Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  We waited in front of the elevators. I’d never picked up a girl at the hotel before, but my assumption was they weren’t taking the stairs down. After waiting a few minutes, the doors opened, and I remembered why I was putting in all the effort. Allie looked even hotter than last time. She wore a pink halter style dress that accentuated her green eyes. Like everything else I’d seen her in, it was short, and she kept it casual with flip flops. I liked that she wasn’t the kind of girl who wore heels all the time. Heels could be hot, but a pair of flip flops meant a girl was laid back.

  “Hey there, Allison.” I purposely used her full name to see what kind of response I got.

  “It’s Allie.” She feigned annoyance, but I noticed her studying my chest and arms.

  I smiled, letting her know I’d caught her in the act of checking me out. “Oh yeah, I forgot.”

  “I’m sure.” She shook her head, bringing my attention to her hair. I wanted to run my hands through those brown locks. I also wanted them sprawled out on my pillow.

  “Are you girls ready to see uptown?” Owen addressed both of them. I got the sense he was being careful. Smart guy.

  Allie adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “Sure, should we follow you or get an address for my GPS?”

  “Neither.” I put a hand on the small of her back and led her toward the door. “We’re taking the streetcar. That way you don’t have to worry about a designated driver.”

  “Will it still be running when we need to get home?” She seemed worried. Wasn’t she from New York? Did New Orleans at night scare her that much? She didn’t need to worry about anything with me around.

  “This is New Orleans. It runs all night.” Jared didn’t bother to sugar coat his annoyance at her. He wasn’t an Allie fan for some reason, but it wasn’t my problem.

  I stayed close to Allie’s side as we walked the few blocks to the corner of Canal and St. Charles. We caught the streetcar just before it pulled away. Allie struggled to slip a dollar bill into the machine, and I pushed her hand away. She wasn’t paying for anything when she was with me. “I’ve got this.”

  The car lurched forward and Allie lost her balance. I caught her easily in my arms. “Easy does it, darling.” I inhaled her warm sweet scent. She wore the same perfume again. After detangling herself from my arms, she held onto the seats as she walked down the aisle. She’d barely settled into a seat when I slid in right next to her.

  “So where are we going exactly?” She looked over me to watch Jess and Jared. I may have had my work cut out for me, but Jared had a guarantee going for him.

  I pulled her attention away from them. “The Maple Leaf. It’s a bar that always has great live music. You’re going to like it.”

  She rested a hand on her leg. “Glad to know you are now an expert on what I like.”

  “I’m an expert on a lot of things.” I stretched out my legs, brushing my leg against hers in the process. Her body tensed ever so slightly, but it wasn’t in a bad way.

  She gazed out the window, and I was glad it was a clear night out. The windows on the streetcar were open, providing a nice breeze. I needed it with the way my body heated around her. She felt it too. I know she did. There was an electricity sizzling between us like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I wanted her so bad it hurt.

  I followed her gaze. She was checking out the houses lining St. Charles. “Beautiful, aren’t they?” I leaned in close and smiled when I noticed the goose bumps forming on her exposed shoulder. Considering the heat, I knew I was the cause of them.

  She took a moment to answer. “The homes? Yeah, they’re gorgeous. Is this the Garden district?”

  “Yes. Home sweet home.”

  “Have you always lived here?” she asked absently, probably deciding which house she’d want for herself.

  “Born and raised, and I never want to move anywhere else.” I also had no choice. New Orleans would always be my home.

  She turned away from the window and her face was mere inches from mine. “Really?”

  I fought the urge to taste her lips. I couldn’t rush the moment and lose my chance. “Does that really surprise you?”

  “I mean, you told me you were from here, but don’t most people our age want to explore new places?”

  If she only knew how tied to New Orleans I was. At the moment, I couldn’t have cared less where I was though. The company was all I needed. “Why explore when you have everything you need right here?”

  “Yeah. Whatever.” She turned away again, but I didn’t miss her lingering glance. I let her enjoy the view until we reached our stop.

  I touched her leg gently. “This is us.” I pulled the cord to request a stop, then I led her off the car. “It’s just a few blocks from here.”

  We’d only made it a few steps when Jess walked between us and grabbed Allie’s hand. “Have a nice ride?”

  “Splendid.” Allie’s face was slightly flushed.

  Jess grinned. “It looked like you were enjoying yourself.”

  I laughed. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who picked up on it.

  Allie gave it right back to her. “Yeah, I wouldn’t have thought you noticed. You looked pretty distracted yourself.”

  “Unlike you, I’m not going to pretend otherwise.” Jess smiled again before pulling Allie along with her to catch up with Jared. Man, he had her interested.

