First & Forever (The Crescent Chronicles Book 4) by Alyssa Rose Ivy Page A

night.”
    “Did you just break into my room?” she asked from behind me.
    I pushed open the door. “Yeah, but the lock will still work, I promise.”
    “Except for one key problem.”
    “Which is?” I asked.
    “It won’t keep you out.”
    “Like you want that, babe,” I teased.
    She groaned. “Do you realize how frustrating you are?”
    “Of course I do, but I like you all flustered and hot.”
    “Okay, shut up and get out of here.”
    “No goodnight kiss? Maybe a night cap?” I couldn’t get enough of pushing her. Her reactions were priceless.
    She seemed to fight some inner turmoil. I took that as a good sign.
    “Goodnight, Levi.”
    I shrugged. “Oh well, see you in your dreams.”
    As I took off I heard her murmur, “So much for swearing off men.”
    My heart soared. I was in.

Chapter Four
    It was her. I knew it in every grain of my body. I also knew that if I told her how I knew, she’d run away screaming. Allie was into me. Everything about her reactions supported that, but being into me and being interested in being my mate, were two different things.
    I needed to keep things light, keep things about having a fun summer relationship until she was so hooked on me she wouldn’t care what I asked of her.
    I had a meeting with my dad at the hotel in the morning, and I found I didn’t mind as much as usual. At least it meant I might get a second to see Allie.
    I made it to the hotel a full twenty minutes early, but before I could so much as step inside I was waylaid by my dad’s senior advisors. They seemed to always have something urgent to discuss with me.
    As we walked through the front door I caught a quick glimpse of Allie. I couldn’t stop to talk to her without opening her up to some serious questioning, so I hurried to the elevator.
    The meetings dragged on all morning. We discussed nothing of major significance, just some foreign affairs that I could care less about. All I wanted to do was see Allie, but I feigned the minimal amount of interest to keep my father happy. I’d care more when it was actually time for me to take the reins. Until I was king, I was perfectly content staying out of things.
    I waited until late afternoon to visit her again. I needed to play things cool. She seemed to enjoy the game of chase, but it was the kind of game that was all about the timing.
    She noticed me seconds after I’d walked through the front doors of the hotel. Her eyes set on me, and I returned her gaze with a smile and wave as I made my way over to the desk.
    “Hello there, beautiful. How was your day?” I leaned one elbow on the desk directly in front of her.
    She didn’t look at me. Instead she seemed to be watching something behind me. “It was work. I had a nice lunch though.”
    “Did you have company for this nice lunch or was it solo?”
    “I had company.” She continued looking behind me, and I needed to see for myself.
    I turned to see the dark haired bartender. I drew in a breath. Did she really have lunch with this guy? Maybe I shouldn’t have given her so much space. I wouldn’t be making that mistake again. “Do you want to hang out tonight?”
    “No, thanks.” She turned her back on me and started toward the back office.
    I moved behind the desk and gently touched her shoulder before she could go too far. “Am I missing something? What’s up?”
    She pursed her lips. “You’re not actually allowed back here you know.”
    “Why don’t you want to hang out? I thought you had fun yesterday.” Was it because of that guy? I could feel my jealousy rise just like bile in my throat.
    “Yeah, it was fun. But that doesn’t mean I want to hang out every night.”
    “Okay, what happened? Is it him?” I pointed at the bartender.
    “No!”
    I relaxed. “Then what is it?”
    “Why does there have to be a reason? Is it that impossible to believe that I’m not interested?”
    Was she really going to play that card again? “You are interested. Don’t bother to deny it.