“Just a little bit further,” she said, but he stopped in his tracks and no amount of her strength could budge him. “What is it?” she asked.
“We’re at the sea,” he said softly, smiling.
“You looked,” she accused disappointedly.
“I didn’t. But I have ears and a nose. I can hear the waves lapping at the shore from here, and smelled the salt air before you even opened the car door.”
He still stood with his eyes resolutely closed, seeming glad to let his other senses take it all in.
“Go ahead and look,” she said.
She got an old blanket she put in the trunk years before, when she thought she’d be going on impromptu picnics with her boyfriend of that time. They’d both been too busy and the blanket was never used. This was her first ever impromptu romantic picnic, and she was glad she’d never used it before, glad that this memory would belong solely to her and Erik.
He opened his eyes and looked left and right, a serene happiness settling over him. It was possible to feel how much he loved being near the water, just by the way he held his body more relaxed. She followed his line of vision and tried to imagine what it would be like to be away from the ocean for a great length of time.
She’d always lived within minutes of it, and it featured heavily in many of her best childhood memories. She planned to get married with it in the background, right at sunset. It must have been part of Erik’s everyday life, his livelihood. She tried to picture him in his old life, his real life, standing tall in the bow of a ship and giving orders instead of taking them.
She followed a few steps behind him as he walked across the sand, until they were a few feet away from the waterline. It was past sunset, but there was a dusky golden glow at the horizon, and the sky above was still a deep blue, not yet faded into night. She realized she had taken this marvel of nature she was lucky enough to live near for granted lately, always too busy to join Seda for drinks to watch the sun go down, or the yearly bonfires her old high school friends still had. For a moment she felt like the landlocked tourists who came and gawked at the ridiculous beauty before her, some of them breaking down in tears at the sight.
Erik put the containers of food down and took her hand, still quietly staring out to sea, and she felt tears prickle at the back of her eyes, pleased she’d decided to make the detour, even though there was still work to be done at home.
“I’m grateful to see it,” he said. “It’s different from what I’m used to, much more vast, but no less lovely.”
“You were from Norway?” she asked, thinking he’d said that was his native language.
“I am from Norway,” he gently corrected. “And I shall return one day.”
This pronouncement hit her like a low punch to the gut, and she took a long, slow breath to ease the hurt she felt. Completely unfounded hurt, she told herself.
She was the one from this century, she knew a few nights of amazing sex didn’t mean anything, but she found she had come to enjoy his company, and worst of all, rely on him. No matter how she tried to fool herself, it was going to sting when he left, and it was worse knowing it didn’t seem the same at all for him. But of course it wouldn’t be. She was keeping him there by force of an ancient curse. Of course he would be glad to be free of her. God, she was an idiot sometimes.
“Still want to get revenge?” she asked.
“I must,” he said simply.
For some probably crazy reason, that cheered her up a little. So, it wasn’t necessarily something he wanted to do, but he felt he had to. That meant she either had to change his mind or become so important to him he’d come back to her after he got his pound of flesh or realized it was impossible after so much time had passed and gave up.
She was really leading the crazy battalion tonight, with her wishful ideas. She’d have better luck tossing a pebble into the ocean and finding the same one again. Get your wits about you, girlfriend, she thought. She’d have her fun, get those loan sharks out of her business, and then commence living her life as a reclusive cupcake baker, stirring frosting round the clock, no time for love.
“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked, looking at the food in much the same way she’d probably been looking at him a second ago.
“Starved,” she said forcefully.
She spread out the blanket and they ate the nearly cold chicken and coleslaw as the waves lapped inches away from them. The lights from the condos and hotels up above winked on as the sky grew darker, and by the time they finished eating, it was full dark, and chilly out.
He stuffed their trash back into the fast food bag, shaking the sand off the blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders.
“Can we walk a bit?” he asked hopefully.
The bowls that needed to be washed danced in her thoughts, but when he put his arm around her, she nodded and leaned against him as they made their way up the beach toward a tiny glowing light.
The closer they got, she saw it was a couple huddling around one of the small hotel fire pits. She waved politely, thinking it was time to turn around and head back anyway, but the woman called out to her.
“You look frozen. Want to warm up for a minute?”
“It’s just a minute, Audrey,” Erik urged.
She looked him up and down. He didn’t seem affected at all by the nippy night air, but he looked eager to join them. It hit her that he was a social butterfly, the complete opposite of her. It was probably why he took so well to working with the customers. As usual, she found she couldn’t deny him anything. She wondered who was the one under the curse, as they made their way toward the fire.
The dry crackling heat felt wonderful and she shrugged off the blanket. The man introduced them as Lily and Devon, and Erik made their introductions, helping her onto the log as if she was a princess.
“Are you newlyweds, too?” the man asked.
“Yes,” Erik answered immediately, linking his fingers with hers and looking pleased.
He really needed to stop his little games, they were going to get her hopes up even higher than they were, which would make the crash back to earth that much more painful.
“We can spot our own kind,” Lily said, snuggling up to her real husband. “Which hotel are you staying at?”
