His brows furrow, and for a second, I think he’s not going to give me a real answer. But then he frowns and opens his mouth, before closing it again.
I raise an eyebrow.
He sighs and crosses his arms behind his head, momentarily distracting me with his biceps.
“Eyes up here, princessa,” he teases.
I roll my eyes and stare back into his icy blue ones. With his scruffy beard and thick, longer hair pulled back, he looks every part the Nordic Viking right now. But I see so much more than that. I see the scar on his arm from his accident. I see freckles on his shoulders from working on his family farm in tank tops. God, what a sight that would have been. A Nordic Viking farm boy.
“After my accident, the doctor came to talk to me while I was still in rehab. The second she opened my door, I knew it wasn’t good. She sat down, put her elbows on her knees, looked over at me, and told me I’d never play ball again. I didn’t want to believe her. I heard every word she said, but I didn’t process them. She talked about how my joint would never heal perfectly and that I was susceptible to future catastrophic injuries if I were to get hit in the wrong way. She talked about how I’d always have a bit of a different gait when walking or running. And just like that, my life as I knew it ended. The team didn’t renew my contract. I had to sell my house and my sports car. And then my girlfriend couldn’t deal with my depression and cheated on me. And that was the final straw. I moved in here, and a friend got me my current job. It’s a fine job and it pays well, but…” He trails off and shrugs.
“It’s not the dream,” I say softly.
He shakes his head.
“Nope. And I pretended for a long time that I was OK. I had lived, and that was good enough. But then Edith died, and I watched Al grieve, and I grieved too. She was a good listener.” He pauses again. “Just like you.” He gives me a small smile. “Anyhow, when Kasen’s grandmother was sick, he sort of disappeared and took care of her, and I was left with no one. At least, no one close to me that really got me. So I threw myself into solving this mystery. It became my escape. And I guess, I found comfort in it in some strange way. I had control. Those damn flowers end up there every day, come hell or high water. And once you’re so far down a rabbit hole, it’s hard to turn back,” he finishes and shrugs again.
“How much therapy did you need to peel back all those layers?” I ask, trying to sound teasing, but deep down, it’s a legitimate question. This man has been through so much.
His lips twitch with a smile. “Enough,” he muses.
Then he frowns a little. “I can stop if it bothers you.”
I reach up and cup his jaw, running my fingers through his beard. His eyes flutter closed for a beat.
“Don’t stop. Unless you want to,” I whisper.
His eyes open, and he stares down at me. His hands grab my hips, and he rolls us over, wedging himself between my thighs.
His eyes rove over my body. “You’re so damn perfect, Jocelyn. I don’t know why the universe saw fit to send you to me, but I’m going to stop questioning it and just enjoy every minute I get with you.”
I grin up at him and wrap my legs around his waist. The tip of his cock wedges against my opening.
“Maybe I’m going to be too busy with my new favorite hobby to continue my old one,” he teases as he pushes a little further into me. I groan as I feel myself stretch to accommodate him.
“What’s your new favorite hobby?” I ask.
He thrusts a little further inside. “Letting Njal explore his new favorite cave of wonders,” he replies, his lips forming a smirk.
“Njal?” I question, fighting another eye roll.
He looks down to watch where our bodies are connected. “You named it?” I ask with a laugh.
He nods.
“I don’t know that name,” I state.
His smirk widens. This should be good. “It’s a Nordic Viking name for a giant.”
A giggle escapes me, and I give his chest a playful shove. “You’re ridiculous.”
I barely finish saying that when he slams in all the way with Njal. Fuck. That name is super spot on.
We both moan. He starts to move, but I grip him tighter, trying to hold him in place as I acclimate.
“Give me a second. Njal is not just a giant, he’s like a freaking monster giant that wants to break the cave open, and no one wants that,” I say as I try to relax my muscles.
Hutch throws back his head and laughs. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful in my life.
