Page 6 of Party With the Kraken
I turn toward Viggo, and his hand moves to my waist. We both pause for a moment, holding eye contact, studying each other with undisguised interest. His fingers tighten ever so slightly and my body automatically leans forward like it’s seeking more.
Viggo’s gaze shifts to my mouth then flicks back up to my eyes, seemingly looking for some kind of permission. My lips part, ready to say yes to whatever he wants.
A sudden wave crashes into the boat and I stumble into Viggo’s chest, my forehead hitting his sternum.
He steadies me with a strong arm around my waist. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, thanks for catching me.” I try not to get all swoony, but I really like the way Viggo’s hands feel on me.
“Anytime,” Viggo whispers.
If he keeps staring at me with those ocean eyes I’m going to drown in them.
From the dock, Beck clears his throat. “Oops. Sorry if that interrupted whatever you were doing, but everyone’s eager to get to the beach and we’re waiting for you. Can I get the last boxesbefore you start kissing? I don’t know how long it’s going to take and I don’t really want to watch you either.”
Viggo’s arms reluctantly loosen around my waist, and I take a step back, my cheeks heating with embarrassment.
Juniper, you met this guy like five minutes ago and you almost went in for a kiss? In front of everyone? What’s up with that? Or does Viggo maybe have hypnotizing powers and that explains your intense reaction? I’m going to need to question him about that really soon, just to be sure.
Beck huffs a frustrated sigh and gets on the boat, grabbing boxes and loading them onto the dock.
Viggo doesn’t move to help him, though, just stares nervously at me like he’s scared that whatever spell bound us together for a moment has now been broken. His voice is gentle when he asks, “Do you want to carry your overnight bag with you at all times? Bodin over there is taking everything to Kraken Cove where we’ll have the party later.” Viggo points to the large orc standing by a wooden cart already filled with bags and boxes of supplies. “But if you need your bag, I can carry it for you.”
Definitely won’t need my ducky pajamas if I’m going to be naked all night, right? But I can’t say that. Too early. Be cool.
My shoulders relax and I shake my head. “I don’t need anything from it right now, so it can go on the cart. I can always grab it from the party later.”
Viggo’s lips tip up. “Good idea. I think some people are heading to Kraken Cove early to go swimming and others are going into town. What would you like to do?” Viggo looks like he’s holding his breath, the vein in his neck visibly pulsing as he waits for my answer.
I let him sweat about it for only another second before I look up at him through my lashes, and twirl a strand of hair around my finger. “I’d love to see the town. Mind showing me around?”
Viggo nods furiously, his infectious grin stretching until it’s reflected on my own face. “It would be my pleasure.”
Chapter 4
Viggo
Would it be too much to hold Juniper’s hand now? Should I wait until later? I don’t want to scare her off, but I do want to be transparent with my pure desire for her.
Thankfully, she takes the decision away from me when I help her out of the boat. Juniper’s hand kind of lingers in mine for a second before she moves it up and hooks it into the crook of my arm. My whole body buzzes at the contact and I feel so proud of myself for having the foresight to jerk off twice this morning, otherwise I’d be leaking all the way into town.
Bodin gives me a knowing smirk when we get to his cart, his eyes falling to Juniper’s hand before meeting my eyes. “Morning.”
If I remember correctly, things moved quite fast between him and Tilly, despite the bad first impression he made. Maybe that smirk on his face is him recognizing himself in how taken I am with Juniper. I can only hope my courtship will be as successful as his.
That’s what I’m doing. I’m courting Juniper. Gifts! I need to give her some of my treasures. No, she deserves new treasures. I have to go diving for something before she leaves the island again. Or maybe I can get her to stay?
Bodin dips his head in approval but his eyes narrow momentarily as if giving me a warning too. I like that he’s trying to protect Juniper, even if he doesn’t know her. That’s the general spirit of Starry Hill, though, always looking out for each other. But there’s no need to worry because my plan is to takeverygood care of Juniper.
I tilt my head in acknowledgment of Bodin’s warning and try to convey that I have zero ill intentions. Unless worshipping at her feet could be seen as a negative.
“You must be Juniper,” Bodin says and holds out a large hand for her to shake.
“And you must be Bodin,” Juniper says sweetly, placing her hand in his.
An odd feeling of possessiveness I have never felt before bubbles up from the deepest parts of my being. I swallow back the growl that’s clawing up my throat, my vision going red for a second when their hands make contact.Is this jealousy?
Even though Bodin is happily married to Tilly, I’m not quite comfortable with anyone getting too close to Juniper right now.
