Perfekt Order (The Ære Saga Book 1) (28 page)

“Tell me what you’re thinking now,” Tyr
probed.

“That falling for you isn’t exactly turning
out like I’d expected,” I confessed.

“I’ll never hurt you,
prinsessa
. I
might disappoint you, I know I’ll confuse you, and I’ll sure as
Helheim frustrate you. My life doesn’t fit into any of your neat
boxes. I’m okay with that, but I know it’s going to be a while
before you can be. But Mia Ahlström, I swear I’ll do everything in
my power to make you happy, every single day that we have together.
What do you say?” Tyr leaned back to study my face.

Well, when he puts it like that…
My
anxiety ebbed. Tyr was being completely honest with me. He couldn’t
give me a normal relationship, but he wanted to give me all that he
could. What he pledged was his absolute commitment—one hundred
percent of himself, no matter how scary things got. How could I
walk away from that?

“This is a little bit overwhelming. And a lot
bit terrifying. But I like you too much to walk away,” I admitted.
“Whatever we’ve got going here, I’m all in.”

“Really?” Tyr’s face lit up in a look of
genuine joy. “Oh, thank Odin. After I didn’t hear from you all day,
I thought you were done with me.” He shook his head, bent down and
pressed his lips against mine. I responded instinctively. My hands
flew to his hair, my fingers wrapping in the tousled strands. He
ran his tongue along my bottom lip and I sighed, giving myself over
to the sensation. A warm burn started in my belly and radiated to
my extremities. I no longer wanted to compartmentalize anything—not
what Tyr was, not what he was trying to do, and not the impossible
things I’d seen last night. I just wanted to be as close to him as
humanly—or godly—possible. I climbed on his lap and straddled him,
pressing my body against his. He grabbed my hair with one hand and
pulled my head back, bringing his mouth to my jaw. I groaned and he
moved lower, kissing a line down my neck. He ran one hand down my
arm, sending the familiar heat along my skin. Spreading his palms
across my back, he pulled me against him, holding on like he might
never let go.

I hoped he never would.

The wolf whistle from the water polo players’
house across the street ruined what was fast becoming a
very
memorable moment. I immediately buried my head in Tyr’s chest, and
he leaned back with a laugh. “Can I take you on what’s probably
going to be the weirdest date of your life tomorrow?”

“Weirder than the night I found out my
boyfriend was a Norse god?” I asked, willing some of the heat to
drain from my cheeks.
Stupid water polo house
.

“Possibly. The clock’s ticking, and I need to
get two more ingredients for the rope. Tomorrow’s fishing day. What
do you say?”

“I say get ready to be schooled. Yours truly
holds the Ahlström family record for biggest catch.” Jason was
still sore about that.

“You are one amazing woman.” Tyr pressed his
lips to mine, and pulled back. “Come on. Let’s order a pizza.”

“It’s only four o’clock,” I pointed out. “You
might qualify for early bird specials, but us teenagers eat at
regular hours.”

“Have you eaten yet today?” Tyr asked.

“Well, no.” Come to think of it, I was
starving.

“Didn’t think so. Come on.” He stood and held
out a hand. I placed mine in his, and picked up my notebook before
leading him into the house. He was already dialing the pizza parlor
and placing an order for delivery.
What’s that
he mouthed,
pointing at my notebook.

“This?” I stared at the pages filled with my
befuddled scrawl. A few hours ago, making sense of everything had
seemed so important. I’d needed to know where this was going, how
it would end, and how we’d tackle the seemingly insurmountable
obstacles we had ahead of us. But a girl could get glad in the same
britches she got mad in. And Jason had been absolutely right.
Letting go of my rigid structure, trying new things, even just
accepting things for what they
were
instead of what I wanted
to
make them be
… it felt right. Crazy, impulsive, maybe even
stupid, but right. And saying goodbye to Tyr would have been all
kinds of wrong, even if it meant I didn’t have a concrete five-year
plan. Oh, God. I didn’t have a five-year plan.
In through the
nose…
That was okay. I’d only lost the plan with respect to
this relationship. I could still have the plan for my major, and my
career, and my fitness routines. It would be baby steps for me. I
led us to the kitchen and threw the notebook in the trash.

