Chapter Six
Jinx looked at the big man sitting across from her. He seemed so different from the night before. When she’d seen him pushing around the mountain of food, looking as if his world had crumbled, she’d felt like they were somehow the same.
“So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?” she asked Viking.
He looked at the watch on his wrist and grimaced. “My family plans to exchange a few presents this evening, actually.”
She gave a slight nod, hating the pain in her heart at the knowledge that she had nobody to celebrate with. Sure, Fred invited her to spend it with him and his family, but she didn’t want to intrude on them. “That sounds lovely,” she said, the words sounding hollow to her own ears.
“You said you didn’t have to go into work until this evening, right?” he asked.
Jinx narrowed her eyes and nodded.
“I don’t want to go back to my parents’ house and sit around listening to them discuss local gossip or my siblings argue. Would you like to go snowmobiling with me?” he asked, placing one of his hands on the table with the palm up.
She opened her mouth to refuse, then closed it before the words could escape.
She’d always wanted to go out riding when she’d seen others on the little machines.
Fred didn’t like anything that had to do with sports, and nobody else had asked her to go riding or whatever they did when they cruised around town.
Of course, she’d bought one since she lived outside of town, telling herself it was a wise investment.
She didn’t let the fact that she’d never ridden for anything other than necessity deter her, though.
“That sounds like fun,” she agreed.
“How about you ride with me, and I bring you back here when we’re done?” Viking asked, sliding out of his side of the booth.
He stood beside her, looking like a giant.
Shit, she forgot he was so damn big. She let her eyes travel up the length of his large frame, pausing at the expanse of his chest. He hadn’t put his coat on yet, so she could admire his well-defined chest through his shirt.
It should be illegal for men to walk around in black denim jeans and Henley shirts, with flannel shirts over them.
Seriously, it’s literally a recipe for making a woman pant.
“Are you okay?” Viking’s hand reached for hers.
She jerked, realizing she’d been staring. Pulling her gaze away from him, knowing her face had to resemble a tomato. “Yeah, I’m good. Sounds good. I mean, I’ll ride with you.”
Shut up now, Jinx. She scooted out of the booth, bumping into Viking, who hadn’t moved back. Her breath froze in her throat as she stared up at him.
“You’ll be safe with me, Jinx,” he promised.
Jinx licked her lips, biting her bottom lip to keep from telling him she wasn’t so sure if she wanted to be safe with him. Before she could make the stupidest statement in the world, she forced her lips into a smile.
“It’s the snowmobile I’m worried about,” she lied.
He tilted his head to the side. “Have you ever ridden one?”
“I have one at my place, but I’ve only ridden for practical purposes.” Shh shrugged, not wanting to lie again.
“We’ll go on some of the easier trails. Come on.” He said, stepping back to give her room.
She took in a shaky breath, shrugging into her coat. The weather outside had warmed up enough they wouldn’t freeze their asses off, making it a perfect day for riding.
“Oh, I have proper winter gear back at my place,” she blurted, looking down at herself.
“If you don’t mind wearing someone else’s, you can borrow either my mom’s or my sister’s gear.
They’re both about your size, and neither will be using them today.
Hell, I don’t think my sister has gone riding in years, but she’s got a great set.
” He kept his hand on the small of her back as they walked, making her feel cherished.
Jinx took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Sounds great if you’re sure she won’t mind.”
His truck’s lock clicked, and then he opened the door.
She prepared to climb inside, but he shocked Jinx by gripping her hips and lifting, placing her inside as if she weighed next to nothing.
Good lord almighty, Jinx wasn’t sure she could handle all his chivalry without throwing him down and begging him to fuck her senseless.
God damn, she was a hussy. A sexless hussy in need, obviously.
“Thank you,” she said.
As if he’d read her thoughts, he leaned over her, making Jinx suck in the little bit of air she’d been able to get, and buckled her in.
Yep, she was so going to do something stupid with this giant of a man.
And from what she’d seen as she’d looked him up and down, he was big all over.
Get your mind out of the gutter. He might not want you like that, whore.
The bright blue eyes staring down at her said he felt the same, but he stepped back, closed the door, and left Jinx inside as he walked around the truck. She took a few seconds to get herself together, inhaling and exhaling a couple of times.
As he entered the vehicle, he looked over at her with a smile. “You ready for an adventure, Vakker?”
Jinx frowned. “What?”
He chuckled. “Ah, my Norwegian roots are showing.”
“What does that mean?”
“Beautiful. Vakker means beautiful.”
She would’ve argued that he was clearly blind, but they were moving through town, heading in the same direction as her property.
For once, she sat back and let someone else take control. And Viking did so with ease, with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on his thigh. The low hum of the engine filled the cab of the truck, but nothing could deter her attention away from him.
“You can change the channel if you want.”
She jerked as Viking’s deep rumble broke the spell she seemed to be under. “I’m good,” she mumbled.
They continued to ride for a few minutes, silence stretching between them. Jinx felt the knot in her throat ease. She was alone in an enclosed space with a virtual stranger, but her fight or flight hadn’t reared its head.
