Chapter Thirteen
Mia
Tor came down the stairs in a hurry. I cracked the door as he came around.
“It won’t start,” I said, turning the key again to no avail. Nothing happened, no dash lights, no sounds. Nothing.
“Your battery is dead,” he said. “Look, the lights don’t even turn on with the door open.”
I glanced up, noting he was right. I hadn’t realized that when I first got in, but it was obvious that my car was totally dead.
“I’ll drive you home,” Tor said.
Something in his voice made me look up at him. He stood tall, his head moving around constantly, never landing in one place for long.
“What are you looking for?” I asked.
“Nothing, nothing. Just looking,” he said, pausing long enough to smile at me. “Come on, let’s go inside to the garage. I’ll take you home. We’ll get the car repaired tomorrow. Good as new.”
“Okay.” I slid out of the car as Tor backed away, turning his back on me to continue looking around.
I was a little uneasy with how on edge he suddenly seemed. Was the property so unkept that animals roamed around at night? We were a long way from the city …
An unwelcome and somewhat nervous thought entered my mind as I followed Tor inside, where he immediately relaxed.
Was it possible that Tor had sabotaged my car in an attempt to keep me here?
I had a moment of mild panic as I tried to tell myself he was a good guy, that he wouldn’t do something like that.
When he actually took me to the garage, without stopping at a room and “suggesting” I stay the night, my pulse slowed noticeably. Tor shot me a glance when I exhaled a breath with perhaps a bit of extra relief sowed in it, but he didn’t say anything.
“It’s here now,” I said as he led me among the rows and past one vehicle, in particular, its strong front end so very reminiscent of a certain age of muscle cars.
“Yes, it was delivered this afternoon,” Tor said. “And soon enough, it’ll be yours.”
“My father’s,” I said, though it didn’t matter. It was all the same. I stared at it longingly. Would he drive me home in it just to torture me? To remind me why I was there, working away at his dirty-ass abandoned house.
“Why did your family let this place fall into ruin?” I asked as we headed for the same SUV as before.
“What?”
“The house. Mansion. Whatever you call it. Why did your family just leave it be for so long? Ty said it’s been in your family since it was built, but obviously, nobody was here for ages. Why is that?”
“We just weren’t,” he said, refusing to elaborate. “Come on, let’s get you home.”
I hopped into the truck with only a twinge of regret at not taking the Chevelle. Of course, I didn’t want him to get into an accident in it or put extra wear and tear on it, so it was probably for the best. But a part of me wouldn’t have minded cruising along in it.
We drove up the curved ramp that led around the side of the house, joining up with the main driveway, and headed back for the street. Tor kept himself forward, constantly leaning to the side or forward toward the windshield, looking around nonstop.
“Is something wrong?” I asked, again trying to figure out why he was so on edge.
He turned and gave me that brilliant, disarming smile, the same one that set my heart racing and made the blood race from my head to between my legs with near alarming ease.
“Not at all,” he said, reaching over to pat my leg in reassurance.
His fingers were warm to the touch, a pleasant contrast with the slight cool from the air conditioning. I didn’t say anything as his hand lingered on my thigh for several seconds longer than perhaps was appropriate. It was easier to just not say anything at all, I figured.
When he finally removed it, I looked out the window, staring at the side of the road as we drove, some new mumble-pop artist playing softly in the background, the words completely unintelligible.
Tor, as always, was continually looking around.
I could see his reflection in the window courtesy of the dim light from the dash screen.
Always his head was twisting this way and that.
What was he looking for, I wondered, staring past the window and out into the—
“Oh, my god,” I gasped, sitting upright as something flashed past the window, cold fear plunging its fingers into my stomach and twisting.
“What? What is it?” Tor growled.
“I just thought …” I shook my head. “No, it’s impossible. But I thought I saw a woman back there. Staring at us. Except … her eyes … they glowed. Like with light. It was the weirdest thing.”
“Probably just your imagination,” Tor said, dismissing it with a chuckle that wasn’t as easy coming as either of us wanted.
We were both on edge. I sat still, staring out the front windshield, while Tor worked his grip around the steering wheel, holding it tighter than before.
Thankfully, the rest of the ride back into the city went smoothly. No more car troubles, no ghosts in the window, nothing. Even Tor rode a bit more easily when we pulled up in front of my house, where the lights were on.
