squelching little whimpers and soft sighs as she remembered the way his hand had masterfully cupped her skull, the way his arm had braced her back, his knee between her thighs, her soaked panties rubbing against his jeans. Just as she’d somehow known he would, he’d owned her with that kiss. Completely.
But she’d also felt his arousal, heard his groans, felt the pressure of his fingers against her scalp, and seen the desperate want in his eyes before he dipped his head and claimed her mouth with his. She recalled the way he’d grabbed her around the waist when she decided to leave the patio before their night together had even begun—the way he’d held on to her, sliding his lips along her throat and shoulder, begging her not to leave him.
It was intoxicating for her to realize that this sexy, beautiful Viking Knight with a heart of gold wanted her, liked her, little Verity Grace Gwynn from nowhere, when it felt like he could have anyone. She leaned her elbow on the glass case as a customer stood before her, trying to decide between a Celtic cross and Thor’s hammer, and Verity fingered the charm she hadn’t taken off since last night.
“What’s that?” asked the customer.
Verity looked up in surprise, smiling at the young woman as she reached for the necklace Colton had given to her. “It’s the Yggdrasil tree.”
“Irish?”
“Nope. Norse,” she said. “Viking.”
She sorted through the charms, finding another one just like hers and setting it on a display tray of black velvet on the counter.
“Ohhhh. What is it? You know, like, what does it mean?”
Verity grinned at the woman, remembering Colton clasping it around her neck last night and everything that came after. “They believed that Yggdrasil was the crossroads between heaven and earth.”
“Oh, wow. That’s so romancey.”
“Mmm. You bet.”
“I’ll take it.”
“Want a chain too?”
“Yeah. I want it to look just like yours.”
Verity wrapped up the charm and chain and placed both in a little black box, running the woman’s credit card before waving good-bye.
“Well,” said Beverly, looking around the almost-empty main hall as the last of the matinee stragglers headed out to the parking lot, “I guess we can start straightening up for the evening shift.”
“Mind if I go to the bathroom first?”
Beverly shrugged. “Don’t take forever. We only have an hour before Annaliese and Desiree get here, and that birthday party of little brats messed up all the princess dresses and crowns. They all have to be restocked.”
“Two minutes,” promised Verity, grinning at her crotchety coworker.
“Save your smiles for the Viking,” she grumbled.
“Beverly,” she said, “I’ve told you, there’s nothing between me and—”
Beverly’s eyes shot with precision to the necklace around Verity’s neck. “I might have believed you yesterday . . . but not today.”
Verity felt her cheeks heat up, but she refused to be sorry or feel embarrassed about the wonderful thing that was happening between her and Colton, so she decided to say nothing. She smiled again, then ducked under the counter and headed for the bathroom. “I’ll be right back.”
Still fingering the Yggdrasil charm, she exited the main hall through the double doors that led to the employee hallway and walked toward the bathroom, hoping Colton might arrive a few minutes early and she’d get a glimpse of him. Unfortunately the only knight headed in her direction was Artie Kingston, still in costume, sweaty and dusty from the matinee.
“Hey, princess!” he called, waving to her.
“Hi, Artie,” she answered, giving him a half smile. She didn’t want to encourage him, but she didn’t want to get a reputation for being an unfriendly bitch either.
“Where you headed?”
“Bathroom.”
“Can I come?” he asked, a devilish gleam in his eye as he stopped before her, blocking her way.
“To the bathroom?” she asked, giving him a look.
“Nice and private,” he said, grinning.
“And superromantic,” she deadpanned. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
“Aw!” he said, beating his chest with a flattened palm. “You wound me, milady.”
She laughed, taking a step forward. “Have a good rest of the day.”
But Artie didn’t move out of her way, and his playful expression straightened as he put his hands flat on the hallway walls on either side of them, completely blocking her way.
“Stay and chat.”
“I need to get back.”
“You can go when I say so.”
Uneasiness. Verity gulped, looking up at him. “I’m in the middle of a shift. Beverly will—”
“She can wait,” he said, his eyes trailing down her body, pausing at the small swell of her breasts in her princess dress before climbing back up.