Soar (The Empire Chronicles #1)

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “What kind of timeline are we talking?”

  “Fast.” The blonde squeezed her friend’s breast, making the other girl moan. It was time to leave before things got out of hand.

  “I’ll send some willing participants your way.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to join us? I promise you’ll have a good time.” The brunette sat up, placed the cash on the table, and started sliding her skirt down over her tan hips. She wasn’t wearing any panties.

  “Yeah, I bet. Later, ladies.” I resisted the urge to glance back but tapped the first guy I saw on the shoulder. “Do you do nymphs?”

  “Who doesn’t?”

  “Me. But there’re two naked ones back there looking for some company.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  The guy looked at me like I was Santa Claus.

  I shook my head and walked right out. I didn’t even have a second sip of my drink. I picked up my phone and called Owen. New York was even crazier than I remembered.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Casey

  “I didn’t expect to be back here so soon.” I set two brown grocery bags down on the island in Toby’s kitchen.

  “We already had plans for tomorrow night, so it shouldn’t be that surprising.” He set down his bags and started unpacking.

  “Yeah, but I barely even left.” I glanced around at the spick and span kitchen. I wondered if Toby cleaned it himself, or if he hired someone to do it. Probably the latter.

  “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

  “Not necessarily bad, just surprising.”

  “Have you had many boyfriends?” He watched me closely, as though he was afraid of missing my reaction.

  “I’ve had my share.” That was a bit of an exaggeration, but I wasn’t going to admit how little I’d dated.

  “Serious ones?”

  “Not really.” There was only one guy who’d gotten under my skin. He’d also been the only one to break my heart.

  “Hmm.”

  “Why are you asking?” I crossed my arms. I didn’t enjoy the interrogation. My love life was definitely not an approved topic of conversation.

  “I’m just curious.” There was something about his expression that made me doubt him. He didn’t seem to be asking out of a competitive need to know either. I wanted to know more about his answer, but I couldn’t dig for more information unless I was ready to give up some secrets of my own.

  “All right, ready to start cooking?”

  He nodded. “Sure.”

  I dug out the flour and cut up the butter for the roux. Toby was getting a lesson in making sauces.

  “Who taught you how to cook?” Toby easily followed my directions as I had him prepare and bread the chicken breasts.

  “My mom. It’s kind of our thing.” I missed cooking with her. It was one of the few things I missed about being home. I’d had a nice enough childhood, but I always felt kind of out of sorts, like I didn’t quite fit in. That’s probably why I jumped at the chance to date the first bad boy I could. He was everything my parents had warned me about, but that just made it better. If I’d known the trouble it would cause, I would have walked the other way when he first smiled at me.

  Toby pulled me out of my thoughts. “That’s cool. I grew up with my dad mostly. His cooking usually involved take-out.”

  “It’s great that you’re making an effort to teach yourself.”

  He shrugged awkwardly, and I realized he was trying to scratch an itch without getting any of the egg and breadcrumb mixture on his face.

  “Let me help you with that.” I reached up and scratched where I thought he needed it.

  “Thanks.” He smiled.

  My face was still close to his from when I’d leaned in. “You’re welcome.”

  His lips crushed into mine without warning, and I eagerly responded.

  “Don’t move.” He quickly washed his hands before picking me up and placing me on one of the few clean spots on the counter.

  His lips returned to mine, and we effortlessly got back to where we’d been. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and his hands rested on my legs. His tongue pushed into my mouth and tangled with mine in every possible way.

  I leaned back, hitting my head on the upper cabinet. “Ow.”

  “You okay?” He touched my head where I’d hit it.

  “Absolutely.” I pulled his face back to mine. Then someone knocked on the door. I groaned as Toby stepped back and walked out of the kitchen.

  “Whoever it is, this better be important.” His words carried across the apartment.

  “It’s me,” a male voice answered.

  I smoothed out my hair, trying to hide signs of what we’d been doing as Toby answered the door.

  “Make this fast.”

  I hopped off the counter and put the chicken in the oven before peeking around the corner to watch Toby talk to a guy I hadn’t seen before. At least it wasn’t Jared. I didn’t need to see him after making out with Toby.

  They were talking in hushed tones, so I decided to take a look out the window and wait them out. They talked for a few more minutes before I heard Toby close the door.

  “You have such an amazing view.” I stood with my eyes glued out the living room windows. I loved the city, and would never get tired of watching the constant bustle of it all. I decided not to ask about the visitor. I was positive he’d just give me an evasive answer, like everything else.

  “That’s why I picked this place.”

  “Do you own or rent?”

  “Own.”

  “Why am I not surprised?”

  He laughed. “It’s an investment.”

  “How long have you lived here? Just since January?” He mentioned that he’d finished one semester at Princeton, and I assumed he hadn’t commuted that far.

  “I moved in right after the holidays.”

  “Cool. If you’re ever looking for a roommate, look no further.” Had I really just said that out loud?

  He grinned. “This from the girl so adamantly opposed to spending the night? If you move in here, it won’t be as my roommate.”

