Page 2 of Valkyrie Renewed

Diego slid his hand along his chest and down his delicious looking abs I’d dreamed of touching intimately on a number of occasions. My eyes followed the motion without my say-so. “You sure you’re not just lying to yourself,mi amor?”

I leaned against the counter and pointed my egg-coated fork at him. “I think I’m quite certain I appreciate the hard work you put into yourself, but it’s not doing anything to melt my panties.”

Liar, liar, panties on fire.

His stupid grin didn’t go away. “Touch me and prove it.”

I bit back the urge to allow the challenge to rile me up. He knew I couldn’t back down from a challenge he made. My pride wouldn’t allow me to be so cowardly in front of him, and he was the same. It’d gotten us into so much trouble over the years.

And sure, I’d touched him as a friend all the time, which gave me a base idea of what I’d feel. But this was different. This was… it was outright feeling up my best friend’s spectacular abs per his invitation and that caused all sorts of conflicting feelings in me.One quick feel couldn’t hurt, right?

Diego patted his stomach. “C’mon, Astrid, just one appreciative touch.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine.”

I’d prove to him I could do this and not react in the way he thought I would.

I reached out and pressed my hands against the hard muscles of his abdomen. A jolt shot through me from the contact.Oh, God, why?They felt incredible, and it took everything in me to not react externally or internally.

Diego grasped my elbows and pulled me closer. His heat teased my skin, almost begging me to press against him. He towered over me, his attention strong and snaring. I wasn’t short; I was a respectable height of five-three. It was just that most of the men in my life were giants. Diego’s father was the only rare exception at five-eight.

But the way Diego’s height overtook me, mixed with our closeness, and me copping a feel—it did something to me, weakening my usually stiff backbone, and threatened my resolve. I squeezed my thighs together, desperate to fight back the sensations building in me.

Diego’s hands slid down my arms, heating my skin, until he reached my hands. Grasping them, he glided my hands along his hot skin, allowing me to feel every peak and tantalizing valley of his hard abs.

Heat rushed toward my face, and I fought so damned hard to not let it show how this affected me. “What the hell are you doing?”

He grinned. “I don’t think you’re appreciating them enough.”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.Is he serious right now? He has to be messing with me.

“Um, Astrid, what are you doing?” a young voice said.

I choked, all my building desire snuffing out in an instant, and Diego froze. He stared at the person standing just beyond the foyer. I turned to look at the teen girl with tightly braided, long black hair and dark umber skin. “Raeni, hi. Um, what are you doing?”

She was one of our residents at the retreat. She and her mom, Carrie, had shown up a number of years back after a rough life situation. Like Diego and me, she had grown up here most of her life.

Raeni’s eyebrow rose. “That was my question to you. Why are you feeling Diego’s abs?”

“Uh… well… I was…” I wracked my brain through several reasons to get me out of this jam. “Diego was feeling a bit insecure.”

Diego fixed me with a disbelieving stare. I didn’t care. This was his fault.

Raeni’s expression didn’t change. “Insecure?”

“Yeah,” Diego said, forced to work with this. He leaned against the counter. “I’ve been working hard on my physique, but since I’ve been struggling to secure a long-term partner, I’ve been feeling down. I just need some reassurance.”

“And as his BFF, he asked me,” I said.

The girl tipped her chin down. “You? Insecure? But you’re hot.”

Diego and I passed each other a look. “Uh, Raeni, does your mom know you say that about people?”

She snorted. “You’re kidding, right? I’m fifteen. Besides, she calls Idris Elba a beefcake all the time around me.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong. I drooled over that man every time we watched an MCU movie with him in it.

“But anyways, you didn’t answer my question.”