Free Saving Ever After (Ever After #4) by Stephanie Hoffman McManus Page B

myself.
    Obviously I
was doing a grand job of it. I had no idea where I was or what time it was. I
couldn’t find my friends anywhere in this house, and everything was more than a
little fuzzy.
    Shit, I was drunker than I
thought.
    I’d let
Leland put a drink in my hand as soon as we walked in the door, even though I tried
to tell him I didn’t really want it. I only took a few sips before discreetly
ditching it and switching to water when he wasn’t paying attention. I thought I
should be sobering up by now, but I felt much worse than I had when we got here.
I didn’t even know how long ago that was, but it didn’t feel right. I just
wanted to get out of here, but first I had to find someone I knew.
    Leland had
been clinging to my side since we walked in the door. I was surprised he hadn’t
tried to follow me into the bathroom. For some reason my instincts had urged me
to get away from him. As my thoughts grew fuzzier, I had a hard time recalling
why he’d made me uncomfortable. Now I just felt like I needed to find him or
any of my friends. I’d lost them when I went in search of the bathroom.
    I turned the
corner and smacked right into someone. A very sturdy someone. I stumbled
backward, and rough hands reached out to grab me. “Woah, there.”
    I knew that
voice
     “Leeelannn.”
I slurred, and disappointment settled in my gut. I should have been relieved
that I’d found him. I wasn’t. “I wasss looking for you,” I slapped a hand on
his chest, unintentionally leaning into him when that threw me off balance. He
just grinned down at me and rested his hands on my hips to steady me.
    “Well you
found me.” He tightened his arms around my waist and pulled my body in close to
his. He was so warm, and he smelled good, but I couldn’t quiet the part of me
that did not want his arms around me. Instead I just ignored it, and relaxed
into him. I knew he’d take care of me.
    “I need to
go home. I don’t want to be here anymore,” I sighed.
    “Then let’s
get you out of here, pretty girl.”
    He called me
pretty again.
    “Mmhmm,” I
mumbled into his chest, my head feeling lighter and my eyes growing heavier by
the second. He had to half carry me out of the house. I was pretty sure he
stopped to talk to someone, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open. A heaviness had
settled in my head, pushing me deeper toward unconsciousness. I fought it, and
Leland got me to his car, putting me in the back seat. Rather than question why
I was in the back, I just collapsed, my cheek pressed to the seat.
    My door
slammed closed. Then two more opened and closed, but wait that wasn’t right. It
was just me and Leland.
    The car
rumbled. Warmth cocooned me and quiet music streamed through the speakers,
quickly relaxing my already drowsy brain, and then there was nothing. I didn’t
remember anything else of the car ride back to the dorm, or Leland helping me
out of the car inside. It was only when I was already inside, propped up on the
bed, that I started to come around to the feel of someone’s hands undressing me
in the dark of my room. I groaned and started to bat the hands away, but a soft
voice murmured, “Shh, it’s okay, Mia. It’s me.”
    Leland, my mind registered the
voice. “I don’ feel s’good,” I mumbled, hearing the way my words came out
slurred.
    “It’s okay,
I’ve got you.” He continued to pull my dress up over my head. My mind was still
heavy and I felt it trying to pull me back under.
    “Why is she
waking up?” I thought I heard another voice, but I knew that couldn’t be right.
    There was
more whispering, “I don’t think she drank it all.”
    I heard the
words, but they jumbled in my mind. Nothing was registering. It was hard just
to focus on the voice, or voices, let alone understand what they were saying. It
was like everything was a dream, real, but not real, and nothing was making
sense.
    Then cool
plastic met my lips and my head was being tipped back. “Drink this, it will
make