  “It won’t?” I liked the teasing. There was something hot about it, and it made me want him more.

  “How blatant do I have to make things? Did what happened in the kitchen not make it clear?”

  I licked my lips. “It helped.”

  “Does that mean you wouldn’t be surprised if I tried to kiss you again right now?” There was a twinkle in his eyes that made him seem younger, less serious than usual.

  “Not surprised, but—”

  My response was cut off when his lips brushed against mine softly. “What were you going to say?” He cradled my head in his hands and watching me intently.

  “Nothing important.”

  “Good.” He moved his lips against mine again, slow at first and then faster. I didn’t expect it to become anything more when he nipped my lip softly and slipped his tongue into my mouth. I gladly let him deepen the kiss, reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck again. One of his hands slipped down to my back where he used it to pull me against him. I could have kissed him for hours, loving the frenzied way his mouth moved against mine and the way he tasted like a cross between mint and something earthy. I wanted more, but eventually he broke the kiss.

  “I had no idea kissing you would be this good.” I rested my head against his chest.

  “Yeah? It’s how I’ve been picturing it.”

  I picked up my head so I could look at him. “You’ve been picturing it?”

  “For a while now.” He half shrugged in a way that made him seem almost embarrassed. A guy that could kiss like that should never feel embarrassed.

  “I’ve pictured it too.” I also pictured doing a whole lot more with him, but kissing repeatedly was a really good start.

  “Good to know.”

  The incessant beeping from the kitchen let us know the chicken was ready.

  “I gues
s we need to check on the food.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.” He walked toward the kitchen. “Maybe we can try out some more of that kissing later.”

  “Maybe…” The maybe was a yes.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Toby

  Casey was asleep in my guest room again. I’d have much preferred her in my bed, but that would have pushed things way too fast. She’d been the one to suggest staying over this time. She claimed it was the much more comfortable bed, but I sensed she also liked being at my place. I hoped I was right.

  I got the feeling she was far more innocent than she pretended to be, but asking her more about it was out of the question. Until I found out for certain whether she was a virgin, I sure as hell wasn’t pushing her to do anything too fast, even if it meant waking up with such a hard-on nothing was going to fix it. Well, nothing but her.

  I was fully prepared to take care of the situation myself when I heard her tentative knock.

  “Come in.” I responded automatically, even if I was lying in bed in just a pair of boxers.

  She pushed open the door and hesitated in the doorway. “Oh, did I wake you up?”

  Not in the way she thought she did. “No, I’ve been up. Do you need anything?”

  “I have to be at work in an hour, so I wanted to tell you I’m heading out.”

  “If you can wait a second, I’ll walk you.” I got out of bed, throwing back the covers without thinking about what she was going to see.

  Her eyes widened and she blushed. “I can walk myself.”

  I quickly slipped into some gym shorts. “It’s really not a problem.”

  She kept staring at the ground. “Okay. I’ll meet you at the front door.”

  By her embarrassed response, I was pretty sure my original theory was right. Casey was a virgin, and I was just going to have to sit back and wait for her to be ready.

  I finished getting dressed and met Casey. “Ready?”

  “Yup.” She seemed pretty eager to leave, and I hoped it was because she wanted time to get ready rather than wanting to get out of my apartment.

  We walked back to her cousin’s place quietly. I started to open my mouth a few times, but realized I had no idea what to say. All too quickly, we were standing outside her building.

  I turned to look at her. “Are you working late tonight?”

  “Yeah. I’m covering Remy’s shift. I close.”

  “Oh, okay. If you want to hang out afterward let me know.”

  “It’s going to be pretty late.” She pulled her keys out of her purse.

  I smiled at her. I only needed to sleep an hour or two at night. “I don’t mind staying up.”

  She bit her lip, and it made me want to kiss her again. “I’ll give you a call when I’m out.”

  Nice. Maybe I could get used to the whole dating thing again. “Sounds good. Have a great day.”

  “You too.” She leaned up like she was going to kiss me but then stopped and started unlocking the door.

  “Casey?”

  She turned, and I placed a feather light kiss on her lips. “See you tonight.”

  She smiled. “See you tonight.”

  I waited until she made it inside before heading back home to get changed for the day. Casey wasn’t the only one who needed to work.

  ***

  “There’re two of you now?” I groaned, annoyed to see that in addition to Jared sitting behind my desk, Owen, Levi’s advisor, was also camped out in my office.

  “Hey, man.” Owen nodded at me like we actually knew each other.

  “Did Levi send you too?” How little did the king trust me that he had to send up two of his men to babysit?

  “No. I’m just keeping Jared company.” He smirked at Jared who responded by tossing my globe at Owen’s head. Lucky for them, Owen caught it before it broke. That globe was one of the few things of my mom’s that I’d bothered to keep. I would have been beyond pissed if they smashed it.

  “Jared needs someone to keep him company?”

  “It’s boring up here.” Jared tried to shrug it off, but I could tell he was embarrassed at the insinuation that he couldn’t handle something on his own. I understood the feeling.

