“Maybe they’re at another home after being caught out in the storm?” Týr suggested.
“Maybe…” I wasn’t entirely convinced. Something screamed this was a planned absence, and a possibly recent disappearance. “Warm up by the fire. I’ll see if we have anything that’ll fit you to change into. I’m not sure we do.”
I tried not to shiver and walk over to the fire myself. I could get warm once I was wearing dry clothes.
My kitten scampered over to me and I picked her up to snuggle for a moment. She was a little too squirmy to cuddle with for long. When she had enough, I grabbed a fluff of wool she enjoyed playing with, and tossed it for her to chase after.
Týr watched her for a moment before playing with her. I should have gone to find clothes, but watching him was far more fascinating. For such a large man, he was so gentle with the kitten, even when she thought she was bigger and more ferocious than she was. I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if this would be how he’d act around children.
He glanced up, catching me staring. “What?”
I smiled and entered the adjacent bedroom to search for clothes instead of answering. There was no point trying to justify myself. I’d just make myself look like a bigger fool than I already felt.
Lightning cracked and lit up the sky, thunder rumbling so deep I felt it in my bones. Rain crashed onto the roof. I glanced out the window to see water flooding in front of it in a thick curtain. The storm is picking up out there.
It was a good thing we decided to come home. This storm wasn’t getting any better any time soon.
I left the bedroom with some trousers for Týr. I wasn’t sure they’d fit, but we could try. The tunics we had were out of the question.
I stopped short in the threshold of the central room. My heart seized at the sight of Týr holding the unfinished tunic. Even from here, it was clear that would fit him, and there was no hiding who it was for.
Týr looked up when he realized I’d returned. “I thought you said you weren’t sure you had something that would fit me.”
“That’s not—what I mean is—” My tongue wouldn’t work as my brain panicked more. I couldn’t tell him it was for him. “It’s not finished.”
His brow spiked. Then he looked at the tunic again. “Looks finished.”
Whatever magic kept me rooted in place released its hold and I rushed over to him, trying to grab it. “Týr, no!”
He held it out of my reach, grinning like a mischievous cat. “And why not? Is there something you’re not telling me? Is this for someone else?”
“No!” I nearly choked after that confession. “That’s not—I mean—”
Týr chuckled. “Trickster god got your tongue, Valkyrie?”
My heart thumped. There was that name again. Why did I like it so much when he called me that? “It’s not good enough.”
That was a truth I could allow. He was a god. He deserved the best. And that tunic wasn’t the best. Neither am I…
Týr rubbed the fabric between his fingers. “I think the quality is superb. I’m going to try this on, unless you have any legitimate objections.”
Heat seared my cheeks. “None that’d you take…”
Gods, why hadn’t I hidden that instead of running off in a huff? Now this was just going to be one embarrassing moment when he rejected—
Týr loosened his belt and pulled his soaked tunic over his head. The hard muscles of his abdomen and arms flexed and pulled taut with the movement. Every thought in my mind left me.
He stood before me, half-naked, exhibiting several levels of alluring masculine sex. My mouth dried and heat pooled between my legs. My chest heaved as I struggled to keep my breathing even and my hands from reaching out and gliding my hands along those planes of muscle.
Týr grinned, as if he could see what his current state of dress did to me, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I looked as much as a mess as I felt right now. He pulled the new tunic on.
The garment slid over his body, fitting like a glove. I’d managed to make it perfectly for him.
Týr tested the fit and felt the fabric again. “I’ve never had such a nice tunic before.”
Heat of the same intensity pooling between my legs seared my face. “I highly doubt—”
He pressed his thumb against my lips. “I meant what I said.”