“I like to see your smile. It makes your entire face light up. You’re beautiful, but when you smile—beautiful doesn’t come close to describing you.”
“Are you trying to get laid, Viking?” She half turned, placing her back against the door so she could look at him better as he drove.
He came to a stop at a four-way intersection, staring directly at her.
“Jinx, if I wanted to get laid, I wouldn’t use some bullshit words to do it.
I don’t lie or sugarcoat shit. You don’t know me or anything about me.
I get that. If you want, I’ll turn around and drop you back off at your rig, and we can pretend this,” he waved his hand between the two of them. “Never happened. No harm, no foul.”
She closed her eyes and then opened them. “I’m sorry. Honestly, it’s not you. It’s me. Hell, I’m the one who's done the ogling and picturing you naked.”
Jinx wanted to call the words back, but watching his eyes gleam with hunger kept her lips sealed.
“Trust me, you ain’t the only one with those thoughts.”
A horn honked, breaking the spell they’d fallen into.
Viking lifted his hand, waving at the driver behind them as he eased forward. They continued driving outside of town, getting closer to her property. Jinx’s stomach tightened, a hint of fear slamming into her.
“Almost there,” he said.
Jinx sat up straighter, marveling at the coincidence of his family property and hers being so close to one another. They’d passed hers a few minutes ago, but if she was right, they probably backed up to the same water source.
The long driveway differed from her own, showing signs of life and love, unlike her overgrown forest of neglect.
“I bet this is beautiful in the spring and summer.” She eyed the tall trees lining the drive on each side.
“Oh, yeah.”
Jinx rolled her eyes at his deadpan. “Don’t even start that with me.”
His deep laughter made her stomach do somersaults; the tiny flutters she’d felt since the moment her eyes caught sight of him became a full-on tsunami. Good lord, Viking should come with a warning label.
By the time they drove into a clearing, she could see a large home up on the right. From what she could see, it appeared to be a two-story home. The exterior was a mixture of logs and stones with an abundance of windows.
“Oh my. What a gorgeous home.”
Viking veered the truck to the left, away from the big house. “Thank you. Well, I can’t really take too much credit, except for helping build it. My dad designed it, though.”
She held up her hand. “Wait. Is your dad Sam Larsen, the architect?”
They pulled up to a massive building with several bay doors. Viking twisted in his seat to look at her, his brows raised. “You know my father?”
His question came out in a low rasp, as if he wasn’t sure he truly wanted her answer.
Jinx laughed, shaking her head. “This is such a wild coincidence.” She hiked her thumb over her shoulder.
“We passed my driveway a couple of miles back. Your dad was the original architect of the house I bought. When I decided to remodel and add on, I went into town to see if there were blueprints for sale from the original designer. To my surprise, your mother was there doing some paperwork. She called your dad and asked him to whip me up something really quick, her words, mind you. I swear, I could hear the love that man had for your mother. He asked for my number and said he’d get with me to find out what I needed.
Long story short, your father had me new designs within a week of our call. ”
Viking’s smile widened. “That sounds like my parents.”
She placed her hands against her chest. “You don’t understand.
I owe your family so much. I didn’t want to destroy the beauty of the original design.
I was struggling to make the house work, and I almost decided to build a new house further back on my property and use the original one as a rental.
Although being a landlord was the very last thing I wanted to do. ”
“My dad is semi-retired, but he loves to create. I’m sure you did him a favor by allowing him to work on one of his babies. That’s what he calls his designs. My brother Samson followed in his footsteps.”
She noticed there didn’t sound like he held any resentment toward his brother, but she didn’t know what he did for a living. His hands were large and had calluses. She knew that didn’t mean he used them in his everyday life.
“I’m a lawyer. I work down in Santa Clarita, CA, for a group of men. My expertise is tax and property law.” He winked, then pressed the fob connected to his visor, bringing the doors of the garage in front of them up.
Jinx came from money and had lived in a home most would’ve called a mansion. Her mother didn’t believe in owning anything that wasn’t top-of-the-line. Never mind owning any sort of ATV that could get her precious children hurt or dirty. The sight that met her eyes stunned her.
“This is my dad’s toy shop. He calls it his hobby cave, but let’s all of us use his babies.” Viking eased his truck inside.
“Why does he need so many?” she asked.
“One for him, one for my mother, one for me, one for my brother, one for my sister, and a couple for friends. You know, just in case we all want to go riding at the same time. So, you got four-wheelers for the summertime, and snowmobiles for winter. Over there, you got tractors and backhoes, and well, suffice to say, my dad buys shit he wants when he wants.”
The interior was vast and super clean. Before they got out, Viking ensured the bay had closed, sealing them inside the warm interior.
Viking opened his door, moving over to her side quickly. She turned to step down, but like he’d done back at the restaurant, he gripped her by the waist and lifted her down, allowing her to settle onto her feet with a gentle touch.
“You’re nothing as I thought,” she blurted.
He kept his hands on her hips, staring down at her. “What did you think?”