She let him pull her to her feet, smiling up at him. “That was delicious. Thank you for dinner.”
“My pleasure.” He helped her shrug into her coat, smoothing it over her shoulders. As they walked out the door, he held it open for her. Brisk cold wind hit their faces as they exited, so he pulled her into his side. His truck sat close to the door, idling and hopefully warm since he’d started in before he’d paid their bill.
“Do you need anything from town before we head back to your place?” he asked.
“Nope, I’m good. You?”
Viking put the truck in gear. “Nope,” he echoed her.
They listened to the radio as he drove, finding they appreciated a lot of the same types of music. When one of his favorite musicians began playing, he looked over to see her eyes closed as she mouthedthe words to Yungblud’s song Zombie. The words resonated deep within his soul. He talks about pain and not being able to live without the one he loved.
“This is one of my favorite songs,” Viking nodded toward the dashboard.
“Mine too. When he talks about the world continuing to turn, it’s like he knows how it feels inside me. It doesn’t hurt he’s sexy as all get out.” She smiled.
Viking growled, reaching for her hand. “You think that guy is sexy? He’s half my size.”
“Well, he’s cute in an Edward versus Jacob kind of way. I was never a Twilight lover, though. I was more of a...Magic Mike kind of girl. Have you ever given a lap dance before?” Jinx wiggled her brows, then burst into laughter.
“I’ll show you Twilight and Magic Mike,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips, biting the knuckles gently.
They were at her turn off, so he released her hand to make the turn without endangering them on the slick road.
A few minutes later, he pulled into her garage since it was empty, parking where she would normally. He didn’t like letting her get out on the slippery drive to open the door, so he’d been the one to hop out, happy she’d trusted him with her code to access the control panel. Once the door started to open, he hopped back in and drove straight inside. Like the rest of her house, it was neat and clean with storage shelves lining the walls.
“Sit tight, and I’ll close the door down.” He didn’t wait for her to agree. Seeing the panel on the wall, he moved swiftly to shut them inside. He went to the passenger door and looked at Jinx, who was sitting there. She held her hands out and placed them on his shoulders.
“You know, I’m going to be a useless twit when you leave.” Jinx sat there with Viking, staring at her. His heart pounded in his chest.
He thought about when he went back to Santa Clarita. The trip up North he took was only once a year. He couldn’t imagine seeing Jinx that little. He pulled her out of his truck, unwilling to think about shit that could be.
Chapter Twelve
Jinx almost bit her tongue off as she realized what she’d said. Viking didn’t live in their town. Hell, he never said anything about offering more than a few days of fun. Sure, he opened up to her about his family and some heartache, but what did she know about him? What did he know about her other than some surface shit? The woman he saw and carried around wasn’t who she truly was at the heart of herself. She was a tough, take-no-prisoners bitch. She’d had to be to survive.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding onto him for as long as he was here. Neither of them was guaranteed tomorrow, but they had tonight. And fuck it all, but she was going to enjoy every second with Viking, even if it hurt when he left. When you hurt, at least you know you’re alive.
“Think you can find your way inside, Viking, or do you need me to lead you?” she asked in a husky whisper.
“Mmm, I think I can figure it out,” he said, stepping back and shutting the door with one hand.
The loud thud echoed around them. He moved with a purpose, long strides, eating up the distance toward the entrance to her mudroom. Jinx peppered his face with kisses, trailing licks along his neck to his ear, where she swirled her tongue along the outer shell. His shiver made her smile.
“Vakker, you’re playing a dangerous game.”
“I’m not scared.” She nibbled on his earlobe, releasing it with a little tug.
Viking sat down, settling her knees on either side of his hips. “Good. I don’t want you scared of me.”
“What are you doing?”
He kicked his boots off while holding her steady with one hand on her ass. Once he’d finished, he began taking hers off, placing them on the warmer she’d used before. She looked at him with one raised brow, but that didn’t deter him. He gave her a gentle push, moving her back slightly so he could remove her coat. Jinx could barely contain her excitement, knowing she’d be feeling a lot more of his hands on her.
“Are you trying to get me naked, Mr. Larsen?” she asked, blinking rapidly and trying to appear innocent.
“Working on it,” he agreed.
“Well, in that case, we need to get yours off, too.” She pushed at his shoulders, taking the fabric off one arm and then the other. Both their coats were left lying on the built-in bench that stretched down the wall. The smooth seat had reminded her of church pews when she’d first seen them, so she’d insisted on painting them a bright white.