“Okay, thanks.” Tyr hung up his phone.
“Pizza’s here in twenty. What is that?” he asked again, now
pointing to the trashcan.

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his bottom
lip. “It’s something I’m ready to let go of.”

“Fair enough.” Tyr kissed me back, wrapping
an arm around my waist to lift me closer to him. I might not have
known where things were going to end with us, but I sure as heck
liked exactly where we were.

And that was good enough for now.

“
YOU READY FOR A
day on the lake?”
Tyr slammed the trunk of the Hummer and picked up his tackle box.
As always, he was unimaginably gorgeous in dark denim, a black
T-shirt and a zip-up hoodie. He wore the requisite black boots, and
a baseball cap sat low on his forehead.

“Absolutely.” I carried two fishing rods in
my right hand, and laced fingers through Tyr’s with my left. He
looked down at our hands with a slow smile.

“I like you next to me, you know that?” He
stopped to plant a leisurely kiss on my lips, the kind that made me
forget where I was. It still blew my mind that this spectacular
creature and I had found each other, but I was not about to look a
gift horse in the mouth.

“I like it too.” I stood on tiptoe to draw
out the kiss, but Tyr squeezed my fingers and turned to stare at
the water. I reluctantly followed suit.

We’d driven an hour outside of Arcata to a
quiet lake surrounded by redwoods. The water was still and blue,
and thin clouds stretched across the early afternoon sky. A handful
of cabins lined the opposite shore, and the only roads in and out
of the lake were dirt. There wasn’t a freeway within ten miles. It
was relaxing, and rustic, and incredibly romantic.

“Come on. We’ve got work to do.” Tyr tugged
on my hand, reminding me why we were here. I followed him to a
wooden dock, where a sleek boat was tied to one end. He walked me
to the edge and held out a hand. “Hop in.”

“Does its owner know we’re here?” I asked
cautiously. I wasn’t quite ready to add grand theft boat to my
otherwise immaculate rap sheet.

Tyr laughed. “It’s mine. Brynn drove it out
this morning.”

“Oh.” My eyes widened.

“I see what you’re thinking.” He rolled his
eyes. “It’s not
that
extravagant.”

“Most people in these parts have rowboats.” I
pointed to the line of modest boats lining the neighboring
dock.

“I’m not most people.” Tyr grinned. “Now hop
aboard, skipper.”

“Yes, sir.” I saluted before stepping onto
the rocking boat. It was designed for speed, all sleek and white
and streamlined. But it was also extremely lux. Plush leather seats
lined the small sitting area, and three steps led up to a little
cabin. “Ooh, can I go up there?”

“You can go anywhere you want. Bed’s to the
right.”

I blushed.

My fingers gripped the railing as I walked.
Wearing ballet flats with my skinny jeans had been a good call. The
boat rocked gently from side to side; it took me a minute to get my
bearings.

“What do you think?” Tyr breathed in my ear.
He’d come up right behind me, and snaked his arms around my
waist.

I jumped at the touch. “It’s nice.”

It was. The driver’s seat was behind me,
ensconced behind a clear window. A small kitchen was to the left,
with a tiny cooking area and an intimate table laid out for two.
And to the right was the promised bed. It was much too large for
the space, easily a full king.

Tyr caught me looking and growled. “Want to
test it out later?”

“Would that be before or after we catch the
magical fish?”

“It can be whenever you want, baby.” Tyr ran
his nose along the curve of my neck. When I whimpered, he gave a
reluctant sigh. “But not now. We need to push off if we’re gonna be
back by nightfall. I don’t want to drive through these woods after
dark.”

“You’re such a tease.”

“Get that cute little butt deck-side.
Now.”

He pinched my backside and I scampered down
the stairs, rolling my eyes as I dutifully donned the fluorescent
orange life vest he pulled from one of the benches. “This is just
lovely.”

“Safety first.” He snapped my vest in place.
“Do you want to ride inside the cabin or out here?”

“I’ll stay out here if you don’t mind. I
haven’t been on a boat in a while.”

“Then sit down and hold on. I drive
fast.”

“You do everything fast, don’t you?” Driving,
running, flying…

“Not everything.” Tyr raised an eyebrow and
my pulse spiked. He leaned over the boat and released the moorings.
When he’d wound the ropes and put them inside the bench seat, he
ducked into the cabin. I took my seat.

