Flight (10 page)

“
Umm, can you put those things away?”

“
Those
things
? Our wings? Yes, we can put them away.”

I watched in awe as Levi’s wings retracted like they were never there in the first place.

“
Turn around,” I said as I stood up.

Levi obliged and I ran my hands over his back feeling only the faintest hint of two lines. I squinted in the moonlight to see the barely perceptible raised marks.

“
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.” Levi turned around to face me again. “You ready to go home or do you want to see more?”

The answer was simple. “I’m ready to go home.” I was still trying to process the craziness of the night.

“
We’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Hailey asked and I sensed some real fear in her words. She really wanted to see me again.

“
Yeah, sure,” I said automatically but uncertain of whether I’d keep my word.

“
All right, if you’re sure.” Levi turned me around and wrapped his arms around me.

“
Wait, stop!” Levi let go, and I turned to look at him. “I never said I wanted to fly again. How far are we from the hotel?”

“
Oh, right. We can get a cab.”

“
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.”

“
All right, fair enough.” As freaked out as I was, walking alone in the dark wasn’t on the top of my to-do list.

A cab was waiting by the time we reached the road, and I assumed someone else had called one for me.

“
Good night,” Levi said quietly with a quick wave as I opened the door and slid inside. I smiled lightly as the cab pulled away. Looking out the window as we drove through the streets of the French Quarter, I thought over the events of the night trying to make myself believe they were real.

Chapter
Eight

The only hint that any of my memories from the night before were real came in the form of five angry voicemails from Toby waiting for me when I woke up. At least I knew Levi had been in my suite.

The messages themselves were actually a bit comical at first. Toby was furious in the first one, asking me where I got the nerve to hook up with a hillbilly. I had to laugh, Levi a hillbilly? By the fourth one, Toby seemed to have changed his approach. He was begging me to forgive him for jumping to conclusions because obviously it was just a big misunderstanding. The last one was kind of sad. He had heard Jess was home and asked why I didn’t leave too. I realized how odd it was that the thought of returning home didn’t even cross my mind. Being alone in New Orleans wasn’t ideal, but neither was giving up before the summer ended.

I deleted the last message and didn’t even consider calling Toby back. I had enough to process and talking to Toby wasn’t going to help. I also had a message from Jess so I called her back, but I got her voicemail.

I didn’t have to work which meant the whole day was open. I took an obscenely long shower, trying to comb through my memories. As odd as they were, I knew it had to be real. Somehow, it just fit. I knew that I was supposed to be freaked out by it. I had just discovered that the guy I was into was actually a paranormal creature. I guess I don’t have normal reactions because once the shock of it all wore off, it was really cool. I mean, there was something undeniably sexy and exciting about Levi’s wings and the power I knew came with them. It took bad boy to a whole new level. Hanging out with him was definitely not in “my plans” as Jess had described my mapped out life.

Pulling on a jean skirt and pink tank, I quickly finished getting ready. With no real plans, I stared at my phone willing it to ring. I had never been the girl waiting for a guy to call, but part of me needed to know that Levi was still interested and that the previous night had been more than a tease.

I glanced at my phone one last time around 11:00 a.m. as I walked into the hall, determined to stop waiting around.

“
Hoping for a call from someone?”

I smiled when I noticed Levi leaning against the wall.

“
How long have you been out here?”

“
Awhile.” He straightened up and took a step towards me.

“
Oh. You could have knocked…” I trailed off.

“
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,” Levi said carefully, like he was treading on thin ice.

“
Why wouldn’t I be reacting well?” I asked with a smile.

“
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.”

He smiled. “Any chance I can take you to a late breakfast?”

“
That depends. How are we getting there?” I asked, not sure what answer I wanted to hear.

Levi laughed. “We’re walking, but would you want to fly with me again?”

I tried to dial down my real level of excitement at the thought of it. “I could be persuaded.”

He reached over and ran a finger down my cheek. “I’m glad. There’s more I want to show you.”

