Page 11 of Thor's Unexpected Mate

My heart dropped at the same moment that a dozen or so butterflies filled my stomach. This giant brute of a man thought I was cute? Me? Of all the fucking rich people that come and go from the resort, why the hell would he want some nobody like me? I had literally nothing. But instead of saying anything remotely close to that, I blurted out something else.

“You don’t look gay.”

To my surprise he nodded. “I’m not. Never have been. But… I don’t know… there’s something about you that’s different.”

“So what? You just want to wine and dine me until I put out so you can satiate your curiosity? Is that what rich assholes like you do to hurt guys you find in the woods? I’m not an idiot that’s gonna fall for some stupid cheap dime-store smut trick.”

I started to force myself up from the couch. However, a heavy hand came to rest on my shoulder as Thor pushed me back onto the cushion.

“Stay off that leg,” he said softly. “And no, that’s not what I’m doing.”

His blue eyes fixed on me, his face only a few inches from mine. I could feel the heat of his body washing over me and I felt scared, well excited and scared. There was a brief moment where I wanted to reach out and touch him, to pull him close and let him have me. But I forced that down. I didn’t want to be a pawn in his game of sexual exploration.

“You don’t have to do anything for me,” Thor said, his tone sincere. “You don’t owe me anything just for giving you a compliment. I think you’re cute, and that’s new for me. That’s all. If you want to stay here on my dime and heal, you can. But if you want to go back home, I’ll arrange that as well. Whatever you want will be done. You have my word.”

I stared into those blue eyes, feeling everything all at once. Of course, I didn’t want to believe anyone could just be nice for no reason. But something about Thor made me think he might actually be telling the truth. It was like Beauty and the Beast, except I wasn’t being held prisoner. He was this big giant thing, and I was the dainty little farm girl that didn’t know she needed rescuing. Except I didn’t need anyone to take care of me and he was a giant puppy of a man if I’d ever seen one.

I was about to tell him to send me home when I paused. I’d never been to a resort before or hot springs. And this was basically an all-expense paid vacation. When was I ever going to get a chance to do this again? I was an artist. The chances of me becoming a millionaire were slim to none.

There was only one issue.

“If I’m going to stay here, I need a favor,” I said at last.

Thor’s face lit up. “Anything you need. Just name it.”

“I’m staying with my Nana at her farm. She can’t do the chores by herself…”

“I can send one of the maintenance crew down there to help her out. That’s not a problem.”

“I should probably call her,” I added. “But my phone–”

Thor already had his out and was placing it in my hand. “Call anyone you need to. I’ll have a new phone ordered for you today.”

“Th-Thanks.”

Thor nodded and stood up, heading out of the room to give me some privacy. “Let me know when you’re done, and we can order breakfast.” He paused in the doorway. “Would… Would you mind eating with me so we can get to know each other?”

“Sure?”

Another nod, a smile, and he disappeared into the other room.

I let out a long sigh, staring at the stranger’s phone in my hand. What the flying fuck had I gotten myself into?

Chapter Five: Flynn

“Yes, Nana, I’m fine,” I repeated for the fiftieth time as I sat on the couch playing with the tassels on the throw pillows. “I don’t need anything.”

“Are you sure?” her frantic voice asked from the other end of the phone. “I can bring you anything you need. Your mother would never forgive me if her boy got hurt while taking care of me.”

“I was on a hike, Nana. It was my fault. And I swear, I don’t need anything. The resort is going to pay for everything and take care of me. They’re even getting me a new phone.”

“That sounds suspicious. Why would they do that?”

“To avoid a lawsuit,” I replied casually. “I hurt myself on their property. I could sue them for liability and win thanks to their poorly marked trails.” I paused. “I’m not gonna do that, of course, but I might as well enjoy a couple weeks here in luxury, right?”

“I’ve always wanted to visit that resort,” she said absentmindedly.

“I’ll see if they can have you up for a couple of days.”

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