Disclaimer: If I have to tell you again that I don't own any copyrighted characters, you're pretty slow – gotta be honest here! But yeah, not mine. Don't sue. And this is when it starts to get smutty. But I'm making you wait for the good part! Hahaha! Yes, I am an evil author.

Chapter 3

"If I have frightened you, Maria, it was not my intent," Thor told her, his voice a soft growl. "It is my wish that you enjoy the palace of Asgard."

He had not apologized for frightening her, merely excused himself. Maria still gaped at him, but then her expression turned into a glare. Thor… She almost couldn't wrap her mind around it, sitting here in this place with a legitimate god. Now she had seen it with her own eyes – this was real. A god… from another world. She had been told all her life that the gods of Olympus and Asgard and all those places were just fairy tales.

"I… still can't believe this is all real," she said quietly, studying his boots instead of looking him in the face. "And no, you don't need to prove it again. What the hell are you doing!"

She stared in horror at the knife in his hand. It looked really fucking sharp and she wanted it far the hell away from her right now. But he reached out for her hand and, try as she might to struggle away from him, caught her right arm easily. Maria told him "no!" and attempted to yank her arm out of his grip, but she might as well have been trying to pull out of cement.

"I must ask you please to relax!" he roared over her hysterical screaming. He also ducked as she threw her best left hook at his cheek. "Now, really! If you cannot stay still, I shall make you…"

The timbre of his voice made her reconsider smacking him. But before she knew it, she found her back pressed against hard armor and muscle. His left arm fixed tight across her chest, the knife cold and close to her ear. With his right hand, he clenched her wrist. Maria couldn't get words out. Never had she been this close to someone with a weapon who honestly intended to do her harm… She didn't know what to do, couldn't move her arm even an inch.

And then she felt the knife against the skin of her arm. But it didn't cut her. He didn't harm her at all. Carefully, as delicately as he possibly could, he used the edge of the knife to peel the candle wax off her skin. Maria's eyes widened. He wasn't trying to hurt her… With tears once more pouring down her cheeks, she relaxed fully against his chest, nearly hyperventilating. There were spots of wax all over her arms. Then she became aware of the large splatter of wax on her left cheek…

"My dear," he said, this time right in her ear, shifting her very carefully against his body. "I will need you to stay perfectly still."

Maria whimpered, panting hard and unable to recover her facilities at the moment – the god looked down at her in what looked like concern.

"I shall need you to trust me," he whispered, the sound leading her to close her eyes. "Tell me, maiden, that you trust me."

She could only give him a jerky nod. His hand, the largest hand she had ever seen or felt, cradled her chin. Her jaw clenched until he all but commanded her to relax. She couldn't open her eyes as she felt his right arm move, knowing what he had in his hand. Then she felt it, and she almost couldn't keep from gasping in shock. Slowly, as though touching something made of porcelain, he scraped the wax from her face.

"There," he declared, tucking the weapon back into some unknown place on his person. "You should see no sign it was ever there."

Maria couldn't help it. She broke down in hysterics – her spine would no longer support her weight and she crumpled onto the bed. Thor looked down at her, he felt something odd for him, wrong-footed almost! No woman had ever reacted like this to him before. Tilting his head, he reached out one hand and touched her long hair. It spilled over her back like a blanket. She winced when he touched her.

"Do not cry, my dear," he told her softly, sliding one arm under her small body and pulling her close again, this time without force. "No harm will come to you in the palace of Asgard. You are under my personal protection."

Those hazel-green eyes, the first thing he had noticed about her, looked red and puffy, but they blazed at him like his own lightning. She bared her teeth at him and growled like an animal. In case she tried to swing at him again, he held her tightly to him.

"You… What the hell is wrong with you!" she gasped at him, one hand pressed to her cheek as if he had hit her. "You walk in, announce you're the god of fucking thunder and then pull a goddamn knife!"

"It matters not!" he told her decisively. "The point is that you are safe now."

She glared at him again, with a look in her eyes that she had been told could freeze gasoline.

"All right, perhaps I could have proceeded differently," he conceded, keeping both her hands captive in one of his. The look on her face told him she was seriously considering an attempt to knock his lights out. A laughable idea to be sure, but not one he wished to test. "Permit me to approach again? I am sure I can do better…"

His voice did that thing where it dropped low into his chest again. It was as if he had known forever that doing that would get under her skin in an instant! Maria couldn't help herself – her defenses dropped just a touch. And in that moment, Thor saw his opportunity. With his free hand, he captured her chin once more, feeling her entire body freeze again. Her eyes gazed half-adoringly, half-suspiciously into his.