“We live here,” Erik said. “My wife runs Valhalla Cupcakes in town. We’re going to take a proper honeymoon when we have more time.”
Hearing him call her his wife sent shivers up and down her spine. She liked it way too much. It was probably due to the fact that they were at her dream wedding location, mixed with the cozy picnic, mixed with the fact that they were hunkered down next to a romantic fire. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was head over heels for him. Nothing at all.
“Oh, I love cupcakes. We’ll have to go, won’t we, honey? And what a cute name. Is it because you look like a Viking?”
“I am a Viking,” he said, not seeming to care when the couple laughed at his supposed joke.
Erik looked at her, proud of himself for advertising the shop, and she squeezed his hand.
“We were just about to roast some marshmallows, do you want to join us?” The kind woman held up a jumbo bag. “Save us from ourselves,” she urged.
Erik looked at her questioningly. Now that he was firmly addicted to sugar, she thought he’d probably greatly enjoy a roasted marshmallow. But they’d been out for hours already and tension started creeping up her neck.
As if reading her troubled thoughts, he reached around and kneaded the back of her neck with his strong magical fingers. The stressful worries disappeared, and she almost melted off the log she sat on, as he continued his massage. She glanced shyly at him, wondering how he made her rather large cares seem nonexistent.
“My wife is a workaholic,” he said. “Comes from owning a business, I suppose.”
“It must be great, though,” Lily said. “I’m an eight to five office slave.”
“Eight to five sounds like heaven,” she sighed, suppressing
a yawn. Erik bumped her with his elbow, giving her a mock accusing face. “Oh, all right, but I do love it.”
They roasted and ate marshmallows until she thought she would burst, chatting comfortably with the couple. When they looked knowingly at one another and suggested calling it a night, Audrey couldn’t believe she wasn’t the one suggesting they leave. She was always the first to leave a party.
“Yes, newlywed business to attend to,” Erik said in the most ludicrous smarmy voice, cracking up Lily and Devon, who promised to visit the shop before they went home to Ohio.
The sweet couple waved as they headed up the dune toward their hotel, and Erik poked at the fire with his marshmallow stick.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked, his lips finding their way to the spot just below her ear that immediately turned her into a blob of jelly.
He pulled her closer to him, his hands slipping under her shirt. The sound of the waves behind them and the cozy crackle of the fire, along with his roaming fingers and mouth made her close her eyes and lean against him languidly. She wasn’t only warm enough, he was making her feel like she was burning up.
“I’m fine,” she murmured, snuggling in closer to him.
She didn’t know how he managed to make it seem like there were more hours in a day than there actually were, but she liked how time slowed down for them. Everything drifted into the background— dirty dishes, money woes— none of it mattered when he kissed her. She tossed the blanket onto the sand in front of the fire and pulled him down with her.
He held her close, breathing her in along with the salty air. “Thank you for bringing me here,” he said huskily. He pressed a row of kisses down the side of her neck. “I like the way the sea air makes you taste.”
Yes, she wanted him to keep tasting, and wriggled out of her shirt and jeans, hurriedly covering up with half of the blanket. He smiled and pulled his clothes off as well, settling himself on top of her and brushing the blanket aside. She shivered and he leaned closer to shield her from the brisk ocean breezes with his arms, but it wasn’t a chill that raised goosebumps all over her skin. It was purely from wanting him. She didn’t have to say anything, he must have sensed her need and pulled her legs around him. Nestling his forehead in the crook of her neck, he sighed against shoulder.
“You and the ocean,” he said almost imperceptibly. “It could be enough.”
She was sure she imagined the last part, conjured it from the fevered pleasure he gave her, something wishful blown in on the wind. He took his time, and had her gasping, finally resting against her, his cheek pressed close to her heart. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, marveling at all the stars that had filled the sky at some point.
“Look how beautiful,” she sighed, tugging at him to share it with her.
He got up on his elbows and looked down at her for a long time, before nodding. She blushed and turned away, even though he couldn’t possibly tell in the shadowy fire light.
“Not, me, the stars,” she said, trying and failing to interpret what she felt at that moment. Delight, confusion, a strange but wonderful calm. Whatever it was, she could get used to it.
“Them too,” he said.
He pulled his shirt back on, much to her dismay, until she realized he was the one being responsible for once. If it had been left up to her she would have curled up in the blanket next to him and slept on the beach all night. Ugh, sleep. Something she sorely needed. Erik was right. It was time to go.
“This is worse in the dark,” Erik said as they drove home.
“Wait until you try flying,” she said. “Talk about scary.”
“Who flies?” he demanded.
“You never heard anyone talk about airplanes while you were in the painting? I’ll show you pictures when we get home. But if you want to get back to Norway, you’ll have to take one.”
“There are no more ships?” he asked, sounding brokenhearted.
“I guess you could take a cruise ship. Expensive and slow, though. But you might like it for the food.”
She let herself have a five second fantasy of going on a leisurely cruise with him, and by the time she sadly shook herself out of it, they were back at the shop.