  I pushed open the door to one of my favorite bars. The Maple Leaf doesn’t look particularly special on the outside, but the music and overall feel of the place made it worth coming back to. I headed straight through to the back patio, checking behind me to make sure Allie was still with me.

  “Owen!” Hailey noticed us immediately and decided to annoy the hell out of Owen by pulling him into a hug.

  I laughed to myself as he quickly broke away. “Aww, damn it, Hailey. I should have known you would be here.”

  “Don’t bother hiding it, Owen. You know you’re glad to see your favorite sister.” She grinned.

  “You mean my only sister.”

  Hailey quickly lost interest in Owen when she noticed the girls. “Hi. I don’t think we’ve met.” She held out her hand.

  Allie accepted her handshake. “I’m Allie.”

  Hailey moved on to Jess next.

  Hailey smiled at Jess before turning her attention to Allie again. “Nice to meet you. So you’re friends with my brother then?”

  Allie’s brow furrowed slightly. “Sort of …”

  “Enough of the twenty questions. We met them down at the hotel. Allie’s dad owns the place now,” Owen explained.

  “Oh!” Hailey caught the glare I shot her and recovered quickly. Letting the girls know there was anything important about the hotel wouldn’t be a good thing.

  “Watch it, Hailey,” Jared warned.

  Hailey nodded at us both. She understood. “It’s really nice to meet you both. My best friends deserted me to spend the summer abroad, and I could really use some other girls around.”

  “Wait, Beth and Jill both left already? Who are you here with?” Owen pretended not to care, but he was still her big brother.

  “I came by myself to meet up with Jamie. Not a big deal.”

  “Oh, okay, but don’t leave by yourself.”

  “Like I can’t take care of myself?” She put a hand on her hip.

  “Just humor me, Hailey.”

  “Sure.” She rolled her eyes. “God, older brothers can be annoying. Do you have any siblings, Allie?”

  “Nope, I’m an only child.”

  Interesting. It looked we had something in common.

  “So lucky,” Jess broke in. “I have four younger brothers and sisters.”

  “Four? Wow,” Hailey was probably picturing having to deal with more than one Owen.

  Jess nodded. “Yeah, I know. Thankfully, I was always able to escape the chaos by crashing at Allie’s because her mom is cool. She’s so lucky.”

  “My mom is pretty cool.” Allie seemed to be lost in thought for a
minute. I wondered what the story was. She’d mentioned her dad bought the hotel, but from what I knew, there wasn’t a Mrs. around.

  Satisfied she wasn’t going anywhere, I slipped back inside to get us some drinks. There was a line at the bar, but the bartender served me immediately. I didn’t know him by name, but he definitely knew who I was. I ordered myself an Abita and decided to go with another Oasis for Allie. She seemed to like the last two. I listened to the band for a few seconds before heading back outside. Allie was exactly where I left her.

  “I got your drink for you.” I held out her glass.

  She seemed surprised. I guess she hadn’t noticed my absence. “My drink?”

  “You seemed to like it the other night.”

  “And you still aren’t going to tell me what’s in it?”

  “Nope.” No reason to reveal any of my cards yet.

  “Well, there are other ways of figuring it out.” She gave me a coy smile.

  “Are there now?” Now this was good. Things were finally moving in the right direction.

  “Uh-huh.” Damn, a girl like that shouldn’t be allowed to look at a man that way. My jeans weren’t going to be my friend for long.

  “You care to share?”

  “Not right now.” She smiled and took a seat next to Owen. I stifled the growl I felt rising in my throat. To make matters worse, Hailey jumped into the empty seat next to her before I got the chance. That girl was looking for trouble. I shot her a dirty look. Jess let out a giggle. She was perched on Jared’s lap. He looked very pleased with the arrangement.

  The table was also occupied by a few guys I knew from Society events. One of them immediately jumped out of his seat and offered it to me.

  “That won’t be necessary. I’m sure Allie and I can share.” I looked right at her. If she was going to eye fuck me, I was going to do it right back.

  “You wish.”

  “Why? You afraid you might actually like it?” I taunted. I was getting frustrated. She obviously wanted me too. Why was she being so difficult?

  She shivered, and I loved that I had that effect on her. “Not a chance.”

  She stormed off inside. I gave her a few seconds head start before following her. She didn’t notice. Instead, she got distracted by the music. I watched her body move to the beat, completely oblivious to anyone or anything around her. My body rebelled at the thought of her so unprotected. Where was this coming from? She was just a girl.

  I ordered her another Oasis and waited until I saw her set aside her empty glass at the bar before approaching again. I leaned against the bar, waiting for her to notice. “I told you you’d like it here.”

