Page 79 of Thor

My hand flew to my mouth. I scrolled to the next message.

Another photo. Thor between my legs, my ankles locked behind his back, his face intense with passion as he drove into me.

My fingers trembled as I continued scrolling.

Worse, somehow. Me in the pink onesie, cuddled in Thor's lap while he read to me. My thumb in my mouth, eyes half-closed with contentment. His massive hand stroking my hair with infinite tenderness.

Another. Me examining the stuffed animals he'd kept hidden away, my expression innocent and childlike.

The final message was text: "Pretty little accountant has a dirty little secret. If anyone at Heavy Kings finds out we have these, Prestige Partners gets copies too. Think they'd keep their star number-cruncher if they knew she dressed like a baby? Meet me at The Copper Kettle on Main Street, 3pm today. Come alone or everyone sees these. Tell no one, especially your biker boyfriend."

The phone nearly slipped from my suddenly numb fingers. I clutched the kitchen counter, my knees threatening to buckle. How? How was this possible? Thor's sanctuary was secure. Hidden. Private. No one knew about it except us.

The violation made me physically ill. I lurched toward the sink, certain I was going to vomit. Nothing came up but bile and coffee-scented air. My whole body trembled like I'd been dropped into arctic waters.

Someone had taken photos of Thor's most sacred space. Someone had watched us make love. Had seen me at my most vulnerable—not just physically naked, but emotionally stripped bare. They'd seen me in Little space. Seen Thor caring for me.

I gripped the counter so hard my knuckles went white. Everything—absolutely everything—I'd worked for would be destroyed if these photos got out. Prestige Partners would fire me in a heartbeat. The corporate accounting world was conservative, traditional. The explicit photos alone would be career-ending in their eyes, but the Little photos? Those would make me a laughingstock. No respectable firm would ever hire me again.

That meant I wouldn’t be able to afford Amy’s treatment.

And Thor. My stomach twisted painfully. What would happen to him if the MC found out? Not just about us being together—though that alone might cause problems given my connection to their finances—but about his secret nurturing side? About the sanctuary he'd created? The Heavy Kings were hardcore bikers. Their Sergeant-at-Arms needed to be tough, intimidating, respected. What would they think if they saw him reading bedtime stories and cuddling a grown woman in a onesie?

I tried to steady my breathing. Think, Mandy. Think. Who could have done this? The Iron Serpents? They'd been watching me, intimidating me for weeks. But how would they have gained access to Thor's cabin? How would they even know about the hidden room?

My mind spun with possibilities, each more terrifying than the last. The Serpents wanted information about the Kings' finances. They wanted leverage. They wanted to hurt Thor and the club. And now they had the perfect ammunition.

One thing was crystal clear: I couldn't tell Thor. Not yet. Not until I understood what they wanted. His reaction would be explosive, violent. He might do something that would get him killed or arrested. And the thought of him seeing those photos, realizing his most private space had been violated because of me . . . I couldn't bear it.

The coffee maker beeped, announcing its completion with cheerful obliviousness to my collapsing world. I wiped cold sweat from my forehead and tried to compose myself. I needed a plan. I needed to appear normal until I could meet this blackmailer and figure out what they wanted.

I heard Thor's heavy footsteps in the hallway. My fingers fumbled to lock the phone screen, the damning messages vanishing from view just as his massive frame filled the doorway.

My heart hammered against my ribs like it wanted to break free. Could he hear it? Would the guilt show on my face? I'd never lied to him before—not about anything that mattered. But I'd never had everything I cared about threatened in a single moment either.

"Morning, princess," he rumbled, his voice still rough with sleep.

He wrapped those powerful arms around me from behind, enveloping me in warmth and strength. His beard tickled my neck as he pressed his lips just below my ear, sending a shiver down my spine despite my panic. The tattooed hands that could break a man's jaw with terrifying ease rested gently on my stomach, thumbs making small circles against the fabric of my onesie.

“Had a good night last night,” he growled.

I leaned back against him automatically, drawing what comfort I could from his solid presence while my mind raced frantically. The contrast between this moment of tenderness and the violation displayed on my phone screen made me want to scream. Instead, I swallowed hard.

"Hey," I managed, relieved when my voice emerged steady. "Coffee's almost ready."

He stilled against me, his body tensing slightly. Those trained fighter's instincts picking up on something I couldn't hide.

"Everything okay?" he asked, turning me to face him.

His clear blue eyes studied me with uncomfortable perception. The eyes that had softened with tenderness last night now narrowed with concern. Nothing escaped Thor's notice—not when it came to me.

I should have known better than to think I could hide anything from him. But I had to try.

"It's Amy," I lied, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "She texted. There's been a complication with her treatment."

I felt awful lying like this, using my sister’s illness to deceive him. But I reminded myself that I needed to do this—otherwise, my life would be all but over.

I kept my eyes on his, knowing that looking away would be a dead giveaway. I'd learned that much from years of high-stakes negotiations with corporate auditors.

---