“The type to prey on innocent tourists.”
“Innocent tourists? You make me sound like the big bad wolf.”
“And you’re not?” She got a twinkle in her eye.
A wolf? As if she was dealing with something that tame. “Only if you’re Red Riding Hood.” I’d pretend to be a wolf if it involved her.
“Wow, that’s original,” she said sarcastically, but her face gave her away. She was definitely interested. “Well, nice talking to you.”
What? Was she seriously trying to blow me off again? I had to act fast. “Hey, I didn’t even get your name yet.”
“Allie.”
“Is that short for Allison?” I needed to keep her talking.
“Yes, but no one calls me Allison.”
“I’m Levi.” I held out my hand.
“Is that short for something?” She gave me her hand and it felt nice in mine. I didn’t want to end the contact. I liked touching her, but I finally dropped it.
“Leviathan. But you can call me whatever you like.” Hell, she could call me a wolf if she was doing it in my bed.
“Well, nice to meet you.” She actually started to walk away. What the hell was going on?
“Wow, it’s hotel bar guy.” The blonde swayed as she walked over drunkenly. Either she was a light weight or she’d had more to drink than Allie. Allie—it was nice to have a name to go with those long legs.
“So you did notice me.” I leaned in closer to Allie again. If she’d noticed me enough to talk to her friend, I was good to go. She was just playing hard to get. I didn’t mind a good game of chase.
“So, does that mean you changed your mind?” the blonde asked.
“Changed her mind? About what?” Had she talked about me more?
“Allie’s sworn off men, or so she claims.” Blondie took a swig from her beer. If she drank much more, she’d pass out before anyone got her home.
“Is that so?” What did that mean exactly? I’d have thought she was into girls, but I wasn’t getting that vibe.
Allie exhaled loudly. “Yes, not that it’s any of your business.”
“Any particular reason why?” I was intrigued. Had someone hurt her? I felt an unfamiliar feeling of protectiveness take hold. I shook it off.
“None that I wish to explain.”
“She thinks it’s because she has bad luck with relationships, but really it’s because no one is good enough for her,” Blondie tattled. Allie’s eyes got all big—I got myself ready for a cat fight.
But then Allie relaxed her shoulders. “I think I need another drink.”
“My pleasure. What can I get you?”
“Surprise me.” There was nothing overly flirtatious in her voice, but I still took her willingness to trust me with the task as a good sign.
“I will.” I winked at her. “I’m good at surprises.”
I needed to find the perfect drink. Allie seemed like the kind of girl who liked them strong and sweet. I ordered her something different, my own invention. I called it the Oasis. I heard the girls continuing to argue. One of the many benefits of enhanced hearing was eavesdropping in on conversations. The blonde’s name was Jess, and she was really egging Allie on.
As I returned to the girls, Jared caught my eye. He and Owen were sitting at a table across the room. He nodded, wanting us to come over. Normally, I’d have made him get off his ass, but I wanted Allie’s attention, which meant getting her friend fixated on someone else.
“A few of my friends are sitting over there. Care to join us?”
Jess glanced over and answered first. “Why not?” Her words were casual but it was obvious she was interested in one of my friends. I hoped it was Owen—that would make tonight interesting.
Allie still hadn’t said anything, so I looked to her. She finally nodded, and we walked over.
I made the introductions. “Girls, this is Jared and Owen. And this is Allie and Jess.” I realized afterward that they might have thought it was odd that I knew Jess’ name, but they didn’t seem to notice.
“Well, hello there.” Jared grinned. He looked over Allie, but then moved his attention to Jess.
Owen just nodded. “Hey.” He smiled again, but I didn’t worry about it. He knew not to get in the way of what I wanted.
Jess sat down next to Jared. He must have been the one who caught her eye. I’d hoped she’d keep Owen occupied so he’d stop looking at Allie, but it didn’t actually matter.
I put down our drinks and pulled out a chair for Allie, careful to make sure she sat in the one closest to the wall. I wanted her attention all to myself. “You can’t really mean to punish the entire male gender for the errors of a few.”
I watched her pick up her drink and taste it. Her whole body responded to the sip. Her shoulders relaxed and she leaned back against her chair. She liked it, and I liked her smile. It went all the way to her eyes.
“Because it would be really unfair to do that.”
“Um, can we please talk about something else?” She turned away from me, and I saw her looking at Owen. Not what I was hoping for.
“Sure, for now. What made you decide to take the job at the hotel?”
Her shoulders tensed up a little again. “Oh, I needed a job and my dad was able to get it for me.”
Jess leaned over the table toward me. “Because Allie’s dad is super rich and bought the place.” Whoa. This was the new owner’s daughter? I wasn’t sure what to make of the information. “What? It’s true.”
I must have missed an exchange between the girls. Was Allie trying to keep it a secret? Most girls would brag about something like that.
“Your dad bought the Crescent City Hotel?” Jared sat up straighter. He seriously needed to keep his cool.
“Yeah. The deal went through earlier this year.” Allie downed her drink. Something about this conversation was stressing her out. I wanted to find out what it was. I doubted she knew anything about the hotel. It was something else.
I wasn’t about to ask her about it. I’d just have to find out another way. She set down her empty glass.
“I guess you liked it?”
“Maybe a little. What was it?” She ran her finger over the edge of the glass.
“Want another?”
“No, don’t worry about it. I can get one for myself if you’ll tell me what it is.” I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. She was the type of girl who worried about guys buying her drinks. She was afraid that meant she owed them something. Such bullshit. Buying a drink for a girl was just an opening. Where it went after that depended on her.