  She turned to look up at me. “I admit it’s pretty cool. Who is this, by the way?”

  “Oh, it’s the Rebirth Brass Band. Heard of them?”

  “I don’t think so, but that isn’t surprising. I’m not exactly up on the New Orleans music scene. Anyway, what was that all about back there?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Why do people act like you walk on water or something?”

  “How do you know I don’t?” I handed her the drink. She accepted it with a nod and took a long slow sip. My eyes went to her lips, so ready to know what they felt like. I was tired of waiting.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Walk on water.”

  “Wow, you are even cockier than I thought.”

  I laughed. She really said what was on her mind.

  “All right, I can’t walk on water, but I can do other things very, very well.” And I was ready to show her exactly what I meant.

  “Oh yeah?” She licked her lip, and I knew she was thinking the same thoughts as me.

  “Let me show you.” I leaned in and brushed my lips against hers gently, just long enough for her to think I wasn’t going to take it further. Without warning, I picked it up, crushing my lips into hers. She responded, and I wrapped her up in my arms, devouring the sweet taste of her mouth as her hands twisted in my hair. Every inch of me was on fire, begging for more. There was something special about her, and one kiss was definitely not going to be enough.

  I heard someone clear their throat, bringing me back to where we were. I reluctantly broke the kiss. “Still going to pretend you aren’t interested, Allison?”

  She gazed up at me with this dazed expression. I laughed. “I told you to call me Allie.”

  “You said everyone calls you Allie. I’m not everyone.” She wasn’t going to be able to keep me at bay. Any chance of staying away from me was over the second my lips touched hers.

  “Are you always this frustrating?”

  “Depends on who you ask.”

  She groaned before setting aside her partially full glass. I followed her back out onto the patio. I was still on a high from the kiss and just trying to come up with the best way to ask her home. She wanted to, but I had the feeling she was still going to resist.

  I sat watching her for hours. She seemed so comfortable hanging out with my friends, and she especially seemed to be hitting it off with Hailey. I liked that. Why? Why did I care if a girl I slept with was friends with my roommate’s little sister? Because I wanted her to stick around. The thought hit me like a strike of lightning. Forget a few nights, I wanted this girl longer.

  I zoned out most of their conversation, trying to keep my mind off the kiss and the growing bulge in my pants, by discussing college sports with Jared. Eventually, I got pulled back into their conversation. Somehow the topic of action movies had come up.

  “Okay, so who would win in a fight, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Stephen Segal, Bruce Lee, or Jackie Chan?” Owen asked.

  “Easy, Jean-Claude. I mean he’s hot and bad ass. Can you get any better?” Allie answered animatedly.

  “Wait, so I’m not the only 18-year-old Jean-Claude fan? Nice!” Hailey gave her a high five.

  “That’s who you find hot?” I smirked. “But anyway, Owen, you left out Chuck Norris.”

  “Please, no. Someone stop Levi from starting in on Chuck Norris. There are only so many of those jokes I can take.” Hailey hit the table with her hand and spilled several of the drinks. For some reason, the girls thought this was funny, and they started cracking up. Allie had a great smile and an even better laugh.

  “Wow, is it really 2:30?” She squinted at the face of her watch. She blinked a few times before pulling out a small bottle from her purse and putting in some eye drops. She must have had contacts. I couldn’t relate. I had perfect vision.

  “Did you guys drive?” Hailey asked.

  “No, we took the streetcar.” Allie yawned.

  “Why don’t you guys come back to our place? It’s really late anyhow,” Jared suggested.

  “That sounds like a great idea.” Jess ran her hand down Jared’s leg.

  Allie didn’t hide her distaste at the idea. I tried not to let that irk me. “I’m sure it does, Jess.”

  “I’d have to agree.” I smiled. She had to be messing with me. There was no way she wanted to go home.

  “I’d invite you guys to crash at my house, but my parents will flip if they see that I’ve been drinking. I’m going to stay over at their place anyway,” Hailey explained.

  “You still live at home?” Allie seemed surprised.

  “Yeah. I just graduated from high school.”

  “Oh, duh. You said you were eighteen. Okay, I’ll stay at their place then.” For some reason, knowing that Hailey was coming made the prospect more appealing to Allie. I’d have to remember to thank Hailey later.

  Chapter Six

  “I knew I’d be taking you home tonight,” I whispered as we walked toward our house. The night was warm, even at the late hour. There was no escaping the heat during the summer in New Orleans. Lucky for me, my body easily adjusted to any temperature. Unfortunately, that self-regulation didn’t apply to the effect Allie had on me. One touch from her had me burning up.

  She continued to play hard to get and shrugged my arm off her shoulder. I laughed. No
w 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.