"Close your eyes," he commanded, his voice once again a soft rumble from deep in his chest. He watched her lashes flutter shut, the spark never leaving her still-somewhat-puffy eyes. "Let me…"

As his lips touched hers, so lightly at first then firming up as his confidence got the better of him, she was ready – for a moment at least – to let him do anything. Okay, she conceded mentally – this guy had to be a god. She'd never met a mortal man who could kiss like that! The hand he had under her chin migrated to the back of her head, threading into her hair. Maria let out a low moan into the kiss as Thor's fingers tightened, gently however, close to her scalp.

"Ah," he sighed against her lips, pulling back for a breath. "So very soft…"

When he pressed more firmly to her, she nipped his lower lip in excitement. Without warning, he growled and lunged forward, pinning her under him, those blue eyes now hot as white fire, staring down into her own hazel-green. Her hands, freed by his sudden movement, pressed up against his chest. Both of them panted, seemingly surprised. She smiled up at him, an adorably lopsided expression of attempted apology.

"Sorry," she said, trying her damnedest to sound sincere. "I got a little into it…"

His own lips twitched into a wider smirk than before.

"Not at all, my dear," he growled back.

And he waited not a second before pushing down on her, his lips on hers and his tongue thrusting between them. Maria tasted honey, ale, and smoky sweetness, letting her own tongue slide forward to tangle with his. No way was she going to let him get away with that so easily… His hand continued to twist in her hair, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make her slip her hand up his back. Perhaps she could get away with that too! Her long fingernails raked his scalp and his powerful shoulders writhed beneath the arm she had wrapped around him.

The kiss lasted moments longer, his knee attempting to push in between her thighs. But as soon as she felt it, she clamped her legs shut. When he glared in consternation, she merely smirked up at him. That wench, he thought! How in the world did she mimic his expression so well! That confidence, bordering on arrogance… somehow, she wore it well. But he wasn't telling her that. Bracing on one arm for a second, he found her wrist and pinned it beside her. For a moment, they stared at each other, an almost-welcome standstill.

"You have spirit, maiden," he informed her – as if she didn't fucking know that already! She snorted derisively. "I… enjoy the sort of spirit you possess. Now what else can you do with it?"

Maria's eyes blazed again.

"I can bite harder?" she offered, the arrogant smirk showing teeth now. "But I think you have to do something for me first."

Thor raised an eyebrow at her.

"You, asking the god Thor for favors?" he bristled lightly. "I should tread lightly if I were you."

She rolled her eyes.

"I could just tell you to lose the shirt, you know," she snapped, squirming quite vigorously under him in an attempt to free her hand. "The whole second-skin armor thing is cool and all, but I want to see what I'm getting into here."

In the back of her mind, she simply thought why the hell not? If this was real, and she still wasn't altogether sure about that, she may as well enjoy it. She reached up and gave his red cape an impetuous tug. His eyes flashed at her, a warning, but she had never been terribly good at taking warnings. With her one free hand, she tucked her fingers securely into the neckline of his armor. When it proved impossible to pull him down to her, she pulled herself up to him.

"I said… tread carefully, maiden," he growled, his voice heavy with lust instead of threat. "You will be in over your head very soon."

Instead of taking him at his word, Maria licked her lips – slowly, so he could see, and leaned in to nibble gently on his lower lip once more. Thor's eyes widened, but he wouldn't let her know she had one up on him. There was an almighty clank when his armor went flying across the room. His shirt followed. Maria let out an audible "damn!" as she studied him from the waist up. Then she blushed as she realized his knees straddled her hips.

"Something tells me you quite enjoy being in over your head," he leaned down beside her to purr in her ear. She squirmed and panted in response. "But you forget, maiden, I am a god."

The knife was back in his hand. Though she looked worried at first, Maria just glared at him. Thor smiled at her defiance and traced the neck line of her gown. His lips curved in that same self-assured smirk. He moved down, pressing on her body with his own. She panted a bit harder. Dreaming or not, he felt so very solid against her. His lips followed the path the tip of the blade had taken.

"It seems a pity to destroy something so fine," he murmured against her skin, leaving his meaning just ambiguous enough to give her the thrill of fear. "So I'll get this out of the way, shall I?"

Maria hadn't noticed before that the delicate pearls forming a line down the front of her lavender gown were, in fact, buttons. And she had no idea how little patience she actually possessed. Was he really going to take the time to painstakingly undo every last one? He wasn't going to rip even one? Normally, she'd be loath to so much as wrinkling a dress like this, but right now… Her brain wasn't really in clothing preservation mode.

"This is taking so long…" she whined at him, her hips rolling up towards his. "Get me out of this thing!"

Thor looked down at her, smiling in the most obnoxious fashion imaginable. And he did the last button his hand touched back up. Maria's eyes widened. Oh fuck! He was going to mess with her!

"You are an impatient one, aren't you?" he teased, plucking at that one button with his long fingers. "Well, I have a deal for you – for every impatient word you say, I shall fix one of them back. I think this ensures you will behave for me?"

A growl rumbled up out of Maria's throat and Thor plucked mischievously at the next undone button.

