Page 19 of Savage Princess

“Sooner rather than later, I hope.” Levin digs back into his food, and silence falls over the table again.

That last is a stark reminder that his focus is on getting me home—and then leaving. The night has felt far more like a date than it should, and even with that reminder, as Levin pays for the check and stands up, it still has that feeling.

I realize whenIstand up that I’m also definitely a little tipsy.

Levin seems to recognize it, too, because he takes my elbow, gently guiding me towards the door. I feel a flush of heat at his touch, warming me along with the burn of the alcohol in my stomach. When we step out into the warm night, I resist the urge to lean into him with everything I have.

I’m very aware, however, that we’re heading back to the hotel. That we’re going to be alone again, together, for another night—for more nights after that, until we get back to Boston.

Nothing is going to happen. I know that. But as we walk to flag down a cab, I can’t help the steadily building feeling of anticipation in my belly.

There is, after all, only one bed in the hotel room.

Elena

“We should pick up something else to drink on the way,” I tell him when we get out of the cab a few blocks from our motel. “It’ll be fun.”

“What did I say about fun?” Levin glances down at me. “That’s a distraction we don’t need—”

“It’ll help me sleep.” I look up at him, giving him an encouraging smile. “I’m already sleepy from the drinks at the restaurant.”

“I should never have introduced you to real alcohol.” Levin lets out a long breath, shaking his head. “Fine. We’ll grab some beer, but you’re not going to like it.”

“You don’t know that.”

He starts to say something, pauses, and then shakes his head again. “You know what? You’re right. I don’t know that. But I’d bet that you won’t.”

“I’ll take that bet.” I grin up at him, and he blinks down at me, his lips twisting in an amused smirk.

“You don’t have any money, Elena,” he tells me gently, a hint of laughter in his voice, and I feel the sound of it flood over me like warm honey.

This feels so right. So natural.I can’t understand why he fights it so much. We’regoodtogether. I want more of this. I want more ofhim.

Levin takes me into a small, sketchy-looking store, keeping me very close to him as he buys a case of beer. “This is a bad idea,” he tells me as we leave. “You’re a bad influence.”

“But a fun one,” I tell him with a grin as we walk up to the motel.

Levin sends me inside first, scanning the parking lot before he locks the door behind us. “Alright,” he says, looking at me as he sits on the edge of the bed with the case of beer. “I’m going to drinkoneof these. And you’re going to try one, and you’re going to hate it, and that’ll be the end of the night.”

“We’ll see.” I’m still grinning at him as I reach for the beer he hands me, the top already twisted off. I take a swig, feeling his eyes on me—and it’s all I can do not to spit it out.

I don’t want him to see how horrible I think it tastes. It’s the opposite of the drink we’d had at the restaurant—a little sour, a little bitter, and without much flavor other than a sort of old fruit taste. But I force it down, and when I look up, I can see Levin smirking at me.

“You hate it.” He holds out his hand for the beer, and I pull it back.

“Not so fast. Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean I’m not going to drink it.”

“Spoken like a true twenty-year-old,” he laughs, knocking back a drink of his own beer.

I wrinkle my nose at him. “Well, if you’re going to gothere, let’s play a drinking game. Since I’m trying new things tonight.”

“That’s not a good idea—” Levin starts to say, and I roll my eyes at him.

“We’reinthe motel. This is where we’re staying tonight. It’s not going to change anything if we sit here and have a drink and play,never have I ever. You’re the one who said we didn’t have time constraints while we wait on those passports.”

Levin hesitates, and for a moment, I think he’s going to tell me absolutely not, that there’s no way he’s going to go for it. But then he lets out a breath and shrugs. “Fine. Let’s play a drinking game. I don’t think I’ve done that in fifteen years.”

“No time like the present.” I grin at him. “Okay, I’ll start.”

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