First & Forever (The Crescent Chronicles Book 4) (18 page)

“I don’t see how you expect me to believe that.”

“Please. It’s true. We have to at least give this a chance,” I pleaded. I was running out of time to convince her.

“So, what, I throw away all my plans?”

“Defer Princeton until the spring. One semester at Tulane won’t hurt. You’ll probably like it. We can make sure you’re roommates with Hailey and everything.” I’d do whatever it took to make her comfortable. She’d love Tulane. I just knew it.

She hesitated with her answer and I waited with baited breath. “If I agree, it’s only for a semester.”

“So you’ll give us a chance?” My heart soared.

“This isn’t about you and me. This is about New Orleans and keeping myself and my family safe. I’ll stay, but you need to accept that we’re not really together.”

I pulled her tight against my chest. I’d change her mind. I just needed time. “I love you. I have never felt this way before, and the thought of losing you scares me.”

“And that’s supposed to make everything better?” She bristled. “You love me? It doesn’t matter anyway.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t love you.”

Her words hit me like a slap across the face, but the sting faded as I gazed into those green eyes. She didn’t mean it. She loved me just as I loved her. No matter what she said now, I’d change her mind. I’d do anything to make her happy, anything to make her stay. Allie and I belonged together, and no matter what it took, she’d be mine forever.

Watching Allie walk down the aisle changed me. Bound already or not, there was something incredible about seeing her dressed in a white wedding gown with her eyes fixed right on me. There was so much emotion in those green eyes of hers. It’s like she was saying more with her eyes than she could ever say with words, and I hoped my eyes were doing the same thing. I’d been in love with Allie since the moment I first held her in my arms. My feelings for her were so intense they scared me, and it takes a lot for anything to do that.

The sun was high in the sky, and it casted shadows across the pristine sand. The beach wedding had been Allie’s idea, and I couldn’t think of anything more perfect.

She glided on her father’s arm in front of over fifty people, but it might as well have just been us. She tried to keep a serious face, but the closer she got to me, the more her lips curled up until she was nearly grinning. I loved having that effect on her. I loved knowing that I could make her happy in a way that no one else could.

Levi. All I could see and focus on was his handsome face, and those darn blue-gray eyes watching me with an intensity and love so strong I could physically feel it. Only my father’s hold kept me from rushing down the aisle. Tradition or not, I just wanted to be in his arms.

I fought down tears. I hadn’t sat through an hour of makeup application to ruin it before I reached Levi’s side. I needed to hold it together a little bit longer.

I took small steps as a cello and flute played
A Variation on a Theme
. I’d selected the song months before, but hearing it only made me more emotional. Even with the music I could hear the sounds of the waves gently crashing against the shore.

I was vaguely aware of our guests sitting on either side of the aisle, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from Levi—the man who’d stolen my heart without me knowing it. I’d fought my feelings for him, but I’d never had a chance of staying away. Levi and I were made for each other. I had no doubt about that.

Finally, what felt like ages later, I reached the front, and Levi held my hands in his. I briefly glanced at my mom and bridesmaids before my eyes locked on Levi’s again.

I couldn’t cry. Shedding tears wasn’t an option, so I held them back. If I wasn’t mistaken, my bride was doing the same thing. She held on to my hands like her life depended on it, but she didn’t need to worry. I’d have never let her fall. I’d always be there to catch her.

My dad’s advisor officiated. He was kind of like an uncle to me, and his father had married my parents. I’m not the biggest on traditions, but I liked that we were continuing that one.

I barely heard the words being spoken. I was too busy studying every little detail about Allie’s appearance. She was wearing more makeup than usual, but it was still natural, and her hair was wavy and fell perfectly down her back.

“And now the couple will share the vows they’ve written.”

The personal vows had been my idea, the one deviation from the more traditional ceremony.

