Page 59 of Thor

It was sweet, but didn’t stop the ache I felt between my legs for him. Still, I trusted him. We’d get there in the end.

The cabin floorboards creaked beneath my bare feet as I padded toward the kitchen, still wearing the oversized t-shirt Thor had lent me to sleep in.

Thor stood at the stove with his back to me, muscled shoulders stretching his black t-shirt as he moved a pan off the heat. His blond hair was pulled back in a messy knot, revealing the tattoo that crept up his neck from his broad back. He must have heard me, because he turned as I entered, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Morning, Little One," he said, voice still rough with sleep.

Before I could respond, he crossed the kitchen in two strides, one large hand cupping the back of my head as he bent to kiss me. Not a gentle good morning peck, but deep and thorough, his beard scratching deliciously against my skin. His free hand splayed across my lower back, pulling me against him until I could feel the hard planes of his chest through the thin cotton separating us.

My knees actually weakened. I thought that was just something that happened in bad romance novels, but there I was, gripping his biceps to stay upright as heat bloomed between my legs.

When he finally pulled back, his eyes had darkened to storm-cloud blue. "You sleep okay?"

"Better than okay," I admitted, voice embarrassingly breathy. "Your guest bed is magic."

"Wait til you try out my non guest bed.”

My cheeks burned.

Thor picked up on my excitement. "Coffee's ready. Sit. I made breakfast."

The kitchen table was already set—plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast waiting alongside freshly sliced fruit. It looked amazing.

"You didn't have to do all this," I said, sliding into a chair.

Thor poured coffee into a mug and set it before me, his massive hand making the ceramic look delicate. "I wanted to. First real morning with my girl deserves celebrating."

His girl. The possessive phrase made something warm unfurl in my chest.

We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the cabin quiet except for the ticking of the old clock on the wall and occasional birdsong from outside. Thor ate with efficiency, his movements economical yet graceful for such a large man. I found myself sneaking glances at him between bites – the way his forearms flexed when he reached for his coffee, the small scar above his right eyebrow, the intensity of his focus even on something as mundane as breakfast.

"I've got something planned for us today," he said finally, breaking the silence.

"Oh?" I set down my fork, immediately calculating what deadlines I had at Prestige Partners, what files needed reviewing for the Heavy Kings books, whether Lena needed her monthly P&L statement for the tattoo parlor.

Thor's mouth quirked into a half-smile, like he could read my thoughts. "Our first official date."

"Ooohh," I said, my voice low and excited. “And would this be an all day thing or—”

"You're overthinking, princess." Thor reached across the table to tap a finger gently against my forehead. "I can see those wheels spinning."

I laughed, caught. "Force of habit. I have a couple deadlines this week—"

"Nope." He cut me off with a firm but gentle tone. "Today's not about deadlines. I've got three rules for our date."

My stomach did a little flip at the word "rules." This was the first real test of how our brand new dynamic would work in practice.

"What rules?" I asked, both nervous and intrigued.

Thor held up one finger. "First, no work calls or emails. Not one." A second finger joined the first. "Second, you stay within my sight at our destination. The Serpents threat is still real, and your safety's non-negotiable." A third finger. "And most important – you're honest about your limits and needs. If something's too much, you tell me. If something's not enough, you tell me. Clear?"

I nodded, a little breathless at the authority in his voice. "Clear."

"As well as rules, today is about you having fun, Mandy." His tone softened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "We've had enough heavy shit lately. Time for something good."

He slid the paper across the table. I unfolded it, expecting some kind of romantic note or maybe dinner reservations. Instead, I found directions to the Ironridge Rock Gym printed neatly on the page.

My head snapped up, eyes wide. "Rock climbing?"

---