Focus (The Crescent Chronicles, #2) by Alyssa Rose Ivy Read Free Book Online Page A

thought, or Levi really knew me. I hoped it was the first.
“Everything’s fine.”
    “ You sure?”
    “ Yeah.” I certainly wasn’t
going to cause a scene at the party. I’d try to keep my distance
from Bryant though.
    After dessert was cleared away, Levi
touched my arm. “You ready?”
    “ Where do we go for the
meeting?”
    “ You can’t
guess?”
    “ Wait, is it at the
hotel?”
    “ Of course.” He took my
hand. Hailey was talking to the guy next to her, who I recognized
as the bouncer from Bruno’s, but Levi interrupted. “You coming,
Hailey?”
    “ I’ll meet you there.” She
smiled, so I just waved.
    I let Levi lead me out with a hand on
my back. The valet pulled his car around as soon as we reached the
front.
    Levi opened my door for me, closing it
before going around to his side.
    “ So what did you think of
dinner?” He turned on the radio to some rock station, adjusting the
volume to a barely audible level that made me wonder why he
bothered with it at all.
    “ It was really
good.”
    “ Are you going to tell me
what’s wrong?”
    “ No.”
    He took his eyes off the road to look
at me. “I love your honesty, Al, but I need to know.”
    “ I’ll tell you after the
meeting.” I knew he wouldn’t give up, but I didn’t want to rile him
up before something important.
    “ Back at my place?” He
smiled sheepishly.
    “ You do realize I’m not
coming over, right?”
    He let out a deep breath.
“Unfortunately, I’m painfully aware. I figured that out when you
stopped after one glass of wine.”
    “ Very
perceptive.”
    “ I’m always perceptive when
it comes to you.”
    Not always. He’d totally missed Bryant
coming on to me.
    He pulled up out front of the hotel in
a spot that seemed to have been left open for him. I walked in,
relieved that Billy, my friend who worked as a bell boy, wasn’t
there. I hadn’t been back since school started, but I’d spent the
whole summer working at the hotel my dad owned. My friend, Alex,
was working at the bar, and he just shook his head when he saw me
walk in with Levi. I waved, pretending I didn’t notice his
disapproval.
    We walked over to the elevators, and I
followed Levi in. I waited as he pushed the button for the
basement, inserting a key card that allowed us to go to a floor of
the building that didn’t officially exist. Knowing we were about to
enter pitch blackness, I grabbed on to Levi’s hand. He’d be able to
see perfectly. Levi squeezed my hand as the doors opened, and we
walked out into the blackness.

Chapter Six
     
    So much had changed since the last time
I’d walked down the marble floored hallway of the basement. Now I
knew Levi was a prince, and that I’d become some sort of princess.
I was glad to have his large, strong hand wrapped around mine as we
walked into the chambers. It made the entrance at least a little
less intimidating.
    Owen and Jared both stood up as we
walked in. We’d barely taken two steps into the room when they met
up with us.
    Levi turned to me. “I have to sit with
my dad, so you don’t mind sitting with them, do you?”
    I was okay as long as he wasn’t leaving
me alone. “No, it’s fine. Hopefully Hailey will get here
soon.”
    “ Aw, missing me already,
roomie?” Hailey joined us.
    “ I miss you every time
we’re apart.”
    “ The feeling’s mutual,
babe. Completely mutual.” She linked arms with mine, and I waved
goodbye to Levi as we followed Jared and Owen over to a couple of
stone seats that were part of a circular pattern with multiple
levels of stadium seating.
    The chamber was cold and the bare skin
of my legs against the cool stone wasn’t ideal. “Next time, we’re
wearing pants.”
    Hailey laughed. “Agreed.”
    I looked around for Levi, but I
couldn’t find him. Jared leaned over to talk to me. “He’s going to
enter with his dad.”
    “ So it’s different from the
ball then? Because shouldn’t Allie be with him?” Hailey turned to
Jared.
    “ It’s