Page 126 of The Scientist

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Too easy.”

I smiled before I started to play. I did have quite a catalog of music in my brain. Notes and chords had always come easily to me. Sarah knew I was a safe bet. They all started whistling and cheering as I played the song through the first chorus.

“Bring It on Home.” Louis narrowed his eyes. “Led Zeppelin.”

Sarah made a scoffing noise. I skipped the intro and started to play the section Jimmy Page comes in on the song because I knew that’s what he wanted to hear. I heard more whistling and cheering as I played. They started to throw more songs out at me in rapid succession. Most of them I knew until Dan gave me an obscure Creedence Clearwater Revival song that he had to play for me off his phone. I was able to play it back for him after about thirty seconds of listening.

“Pay up.” Sarah stuck her hand out. Louis shook his head, grinning, before he pulled out his wallet and slapped the money into her hand.

“Unbelievable.” Louis looked dumbfounded, and I just laughed. Lex was watching me the entire time with an expression that could only be described as awe.

“You can sing too, right, Hadley?” Peter asked.

“So can Sarah,” I said, nodding at her sitting in Jace’s lap, looking happier than I’d ever seen her.

“What?” Jace looked up at her. “I didn’t know that.”

“That’s because we spend all our time fucking, baby,” she answered with a sweet smile.

Jace grinned wickedly. “That mouth,” he said staring down at her lips hungrily. They looked like they were seconds away from tearing each other’s clothes off.

“That’s actually a good idea. Why don’t you sing for us, Betty?” Stuart said. “We don’t have anything else to do. The show doesn’t start for a few more hours.”

“I’ll sing if Sarah will.” I tilted my head toward her.

She tore her eyes away from Jace and sighed. “Fine, but I’m just doing backup. I have nowhere near her vocal range.”

She came to sit beside me on the small stump I had found myself on while the guys were peppering me with songs earlier. I chose a Journey song I knew would be a crowd-pleaser.

I started to play“Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’”and sang along this time as I strummed while Sarah harmonized with me.

“You’re such a lucky motherfucker,” I heard Louis tell Lex, who was watching me with a mixture of lust and adoration in his eyes.

“I know,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine.

After that, it turned into karaoke hour as I played songs that I knew most people were familiar with and everyone jumped in on the choruses, singing loudly. We had started to draw a crowd as more people had filed in to watch. The sound of laughter and off-key voices filled me with happiness. It was an amazing feeling not to take music so seriously for a change and just enjoy the company of my friends.

“I’m running out of ideas,” I said after finishing what felt like the hundredthsong of the night.

“Why don’t you play a song for Lex?” Sarah said coyly. “He’s been awfully quiet. Play something that you know he’d like.”

“Hmmmm.” I looked at him and grinned.

He grinned back at me. “Don’t do it.”

I started to play the intro to“If I Could Turn Back Time,” and the guys started howling with laughter.

“No!” Sarah shouted. “I can’t stand that song,” she said, plugging her ears. “No offense, Lex. Choose another one.”

He shook his head, smiling at me. I tilted my head and studied him for a few seconds before a song popped into my mind.

As I started to play the intro chords, those in the crowd who recognized the song started to whistle and cat-call. I began singing the first lines of“Sex on Fire”by Kings of Leon, giving Lex a sultry smile and winking as I reached the chorus. A smile played across his lips as I sang, but his heated stare was making me feel flushed even in the freezing night air. As the song wrapped, I was about to tell everyone I was done playing so I could drag Lex back to the tent, but my eyes went wide with shock when I saw the one person I never expected to be here walking over to us.

Chapter 30

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Sarah said as she shot up to her feet with a look of murder in her eyes.Nicky was standing near the edge of the crowd, looking around uncomfortably until her eyes found me.

Lex turned and saw what we were staring at. His entire demeanor changed, and I barely recognized the man standing in front of me as his face held an expression of pure loathing.