“Someone home?”
The question was innocuous enough, but I sensed an ulterior motive behind it. A quest for more information. Why would he care if someone was home?
He wants to know who I live with. If they’re roommates or perhaps a boyfriend.
“My friend Ally lives here,” I said, “with her husband and their child. I rent out a room from her.”
“Oh,” he said, a hint of relief slipping through his guard.
I tried to ignore that he was happy I didn’t live with another man. Well, so was I, and I intended to keep it that way.
He put the car in park, and I got out. So did he.
“What are you doing?” I asked, glancing at him over the hood.
“Ah, I thought I’d walk you to the door?” He sounded both tense and a hair uneasy.
Probably figured I’d reject him. I should, too, and tell him that it was okay, I didn’t need the escort. But the idea that he wanted to keep me safe all the way to the door was so charmingly chivalrous that it tweaked something inside me.
“Okay,” I said, smiling through the tremors in my legs and the butterflies in my stomach. Hadn’t I just said I was happier living alone? Without a man in my life? So, why was I giving this one openings?
I resolved not to give him any more. He was not coming inside.
No hug and definitely not another kiss. I wouldn’t let that one happen again.
I’d already made that mistake in the store, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind.
The way his hands had felt on my body, the heat of his lips as they pressed tight to mine. All of it was just so … good.
“Thank you for driving me home,” I said, grabbing my keys, making sure not to fumble with them as I inserted the right one into the lock. “I appreciate—”
There was a bang, followed by a near blindingly bright flash of white from behind us.
Immediately, Tor swarmed me, putting his hands around me and holding me to the door. I thought he was attacking me until he spoke.
“Stay still,” he growled in my ear. “I’ve got you.”
He was protecting me. Putting himself in harm’s way.
No further sounds came from behind us, and so slowly, very slowly, he relaxed.
I stayed still, very much abruptly aware of his superior size and strength.
Things that he used to keep me safe. And there was no denying it when he was all but wrapped around me like that—I had felt safe.
Whatever had happened, I wasn’t scared of being hurt by it. Not with Tor there.
As I blinked back the light, my eyes slowly returned to normal, and we turned to take a look behind us.
“Oh, my god,” I whispered, surveying the aftermath. “What the hell happened?”
The entire front of Tor’s truck was mangled. The metal was blown up and out from the hood, with a gaping hole in the center. Smoke and steam wafted up from inside as something in it sagged and settled.
“I think,” he said, with a calmness I couldn’t understand, “that the battery blew up.”
“Blew up?” I asked incredulously. “That’s a thing? That can happen?”
“I guess,” he said, slowly shaking his head back and forth with disbelief. “I mean, look at it. That’s what it looks like happened.”
“Yeah,” I said, noting that he wasn’t going to inspect it but instead staying near me. Making sure I was looked after. “Still, two car troubles in one night?”
“Does seem unlikely,” he said with a frown. “I better call Ty to come get me. Are you okay if it stays there until morning? I’ll arrange a tow then.”
“Yeah, of course, not a problem,” I said, realizing he had no way back.
It didn’t seem fair to make Ty come all the way out to my house to get him. Not when he would have to turn around and come back and get me in the morning.
Fuck. I knew what the logical thing to do was. The main question was whether I could be an adult about it. So far, the odds seemed to be against me. But at least Ally would be around. And that meant I would have backup to ensure nothing untoward happened between us. She would keep me focused.
“Wait,” I said as he pulled out his cell.
Tor raised an eyebrow, the action emphasizing the gray, almost silvery circles of his irises as he stared down at me.
“You can crash on my couch,” I said awkwardly. “Then have Ty pick us both up in the morning. It’s a lot less driving that way.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “I can get him to come out here.”
“Yeah,” I said, feeling bad for Ty. “It’s fine. The couch will work. Or the floor with some pillows, since you might not actually fit. Maybe if you could shrink yourself.”
He grinned. “Plenty of times I’ve wished for that ability. Thank you, that’s very gracious of you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, pushing the front door open while taking one last look at his ruined truck.
I was just being polite. Wasn’t I? Or was I just trying to find any excuse to spend more time with him? Tor was beyond intoxicating to be around.
I hope you know what you’re doing, Mia, I thought as I closed the door behind us.