Page 18 of Thor

“Apologize,” Thor demanded.

“I’m sorry,” the man said insincerely.

Thor wrenched his arm further behind his back and the man cried out. “I don’t think she heard you.”

“I’m sorry,” the guy said louder.

“He’s sorry,” said another guy. “We all are.”

Elle lifted her eyes. “Thor, it’s okay.”

He studied her, conflicted for a moment, and then dropped the guy back on the table before going to her and grasping her arm.

“It’s not okay, Elle. Not at all. No one should ever touch you without your permission.” He searched her face as if trying to see if she understood.

Her fingers twitched and her gut twisted as the desire to run surfaced quicker than it had in weeks.

“Even you?” she asked, knowing he’d touched her several times already without asking.

He spotted his hand on her arm and dropped it. “Even me. I apologize.”

She wanted to tell him it was okay, but she didn’t think he would like that answer.

“Why don’t you put your tray up, and we can go.”

“But I haven’t showered or changed clothes.”

He nodded. “Trust me, what I have planned works best with what you are wearing.”

She inspected her Raven Weaver t-shirt, black leggings with sneakers. She didn’t want to go out with Thor wearing work clothes, but she had no idea what he had planned.

“All right.” She turned to the bar and noticed the patrons eyeing her.

“Elle?” Thor called and took a step forward.

She turned and he leaned into her ear. “Hold your head up. Make eye contact with people. It’s the only way they will respect you.”

Hold her head up? Make eye contact? He sounded like Val. The idea was simple enough, but when it’d been beaten into her for longer than she could remember, that doing those things would earn her a thrashing, she just didn’t know how to do them.

She lifted her eyes and swallowed hard as she walked shakily to the bar and set down her tray.

Val still hadn’t returned to the back of the bar. “You good?”

Elle nodded.

Val looked like she might say something more. Instead, she jumped back over the bar.

Kirsten walked up next to Elle. “Why don’t you take off. You’ve had a long shift. I can cover until Merda arrives.”

“Are you sure?” Elle asked.

“She’ll be here in the next thirty minutes. I can handle these morons. They’re not stupid enough to be handsy with me.” Kirsten winked at her.

“What makes you different from me?”

“When I first started working here my brother made his presence known for the first month on every one of my shifts. He’s a Hell’s Angel. No one messes with Hell’s Angels.”

Elle’s brows scrunched together. “I thought angels in hell were called fallen.”