Page 34 of Forging Chaos

ODIN

The secondwe walked into the bar, I knew something was up with Thora. Initially, I resisted going out with my brother and cousin, but now I am glad I have help as I watch Thora trip and fall with a tray full of glass.

I skid across the floor, not sure what happens with my cast, and scoop her into my arms as she hits the ground. She’s all wet with spilled alcohol, and some people scream at the commotion, but I don’t think she’s cut anywhere.

When I glance up, my brother has hopped behind the bar like he works here or something, shouting how Gunnar Stag, hockey star, is here to treat everyone to a guest performance. I would laugh at his foolish behavior if I weren’t so worried about the woman in my arms.

“Odin?” Thora struggles to get out of my lap, but I hold her tight. There’s no way I’m letting her go back to the grind. Who knows how many hours she’s already been working. Judging by the dark circles under her eyes, she hasn’t slept since the last time I saw her, and that’s been days.

I realize we are physically close for the first time since we slept together. Well. We didn’t sleep, did we? We also didn’tfuck. That was some next-level connection, and it rattled both of us. We can talk about it later, though. Right now, Thora needs a shower and a long sleep with nobody disturbing her.

Stellan sets my knee roller beside me. “I’ll get the car,” he says, turning immediately toward the door. Thora stops wriggling in my lap, and someone—maybe the manager? Comes around from the back and asks if she’s all right.

“No,” I shout at the same time she tries to insist she’s fine. I growl. “She’s exhausted. I’m taking her home to rest.”

The woman puts her hands on her hips and glances around the crowded space. Midway through finals week and, the place is bumping. I know Thora will be pissed at losing the opportunity for tips tonight, but she can’t be pushing herself until her body collapses and still plan to finish with the 4.0 grade point average she insists she needs.

Gunnar slaps the bar to get the manager’s attention. “Hey, I’ll be taking over for Thora there,” he says, winking. I swear, every woman in the place swoons. What a clown. I’m grateful.

Thora has accepted that I’m holding her and rests her head against my chest. Her boss crouches down and asks, “Does he know what he’s doing back there?”

I shake my head, and Thora shrugs. I glance up, and he appears to be pouring a beer to applause. The manager sighs. “Okay, well, get some rest. This is weird, but people seem to be into him.”

I debate explaining hockey culture to Thora’s bar manager, but if she doesn’t understand by now, nothing I can say will help. Thora and I struggle to our feet. I grip my scooter with one hand, keep the other firmly around her shoulders, and guide her toward the door just as my cousin pulls up outside.

I don’t know if Thora is just that exhausted or what, but she falls asleep against me in the back seat of Stellan’s Jeep.It’s only a few blocks to the apartment, just enough time for me to text my Uncle Tim that he needs to finalize the grant ASAP. I tell him it’s an emergency, and he immediately responds that the plan is to give her the award at some ceremony Saturday night before commencement.

I glance at the woman in my arms and delete the message thread. I don’t want her to catch a glimpse of anything and get suspicious.

Stelly turns around to look at me after he parks. “Want me to carry her?” I shoot him a death glare, and he holds up his palms. “Hey, man, I’m just an extension of you here. You know I have a boyfriend, right?”

I blow out a breath. He’s right. I want to be the one to carry Thora upstairs, and six months from now, I could be. But the truth is I can still barely get myself to my bed. I nod, and my cousin comes around to the back seat to get my goddess of thunder.

“Since when do you have a boyfriend?” I follow along behind him, dragging my scooter and eventually leaving it at the bottom of the stairwell. Someone will bring it up to me and I can hop to my room once he gets Thora situated.

“It’s new,” he grunts, kicking open our door and striding into my room. He sets Thora gently on the bed, and she sighs and wakes up.

“Hey,” I whisper. “You’re at my place. I can sleep on the couch if you want, but you’re staying over.”

She opens an eye, and it glares at me, making me laugh. “Don’t tell me what to do, Stag.”

“Don’t pass out from exhaustion at work, Janssen.” I sit on the side of the bed, waiting to see what she says next.

She groans and rolls onto her back. “It’s weird to just accept help.”

“Get used to it, Toots. I’m helping.”

She rolls her eyes. “Looked like it was your cousin helping, actually.” And then she winces, recognizing that that wasa low blow. I lie back next to her, and she rolls to her side. “I’m getting booze all over your sheets. I stink.”

“There’s been worse in my bed. At least it’s not barf?”

She swats me, but there’s no heart in her effort. She closes her eyes again. “I’m always the one cleaning up the mess. I don’t know how to be the one someone cleans up.”

I roll on my side to face her as I hear the unmistakable sound of my knee roller hitting my bedroom door. I owe Stelly big time for this. “Hey,” I tell Thora. “Even with a jacked-up leg, I’m taking care of you tonight. Deal with it.”

She bites her lip. “Why, though?”

I risk touching her face, letting a finger trace down her cheek. “I don’t know. You got under my skin, I guess. I have nothing else to do.”

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