Page 60 of The Devil's Viking

“You were incredible, baby,” he said.“So open and trusting. So fuckinghot.”

“Iwas incredible?” she said, incredulous.“Good Christ, Viking… you damn near killed me, and I didn’t evenmind.”

His hands ran over her delicate curves, possessive and protective.“So, you’re OK?”

“Never better.” She mouthed a tiny kiss on his chest. “I promise. I’m really,reallyOK.”

“Then I just need to do something, really quick.” He sat up, grabbed the condom off the floor.“I’ll be right back.”

She nodded and stretched out in the bed, looking for all the world like a sated little kitten. He couldn’t get back to her fast enough, and he dragged her into his arms the second he climbed back into bed. She looked safe and cozy and nestled against his large body, just curled up to him and closed her eyes. Almost immediately, Elle fell into a deep sleep, her breathing light, her beautiful face sweet and relaxed.

He sighed now, amazed and grateful that this woman was in his life, in his bed. In his heart. He barely deserved her, but now that he had her,reallyhad her, he wasn’t letting her go. She was his. He was hers. There was just fucking nothing more to be said. They’d work it all out, whatever it would look like in the future.

“Goodnight, Elle,” he whispered. “Sweet dreams, baby. Nothing but sweet dreams ever again.”

**

Elle turned over in bed, trying to move her small body carefully so she didn’t wake up Viking. His bed was a bit bigger than hers, but the truth was that he barely got into it comfortably, so having her in it meant that they’d both had a pretty sleepless night.

Well, maybe the fact that they’d made love twice more had a little something to do with them not sleeping too. Not that she was sorry: she’d work the next ten hours as easy as walking through the park on a sunny day. Her body felt light and airy, like she’d just let go of ten tons of weight, like Viking had unlocked and released something in her that she’d been carrying around. Even her back and shoulders, which always felt weighed down physically by the ink across them, seemed to have sprouted wings.

She slipped out of bed, turned off the alarm before it went off. It was almost six o’clock, and she decided to just let Viking sleep in. She’d make fresh coffee and his favorite cherry muffins, then surprise him with breakfast in bed. With a bit of luck, he’d grab her by the wrist and pull her back into his arms, and make her late for her shift at ten o’clock. She was sure that Rebel would understand this once.

Moving as quietly as possible, Elle opened the door and went to her room to grab a change of clothes. Viking hadn’t turned on the motion sensors last night, she knew, so she was able to move around without setting off any alarms and disturbing his slumber. She got dressed and snuck past his bedroom again, pausing to peek inside one more time.

Elle drank in that gorgeous chest rising and falling steadily, those massive tattooed arms that felt like the only home that she’d ever had. That hard face that broke into a smile when he saw her, those warm eyes hot with desire for her. Silently, she thanked him for every single thing that he’d taught her and given her; he’d introduced her to real physical pleasure, to the notion of choice, to a man’s body that didn’t scare her or shame her. He’d shown her that she was worthy of happiness and joy. Maybe even love, one day.

She closed his door quietly, and headed down to the kitchen. She turned on all the lights, opened the fridge to grab what she needed to get started and that’s when she remembered what she had forgotten the night before. She was out of eggs.

“Damn,” she said to the mixing bowl on the counter. “This is what I get for being distracted by the sexiest man alive. Guess I’m going to the store.”

Back upstairs she went to get her coat, boots, and some money, moving silently past Viking’s room. She scribbled a quick note on a bar receipt and left it on the counter, just in case Viking woke up and came looking for her. She didn’t want him to worry.

The bar door swung closed behind her and she turned to face the purple sunrise over the Rockies, the kind that was cold and remote and yet undeniably beautiful. Elle lifted her face to all of that awesome wild beauty, and breathed another silent thank you to Viking, this time for bringing her to this place. Her whole life right now was like a dream, one that she was afraid she would wake up from, and find herself back in the Garden basement being punished for trying to run away.

But that was ridiculous:nobodycould take her away from this life that she’d been partly forced into, and that she now fully chose. She was safe. She was happy. She was free.

Elle hurried across the parking lot to the street. There was a small convenience store about fifty feet down and she knew that it opened at five. She wouldn’t be gone long.

She barely looked at the white van parked at the very edge of the lot, didn’t even think that it was odd. The guys from the garage often parked vehicles out there when the jobs got backed up and space inside was tight. That was when she heard doors opening and footsteps crunching in the snow.

Elle didn’t make it to the street.

Chapter Nineteen

Walton, Utah

Drake sat alone in the hotel restaurant and sipped his crappy coffee, deep in thought about Briley.

The night before, he’d brought his A-game to the bar and he’d served it up piping hot for her. She’d responded beautifully, and they’d spent almost two hours sitting at the bar together, drinking and laughing. Flirting shamelessly.

At some point – Drake didn’t know exactly how or when – the flirting had flipped over from an act to the real thing. He’d started off just going through the motions – honed through years and years of chatting up hot women – all the while hating Briley with every fiber of his being.Thiswas the bitch, after all, who’d actively participated in hurting untold women, covered up murder, encouraged a psychopath with a God complex to terrorize a bunch of people. So he’d looked deep into her mint-green eyes, and looked her stunning body up and down and watched her blush in response, and he’d meant exactly none of it.

Until he suddenly did.

And now he was sitting here trying to convince himself that he wasn’t an absolute shit of a person for being genuinely attracted to an awful, corrupt, repulsive person. Except…

Except now I’m not so sure that sheisan awful, corrupt, repulsive person.

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