“Add a ditsy side to the geeky one.”

“I won’t own up to that one. Forgetting to charge a computer doesn’t make me ditzy.” That was my cover story—I couldn’t bring my computer where I was going.

At least I could keep things light with Jared. I was actually kind of enjoying the banter. Unfortunately, he was going to hate me for what I was about to do.

The professor started class, and I dutifully took notes even though I knew I’d be leaving my notebook behind.

I waited twenty minutes for good measure before tapping Jared on the shoulder. “Bathroom,” I mouthed while gesturing to the door.

He nodded before turning back to his computer. He’d tried to follow me to the bathroom once during class and regretted it quickly. I’d been counting on him remembering that lesson. The solution to the bathroom problem was to plant a Pteron in the hallway outside my classes. The one on Mondays was a guy, so I knew he couldn’t follow me in either.

Pushing open the wood door, I glanced over my shoulder and smiled at the Pteron. He half smiled in greeting as I let the door close behind me.

Without wasting any time, I climbed on the vanity and reached up to open the window. It didn’t budge at first, but I refused to panic. I took a deep breath and tried again. It squeaked as it opened, and I tensed waiting for the guard to run in. He didn’t.

The window wasn’t huge, but I was pretty sure I could squeeze through it. I hoped no one was outside at that moment, because I would have flashed anyone passing by. Wearing a skirt wasn’t ideal, but jeans would have been too casual for what I was doing. I put my head through first, wiggling the rest of myself through while trying to hold on so I wouldn’t fall. Thankfully it was a first floor bathroom, but that didn’t mean falling into the bushes would feel good. I made it out in one piece and stopped to smooth out my skirt.

I checked my watch before taking a quick walk over to the front of campus, relieved to see the white cab waiting along the curb. “The Crescent City Hotel, please.”

I tried to relax, but it was impossible. I watched the houses as we drove down St. Charles Avenue. I was getting ready to do something that was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Most likely it was a little of both. Either way, it wasn’t something I wanted to do.

I paid the driver and walked into the lobby.

“Allie?” Billy’s upbeat voice called out to me before I reached the elevators.

“Hey, Billy.” I took off my sunglasses and faced him.

“What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in ages.” Billy was such a nice guy. He was also a bellboy at my dad’s hotel who had a huge crush on Jess. The manager of the hotel, a Pteron, had let all of the non-Society staff off for the night of the ball, so it had been a long time since we’d run into each other.

“I’m just meeting someone.”

“Okay, cool.” He looked nervous, and I knew what he was about to ask. “Have you heard from Jess?”

“Not for a few weeks.” That part was true.

“Oh, that’s cool.”

“Yeah. Well, it was nice seeing you.” I smiled.

“Same to you. I should get back to work.”

“See ya around.”

I entered the elevator without running into anyone else and hit the button for the fifth floor. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I could do this. The trick was to stay calm. The elevator reached the fifth floor, and I got off. I stalled outside the room for a moment before I got up the nerve to knock.

“Hi, come on in.” His voice was breathy, and his eyes matched. I steadied myself as I walked into Cade’s suite. I could handle this. I’d put so much work into getting down to the hotel by myself, I couldn’t screw this up.

I stepped inside and waited as he closed and locked the door behind me. Why’d he have to lock it? I looked around the room and my heart sunk. He had the curtains drawn and candles lit. Never mind that it was the middle of the afternoon.

“Going all out, huh?” I gestured to the white pillar candles. Other than the ambiance, the suite looked a whole lot like the one I had a few floors above.

“We’re only going to get one first time together.” His eyes smoldered.

“Oh—um, we’re not actually… I didn’t come here to sleep with you.” I could barely speak coherently. The nerves and the message his eyes and body were sending me did not make a good combination.

“Are you sure about that?”

I forced myself to look away from his eyes, and I took all of him in. The top few buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, giving me a pretty good view of his chest. Pterons all seemed to have incredible physiques, and Cade’s chiseled body was no exception. It was all way too much. “Would you mind turning on some lights?”

“Are you nervous?” He smiled, but it wasn’t in a condescending way. He seemed to actually care.

“Very.” Just not for the reason he thought.

“Here, I’ll pour us some wine. It’ll help you relax.”

“Wine?”

“A Barbera from our family’s estate. I assure you, it’s good,” he explained proudly. Evidently the Laurents weren’t the only ones with wine interests.

“Would it be okay if I sat down?”

“Of course. Take a seat.”

I sat on the edge of the couch as I waited for Cade to pour the wine and join me.

He handed me a glass before raising his own. “To a beautiful woman and my future mate.”

I smiled and put the glass to my lips, but I didn’t sip. There was no way I was drinking in that situation.

“I’m so glad you decided to stop by. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to.” He sat down next to me, leaving less than a socially acceptable amount of space between us. If either of us moved our legs, they would have been touching.

“It’s hard for me to get out by myself.” I was already waiting for my cell phone to vibrate in my purse again. It had been doing it every few minutes since I’d slipped into the cab.

“I understand Levi’s reluctance to let you out unprotected. I’ll do the same. You can never be too safe.”

“You keep talking like our being together is inevitable.” I swirled around the wine in my glass.

“Isn’t it?” He leaned forward and put a hand on my leg. I shifted, hoping he’d get the hint and move it. He didn’t. Instead he slowly moved it further up. I really shouldn’t have worn a skirt. I stood up.