I started, staring into Allie’s eyes as I held her hands. “Allie Davis, you are my everything. I fell for you the first moment I saw you, and nothing could have kept me away. You make me a better man, and I can’t imagine where I’d be without you at my side. I know that the road here wasn’t always the easiest, but I don’t regret a second of the journey.” I paused to brush a few tears off Allie’s cheek. “I waited years to find you, and I would have spent a lifetime searching. I’d give anything to protect you, and I will love you for every single moment of my life.”

Allie sniffled and dabbed her eyes. She squeezed my hand, trying to compose herself before she started with her vows. “Levi Laurent, you make my world go round. Nothing is ever better, sweeter, or more enjoyable than the time I spend with you. You make me stronger, and I know I can face anything as long as we’re together. Although I fought my feelings for you at first, I’ll never fight them again. I love you with every bit of my heart, and I promise to love you until my last breath.”

For a moment I couldn’t breathe. I was so overcome with emotion, that I didn’t know which way was up. The officiant continued with the ceremony as I tried to pull myself together. I knew I was the luckiest man alive.

“Do you Leviathan Laurent take Allison Davis as your lawfully wedded wife?” The word wife got my attention. The yes slipped from my lips immediately.

“Do you Allison Davis take Leviathan Laurent as your lawfully wedded husband?”

I waited for the yes so I could kiss her.

“Let me think about that.” She smiled, pretending to mull it over.

I smiled back. I knew she was only joking.

She stepped even closer to me. “Ok. I do.”

“With the power—”

I didn’t let him finish. I had Allie in my arms and my lips on hers within seconds. She tasted as sweet and irresistible as always, and I didn’t care that we had an audience. Officially, in every way, shape, or form, Allie and I were together forever.

The term giddy took on new meaning as we walked into the reception. We were so excited to celebrate with our guests that we didn’t even wait to be announced. We were married. I was Mrs. Levi Laurent, and I couldn’t have been happier.

I glided around the room on Levi’s arm unable to stop smiling. My face was starting to hurt, but I didn’t care. Nothing could spoil my mood.

Levi was all about grand gestures. When he refused to tell me what our first dance song would be I didn’t fight him. I figured there was a reason for his secrecy.

I didn’t recognize the song, but it felt right, it felt perfect. Starting off slow with just piano and cello, it quickly picked up when the rest of the band kicked in.

“Did you have this song made for us?” I asked as we danced around the room.

“You mean the world to me Allie, and I wanted a song that summed that up. Nothing else fit.”

I smiled and closed my eyes. I knew Levi would lead me.

All too soon the song ended, and Levi led me over to our sweethearts table. I spent most of the night dancing on Levi’s arm, but I made time to visit with every one of our guests. I cried some serious tears at Hailey’s toast, and my eyes definitely weren’t dry when my dad made his.

The reception was fun, but all I wanted to do was get Allie alone. I had a two week honeymoon planned on our own private island. After all the craziness we’d had to go through, Allie deserved my undivided attention, and hell I deserved hers. Just the thought of what that attention would feel like had me hard. I took a deep breath. We had way too much family around to even think about that.

Saying goodbye to our guests was harder than I expected. The past year of my life had been a crazy one, and I knew I wouldn’t have made it without the help of my family and friends. I didn’t bother holding back the tears when I hugged my mom goodbye next to where our plane sat on the small runway. I hated keeping secrets from her, and I hoped that one day I’d be able to tell her the truth about everything. Saying goodbye to Jared was surprisingly emotional too. Considering the way our relationship started, I still couldn’t believe we’d become such good friends.

“You doing okay?” Levi put an arm around me as the plane took off.

“I’m fine, great really. I’m just emotional.”

He turned to look at me. “The good kind of emotional, right?”

I rested my head against his chest. “Of course. I think I just surprised myself with how hard today hit me.”

“It hit me hard too.” He rubbed small circles on my back. For some reason, his admission made me feel better. If Levi was emotional, then it was completely normal for me to be too.

“Are you ready to tell me where you’re taking me?”

“You’ve waited this long, and now you want me to ruin the surprise?” He teased.

“Can you at least tell me how long it’s going to take to get there?”

“In other words you want to know if you have time to take a nap?”

