A Coalition Story

He Wasn't Wearing a Shirt

For some crazy reason, Alice hadn't realized until taking Lev's hand that he wasn't wearing a shirt. And he was very, very handsome without a shirt. Tattoos decorated most of his skin, and it was making it even harder not to stare.

"So, uh, what are you dressed as tonight?" she asked, trying to save them before the awkward silence that accompanied her constantly could hit. Lev had saved her, and so Alice was dancing with him, but also he was really attractive. Attractive guys usually weren't into her, and if they were, her brother and his friends scared them away long before she found out. But Lev wasn't scared of them, for better or for worse.

"A vampire hunter," he answered with a chuckle. "They took my stake at the door. Apparently, even wooden stakes are weapons." This time Alice laughed softly.

"It's the Coalition. You probably know how to kill somebody with a pen," she teased, surprised by her boldness. This was an assassin! A scary, sexy assassin! And she was teasing him!

"Stab them in the carotid artery, so yes," Lev conceded. "Maybe I should have snuck a pen in for Mercutio." He flashed her a playful smile, which she was immensely grateful for. Alice wouldn't have been able to detect his humor otherwise. That and Lev's smile made her more comfortable around him. Also, it was easier to stare at his face and not his abs when he was smiling.

"Not your sense of humor?" he asked, catching on that she was probably uncomfortable. Nervously, Alice shook her head.

"My apologies, then. What do you prefer?" So he was a gentleman. From the way Ace and Ravyn talked/argued about Lev, she hadn't guessed that much. But he certainly wasn't a Neanderthal, either.

"I like puns," Alice answered, looking up to Lev's eyes. Whoa. He had beautiful eyes. Like, freakishly gorgeous. Yeah, she could definitely stare into those all night.

"I'll have to brush up on those, then," he replied, pulling her out of her adoration with a playful twirl. And he knew how to dance? No wonder Ravyn was obsessed with him.

"Why's that?" Alice asked. Did he actually want to spend more time with her? Wasn't he dating Ravyn sort of? She did not want to get in between Ravyn and her current obsession. Alice had seen people do that before and it never ended well.

"I'd like to get to know you better, if that's okay with you," he explained softly. He sounded nervous. But why would Lev be nervous? Alice wasn't anything special. Unless he was afraid of Ace, but that couldn't be the case. Her brother was scary, but not enough to ward off Lev. Maybe he was scared of Cal and Torin if he broke Ravyn's heart... She was freakishly obsessed with Lev...

"Yeah, yeah, that's okay," Alice answered after a short pause. He raised an eyebrow.

"You can say no, Alice. You don't have to humor me because I saved you back there." A blush filled her pale cheeks. So he'd caught on to her hesitation. Figured. Atticus was always telling her she needed to work on her lying, especially with how much she snooped around.

"I'm just worried about what Ravyn will think. She's uh-"

"Obsessed with me? Not to be arrogant, but I know. Don't worry about her. She's just a friend." A friend with certain benefits. Everybody knew that much. But Lev was always sleeping around. Wait— was he trying to get in Alice's pants? Oh goodness. She hoped not. She was not interested in that. Even if it did mean touching his glorious abs. But Lev had been so kind and caring... Maybe Ace and everybody else had it wrong. She'd give him a chance. Everybody deserved a chance. Alice would just make sure to be careful, then she'd be fine. She'd also keep her switchblade on her whenever he was near. That would help.

"You're a thinker, aren't you?" Lev chuckled, twirling Alice again. The blush returned to her cheeks, but his smooth dancing made her smile. Everybody in the Coalition knew how to dance from their etiquette classes, but Lev was actually really good at it. He was graceful, not just skilled.