Fourteen
Clover
I cannot believe I’m out in the middle of the woods hiking a trail with my bodyguard. But really, how was I to refuse him when he not only knew who Anne Shirley was, but admitted to reading the books and watching the movies? I mean, women have swooned for less than that. Not that I was thinking about swooning because a hot, protective man reads Anne of Green Gables , my favorite series of all time.
Stop thinking about him being hot , I remind myself, focusing back on the narrow path in front of me.
At least the trail Thor is leading me on is easy enough. And admittedly, he was right about getting out of the cabin. I was growing anxious being in such a confined space with him. Especially after our talk the other night.
I would like to be your friend. Thor’s words echo in my mind, though neither of us has addressed the subject again. Have I ever had a true friend? One who wanted to be around me for me and not my parents’ fame? One that wasn’t a cat? I don’t think I have .
I inhale a deep breath, basking in the smells of the forest. This. This is what I wanted when I moved out of my parents’ home.
Crisp, fresh mountain air.
It’s also warm air, and I’m thankful for the shading of the canopy forest that’s blocking much of the sun’s oppressive rays. It’s much cooler at this elevation than it would be in Denver. After wiping at my forehead, I sip the water Thor packed for me and glance around.
“It’s beautiful.”
Thor stops ahead of me and turns to smile. “It is. I usually hike this way every day when I’m staying at the cabin.”
“Does your brother come out with you?” I’ve been doing my best to not ask him personal questions since the first night when he offered to be my friend, but it’s getting harder to do when he’s been nothing but kind.
“Sometimes. We’ve camped two or three times.” Glancing back at me, he continues. “Believe it or not, but Gunner doesn’t like it out here.”
“What? How could someone not like being here?” My eyes scan the forest as I listen to the birds chirp and the wind rustling the leaves. “It’s so peaceful.”
Thor slaps his arm, looking at me with a wide grin, the lines around his eyes crinkling. “Too many bugs.”
Tucking my chin to my chest, I bite back a chuckle. Hearing how Thor talks about his brother has something swooping in my stomach, and part of me wishes I could get the chance to see them together .
I mentally shake myself. No. Seeing them together would be bad. Very bad. I’ve already let myself become too comfortable with Thor. His smiles and laughter-filled amber eyes have hijacked my dreams for the past two nights. If I see Thor with his brother, I may just let all my walls down and do something I’ll regret. Like falling into his arms and begging him to date me for real.
My lips dip into a scowl. Where did that thought come from? It has to be from all the romance books I’ve been editing and reading before bed. I need to try and find some non-fiction clients. At least those books won’t have me dreaming about my bodyguard as a Viking warrior slaying all my enemies to rescue me.
Slowly, my eyes lift to Thor. He’s whistling a hymn as he charges ahead and for a moment I wonder what it would be like if he weren’t my bodyguard. If we’d met by chance instead of him being someone Daddy hired to protect me.
But we didn’t meet by chance, and Daddy did hire him. I have to keep reminding myself that while Thor may be kind and genuinely seems to care about my life, he’s still an employee of Daddy. Maybe he’s only being kind because he feels sorry for me. For how pathetic and lonely my life is. Or maybe he treats all of his clients like this and there’s nothing unique or special about our relationship.
Any embers of what-ifs are doused out by the last thought as I swallow over my suddenly tight throat. I need to keep my head straight and not let the Viking burrow under my skin so much.
I growl under my breath. I’ve got to stop calling him the Viking, even if it is only to myself, or I’ll never get past the mental image of him shirtless and wielding a sword as if it’s an extension of himself, like he’s straight off the cover of one those dime romance novels.
“Did you just growl?” Thor’s question startles me, pulling me out of my inappropriate thoughts—I can’t really help the dream version of him—and causing me to trip over my feet. Right before my face kisses the ground beneath me, strong arms are there, steadying me until I regain my balance.
Lifting my head, I meet Thor’s concerned gaze, noting the faint shadows beneath his eyes. “You okay?” He’s so close, his warm, cinnamon-infused breath brushes against my face, sending warmth from my head to my toes.
“Yeah.” I manage to squeak out.
“Want to tell me what you were growling about?” His amused gaze travels across my face, dropping briefly on my lips. Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I realize his arms are still wrapped around me and we’re practically chest to chest.
Stepping back, I cross my arms and shoot him a glare. “I wasn’t growling.” Lie. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
His eyes narrow as his lips twitch. “Huh. Interesting.”
I cock an eyebrow. “What?”
Shrugging, he turns back around and begins walking again. “Oh, nothing.” Looking over his shoulder, he calls out lightly, “You don’t have to be embarrassed because you’re enjoying the view, Love.” He winks and faces forward again as flames lick up my neck and face.
“Obnoxious troll,” I mutter, reluctantly following him. A rustling in the bushes has me swiveling my head, trying to see what’s lurking in them. “And you’re sure our mountain lion friend isn’t around?” I scramble closer to Thor. For protection reasons, of course.
“Ah. I’m sure she’s around somewhere. But she’s probably hiding from us.”
A shiver shoots down my spine at the memory of the piercing scream from our first night in the cabin and the ones from last night—though they sounded much deeper than they had before. I rub my arms as if that will make the echoes of the lion’s cry dissipate from my mind. “I sure hope so.”
Stopping, Thor announces, “Here it is.” He spreads his hand out in front of him.
