Page 5 of Loki

Man, it had been a long time since she’d been laid.

Loki’s gaze locked on hers, and suddenly she found her entire body abuzz. Her head fuzzed over like she’d had too much ale, and she found herself drawn into Loki like he was the only other thing in the world.

Seconds passed, and her brain screamed at her to wake up. Taking every ounce of willpower she possessed, she ripped her hand from his grasp, dropped the envelope of documents, and whipped a dagger from her boot. Rage flowed through her like the lava of Muspelheim. Her breathing came out heavy, and her heart pounded like the drums of the rock giants of Giantland.

Loki’s eyes flicked to the knife in her hand before clutching her glass of wine and bringing it to his lips.

“Don’t ever do that again,” Val ground out between her clenched jaw. Every inch of her body went into fight or flight mode, and she fought against the urge to attack him.

Loki didn’t say anything for a moment and held up the wine in front of him. “You know, I do believe you are right. This Screaming Eagle isn’t worth $500,000 a bottle.” He waved his hand, and the wine disappeared, and two flagons of ale appeared in the wine’s place. “I believe this is more to your liking. I procure it straight from Valhalla. You’ll enjoy it.”

The way he ignored her words infuriated her. As if dismissing her.

“Did you hear me? Or did you want to lose something important to you?”

Loki smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I understand why you don’t like me. Back then, I wouldn’t have liked myself either. But I’m not like that anymore... well... mostly. Now at least, I don’t need to lie to women about my intentions to get them in my bed. They are all well aware I want no strings. But you for sure should never date a man like that.”

Val kept her mouth from falling open. How in the world could a person be so irritating? “I don’t need dating advice from you. I am more than capable of making decisions for myself that are not made with my crotch.”

A bell rang out, and the men at the tables began moving around. A deep-skinned man, who would have reminded Val of a fire giant had he not been so short and thin, approached the table and recognized Loki in less than a second before bowing and apologizing.

Bowing? What the hell entitled Loki, fallen Norse God, to be bowed to?

Out of the corner of her eye, Val spotted Elle rise from her table and rush out. Val jumped to her feet and snatched the envelope from the floor. The ashen-skinned man moved out of her way as she bumped the table with her hip being sure Loki’s ale cup tipped his direction. Hell, if she’d ever bow to him.

Loki leaptfrom his chair to keep his one-of-a-kind Tom Ford suit from being destroyed, but at the last second, he bumped into the man who had approached the table, and several droplets of ale splashed his shirt.

Damn.Imported silk was not meant to be assaulted by ale.

“I’m so sorry.” The man dabbed at Loki with a napkin, but Loki simply smiled and pulled away.

“Totally my fault. Think nothing of it. Please, enjoy your evening.” He followed Val without looking backward.

Damn, she looked fantastic in tight black jeans and boots. She sported a perfectly round backside with shapely solid legs from years of fighting and training. Her golden ponytail bounced as she beelined for the exit, and Loki couldn’t keep his legs from pursuing her.

Her beauty had been undeniable the moment he’d seen her, but it had been her sharp, daggered sapphire eyes that had left him unable to look away.

The most surprising thing was how his body responded when he touched her hand. He’d been so stunned, not only by seeing glimpses of what her life had held but also by how she’d somehow called to him. Not her. She obviously would never do something like that, but something deeper, the real Valkyrie inside the tough exterior. The one she’d locked away from the world and never let anyone see. The creative, loving, yet fierce one he’d seen ripped from her mother’s arms at a young age to start her training.

She peeked over her shoulder as she reached the exit. When she spotted him, she rolled her eyes and clenched her jaw before exiting.

Why did he find her so intriguing when she wanted nothing to do with him? Dominant women had never been his style but damn if she couldn’t melt his frost giant heart.

Loki opened the door and found Val with her blade pointed at Thor, of all people. He’d completely forgotten about Thor after being handed his card.

Val pulled Elle from Thor’s grip.

“Now wait a minute. Who are you?” Thor protested.

“Val,” Loki interjected.

Val glowered at him. “I am more than capable of taking care of myself, thank you.”

“So you’ve told me. Twice already,” Loki replied, flashing her his best smile.

Val’s glare shot right to his heart. “We should go.”

How in the world was she so immune to his charms? He’d never given a woman that smile before, only to receive an eye roll in response. Usually, the response was melting, fluttering, flushing, and sometimes even throwing themselves at him. But never an eye roll.

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