They pulled up to a massive building with several bay doors. Viking twisted in his seat to look at her, his brows raised. “You know my father?”
His question came out in a low rasp, as if he wasn’t sure he truly wanted her answer. Jinx laughed, shaking her head. “This is such a wild coincidence.” She hiked her thumb over her shoulder. “We passed my driveway a couple of miles back. Your dad was the original architect of the house I bought. When I decided to remodel and add on, I went into town to see if there were blueprints for sale from the original designer. To my surprise, your mother was there doing some paperwork. She called your dad and asked him to whip me up something really quick, her words, mind you. I swear, I could hear the love that man had for your mother. He asked for my number and said he’d get with me to find out what I needed.Long story short, your father had me new designs within a week of our call.”
Viking’s smile widened. “That sounds like my parents.”
She placed her hands against her chest. “You don’t understand. I owe your family so much. I didn’t want to destroy the beauty of the original design. I was struggling to make the house work, and I almost decided to build a new house further back on my property and use the original one as a rental. Although being a landlord was the very last thing I wanted to do.”
“My dad is semi-retired, but he loves to create. I’m sure you did him a favor by allowing him to work on one of his babies. That’s what he calls his designs. My brother Samson followed in his footsteps.”
She noticed there didn’t sound like he held any resentment toward his brother, but she didn’t know what he did for a living. His hands were large and had calluses. She knew that didn’t mean he used them in his everyday life.
“I’m a lawyer. I work down in Santa Clarita, CA, for a group of men. My expertise is tax and property law.” He winked, then pressed the fobconnected to his visor, bringing the doors of the garage in front of them up.
Jinx came from money and had lived in a home most would’ve called a mansion. Her mother didn’t believe in owning anything that wasn’t top-of-the-line. Never mind owning any sort of ATV that could get her precious children hurt or dirty. The sight that met her eyes stunned her.
“This is my dad’s toy shop. He calls it his hobby cave, but let’s all of us use his babies.” Viking eased his truck inside.
“Why does he need so many?” she asked.
“One for him, one for my mother, one for me, one for my brother, one for my sister, and a couple for friends. You know, just in case we all want to go riding at the same time. So, you got four-wheelers for the summertime, and snowmobiles for winter. Over there, you got tractors and backhoes, and well, suffice to say, my dad buys shit he wants when he wants.”
The interior was vast and super clean. Before they got out, Viking ensured the bay had closed, sealing them inside the warm interior.
Viking opened his door, moving over to her side quickly. She turned to step down, but like he’d done back at the restaurant, he gripped her by the waist and lifted her down, allowing her to settle onto her feet with a gentle touch.
“You’re nothing as I thought,” she blurted.
He kept his hands on her hips, staring down at her. “What did you think?”
Chapter Seven
He waited for Jinx to make up a story, letting his thumbs rub along her hips. She was a tiny thing compared to him. Her blonde hair hung down her back in loose waves. He wanted to wrap his fist around and hold while he claimed her lips. When her green eyes lit with fire, he promised himself he’d see them light up with passion as he fucked her.
Last night, when he’d sat at the bar, nursing a drink, his eyes had watched her curvy figure hustle back and forth serving drinks with efficiency. Not once had she flirted or acted with disdain toward any of the customers who’d hit on her.
“I...I thought you’d be a complete asshole who’d be a fuck ’em and leave ’em type.”
Her honesty thawed the ice around his heart. “Oh, I do like to fuck, Vakker. Trust and believe that, if you believe nothing else.”
She did a slow perusal of his body, making his dick jump beneath the fly of his denim. “I have no doubt you do, Mr. Larsen.”
Reaching up with his right hand, he tangled it in her thick hair, giving a light tug. “Mr. Larsen is my father. You can call me Sir or Daddy if you want.”
He bent and covered her lips with his, silencing the words she’d begun to say. His hand on her hip held her close to him while the one in her hair eased, palming the back of her head. He brushed his lips over hers, sliding back and forth, then licked over them. Finally, he bit her full bottom lip, taking advantage of her open mouth to slide his tongue inside. She moaned, accepting his invasion with a swipe of her tongue over his. By the time he pulled back, they were both breathing hard.
Viking pressed his forehead against hers, blinked his eyes open to find her staring up at him with dazed green eyes.
“I’m so not calling you daddy,” she whispered.
Her words made a laugh bubble up in him. “Come on, my feisty Jinx. Let’s get you properly dressed for our ride before you make all my gentlemanly intentions go out the window.”
She snorted but slid her hand into his, following him over to a room off to the side. By the time they got dressed, they would be sweating, but Vikingwould make sure she was covered from head to toe with the warmest gear before they headed out. No way would he risk Jinx getting frostbite or sick because he’d been an idiot.
“Holy shit. This is next-level crazy,” she muttered.
He looked around them. The gear room didn’t amaze him, but most others didn't have experience with the organization his father insisted on. He’d been to locker rooms of several NFL teams with similar setups. “My dad figured it was easier to find our shit if it were all in one place. When we come in from a ride, we leave it out in the bay to dry. My father’s groundskeeper gets them cleaned and then puts them back into the proper place afterward.”
“Okay, Richie Rich,” she joked, shoulder bumping him.
