AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When she meets my gaze, her eyes are dry. Her mouth is set in a firm line. “Of course, I’mokay,” she says fiercely. “I’ve had much, much worse.”
My stomach twists. “Believe it or not,” I say slowly, “that doesn’t make me feel much better.”
“I wasn’t trying to make you feel better.” She crosses her arms over her chest and glares across the street, pursing her lips into a little pink heart shape. I’m gripped with the sudden, wild urge to lean in and kiss her.
I shake my head. What the Hell is wrong with me? I don’t want to get involved with this girl. Yes, she’s beautiful, but she’s keeping secrets. I think a lot of them. She’s far too risky.
Even so, I can’t leave her alone like this. I’m not leaving her to wander through a foreign town by herself after she just got sexually harassed.
“Are you hungry?” I ask suddenly.
She blinks, then nods cautiously. “I guess?”
“Want to go get some lunch?”
“I… okay.”
“Come on.” Without waiting for her, I start striding across the road. I’m used to walking with Cole and Eli, but she struggles to keep up with her shorter legs. Her foot hits a patch of ice, and she skids. I grab her before she can hit the ground, wrapping an arm around her waist. Glancing around, I see us getting quite a few curious stares. Most people around the village know me. I’m sure the gossip mill is already churning. Great.
“Come on,” I say again, a bit more gruffly, hurrying her across the square.
Twelve
Daisy
Riven takes me to a small, traditional-looking pub with a wooden sign swinging outside the door. Inside, it’s warm and full of gold light. The walls are covered with reindeer antlers and flickering gas lamps. A red-hot fire crackles in a big stone fireplace.
A beaming middle-aged woman with pink cheeks scuttles up to us and leads us to a table near the back of the room. There are a few other groups scattered around; mostly men laughing too loudly over their beers, but a couple of families, too.
I jump when I feel hands on my shoulders. Riven gently slips my coat off for me, hanging it on a hook hammered into the wall.
“Thank you.”
He inclines his head, pulling out my chair. “How do you feel about eating reindeer? As far as meat goes, it’s about as ethical as you can get. The natives use all parts of the animal. They’re a huge part of Sami culture.” He smiles up at the woman. “It’s Charlotte’s specialty.”
I shrug. “I’ll try anything once.”
He says something to Charlotte, who grins and runs back off to the kitchen to start the order. Riven pours us both glasses of water from a tap on the bar, then settles back into his seat just as the food arrives. He’s ordered two big bowls of steaming stew, full of potatoes and meat and carrots. I suddenly realise how hungry I am. I pick up my spoon and dig in. The stew is thick and rich and savoury.
“This is delicious!”
“I’m glad you like it.” He puts a piece of bread on the edge of my plate. “Eat.”
“Thank you.”
I’m a bit nervous. I’ve not spent any one-on-one time with Riven. Ever since the first day, he’s been polite; but he’s made it clear that he doesn’t actually want me here. He doesn’t say much as we eat, mostly focussing on his phone. I take the opportunity to study him, watching the firelight play over his sharp cheekbones and dark brown skin. He really is unnaturally good-looking. Under his coat, he’s wearing an expensive-looking black sweater that fits snugly to his body, straining a little on his broad shoulders and biceps. His thick-framed glasses reflect the light of his phone screen as he bows his head. The whole package is one-hundred-percent sexy doctor.
A few tables over, a group of drunk men suddenly erupt into song, their voices booming through the room. People from other tables join in, laughing and raising their cups. Riven smiles faintly, but doesn’t look up from his phone.
“What are they singing?” I ask. Everybody seems to know it. Even the little girl the next table over is happily singing along.
“Ja, må han lever.It’s like Happy Birthday.”
“Oh!” I clap with everyone when they finish. “It sounds more like a drinking song.”
“It was one, originally, I think.” He frowns, scrolling through his screen. There’s a line between his dark eyebrows. I have to fight the sudden urge to reach over and stroke it until it goes away.
“Riven, is something wrong?”