“Pushing off.”

Tyr expertly steered the boat into open
water, picking up speed when he was a safe distance from the shore.
The wind brushed my face as I tilted my head back. It was cool in
the early afternoon sun, and the thrum of the engine was oddly
relaxing. Tyr steered the boat in a slow arc across the lake,
taking a handful of unnecessary turns that nearly launched me off
my seat. My hands gripped leather as I glared at the cabin. The
laughter in Tyr’s eyes let me know his navigational skills were
deliberate. When I wagged my finger at him, he just winked.

There would definitely be payback.

Tyr slowed the boat when we reached a
secluded cove near the opposite shore. The sun was behind the
mountain, so we rested in the shade. Tyr climbed out of the cabin
and picked up his tackle box and both fishing rods. He handed me a
rod as he took a seat beside me. He rested the other on his lap,
then opened the box.

“You know you’re on my list, buddy.” I raised
an eyebrow.

“Oh, I’m scared.” Tyr nudged me with his
shoulder, and I laughed. “You usually bait your own hooks?”

“Sure.” It was my least favorite part of
fishing, but it had to be done.

“Not today.” Tyr grabbed my hook and returned
it with a worm.

I batted my eyes. “Such a gentleman.”

“No problem. Want me to help you cast,
too?”

I laughed. “I think I’ve got that part.”

“Cause I’m more than happy to assist you with
your form.” Tyr dropped his rod. He wrapped his arms around me from
the side, and held my hands between his. His proximity was
overwhelming.

“Well, aren’t you just all kinds of helpful
today? But I’ve got this, Fredriksen.” I nudged him away and cast
my rod, easily sending the fly ninety feet. At its splash, I turned
around with a coy smile. “Did I do okay?”

Tyr’s mouth was slightly open. “Great Odin.
You’re as good at fishing as you are at shooting.”

I lifted a shoulder and turned back to the
water. “Like I told you, makeup to mud in the time it takes you to
say
bless your heart
.”

Tyr came up from behind and wrapped his arms
around me again. He leaned over so his breath tickled my ear.
“
Prinsessa,
if you weren’t standing in my arms, I wouldn’t
believe you were real.”

“I could say the same to you.” I was on a
half-million-dollar boat in the arms of a smoking hot Norse god,
trying to catch a fish so we could use its magic breath to trap a
homicidal wolf. By all accounts, I was the realest part of this
bizarre situation. “Besides, I like fishing. And until you prove me
wrong, I’m going to tell people I’m better at it than you.”

Tyr chuckled. “Good luck with that. Now we’re
gonna catch as many as we can—shoot for a dozen.”

“Does it matter what kind of fish we catch?”
I asked.

“No. I only need to bring in
the breath of
a fish
. Any fish.”

“Okay.” I nodded.

“Just so you know, I’ve never tried
extracting breath, so I might screw it up the first few times. When
you catch one, throw it in this bucket.” Tyr picked up a silver
pail and dipped it in the lake so it filled with water. “We’ll aim
to keep them alive, but the ones that don’t make it get to be
dinner. Sound good?”

“Yes.” I bit my tongue and narrowed my eyes
as I waited for a tug on my line.

Tyr baited his own hook and cast, then stood
quietly on the deck while I tried not to stare at his perfect
profile. Thankfully, my line began to twitch.

“I think I have something.” I reeled the line
slowly, and soon a wiggling trout dangled from the end of my rod.
Tyr guided the fish into the pail and gently removed the metal from
its mouth. It turned fast circles in the small space.

Tyr baited my hook again and picked up his
rod. “Now catch another.”

We set to our task, bringing in fish after
fish. When there were ten swimmers in the bucket, Tyr put down his
pole.

“Let’s call it for now, and see if I can make
this work.”

“I’d like the record to reflect that I caught
six of those fish. That’s two more than you, Fredriksen.” I nudged
Tyr with my toe.

“Well played, baby. But I was distracted by
your killer butt when you bent over to check your line. Next time,
I’ll have better focus.”

“In your dreams.”

“Exactly.” Tyr winked. Then he squatted next
to the bucket. He stared into the water for a long time, his
fingers lightly resting on his forehead.

“How do you catch fish breath, anyway? Do you
know what you’re doing?” I hovered over Tyr’s shoulder.