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.
Levi
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.
Allie
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.
Levi
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.
Allie
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.”
Levi
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.
She started on the buttons of my dress shirt, taking each one excruciatingly slow. I guess I was getting a taste of my own medicine. After discarding my shirt she slipped her hands under my t-shirt and pulled it over my head.
She reached for my belt, but I stopped her. “I want to finish undressing you first.” I moved to my knees and used my teeth to lower the satin fabric off of her body. She let out a small moan as I brushed my lips against her on the way down.
She barely let me stand up before going to work on my belt again. She eased my pants and boxers down in one motion, wasting no time before taking me in her hand.
I groaned. “You kill me, babe.”
“What do you think you do to me?”
Instead of answering I led her over to the bed. I pulled back the covers, she always liked it better on the sheets.
She lay down, a vision of lightly sun-kissed skin and brown hair against the red sheets. I lay down next to her, letting my lips begin a decent from her neck on down. She moaned, leaning her head back to give me better access. I took her breasts in my hands, still amazed at how perfectly they fit into my palms. Everything about Allie fit me perfectly. She moaned again, clearly enjoying the sensation of my touch. I was enjoying her touch just as much. I let my lips continue their descent down as my hand found its way between those long legs of hers. She opened up for me at the same time that she pulled my head back up to meet her own. Her lips crushed into mine, and I made my way into her mouth.
“I want you,” Allie whispered, driving her hips into me to give me the hint.
“I know that, babe. The question is, are you ready for me?”
“Don’t you already know the answer?” She breathed the words, clearly trying to stay in control.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear it.”
“I’m ready for you. I want you, and I need you, now.” She pushed her hips against me again, and I was done playing around.
I moved over her, giving her a second to realize she was getting exactly what she asked for. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I thrust into her, finding her as ready as I knew she’d be. I moved deeper, but kept things gentle. We had two weeks to devour each other’s bodies. Tonight was for making love. Allie Davis was everything to me, and I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together.
The Pteron story continues in the Empire Chronicles! Keep reading for a preview of Soar (The Empire Chronicles #1). Also look for Dire (The Dire Wolves Chronicles #1) releasing September 2014!
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Soar
the
empire chronicles
Alyssa Rose Ivy
Chapter One
Casey
Glowing Eyes. In the chaos of the moment, the only thing I could focus on were the yellow eyes that followed my every move. They were eerie and seemed more at home on an animatronic creation than on the living, breathing animal that had me cornered in the alley. I knew I was stuck, but I didn’t think about death. It wasn’t an option because I wasn’t ready for it. Realistic or not, I was a firm believer that we make our own destiny.
I stepped back, convinced that if I walked backward slowly enough, I’d escape. I silently cursed Eric for making me throw out the trash after my shift. He was such an ass of an assistant manager.
At first, the wolf didn’t move—at least I thought it was a wolf, although it seemed two sizes too big. As strange as it should have been to see a giant wolf in an alley, I’d seen far stranger in my nine months of living in New York City.
“Easy boy,” I said in a half whisper, more for myself than for the beast now taking slow, deliberate steps toward me.
All of a sudden, he lunged. Gray fur moved in a blur as I blocked my face the best I could in the spilt second I had. A whimper rang out, and I lowered my arms when the contact never came.
The gray wolf slowly limped out of the alley. I searched for an explanation as I struggled to regain my breath and vaguely saw another figure disappear into the distance. He could have been any man, except that in my adrenaline-rich state, I could have sworn he had wings.
My head started to spin, and I reached out for something to hold onto. Then ev
erything went black.
***
“Hey, Bates! Are you okay?”
I forced my eyes open, confused about the cause of my killer headache and the fogginess permeating my head.
“Casey?” Eric bent down next to me with some legitimate concern on his face. “Are you all right?”
“How long have I been out here?” I glanced around, trying to make sense of how I ended up face down in a pile of trash outside my place of work.
“Not too long. When you never came in from tossing the trash I got worried.”
Likely. Eric was probably more worried about being named in a potential law suit.
“I’m fine… I think.” I struggled to remember what had happened. The only memory I had couldn’t be real. It involved a wolf and a strange guy with wings. Evidently I managed to pass out and hit my head on a trash can. Because that’s normal.
“Are you sure? Do you think you can walk?”
“Yeah, I can walk.” The alternative was to let him carry me inside. Despite his good looks, Eric’s personality nullified any desire to have him hold me, even if walking seemed like an insurmountable task at the moment. Out of necessity, I accepted his outstretched hand and leaned heavily on his shoulder. My head continued to throb, and all I wanted to do was get home and lie down.
He put me down on the couch in the break room. The worn sofa wasn’t a place I ever wanted to lay my head, considering it was twenty years old and had probably never been cleaned, but I didn’t have a choice. The world was spinning.
“Did you hit your head?” Eric asked, taking a seat next to me. His muscular arm blocked my view of the room.
I reached up and touched the knot forming on the back of my head. “Yes. I have no idea how.”
“Only you would do something that ridiculous.” He routinely made fun of me, but something was off. Then again, I’d hit my head so maybe everything was off.
First & Forever (The Crescent Chronicles Book 4) Page 15