“Uh. It’s a rock.” Well, it’s a lot of rocks. Very tall ones. “I thought we were going to see eagle babies?” I pop my fist on my hip, narrowing my eyes. “Did you lie to me to get me out of the cabin?”
Thor chuckles. “No. We are here to see eaglets. But we have to climb first.” He points to the top of the largest boulder.
“And how do you suppose we do that?”
“I thought you trusted me?” His twinkling eyes lock with mine.
Sighing heavily, I glance back at the massive rock formation. I hate that I do trust him, even if I’m not sure how he expects us to climb that monstrosity. I motion toward the rocks. “Lead the way.”
Thor grins triumphantly, and I follow him toward the base of the bush-laden formation. Holding out his hand he says, “Come on. ”
My eyes dart to his outstretched hand and back to his hopeful face, my heart fluttering wildly inside my chest. It’s like the moment I slipped behind him on his motorcycle. It feels as if accepting his hand is leading to more than climbing a rock to watch some baby birds.
Slowly, I place my hand in his. His warm, calloused fingers wrap around mine, and his grin spreads wider.
Tilting his head toward the trees, he whispers, “There’s a secret passage.” I eye him dubiously but follow when he uses his free hand to push back the branches. “It’s a tight fit, but I promise, the view is worth it.”
He gently pulls me through the mass of branches and pine needles, his fingers never loosening their grip. I’m so focused on the touch of his hand and the way it doesn’t make me itch and want to crawl out of my skin that I don’t realize once we’re out of the trees. Thor stops, tugging me beside him, but not releasing my hand.
“See.”
When I look to where he’s motioning, I notice natural steps in the stones that wrap around the rocks until they reach the top. My mouth drops open. “This is so cool.”
Thor looks pleased with himself as his thumb rubs soothing circles on the back of my hand. Is he even aware he’s doing that?
“I told you I’d take you on an adventure, Love.”
It requires all my willpower to fight the smile threatening to break loose, but I remind myself of the reality of our situation. Dropping his hand, I suck in a deep breath. “Let’s get going.” I don’t wait for a response as I charge forward, needing to put some distance between me and my bodyguard.
When I get to the top, I’m out of breath. “Ugh, I’ve got to work out more,” I grumble.
Thor chuckles beside me, not breathing heavily at all. The nerve.
Removing his backpack, he retrieves a blanket and spreads it on top of the rock.
“If you pull out candles, wine, and a picnic basket, I’m leaving.”
Laughing, Thor removes a protein bar and tosses it to me. “You’re going to have to make do with a protein bar and coffee, Love.”
“You brought coffee? It’s like a million degrees outside.”
“Never too hot for coffee.” He unscrews the thermos and swallows a long drink before reaching it to me. “I only had one thermos though.”
My lips thin, and I shake my head. “No, thanks. I’ll stick with my water.” There’s no way I am letting my mouth touch where his just was. The mere thought sends a wave of heat rushing through me, and I fan myself with my hand, averting my gaze.
“Wow, you can see forever up here.” I survey the surrounding landscape with widened eyes. “Is that the cabin?” I point to what looks to be the roof of the cabin peeking through the trees.
“Yeah. In the winter, you can almost see the entire cabin from up here.”
I glance at him. “You climb up here in the winter? Isn’t it freezing? ”
Thor shrugs. “I usually come out once or twice before the snow gets too thick. I like the cold, crisp air. It’s relaxing.” He sits down and pats the blanket beside him, flashing me a smile. “Sit down. I promise I don’t bite.”
Once I’m settled on the blanket, Thor hands me a pair of binoculars and points to one of the tallest trees about thirty feet away from us. “The nest is up there. We might have to sit here for a while without making a lot of noise before they show.”
“I wasn’t aware you could be quiet.”
“Ah, Love. There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he replies easily as he settles back on his elbows.
Ignoring his comment, I cautiously match his position, keeping a couple feet between us. I lift the binoculars, peering through them in the direction he’d pointed. It takes me a minute to find the nest, but finally, I see little eaglet heads popping up.
“Oh my goodness! They’re so cute.” My words are hushed so as not to disturb the eagles. “They’re not alone yet, are they?”
“No. The mom and dad are probably out hunting. They won’t leave them for very long until they’re a little older. Then they’ll start teaching them how to fly.”
I drop my binoculars and glance at Thor. “You seem to know a lot about eagles.”
Thor grins as he taps his temple. “I know a lot of things.”
“I’m sure you do,” I mumble under my breath, returning my attention to the eaglets as one of the parents swoops into the nest.
I get lost in watching the eagles, my body and mind relaxing more than they have since—well, I’m not sure I’ve ever been this relaxed in my entire life. Something about the combination of fresh air and seeing the beauty of God’s creation while sitting next to someone who is constantly encouraging me out of my comfort zone has my heart fluttering faster than a hummingbird’s wings.
And the realization that I’m more comfortable with a man I’ve known all of a week than I am with pretty much anyone else in my life has me questioning things.
Namely, why? What is it about Thorin Payne that has me feeling things I’ve never felt before? How has he managed to make me feel seen, safe, and calm in only a few days?
I shake the questions off, trying not to think about them or the much louder one that keeps pressing on me.
What happens when Angie is caught and he’s no longer required to be with me? And why does that single thought have fear pooling in my stomach?