wonder
what exactly he’d just said. Something about tourists…
“ Yes,
well, they weren’t a bad bunch, I reckon,” she said. In truth they hadn’t been.
At least hers had been somewhat competent walkers, so the day had flown by. Out
in the open, Kim had managed to almost forget about her stern faced Viking
waiting for her at home. Her stomach clenched, and she wiped her clammy hands
on her jeans, as she recalled his growled threat of the night before. He didn’t
really mean that, did he?
Kim had successfully avoided him this morning.
After a night’s worth of tossing and turning, she’d hightailed it out of her
cottage while Asger had been in the shower. She’d met
an astonished looking Richard at the bottom of her lane.
She hadn’t wanted to risk Asger and Rich meeting, because Richard was a hugger—always had been—and she could
just imagine what the uber-possessive Asger would
make of that. Not that the blasted Viking had any right to that possessive
streak. She couldn’t be his destiny. What they shared was just a healthy dose
of lust, that’s all. Kim had managed to keep thoughts of Asger and their situation at bay during the laughter filled breakfast she’d shared
with Rich. For the most part anyway. If she seemed distant, she knew he would
put it down to her being in the middle of a story. Too keep him appeased, she’d
told him of her idea of a time traveling Viking clan. Richard had come
up with some interesting plot twists that would work well, if this was just a
story. Little did he know that she had been talking of herself. That she was even now wondering how on earth she was going to keep Rich away
from Asger . He would insist on walking her right up
to her cottage, especially as it was getting late, and….
“ So,
you fucked some tourists, too, then, did you, my sweet? Didn’t think you had it
in you.” Richard’s amused voice shook her out of her internal musings. Finally,
the words registered.
“ You
what?” she asked. Her father’s friend laughed as he started the car.
“ Ah,
back with me I see. What on earth is going on with you, girl? You’re as jumpy
as a cat on a hot tin roof, and even more distracted than you were this
morning. Tell me the truth now. There is more to your behavior than just being
caught up in a story, isn’t there?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to deny it, when
Richard grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him. It was the concern in his
lined face that did her in, and she blinked back tears. She couldn’t lie to
him.
“ Jesus,
girl, you’re getting me worried here. You haven’t cried since we lost your
father. What in all that is holy is going on? You better tell me all, and if
you think I’m taking you back to that cottage, when you’re this upset, then
you’ve got another think comi ng .
You’re coming home with me, where Susan can fuss over you. It’s been ages since
you came over for dinner, after all—”
“ No,
you can’t.” His eyebrows rose as she interrupted him. Kim hurried on to
explain. “I mean, thanks, but there’s no need. I’ll come and visit Susan soon,
but I’ve got to get home. You need to drop me off at the bottom of my lane,
because … well…”
Kim flinched when Richard crunched the gears,
before he pulled up abruptly by the side of the road. The car that had been
following theirs, swerved to avoid them. The driver stood on his horn and
flipped them the finger. Richard ignored them, and Kim hunched in on herself,
when Richard glared at her.
“ Now,
listen here, young lady. Susan and I consider you the daughter we never had, so
if you think for one minute that I’m going to let this go, after the way you’ve
been acting and what you just said, you better think again. What’s wrong? And
do not try and fob me off. I’ve known you since knee high. I know when you’re
lying. What or who is waiting for you back at the cottage, and do I need to get
the shotgun out of my boot when I drop you off?”
“
what exactly he’d just said. Something about tourists…
“ Yes,
well, they weren’t a bad bunch, I reckon,” she said. In truth they hadn’t been.
At least hers had been somewhat competent walkers, so the day had flown by. Out
in the open, Kim had managed to almost forget about her stern faced Viking
waiting for her at home. Her stomach clenched, and she wiped her clammy hands
on her jeans, as she recalled his growled threat of the night before. He didn’t
really mean that, did he?
Kim had successfully avoided him this morning.
After a night’s worth of tossing and turning, she’d hightailed it out of her
cottage while Asger had been in the shower. She’d met
an astonished looking Richard at the bottom of her lane.
She hadn’t wanted to risk Asger and Rich meeting, because Richard was a hugger—always had been—and she could
just imagine what the uber-possessive Asger would
make of that. Not that the blasted Viking had any right to that possessive
streak. She couldn’t be his destiny. What they shared was just a healthy dose
of lust, that’s all. Kim had managed to keep thoughts of Asger and their situation at bay during the laughter filled breakfast she’d shared
with Rich. For the most part anyway. If she seemed distant, she knew he would
put it down to her being in the middle of a story. Too keep him appeased, she’d
told him of her idea of a time traveling Viking clan. Richard had come
up with some interesting plot twists that would work well, if this was just a
story. Little did he know that she had been talking of herself. That she was even now wondering how on earth she was going to keep Rich away
from Asger . He would insist on walking her right up
to her cottage, especially as it was getting late, and….
“ So,
you fucked some tourists, too, then, did you, my sweet? Didn’t think you had it
in you.” Richard’s amused voice shook her out of her internal musings. Finally,
the words registered.
“ You
what?” she asked. Her father’s friend laughed as he started the car.
“ Ah,
back with me I see. What on earth is going on with you, girl? You’re as jumpy
as a cat on a hot tin roof, and even more distracted than you were this
morning. Tell me the truth now. There is more to your behavior than just being
caught up in a story, isn’t there?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to deny it, when
Richard grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him. It was the concern in his
lined face that did her in, and she blinked back tears. She couldn’t lie to
him.
“ Jesus,
girl, you’re getting me worried here. You haven’t cried since we lost your
father. What in all that is holy is going on? You better tell me all, and if
you think I’m taking you back to that cottage, when you’re this upset, then
you’ve got another think comi ng .
You’re coming home with me, where Susan can fuss over you. It’s been ages since
you came over for dinner, after all—”
“ No,
you can’t.” His eyebrows rose as she interrupted him. Kim hurried on to
explain. “I mean, thanks, but there’s no need. I’ll come and visit Susan soon,
but I’ve got to get home. You need to drop me off at the bottom of my lane,
because … well…”
Kim flinched when Richard crunched the gears,
before he pulled up abruptly by the side of the road. The car that had been
following theirs, swerved to avoid them. The driver stood on his horn and
flipped them the finger. Richard ignored them, and Kim hunched in on herself,
when Richard glared at her.
“ Now,
listen here, young lady. Susan and I consider you the daughter we never had, so
if you think for one minute that I’m going to let this go, after the way you’ve
been acting and what you just said, you better think again. What’s wrong? And
do not try and fob me off. I’ve known you since knee high. I know when you’re
lying. What or who is waiting for you back at the cottage, and do I need to get
the shotgun out of my boot when I drop you off?”
“
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