First & Forever (The Crescent Chronicles Book 4) Read online

  “Are you done manhandling Levi yet, or are we going to stay here all night?”

  “Shut up, Jared,” Hailey snapped.

  “She can manhandle me all she wants.” I reluctantly turned back. I wanted her hands on me all night. “You ready to go home or do you want to see more?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m ready to go home.” I didn’t miss the resoluteness in her tone. She wanted me to know she wasn’t playing around.

  “We’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Hailey asked. Her voice waivered, and I realized she cared about Allie’s response nearly as much as I did.

  “Yeah, sure,” she said without much conviction. Hailey and Owen exchanged a look.

  “All right, if you’re sure.” I wrapped my arms around her. At least I’d get another flight with Allie.

  “Wait, stop!” She struggled in my arms, and I quickly released her.

  She turned to look at me. “I never said I wanted to fly again. How far are we from the hotel?”

  “Oh, right. We can get a cab.” I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice. I wanted to hold her body against mine, to take her to a place that no human ever could.

  “No. I can get a cab. Where are we?”

  “We’re at the levee. You sure you don’t want me to take you home? At least let me walk you to the street.”

  She seemed to mull it over for a second. “All right, fair enough.”

  That was something. I nodded at Hailey, signaling for her to call a cab before I followed Allie down to the road.

  The cab pulled up, and everything about the moment felt wrong. She wasn’t supposed to be leaving alone. She was supposed to be going home with me, but she needed time. I needed to at least give her the night.

  “Good night,” I said quietly as I watched her slip into the cab.

  My heart soared slightly when she smiled just as the cab pulled away. The smile wasn’t much, but I was taking it. I still had a chance, and I was going to use it to its fullest.

  Chapter Two

  “So that went well.” Jared patted my back after Allie’s cab disappeared around the corner.

  “Shut up.”

  “I mean at least she didn’t run screaming like Owen’s girl did… or wait, she still could.”

  Owen ignored Jared’s rib. “She was overwhelmed, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe she just needs time to let it settle.”

  “She’s going to stay.” Hailey said it quietly. I wasn’t used to Hailey ever being quiet, and I wasn’t sure if the change was a good or bad thing.

  “You think so?” I turned to Hailey, needing any encouragement I could get.

  “Yes. It’s the way she looked at you. She was scared, but curious. She really likes you. I think you’ve at least got a chance.”

  “Just don’t fuck it up.” Jared laughed.

  “I’m not going to.” I paced around trying to figure out what my next step was going to be. “I need to see her.”

  “Oh no. None of that.” Hailey shook her head emphatically.

  “I’m just going to look.”

  “You do realize you sound like a certified stalker, right? ‘Just going to look’?” Hailey didn’t hide her opinion on the matter.

  “I need to make sure she’s okay. This was a lot to take in.”

  Hailey rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t excuse you invading her privacy.”

  “It’s not like I’m going to try to see her naked.” Although I hoped she’d very knowingly give me that opportunity soon.

  “I can’t be part of this.” She gritted her teeth. “But I like Allie, so I can’t walk away either.”

  “You can look first, make sure she’s appropriately attired.”

  She groaned. “I’m doing this for Allie and not you. Remember that.”

  “Do it for whatever reason you want.”

  “Let’s get this over with. I’m not letting you watch her while she’s sleeping.”

  I smiled. “I wasn’t planning to wait.”

  We flew over to the hotel and landed in the shadows covering much of the courtyard.

  I waited impatiently. “Ok, go first. I’m ready when you are.”

  Hailey flew up to Allie’s balcony, and I waited impatiently. Jared and Owen wisely stayed quiet. I didn’t care what their opinion was.

  Hailey landed next to me. “She’s dressed.”

  I flew up and landed, being extra careful to stay hidden as I looked in the balcony window. She was just turning off the lights and sipping a glass of what appeared to be water.

  Allie was okay, and for the night that was all I needed to know. I reluctantly left my perch.

  “Feeling better, stalker?” Hailey glared. I felt a tinge of guilt at invading Allie’s privacy and making Hailey help.

  “Yes. We can go.”

  “You have it bad.” Hailey nudged me with her arm.

  I didn’t respond. I’d never hear the end of it from my friends.

  ***

  I wasn’t sure what time Allie usually got up, but to play it safe I showed up at the hotel around nine. After the night she’d had, I doubted she’d be getting up earlier. I heard her moving around in her room, so I pulled out my phone and found some games to mess around with. If last night had been stalking, what was this? I left the floor a few times when I heard other guests getting ready to leave their rooms, but I was back outside her room leaning against the wall when finally, two hours later, her door opened. She walked out gripping her phone in her hand.

  “Hoping for a call from someone?”

  She noticed me and her face broke into a bright smile. My heart soared.

  “How long have you been out here?”

  “Awhile.” I straightened and took a step toward her. The smile had been the only invitation I needed.

  “Oh. You could have knocked…” she trailed off. Her eyes were locked on my face.

  “I figured there was no need to push you anymore than I did last night. But I had to see you—to see if you were still reacting well.” I spoke carefully. She seemed happy to see me, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid.

