to go to a place
where they had possibly… er, you know… so maybe Levi and I could
find some dark corners of our own. Not to ‘do the dirty,’ though; I
hadn’t gone that far with a boy yet. I was probably one of the only
seventeen-year-old girls left who hadn’t, and I was okay with that.
I wanted it to be special and not have to experience it the way
some of my friends had described. Liz had lost her virginity in her
boyfriend’s musty basement so his parents wouldn’t hear. They had
used his gaming chair, and their legs had gotten tangled up in his
control cords. Not sexy. Or special. I would be a little more
selective of my place and time – if my hormones didn’t get the best
of me. But I
did
know that I didn’t want to lose mine in a shadowy corner or a
stairwell of this school.