Thor stood frozen for a moment. His gaze, hypnotized, saw everything in her at once: beauty, surrender, challenge.

“Holy fuck…” he murmured hoarsely, barely realizing he had spoken.

He rose suddenly, the chair spinning behind him. In two strides he was already in front of her, pulling her by the waist and pinning her against his body. His firm hand at the nape of her neck left no room for escape, and the kiss that followed was hungry—intense, charged with pent-up longing and restrained desire.