“How do you know me this well?”

“It’s a gift.” He kissed my forehead. “And you might as well nap, babe, it’s not like you’ll be getting any sleep tonight.”

I sighed, snuggling into him more. “Why did you have to say that? Now how am I supposed to sleep?”

“I guess you won’t be.” He unbuckled my seatbelt and pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling him. I didn’t have much room for my legs, but I didn’t particularly care. Levi’s lap was a favorite place of mine.

“I’m not having sex with you on your plane, Levi.”

“Who said anything about sex? Can’t a man just want to stare longingly into his wife’s eyes?”

I laughed. “You really like saying that, don’t you?”

“Don’t you like calling me your husband?”

“I haven’t tried it yet.”

“What are you waiting for?” He ran his hands up and down my bare arms. As usual, his touch sent shivers through me.

“I love my husband.”

“Yeah? That’s convenient, isn’t it?”

I laughed and slipped one hand underneath the bottom of his t-shirt. “Two whole weeks alone together, do you think we’ll still like each other by the end?”

“I could spend eternity alone with you, Al.”

“Al? You haven’t called me that in a while.”

“I know.” He rested his hands on my hips. “I just felt like using it.”

“My name’s Allie Laurent now.”

“Really?” He ran a finger over my hip, making me wish the fabric from my sundress wasn’t in the way. At least I’d changed out of my wedding gown.

“I wanted to make sure you knew.”

“I know. I’ve considered it to be your name for a while now.”

“I think it has a great ring to it.”

“Of course it does. It was the name you were born to have.”

“Really? What if I’d asked you to take my last name?”

“Your last name doesn’t come with a crown, babe.”

“Good point.” I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his. “Despite the stresses, I kind of like being queen.”

“That’s a good thing, because you’re going to be my queen forever.”

At the last minute I decided to forego the blindfold. Knowing Allie she’d read into it and think it was something kinky, and that definitely wasn’t the case. The next two weeks were about romance, and I wanted to start it off right.

I had several locations to choose from, but a private island in the South Pacific was a no brainer. Whether I liked it or not, Allie and I lived a public life. I was going to take advantage of any alone time I could get.

I wrapped my hand around hers as we walked toward our cottage. The small wooden house was located over the crystal clear water of the Pacific. I knew Allie would appreciate the simple house. If we wanted luxury we’d have gone back to our mansion. I knew all she cared about was hot water and a working kitchen. Other than that we were steering clear of technology.

We walked past the large hammock and to the front door.

“I love it.” She walked right in as soon as I unlocked the door. She didn’t drop my hand, so I let her pull me in after her. I left the door open. I wanted to leave the cottage as open to the elements as possible. Allie loved listening to the waves, and she was going to get to do that every second of our trip.

“Do I get a tour?” She used her free hand to tug on my belt loop.

I let her pull me toward her. “That depends.”

“The tour can start and end in the bedroom.” She smiled that sexy, come get me smile that made me lose control.

“I think that can be arranged.” I waited until she’d turned back around before I picked her up by the waist.

She squealed, and I threw her over my shoulder. “You said you only wanted a tour of the bedroom, no reason to waste any time.”

I set her down just inside the simple bedroom. I took a second to open up the curtains, giving us a view of the water. I returned to Allie’s side and watched as her eyes settled on the bed. “Are you really going to leave me waiting?”

I settled my hands on her hips. “Do I ever leave you waiting?”

“No… at least not in a bad way.”

I reached up and untied the halter tie of her sundress. The top fell away, revealing what I already knew. She wasn’t wearing a bra underneath. I held myself back. I wanted to see all of my bride before enjoying her. We’d been together more times than I could count, but somehow this felt different. She was Allie Laurent now, and I wanted to remember every second of the first time I made love to her as her husband.

I pulled her dress down over her hips, letting it fall into a satisfying heap on the floor around her feet. She didn’t move to step out of it. I took a moment to admire her standing there in just a silky red pair of panties. She knew how to drive me wild.