ears turned red again, “I mean, the police and all, she’s probably tired. She shouldn’t have to cart me around at the crack of dawn.”
After a long pause, during which time Crystal bit down on her tongue to keep from jumping into the silence, Magnus said, “All right. I’ll wait for you outside.”
Determined not to be a clinging vine, Crystal ignored the man who came to stand next to her. She began stacking the dirty plates and cups.
“Look, I’m not good at this man-woman thing,” he said.
She picked up the stack and brought them to the kitchen sink. He followed her. Rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. Cleared his throat.
She would not make it easy for him. She would not .
“I, uh, I’ll call you, okay?”
“Sure. Whatever.” She changed her mantra. I will not cry .
It seemed he stood behind her for a long time, but it was probably no more than a minute. Finally she heard his footsteps stomp across the now-swept kitchen floor and down the hall. The door closed behind him with a soft click.
Crystal comforted herself by remembering that her grandmother had only said the crystal would tell her when she met The One. She didn’t say bringing him around to the same point of view would be simple.
* * * * *
“You’re an ass, you know that?”
Soren sunk down deeper into the truck seat. “You’re probably right.”
“She’s a beautiful woman. Had kind of a rosy glow, a satisfied look, so I guess you slept with her, which was why you were still there at two-thirty when the rock came sailing in.” Magnus took his right hand off the steering wheel and raised it, palm up, to forestall a denial. “Look, I’m not fishing for juicy details. I’m happy that you finally found a woman you wanted to snuggle up to. It’s just, Jesus, Soren, you have the sensitivity of a backhoe. I hope you at least kissed her goodnight. The whole time I was there, you hardly looked at her. Don’t tell me you were so embarrassed to be caught in the act, so to speak, that you didn’t even want to talk to her in my presence.”
“Hell, it was just supposed to be Buy the Bachelor a Dinner. No fuss, no entanglements. Put in my time for charity and be done with it. I sure as hell didn’t expect to end up in her bed.”
“And now you’re afraid she’s going to get her claws into you.”
Soren gnawed on the inside of his cheek. “Well, yeah.”
“And you don’t want to get hurt. Like Dad did.”
“You didn’t hear them.”
Pulling into the Thor’s Hammer parking lot, Magnus cut him a glance. “Hear who?”
“Dad yelling. Mom crying.”
Magnus cut the engine. “When was this?”
“Couple of weeks after my ninth birthday. I think you were at the studio with Grandpa Knut. Mom was in the kitchen crying. I heard her from upstairs, but before I got to her, Dad walked in. Then they started fighting.”
“About what?”
It was a long time before Soren answered. “I don’t know.”
He did know. He just couldn’t bring himself to talk about it. Because if he did, it would change everything.
* * * * *
A refined woman like her, being carted out of the auction room like a sack of potatoes was bad enough.
But now, she goes and sleeps with him? He couldn’t believe she brought that pre-civilized bully home with her and then actually invited him upstairs.
Torturing himself with images of his precious Madonna stripped naked on a bed, he imagined her spread-eagled in sacrifice to the baser instincts of that hooligan. He should have interrupted them earlier.
Should have blasted through the window right after the rock, should have come prepared with a weapon.
He’d give her one more chance. If she repented, if she came to him willingly, he might forgive her. If not…he’d have to punish her. Soon.
Chapter Seven
“Wait a minute, Mags. Where the hell are you going?” Relegated to the back seat of the BMW, Soren grabbed for the door handle. “No way we’re having your bachelor party in that house.
After a long pause, during which time Crystal bit down on her tongue to keep from jumping into the silence, Magnus said, “All right. I’ll wait for you outside.”
Determined not to be a clinging vine, Crystal ignored the man who came to stand next to her. She began stacking the dirty plates and cups.
“Look, I’m not good at this man-woman thing,” he said.
She picked up the stack and brought them to the kitchen sink. He followed her. Rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. Cleared his throat.
She would not make it easy for him. She would not .
“I, uh, I’ll call you, okay?”
“Sure. Whatever.” She changed her mantra. I will not cry .
It seemed he stood behind her for a long time, but it was probably no more than a minute. Finally she heard his footsteps stomp across the now-swept kitchen floor and down the hall. The door closed behind him with a soft click.
Crystal comforted herself by remembering that her grandmother had only said the crystal would tell her when she met The One. She didn’t say bringing him around to the same point of view would be simple.
* * * * *
“You’re an ass, you know that?”
Soren sunk down deeper into the truck seat. “You’re probably right.”
“She’s a beautiful woman. Had kind of a rosy glow, a satisfied look, so I guess you slept with her, which was why you were still there at two-thirty when the rock came sailing in.” Magnus took his right hand off the steering wheel and raised it, palm up, to forestall a denial. “Look, I’m not fishing for juicy details. I’m happy that you finally found a woman you wanted to snuggle up to. It’s just, Jesus, Soren, you have the sensitivity of a backhoe. I hope you at least kissed her goodnight. The whole time I was there, you hardly looked at her. Don’t tell me you were so embarrassed to be caught in the act, so to speak, that you didn’t even want to talk to her in my presence.”
“Hell, it was just supposed to be Buy the Bachelor a Dinner. No fuss, no entanglements. Put in my time for charity and be done with it. I sure as hell didn’t expect to end up in her bed.”
“And now you’re afraid she’s going to get her claws into you.”
Soren gnawed on the inside of his cheek. “Well, yeah.”
“And you don’t want to get hurt. Like Dad did.”
“You didn’t hear them.”
Pulling into the Thor’s Hammer parking lot, Magnus cut him a glance. “Hear who?”
“Dad yelling. Mom crying.”
Magnus cut the engine. “When was this?”
“Couple of weeks after my ninth birthday. I think you were at the studio with Grandpa Knut. Mom was in the kitchen crying. I heard her from upstairs, but before I got to her, Dad walked in. Then they started fighting.”
“About what?”
It was a long time before Soren answered. “I don’t know.”
He did know. He just couldn’t bring himself to talk about it. Because if he did, it would change everything.
* * * * *
A refined woman like her, being carted out of the auction room like a sack of potatoes was bad enough.
But now, she goes and sleeps with him? He couldn’t believe she brought that pre-civilized bully home with her and then actually invited him upstairs.
Torturing himself with images of his precious Madonna stripped naked on a bed, he imagined her spread-eagled in sacrifice to the baser instincts of that hooligan. He should have interrupted them earlier.
Should have blasted through the window right after the rock, should have come prepared with a weapon.
He’d give her one more chance. If she repented, if she came to him willingly, he might forgive her. If not…he’d have to punish her. Soon.
Chapter Seven
“Wait a minute, Mags. Where the hell are you going?” Relegated to the back seat of the BMW, Soren grabbed for the door handle. “No way we’re having your bachelor party in that house.
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