“
So are we going to go now or—”

“
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?”

Levi moved toward me, practically pinning me 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.” He winked and took my hand leading me down the hall. “Have you been to Café du Monde yet?”

I shook my head.

“
Good, let’s go.” Still holding my hand, Levi led us to the elevator. We stopped several times to let other people on, but Levi never once took his eyes off me.

Billy was waiting by the front entrance as we walked out. “Hey Allie, I haven’t seen you or Jess today, where have you been hiding?”

“
Jess went back to New York,” I said cautiously, hoping to avoid a long discussion. If Jess ever felt like talking to Billy again she had his number.

“
Oh. She really left? Did you ever find out what was going on with her?” Billy didn’t bother to hide the disappointment in his voice.

“
Personal reasons.” I shrugged. “I’ll see you around.”

Levi nodded stiffly to Billy as we walked outside into the bright light of the sun.

Jackson Square looked different in the daylight. Still filled with artists and musicians, it lacked the intensity it held at night. The place was full of tourists snapping pictures of the large St. Louis Cathedral. I looked around, taking it all in.

“
There’s nothing quite like New Orleans, huh?” Levi acknowledged my perusal.

“
Not really. I mean it has a similar feel to Paris, but it definitely has a flavor all of its own.” I smiled realizing that a lot of that flavor had to do with the guy standing next to me. It was easy to forget he was anything other than a frat boy type, but Levi had let me in on his secret and now I knew there was a lot more than muscles hiding underneath his tight white t-shirt.

I shook myself from my blatant ogling when Levi laughed. “You still interested in breakfast?” The question reminded me of the last time he offered it up and I knew there was at least the hint of an innuendo there.

“
Absolutely.” I held his gaze and I could tell it surprised him. I still don’t think Levi was used to a girl he couldn’t fluster.

Slipping under the green and white awning, Levi pulled out a chair for me at a round table. He waited until I was seated before sitting across from me. The table was small, especially for someone as tall as Levi and his legs brushed against mine anytime he moved.

Levi asked for two orders of beignets and a chicory coffee for each of us. The server brought the coffee immediately, and we sipped in comfortable silence until breakfast arrived. The beignets were sweet and hot, and I had to laugh at myself as I got the white powdered sugar all over myself.

“
Wow, these are good!”

“
What isn’t there to like about fried dough covered in sugar?” Levi said playfully but I could tell he was glad to see me having fun.

“
So, Princeton, huh?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.

“
Yup. Home of the Tigers.”

He laughed, nearly choking on a sip of his coffee. “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?”

“
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.”

I was suddenly glad that I’d decided against the pink polo dress I had almost thrown on. “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.”

“
And what are you referring to exactly?”

“
The city.” He paused to look at me. “Of course.”

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

“
Your turn for what?” he asked.

“
To ask a question.”

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

I didn’t bother to acknowledge his comment. “So, you’re graduating this year, right?” He nodded. “What’s next for you?”

“
Uh, taking over the family business.” He looked away as he answered and I knew I had struck a nerve.

“
Which is?”

“
You asked your question.”

“
Whoa, are there more secrets?” You would think that after revealing his wings there wouldn’t be much more to hide.

“
It’s kind of hard to explain. Let’s just say it’s a leadership position.”

“
You’re not going to elaborate?”

“
My turn.” He evaded me.

“
Fine.”

“
So, what’s the story with Toby?”

“
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.”

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

“
My good looks?” He took a slow sip of his coffee.

“
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.” I tried to play it off nonchalantly, but it hadn’t been a painless breakup. Toby took it hard, and as much as I knew we weren’t meant to be, we had a lot of history that was hard to let go of.

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

I felt heat rising to my cheeks and hoped I could stop it. I was not the girl who blushed. “Okay, my turn again. What’s with Jared and Owen?”

“
What do you mean?” Levi asked.

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

“
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’?”

“
Maybe.”

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

“
And here I thought girls liked a man of mystery.” Clearly, he was unwilling to answer the question.