  That didn’t mean I was going to let him get away with putting his dirty shoes on my desk again. “Get out of my chair.”

  “You didn’t care yesterday.”

  “That’s because I thought it was a one-time visit. It’s not happening today.”

  “Ah, I get it.”

  “You do? Then why aren’t you moving?”

  “You didn’t get laid, did you? Casey freezing you out? I’ve seen what that can do to a guy.” He grinned.

  I did to, but I wasn’t admitting he was right. “Get out of my chair.”

  “Fine, chill out.” He got up and took a seat on the window sill.

  “I’m hoping you have news.” If they were just there to annoy me, they’d have it coming to them.

  “I did some digging last night while you were busy not screwing your girl.”

  “Just spit it out.”

  “There’s something major going down. I don’t have details, but I can tell they’re planning something big.”

  “Something big? Is that all you have?”

  Jared slid off the window and started to pace. “I need to talk to your inside man.”

  “I’ll talk to him for you.”

  “No.” He scowled. “I’ll do it myself.”

  “He knows me. He’ll tell me more.”

  “And I work directly for the king. I hold more authority, and he’ll respond to that.”

  “No one up here gives a damn about the king.” Myself included, but I didn’t say that part out loud.

  “Is that what you think? Those little chicken shits can’t even look me in the eye, they’re so scared of him.”

  “They can’t look you in the eye because they hate you and the king.”

  Owen laughed. “Harsh.”

  “But true.”

  Jared stopped right in front of me. “Why would they hate the king? He’s not the one who killed their leader.”

  I glared at him. “Shut the fuck up, Florence. This has nothing to do with my grandfather. It has to do with New Orleans acting like they’re better than us. New Yorkers don’t take well to being told a decaying southern city holds more sway.”

  “Decaying southern city?” Jared got up in my face. “Is that what you think?”

  I didn’t blink. “It’s a trash heap. We all know it.”

  Jared’s eyes started turning black and Owen grabbed him. “He’s just messing with you, man. Let it go.”

  “No. No fucking way this asshat with a stick up his ass is going to put down NOLA.”

  “I’m an asshat and I have a stick up my ass? Very original.”

  “Drop it, Toby.” Owen said it quietly, but there was a warning in his words. I knew I could probably hold my own in a fight with Jared, but we had bigger problems to deal with.

  “If I call in my guy, will you guys get out of here?”

  “Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of us? Are you hiding something?” Jared’s eyes were slowly fading back to their usual brown.

  “No, I just want some peace and quiet.”

  “Come on, Toby. You know you love having us around.” Jared had an annoying way of glazing over things and falling back on sarcasm.

  “I’ll make the call.” I picked up the phone and called Tim. This was one of those things that would look bad if I did it myself. “Get Marv in here now.”

  “Is there a reason why?”

  “The reason is that two crows are sitting in my office.”

  Jared chuckled. “I heard that, hawk boy.”

  Pterons are tied to a variety of birds, and although we view each other as superior to all other shifters, we don’t particularly like each other.

  “I’ll get him.” Tim hung up.

  My cousin could be annoying, but he got the job done. They’d been more than ha
ppy to step up and work for me when my grandfather died, and they’d proven themselves more useful than I originally anticipated.

  I wanted to grill Tim about any updates on Casey’s place, but I wasn’t doing that in front of Jared. With any luck, Eric would accompany his uncle in and I’d learn more. I cared too much about her to just sit back and wait. I wanted to hit whoever was after her head on. I was going to find out who was after Casey and why, but I hated the sinking feeling that she was hiding something from me. She got weird when I’d asked about past boyfriends, and my gut told me it all tied in. As long as she hadn’t dated other Pterons, I’d be okay. I wasn’t ready to deal with that again.

  “How long’s it going to take?” Jared asked.

  “Not long.”

  “Where can I get a cup of coffee around here?”

  “There’s a Starbucks downstairs.”

  “No complimentary coffee for your guests?”

  “You’re not my guests, but there’s some down the hall.”

  “Thanks. We’ll be back.” They walked out of the room.

  I settled into my desk chair and treated myself to a few more thoughts of Casey. It had been ages since I’d craved a girl, and as sexually frustrated as I felt, I preferred the feeling to the numbness that had been there before. I sent her a text. You didn’t make me coffee this morning.

  After sending it, I realized she might not check her phone at work. She answered that question when she replied a minute later. I’ll make you some tonight.

  I smiled. Even better.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Casey

  No matter how many times I did it, I hated closing. I didn’t do it alone. Eric always seemed to be with me, but there was something about having to stay around long after everyone else left that I didn’t like. It was also right before closing that the biggest weirdos came in. Sometimes they were there to see Eric, but other times they just seemed to want coffee and nearly stale pastries.

  I was busy mentally recounting my kiss with Toby for the hundredth time when the bell dinged signaling someone entering the store. Eric was out back dumping the trash. He’d taken Rhett to heart and didn’t make me do it anymore. “Can I help you?”