  “Why wouldn’t I be reacting well?” She smiled. I had to love that sense of humor.

  “It’s not every day that you see something like that. Maybe in my life, but not yours.”

  “I guess it would be normal in yours.”

  I returned her smile. “Any chance I can take you to a late breakfast?”

  “That depends. How are we getting there?” She touched her neck, and I got the feeling she wasn’t asking out of fear.

  I laughed, still trying to put her at ease. “We’re walking, but would you want to fly with me again?”

  “I could be persuaded.”

  I ran a hand down her cheek. Her skin was so soft. “I’m glad. There’s more I want to show you.”

  “So are we going to go now or—”

  As much as I wanted to take her flying again, I knew I couldn’t. “Uh, it’s broad daylight, Al. Don’t you think someone would notice?”

  “Oh, you only fly at night? And now you’re calling me Al?”

  “We usually only fly at night, but there are exceptions I’m not getting into right now. And I am still trying to settle on what name I like best.”

  “Doesn’t my opinion count?”

  I moved closer to her, edging her back against the wall. “Your opinion always counts, but I already told you I’m not calling you what everyone else does. I’m going to have my own name for you.”

  “What, like you name a pet? That sounds kind of possessive.”

  “It is kind of possessive, Al.” I winked and took her hand. “Have you been to Café du Monde yet?”

  She shook her head.

  “Good, let’s go.” I held onto her hand and led her to the elevator. The thought of introducing Allie to something quintessentially New Orleans had me excited. I loved my city, and if I had any hope of keeping Allie around past the summer, I needed to make her love it too.r />
  I watched her the whole way down on the elevator. I was vaguely aware of other people entering, but no one else mattered. The only thing worth focusing on was her.

  One of the bellboys was at the front entrance when we walked down. He smiled at Allie, and I choked down my annoyance. She was holding my hand not his. “Hey Allie, I haven’t seen you or Jess today, where have you been hiding?”

  “Jess went back to New York,” she sounded sad. I knew she missed her friend, and I was going to have to help her get over it.

  “Oh. She really left? Did you ever find out what was going on with her?” The kid didn’t bother to hide the disappointment in his voice. I felt relief myself. He wasn’t into Allie.

  “Personal reasons.” She shrugged, revealing a tension in her shoulders I was dying to fix. “I’ll see you around.”

  I nodded stiffly to the kid as we walked outside into the bright sunlight.

  I took her through Jackson Square, watching as she took in all the art hung up on the wrought iron fence. She paused as we passed St. Louis Cathedral. She seemed to appreciate the architecture as much as I did. “There’s nothing quite like New Orleans, huh?”

  “Not really. I mean it has a similar feel to Paris, but it definitely has a flavor all of its own.” There was something in her expression that made me wonder whose flavor she was talking about. Her eyes took me in—she was checking me out, and I definitely enjoyed the attention. The only thing that would have made it better would have been her hands doing what her eyes were.

  I forced myself to stop daydreaming about her hands on me. “You still interested in breakfast?”

  “Absolutely.” She held my gaze. I’d never met a girl who could manage that for long.

  After slipping under the green and white awning of Café Du Monde, I pulled out her chair. Once she was seated, I sat down across from her. The table was small enough that my legs brushed against hers with my slightest movements. I didn’t mind at all, and I sensed she didn’t either.

  As soon as the server walked over I asked for two orders of beignets and two chicory coffees. I wondered if Allie had ever had the flavorful coffee before.

  The coffee came out first, followed by still hot beignets. Allie looked adorable as she spilled powdered sugar all over herself. The best part was instead of getting embarrassed she just laughed. I’d never met a girl with such genuine confidence. It wasn’t an act, it was who she was.

  “Wow, these are good!”

  “What isn’t there to like about fried dough covered in sugar?” I resisted the urge to wipe some powdered sugar off her face. I refused to do anything that would mess with the confident, happy smile on her face.“So, Princeton, huh?”

  “Yup. Home of the Tigers.”

  I nearly choked on my coffee. She had this quirky sarcastic sense of humor that took me by surprise sometimes. “Yeah, because that’s what comes to mind first when someone says Princeton.”

  “What comes to mind for you?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. How about uptight preps who wouldn’t know how to have a good time if it bit them on the ass?” I leaned back in my chair.

  “Ouch. You don’t think I know how to have fun?”

  “On the contrary hon, I know you can have fun. It’s the others I’m worried about. I’m afraid that next time I see you you’ll be a walking Ralph Lauren ad.” Pushing Allie’s buttons had become one of my favorite pastimes. Without fail it made those cheeks of hers turn pink, and she got this sexy gleam in her eyes.

  “What makes you think you’ll ever see me after this summer?”

  “You’ve had your taste Al. Even if you leave in August, you’ll be back for more.” I’d make sure of it.

  “And what are you referring to exactly?”

  “The city.” I paused. “Of course.”

  “Of course. If you’re done, it’s my turn.”

  “Your turn for what?” I asked with genuine curiosity.

  “To ask a question.”