“Go to sleep, Audrey. I’ll clean up,” he said, waving her toward the stairs.
“You were exhausted a few hours ago,” she said, every muscle in her body wanting to splat into bed.
“Being with you by the ocean restored my vigor,” he said. “Go up to bed.” He gave her an intent look that told her his vigor was restored for more than just washing dishes, and she toyed with removing the ban on her room. As tempting as it was, she badly needed a good night’s rest. “I wouldn’t be displeased if it was my bed you were in when I’m finished,” he said, pulling her close for a kiss that sealed her fate for her.
Another night without sleep surely wouldn’t kill her.
Chapter 11
“You’re running on fumes,” Seda said, sipping her to-go coffee in the kitchen while she looked Audrey over disapprovingly. “You’re like a hollow shell. What’s that Viking sex monster doing to you?” She glanced at the front and leaned closer. “Seriously, I want to know. Is it amazing?”
“Stop,” Audrey said. “Erik’s the only thing keeping me standing during all this.”
“Do you actually have feelings for him?” she asked, sounding not just curious, but as if she had an active stake in the matters of her best friend’s heart. “How does he feel about you?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t know.”
“Is he possessive of you?” Seda asked. “I mean, I’m sure he is, because he’s from a time when women were considered property, but is he overly, strangely possessive?”
Audrey was taken aback by all the questions, and that one in particular. As much as she knew it shouldn’t, she got a thrill that Erik might think of her as his. She’d certainly struggled with feelings like that. At first she’d thought it was the fact that she controlled him because of the curse, but now she just liked thinking he was hers. She felt like he was hers. She mentally slapped herself.
“I don’t think so,” she answered honestly. “I mean, ninety-nine percent of the customers are women, so he’s never had a reason to act possessive. He acted overly protective when we went to sell my car, and when the pizza boy came to the house, but that was it.” She paused, feeling a little disappointed, then shoved it away. “I’ve told you before this is a business arrangement. I mean, besides the other stuff.”
Seda frowned. “Yes, the other stuff. Is he like a machine, or what? Do either of you get any sleep?”
“Enough, you nosy perv. We’re working like dogs here. I never expected the place to be so busy. I wish I could hire some more help, but there’s no extra money.”
“Okay,” Seda said, backing down. “Just don’t wear yourself out. Your dark circles are no joke.”
Audrey groaned and tried to see her reflection in a large metal spoon. “That’s anxiety. The mob guys are supposed to come back today and my heart won’t stop racing.”
“Already?” she asked incredulously.
“It’s been a week.” Audrey shrugged. “I have no idea when they’ll show up, since they don’t exactly schedule appointments.”
“You have the money? Listen, I have a couple grand in savings. I know it’s a drop in the bucket, but it’s yours if you need it.”
Audrey wiped away her nervous tears. “I have enough this week, and hopefully they’ll see how well the shop’s doing, give me more time on the next installment.”
“Well, I’m serious. You need your thumbs to stir batter.”
With a wail, Audrey shoved her from the kitchen. “Don’t you have some fancy client to coddle?”
After making her promise to call after the thugs showed up, Seda flitted from the store, her brief visit inexplicably putting Audrey in a better mood. It was short lived, though. Every time it got crowded, she half wished the mobsters would arrive to see how business was booming, bu
t was half terrified they would and make a scene in front of everyone. The little bell attached to the door made her jump every time it jingled, and at lunch time, Erik reached up and yanked it down.
“I’ll put it back tomorrow,” he said. “Don’t you trust me to protect you?”
She nodded, stress cramming a key lime cupcake back to back with a mint frosted chocolate, grimacing at the combination.
“I do. But what if they break things like in the movies? It’s not like I can afford to replace anything.”
“If they dare to break something, they’ll leave with something of theirs broken, rest assured, Audrey.”
“I’d like that,” she said, soothed by the grisly image of her Viking snapping the bones of the thugs. She was so upset at the turn her stress addled mind had taken, she downed another cupcake, grabbing her stomach and moaning. “I think I’m going to hide out in the kitchen for a while.”
He assured her he would let her know when they arrived, and that nothing bad would happen as long as he was there. She tried to tell herself he was right. As creepy as they were, they were businessmen after a fashion. Surely they wouldn’t bring guns into her bakery? Maybe she ought to close up the place, for the safety of the customers. But then she’d lose an entire day’s income, which she couldn’t afford to do.
She poured herself a big glass of water, and stayed in the kitchen, knowing Erik could handle the front no matter how busy it got. Thinking about how capable he was helped her calm down. He was a ruthless Viking from another time but he could charm the support stockings off the most crotchety grandma, innocently tease the high school girls without being gross about it, and make the moms with toddlers feel like they still had it going on when he flirted with them. If the customers hadn’t been giving her positive feedback about her cupcakes, she might have thought the success of the place was solely because of Erik.
The thugs didn’t end up coming until after closing time, and she had finally given up on them shortly after she locked the door, when someone pounded on it. Her heart plummeted and she ran around the counter while Erik calmly opened the door.
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