Page 17 of Loki

“You think so, do you? Because you know me so well?” Val poured the drinks and placed them on a tray before signaling the waitress.

Loki stroked her hand again. “Yeah. I do.”

Val gritted her teeth as sensations flooded her body and memories from the night before floated back.

She yanked her hand away. “Why do you do that?”

His eyebrows drew together. “Do what?”

“Make me go all tingly and stuff.”

Loki grinned. “My touch makes you tingle? Is it just tingly on your hand or maybe—” He glanced down. “Other parts as well?”

Val slammed a knife down between his fingers. “Stop doing it.” It wasn’t a joke, and she wasn’t playing his game.

Loki’s eye went to the knife, and when he looked back at her, they had gone icy blue. He picked up the knife, twirled it between his fingers, and then skated the shaft down her bare arm.

“I am happy I make you tingle in embarrassing places, darling, but I can promise you it has nothing to do with any spell on my part. Is it inconceivable that what you feel could just be us?”

Val snorted. “No. No, it couldn’t.”

Again, Loki’s eyes flashed ice blue. He flipped the knife over and handed it to her. “Do you like irritating me on purpose, or is it a talent?”

Val took it and wiped it with a towel. She couldn’t help being who she was or pushing men away. She’d never been anything but used and abused by them, so being irritating was her best form of self-protection.

“So, steak?” she said. “I like mine thick and rare.”

“If that’s what you want, that’s what you shall have.”

A pang of guilt struck her for the way she’d treated Loki. What had he done to her? He’d flirted, taunted, followed through with no satisfaction to himself... hell, that was more than most men. And now he wanted to take her to dinner?

“It is,” she said.

A trace of a smile whispered across his lips. “As you wish.”

Elle entered, tying her apron.

“Come back at one thirty.”

Loki nodded. “You’re not gonna have another strange late-night visitor, are you?”

“Only you.”

Loki chuckled, and she laughed.

“Wow! An actual smile and a laugh. I never knew I was so funny.”

“Technically, it was my joke.”

“At my expense.” His smile widened.

She couldn’t argue with that. “Touché.”

Elle approached, and her eyes connected with Val’s.

Val let her smile fall and slapped Loki’s arm. “Get out of here.”

Loki noticed Elle. “What? Are you ashamed of being seen with me?”

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