  “I wasn’t aware we were taking turns.”

  She ignored me. “So, you’re graduating this year, right?”

  I nodded, waiting to see where she was going with the line of questioning.

  “What’s next for you?”

  “Uh, taking over the family business.” I looked away. As much as I’d shared the night before, I wasn’t ready to reveal everything. That might make her run away faster.

  “Which is?”

  “You asked your question.” She did say we were taking turns.

  “Whoa, are there more secrets?”

  “It’s kind of hard to explain. Let’s just say it’s a leadership position.” That was true—although it wasn’t the kind of leadership position she was probably thinking.

  “You’re not going to elaborate?”

  “My turn.” I turned the conversation on her. There was so much more to learn about her.

  “Fine.”

  “So, what’s the story with Toby?” I wasn’t going to waste my question.

  “What do you mean? I already told you he’s my ex.”

  “Yeah, but why is he your ex?”

  “Why do you even care?”

  “Eh, just curiosity.” I knew he was a big part of why she was in New Orleans. I wanted to know more.

  “And why would I indulge that curiosity when you evaded my question?”

  “My good looks?” I took a long sip of my coffee. I’d been so content watching her that I’d barely had any yet.

  “Very funny. Really there isn’t much to tell. We dated about a year, and we worked, but I got tired of the lack of sparks. I brought up my concerns and he brushed them off, so I broke up with him.” She was holding back. I knew it but decided not to press the issue. I was more concerned with what she had said.

  “Lack of sparks? You’re looking for passion then?”

  A slight tinge of pink crossed her cheeks. Had I finally made Allie blush?

  “Okay, my turn again. What’s with Jared and Owen?”

  “What do you mean?” I tried to predict where she was going with the question. She already knew they weren’t human, what else would she want to know about?

  “You act like girls or something. You’re never apart.”

  Like girls? Not exactly. “They’re not here now.”

  “I get this vibe that they answer to you or something. Does this have to do with the ‘family business’?”

  Perceptive. “Maybe.”

  “Seriously? You’re evading my question again?”

  “And here I thought girls liked a man of mystery.”

  She groaned. “On that note, are you ready to get going?”

  “Sure.” I tossed some cash down on the table.

  She stopped to dust some powdered sugar off her skirt. She needed to wear skirts all the time. I’d never seen a better pair of legs. “So, where to now?”

  I forced my eyes up to her face. “Where do you want to go?”

  “Hmm, I don’t know.”

  “What would you be doing if you were home?” Today needed to be about her. Or at least about making her comfortable.

  “I’d probably be at the beach.” Her face brightened. “It’s pretty much my favorite place to be.”

  “I’ll have to keep that in mind. The beach is a little hard to give you right now, but how about we check out the French Market?”

  “Shopping?”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “Not at all, I am just surprised by the suggestion.” Her arm brushed against mine as we walked.

  “It’s not like I’m taking you to the mall.”

  “True, but you don’t seem like the shopping type.”

  “If you’re done complaining…” I gave her a slight smile.

  “Lead the way.” She gestured with her hands. She was cute that way.

  Allie let out a sigh of relief as we entered the French Market. Aside from my desire to show her more of the classic New Orleans downtown, I knew she’d appreciate the shade. Even
after twenty-two years in New Orleans, I still wasn’t always prepared for the brutally hot and humid summers. I’m sure coming from the north it was nearly oppressive.

  I led her carefully through the crowds, mentally cursing myself for suggesting the stop. Shade or not, it wasn’t worth dealing with so many tourists. “I think I remember now why I don’t come here much.”

  “Not one for crowds?” she asked.

  “Not really. You?”

  “I actually kind of like them. I think it’s why I like New York City so much. I love the feeling of getting lost in a big crowd.”

  “I learn something new about you every day.” I guided her down the center aisle. I knew she was a city girl, but I didn’t realize quite how much she liked it.

  “I think you won that contest last night.” She smiled once again surprising me with how well she was taking things. I kept waiting for it to be too much for her. “Well, we can leave if you want.”

  “Not until we do one thing.”

  “Okay…”

  “You like sweets, right?” I asked. Her answer was important. If a girl liked sweets, providing dessert was a crucial part of a date.

  “Of course.”

  “Loretta’s has some great pralines you’ve got to try.”

  I stepped into the small store. She hung back, so I hurried with my selections. I was glad she trusted me to pick hers out. I went with the traditional. Some things are just better classic.

  She took a small bite and smiled. Evidently I’d picked well.

  “Ready?” I took her hand again, loving the feel of her small hand in my own.

  We walked back through Jackson Square and directly over to the next stop of our day. The large building didn’t look like much on the outside, but it was the roof I wanted her to see. “The view here isn’t quite as good as last night, but it’s pretty nice.”

  “Pat O’s?” She pointed to the wooden sign.

  “It’s Pat O’s on the River, good drinks and a nice view.”

  “Drinks in the middle of the afternoon?”

  “You’re in N’awlins Al, get used to it.” I led her inside and into the elevator. We took it right up, and we walked through the indoor bar directly out onto the patio.