Page 65 of The Heir
Freya didn’t look remorseful. “Victor had no right to call us stupid and refer to marriage as a farce. I’m happy that I let him know how insulting his behavior was to us.”
“Yeah, but he’s one of our hosts. Do you think we should go and patch things up with him?” I suggested.
Thor kept walking. “Hell no. Let Victor stew in his wounded pride. This is nothing new. He bangs heads with us Northlanders at every summit. It’s sort of tradition in a way, and everyone knows that he and Freya can’t stand each other.”
I shot her a confused glance, but she quickly looked away and with the way her energy was closed off, I could tell she didn’t like to talk about the animosity between her and Victor.
Thor went on with his complaints about the French: “In general, they are arrogant and self-absorbed, but Victor has always been the worst. We like to point it out to him, and he doesn’t like it.”
I wondered if Thor was truly clueless about the cause of tension between Freya and Victor. To me it was clear as day that their animosity came from a place of mutual attraction, but what I didn’t know was whether or not they themselves were in denial about that detail.
Despite his drunken state, Bjorn helped us find our way out of the maze-like underground. Once we were at street level, it was easy to find the Blue Tower as it stood taller than any other building in town.
“Can you find your way home from here?” Freya asked Bjorn, who nodded.
“Sure.”
“Remember what I said,” Thor pointed a finger at him. “Don’t do something stupid like this again or I’ll fucking ban you from entering the Northlands.”
“I won’t. I promise!”
Once we reached the Blue Tower, Thor declared, “I’m not going back to Victor’s party. I’m too mad at him for leaving us behind. It wouldn’t end well.”
Walking into the elevator, Freya sighed. “It’s okay. I’ll talk to him and tell him we made it back safely despite him being a dick to us.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” I asked in support.
“No. It’s fine. It will be a very short conversation.”
“Tell him to apologize for leaving us underground,” Thor said.
Freya didn’t answer with anything but a sigh. When the elevator stopped on the thirty-first floor and Thor and I walked out, Freya emanated a heavy, sad energy as she stood in the corner with her dark hair framing her pretty face and her hands clasped in front of her.
“We’ll see you tomorrow, my love,” I said.
“Sleep well,” she answered with the tiniest smile before the door closed.
Thor and I walked in silence to the apartment that I shared with Celeste. She had added me to the face recognition system and the door slid up as we approached.
“What a day, huh?” Thor stopped outside with a hand on the doorframe.
“Yeah. My head is bursting with everything that happened today. Indiana’s sightseeing tour, the party at the penthouse, Bjorn’s drama, and of course…” I trailed off as my gaze fell to his lips.
Thor said it for me. “Our kiss.”
“Mm-hmm.” I wondered why he didn’t mention his proposal, but I wasn’t opening up that can of worms.
“Sleep well, Fairy, and think about what I said.”
I smiled and watched him walk away, admiring his tight butt and strong back. Even the ears that were slightly too large looked extra cute from this angle. My desire for Thor was undeniable, but also strange considering how many years I’d held a strong resentment toward him. I still couldn’t take his marriage proposal seriously. Tomorrow he would pretend it never happened, but I hadn’t regretted my impulsive suggestion to explore the strong sexual attraction between us.
It was ironic how the tables had turned in a matter of weeks. In the Motherlands, Thor had been the one suggesting sex and I had rejected him. Now the situation was reversed.
We still had a few days together before I would go back to my life in the Motherlands, and I certainly wouldn’t mind expanding on our kiss.
What I couldn’t stop pondering was Thor’s words that he wanted his first time to be with his wife. What would he have done if I’d taken him up on his offer of hard and punishing sex that day in the drone? Had he been bluffing when he said it or was his lust for me strong enough to compromise on his dream of a perfect wedding night?
It had felt genuine at the time, which left another question roaming through my mind. If I’d slept with him that day, would Thor have told his future wife about me?
