Page 63 of Thor

That easy confidence, that willingness to follow my lead in this one small area of life, unlocked something in me—a playfulness, a freedom I rarely allowed myself. I found myself laughing as I pointed out improbable routes, teasing him about his bulky muscles being a disadvantage on delicate sequences, even flirtatiously challenging him to races up parallel routes.

"Loser buys dinner," I declared, knowing full well that Thor had already paid for our day passes and would insist on paying for dinner regardless.

"Deal," he said, clipping into his rope. "But handicap the old man. Give me a five-second head start."

"Old man?" I scoffed, tightening my harness. "You're what, thirty-five?"

"Thirty-seven," he corrected, "and you're making my point for me."

I laughed, feeling lighter than I had in months, maybe years. "Fine. Five seconds."

Our belayers counted down, and Thor began his ascent with powerful, deliberate movements. Five seconds later, I launched up my route, my smaller frame allowing for quicker progress on the technical climb.

Other climbers paused to watch our race, a few even cheering as I gained on Thor despite his head start. We reached the top anchors almost simultaneously, both breathing hard, both grinning like fools.

"Draw?" Thor called across to me, his chest heaving as he prepared to be lowered.

"Rematch later," I countered, euphoric from the climb. "Best two out of three."

As we descended, I noticed several other climbers watching us—some with curiosity, others with undisguised interest. One muscular guy in his twenties kept glancing my way when he thought I wouldn't notice. Thor noticed, though. His hand found the small of my back the moment my feet touched the ground, a subtle but unmistakable claim.

"Water break," he declared, guiding me toward the seating area.

I sank onto a bench, suddenly aware of the pleasant ache in my muscles, the slight tremble in my forearms from exertion. My whole body felt alive, humming with endorphins and the simple joy of physical activity.

Thor handed me a fresh water bottle from our bag, then sat beside me, his large frame making the bench seem small. He took a long drink from his own bottle, his throat working as he swallowed. When he lowered the bottle, his eyes found mine, intense and searching.

I took a sip of water, suddenly self-conscious under his steady gaze. "What?"

"You," he said simply, setting his bottle aside. "You're radiant when you're happy."

Before I could respond, Thor's hand came up to cradle my face, thumb brushing my cheekbone with surprising gentleness for such a large man. Then he leaned in, closing the distance between us, and kissed me with an intensity that made my toes curl in my rental climbing shoes.

This wasn't the measured, careful kiss from breakfast. This was claiming, possessive—his beard scratching my skin as his mouth moved over mine with unmistakable hunger. I responded instantly, rising to meet him, my hand finding his chest, feeling his heart hammering under my palm.

The kiss deepened, Thor's hand sliding to the nape of my neck, angling my head to grant him better access. I melted against him, forgetting where we were, forgetting everything but the electric current arcing between us.

When we finally broke apart, I was breathless, my lips tender from his beard. Several nearby climbers were staring openly, some pretending to be interested in their gear, others making no attempt to hide their curiosity.

"Sorry," Thor said, not sounding sorry at all. His eyes were dark, pupils dilated. "Couldn't help myself."

I surprised myself by laughing, unconcerned about our audience. The old Mandy—controlled, contained, professional Mandy—would have been mortified by such a public display. But sitting there, chalk dust on my hands and Thor's taste on my lips, I couldn't bring myself to care what strangers thought.

"You don't look very sorry," I teased, voice lower than normal.

"That's because I'm not." His hand found mine, engulfing it completely. "You're fucking gorgeous when you're in your element, Mandy. All confident and bossy."

"Bossy?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"In the best way." Thor's thumb traced patterns on my palm, sending shivers up my arm. "I like seeing all the different sides of you."

"I like that you see them," I admitted quietly.

His eyes softened at my confession. For a moment, we just looked at each other, the crowded gym fading to background noise. Then someone dropped a climbing hold nearby with a loud clatter, breaking the spell.

Thor stood, pulling me up with him. "One more climb before we go? I think you owe me a rematch."

"Pretty sure I was winning," I said, falling back into the easy banter.

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