Read First (A Crescent Chronicles Novella) for Free Online Page B

get and shrugged my arm off her shoulder. I laughed. Now that I had the physical evidence of her interest, I wasn’t as worried. That kiss had spoken volumes. She wanted me, and she wanted me bad.
     
    I unlocked the front door, ushering Allie in before following closely behind her. She gazed around our living room as Jared led a giggling Jess down the hall to his room. Allie made a face when she noticed it out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t try to stop her friend, but I sensed she wanted to. My guess is she was used to Jess’ behavior. The girl wasn’t drunk. Jared wasn’t a complete asshole. We both had the same rule when it came to women. If they weren’t sober enough to completely consent, then we let them go. There were plenty of girls to go around. Except I didn’t feel that way that night. I didn’t want anyone but Allie.   
     
    Allie seemed uptight. She took a seat on one of the leather couches, keeping her legs pressed firmly together. I wondered if the position was intentional, or if it was her subconscious attempt at resisting me. I sat down right next to her. I needed to put her at ease. She seemed most comfortable when I hit on her. I decided to go with it.
     
    She blinked and yawned silently.
     
    “You are more than welcome to sleep in my bed.” I put my feet up on the circular ottoman.
     
    “As tempting as that offer is, I’ll take my chances out here.” She took off her flip flops and curled her legs up on the couch under her. I fought the urge to pull her legs onto my lap. I’d have given her a foot rub if she’d wanted one. I’m definitely not a foot guy, but every part of Allie seemed worth exploring.
     
    “Wow, Levi, you’ve never offered to let me take your bed before.” Hailey feigned hurt.
     
    “And I’ll never offer you my bed. If you don’t want to sleep on the couch, talk to your brother, or better yet, go home.”
     
    “Aww, you are always so sweet to me.”
     
    Allie laughed. My plan was working. She was relaxing. Owen took a seat on the couch across from us, and Hailey entertained Allie with stories of how much trouble we used to get into as kids. Before long, Allie’s head slumped down on my shoulder.
     
    Owen nodded to where she rested. “Looks like we bored her to death.”
     
    “Nah, she’s just tired. Humans need more sleep than us.” Hailey stretched.
     
    “Are you going to wake her up?” Owen asked.
     
    “No. I’ll let her sleep.” I ran a hand down her arm. She was so sweet all curled up that way against me. “Get me the extra quilt in my closet and you can take my room tonight, Hailey.”
     
    She stood up. “Where are you going to sleep?”  
     
    “Right here.”
     
    Owen laughed. “You’ve got it bad.”
     
    “She’s comfortable, and besides, I don’t want her to wake up confused about where she is.”
     
    “Sure. Tell yourself whatever it takes.” Owen started toward his room. “Night, guys.”
     
    Hailey tossed the quilt down on the ottoman. “Be good, Levi. I like her.”
     
    “Yeah, so do I. Considering I’m giving up my room, I wouldn’t worry.”
     
    “That’s what worries me…”
     
    I laughed. “Get out of here.”
     
    As Hailey disappeared down the hall, I kicked off my shoes and repositioned us so we were lying down together. I gave her body a long look before covering us both up with the quilt.
     
    I cuddled her in my arms, trying to tune out the sounds of Jared and Jess down the hall. Normally, I’d be jealous he was getting some when I wasn’t, but I wouldn’t have traded places for anything. I’d never just lay down with a girl like that before, but I liked it. Her breathing was even, and the pattern of it relaxed me. I closed my eyes, leaning back into a throw pillow. I thought about our kiss, the taste of her, and how perfectly her body felt pressed against mine. The thought started to get me hard in the wrong place, so I tried to push it out of my head. There was no reason to get