Page 57 of The Heir
Moving close to her, I cupped her face. “Things have changed. Back when I said it, I never imagined…” Feeling my Adam’s apple bob in my throat, I tried to find the right words to describe what I was feeling. Chills ran up and down my spine and everything stood out as clearly as a colorful detail in a black and white photo. “I want our first time together to be on our wedding night.”
“Thor, don’t say that.” Linea pulled one of my hands from her face. “You need to think this through. This thing between us is nothing but an infatuation.”
The more she resisted, the more I was sure I wanted her. Taking her hands, I fell to one knee and looked up at her. “Linea, please. With you by my side I know I can do anything.”
A smile spread from one side of her mouth to the other as Linea leaned down and looked into my eyes. “You honor me.”
My chest was about to burst as I asked with hope in my voice, “Is that a yes?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not a yes. I came to talk to you about this thing between us. I never expected the kiss and your spontaneous proposal. A marriage is a commitment for life, Thor. It shouldn’t be taken lightly. When did you know you wanted to marry me?”
“I… uhm… hmm.”
“That’s what I thought.” Linea pulled me up from the floor. When I rose, her neck leaned back to keep eye contact with me as I argued my case. “It doesn’t matter that it’s spontaneous. The important part is that I’m serious about it.” Now that I had made up my mind, getting her to commit to me felt urgent.
“You might tell me that you’re serious about it now. But with the mood swings you have, I’m sure you’ll change your mind the next time you get annoyed with me. You need to be rational.”
My short laugh held no amusement. “You’re telling me to be rational?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to following your intuition and emotions?”
“It’s a combination.”
We stood locked in another frustrating disagreement when footsteps outside the entrance door alerted us that someone was coming.
Doreen, my roommate for the summit, entered and lit up when she saw Linea. “Oh, hey. Did you stop by to tell Thor and me to hurry up? Celeste already reminded us four times that the food will be served in Victor’s apartment in ten minutes.”
“Well, in that case, my work here is done.” Linea gave me a last smile and passed Doreen on her way out.
I followed and grabbed her wrist in the hallway. “Wait.”
Her large silver-gray eyes connected with mine as I asked, “Will you at least think about it?”
Linea looked down at her wrist and waited for me to let go. “I’ll see you upstairs at the party, Thor.”
I watched her walk three doors down before I went back into the apartment. Heading straight for the bathroom, I locked the door and jerked off while I could still smell her scent, remember the taste of her kiss, and the feeling of her body against mine.
After my release, I stood panting with a hand against the wall. This would never be enough. Linea was everything I didn’t know that I needed. I couldn’t care less that she didn’t fit my father’s wishes of a full-blooded Northlander. Linea and I were both of mixed blood and my father had married a Motlander himself. He would have to get over it or make my sister his heir. Either way, I was marrying Linea – as soon as I could convince her to say yes.
CHAPTER 14
Party at Victor’s
Linea
Victor had the penthouse apartment in the Blue Tower. It was large in scale compared to most apartments in France and the Motherlands, but nothing special compared to what the Northlanders were used to at home.
I enjoyed the cozy feeling of many people squeezed together in the same room, and when Freya didn’t have a place to sit, I tapped my lap, encouraging her to sit down.
Isaac made a sad face and exclaimed, “Freya, what’s wrong withmylap?”
He received a scowl from Thor, who sat on the other side of the table on a stool that looked tiny under his massive frame.
“Freya doesn’t play with men,” Victor said from his place on the floor with his back up against the panorama windows.
Thor flipped him a finger. “Who my sister plays with is none of your concern.”
