Page 11 of Savage King

He was dangerous.

“That guy though….” Annika’s voice broke through Skathi’s messed up revere.

Shaking off the sense of impending danger and refocusing on the road, she asked, “What guy?”

“Come on, Skittles, you know the one…he was staring at you like he wanted to unhinge his jaw and eat you whole.” She giggled at her own words and crossed her thin arms over her chest.

Skathi snorted, comfortable enough with Annika to let the stoic Skathi take a breather.

“Did you also see the two super models, one on each side of him, hanging off him like he was a tree and they’d just finished climbing him?” And that—and the words they’d spewed—had stung. After her initial reaction to him, one that still rang through her, she’d finally saw the whole picture. The man, the Savage Raiders president—as the patch on his leather vest touted—was massive, powerful, tatted-up, and a manwhore. The two women standing beside him, hanging from his arms, pressing their barely covered tits against him looked at him like he was a giant steak and they were ravenous to get his meat in their mouths.

She rolled her eyes at the picture she’d conjured with her words.

From what she knew of the MC that everyone in town whispered about behind their hands, they partied hard. Booze, weed, women. And from what Skathi witnessed at the party, the rumors—in that—were accurate.

She’d enough of manwhore cheaters to last her a lifetime.Thank you, Aaron.

A high-pitched sigh filled the cabin of the Tahoe. “You’re much prettier than them, babe. And you could kick their asses, too. Don’t sell yourselfshortjust because you happen to betall,” Annika chirped, her humor still intact, even after her scare in the clubhouse.

“I’m a realist, Annika, one that has been burned one too many times by men like him. They use their looks and position to get whatever they want, and they don’t care who they use or hurt. Also, I didn’t see another big girl in that clubhouse. Plenty of tiny, big-boobed, blondes running around, though. It’s obvious he has a type, and thick, tall, plain-faced women are not it.”

As a realist, she knew what she looked like and didn’t sugar coat the bitter onion that was Skathi Odinsdottir. She’d already fallen for that once, fooling herself, tying herself to a man who told her what she wanted to hear, lied to her for years, then tore the heart from her chest in the ultimate betrayal. She was a naïve idiot then to think a man all men wanted to be and all women wanted to be with would actually want to be withher. Lesson learned. A lesson she’d failed the first time around.

From the passenger seat, Annika clicked her tongue and tsked. “You can’t know that—you only saw the guy for like five minutes. Yeah, he was huge and kind of scary, and yeah, those bimbos were all over him, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take your shot. For all you know, those were his sisters and he was escorting them into the party.”

“Not his sisters, Annika. Besides, I’ll never set foot in that clubhouse again.”

“Why not? It’s obvious you can handle yourself. And after what you did tonight, those bikers will know better than to mess with you. Go back, get yourself some giant, sexy man. Take the chance, Skathi. Live a little.”

Skathi pulled the SUV up outside Annika’s hotel and put it in park. Annika’s flight was scheduled for the morning, so this was goodbye.

Turning to her friend, she gave her a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and then she offered a smile, one that didn’t meet her heart. “I hope tonight didn’t put you off from visiting Vegas again. Next time you come, I’ll take you out—and not to a biker clubhouse.”

Annika giggled, her eyes finally dancing again. “Deal. But only if you take. Your. Shot. With Mr. Norse God.”

Skathi heaved a deep breath. “I prefer taking shots I won’t miss.”

And she knew that the chances of ever crossing paths with the massive, stunning Odin were impossible odds, even in Vegas.

“Great session, bitch,” Tessa, her best friend and training partner, said before upending her water bottle and pouring it over her flushed face. “Next time I expect a little more foot work, though. You seemed out of it today.”

Tessa wasn’t wrong, and that realization added another brick to the tension towering within her.

Skathi wiped the sweat from her brow then tossed the towel into the linens bin beside her. After a long night of no sleep, she’d barely gotten through her morning training session, her brain lagging, and her body feeling battered even though she hadn’t taken a punch the night before. What was the saying American’s liked to use? She felt like she’d been hit by a truck? Well, in her case, she’d been hit by the reality of a manlargeenough tolifta truck.

“I’m just tired. Had a late night with Annika,” Skathi explained, though she was more than just tired, she was bone-deep weary. And she couldn’t blame it all on the excitement of her night with Annika. Some of that blame was on the broad, muscular shoulders of the man who’d invaded her dreams, like a sexy and brutal Viking raider, thundering into her fantasies to pillage her body, leaving her ravaged, savaged, and aching.

Not even The Mountain, her nine-inch long B.O.B., could relieve her stress.

“Well, how ‘bout, after my shift, I come over tonight, we drink a few of my margaritas, you bake us that sweet cake your mom told me about, and we watch the new season ofPunisher?” Tessa was an EMT, working part time with the Henderson Fire Department when she wasn’t training to kick ass in the ring.

“Come on, Sky-High, I need a night with my bestie,” Tessa pleaded using her ridiculous nickname for Skathi, pouting comically.

Oooo, that sounded like a good night. Relaxing.

“Deal, but I only wantoneof your margaritas. Last time I could have used my own mouth as a flame thrower for the amount of tequila you used.”

Tessa shrugged. “I pour heavy in proportion to the need. And tonight, it looks like you’ll need to be black out drunk.” Her gaze caught on something over Skathi’s shoulder, Tessa’s expression darkened. “Don’t let him get to you, babe. He’s only here to show off his new belt. The arrogant ass. He wouldn’t even have the belt if it hadn’t been for you.”

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