"Okay, fine, I'll behave," she conceded with a pout before tacking on, "… for a while."

"A while will suffice," Thor assured her, kissing the exposed skin between her breasts. "Until I lose my patience…"

Maria squirmed again, biting back an impatient remark.

"I knew you would learn," said the teasing voice again. He undid two more buttons, baring the skin at the end of her rib cage. She growled at him for leaving her breasts covered. "Or do I have to teach you again? Because if I must repeat myself, I will not be as gentle – this I promise."

She giggled in spite of herself, both frightened of and very interested in what he might have in mind, should she choose to push the envelope. Thor continued, slowing his pace when he parted the fabric away from her stomach. Maria blushed and did her best to suck in without him noticing. Hadn't she just told herself to start doing crunches again! But he didn't seem to notice the same imperfections she did.

"I would wager that you could hold your own against a Valkyrie in bed," Thor whispered against her skin, mere inches from…

"Oh!" Maria wailed as his tongue found the hollow of her right hip. "Fuck! That feels good!"

She lifted her head to find Thor grinning at her, so her eyes fluttered closed once more and she relaxed into the pile of pillows at the head of the bed.

"And you swear when taken in joy…" he observed, running his fingers over the curves of her hips and smiling as she writhed beneath him. "I knew I did enjoy your type of spirit."

And he leaned in again, his scrubby beard scratchy against her skin as he laid feather-light kisses from one hip to the other. His tongue followed the path his lips had taken, back from her left hip to her right. Maria moaned aloud and lifted her hips, begging him with her body to go a bit lower. But he hadn't even undone those buttons yet! Hell, the sides of her gown, being so flowing, still covered her breasts!

"Please…" she finally hissed between clenched teeth. "Faster…".

Thor laughed – a quiet rumble that vibrated against her skin.

"I did tell you I would teach you some patience," he reminded her, delivering a quick bite to the soft skin above her left hip. "Now I believe that ought to be two buttons…"

So he re-did two buttons. Maria groaned in frustration and arched her back off the bed, only to hear him laugh softly at her again. His hands held her still as he undid those same two buttons, plus one more, with his teeth. How the hell he did that without damaging the gown was totally beyond her, and she didn't care! She could feel the strength simply radiating out from his hands. From his earlier display, she knew he could hurt her very easily…

"Close your eyes," he instructed. For once, she did so without a fuss. "Keep them closed until I tell you otherwise."

For some reason, doing what he said this time seemed thrilling. Maybe it was the newness – she didn't exactly have a reputation for doing what anyone said. From the second she closed her eyes and she settled into a darkened world, she could feel everything so much more. His hands traced the bare skin between her breasts again. She wanted to open her eyes just to watch what he might do. But he distracted her once more… He laid a kiss on her left breast, through the fabric of her gown.

"Mmm…" A soft moan passed her parted lips. And the next word out of her escaped before she could stop herself. "Please… please don't stop…"

The touches of his hands and the caress of his breath on her skin stopped and his solid weight lifted off her. For a moment, she wondered if he had lost interest in just playing with her. She whimpered as she felt him get off the bed entirely, and shrank back into the pillows. But then she got curious as she heard shuffling off to the side somewhere. A smile lit on her lips, considering she could guess what was going on, but she managed to resist the temptation to peek. Then his weight returned to the space beside her on the bed.

"I can hardly deny your request when you put it that way," that deep, rumbling voice caressed her ear again. His hand cupped her left breast gently. "Particularly when I have never met even a goddess with breasts to match yours…"

Maria moaned in response, and the strong, warm hand left her breast only long enough to lift away the side of her gown and lay it to the side. His soft lips enveloped the rosy tip, hardened from the chill air in the room, sucking gently. A wavering cry tumbled out before she could bite down on her lip. Thor let out a laugh against her skin, sending a shiver rippling through her entire body. Then he sucked harder, even letting his teeth graze her sensitive skin. At that, she cried out in surprised pleasure.

"Thor… oh fuck! Please… feels so good," she panted, writhing uncontrollably without the weight of his body to hold her down. "Nngh… Don't stop… Please keep going!"

The god lifted his head from her breast and kissed his way back down her body. Even with her eyes shut, Maria became bolder. Her hand followed his path and she threaded her fingers into his hair. Once again, her nails caressed his scalp, sending tingles down his spine. He let out a growl between her legs, fumbling his way through the rest of the buttons and laying the sides of the gown out. Then she found him above her again. However, this time, he carefully held himself off her, letting her explore with her hands.

"Your skin is soft…" she whispered, almost reverently, tracing the muscles of his shoulders and upper back with her fingertips. "I'm almost jealous."

Thor looked down, barely noticing what she said as he watched her, lying naked on her open gown. Beautiful, he thought – never had he beheld a woman with a body like hers. Shorter indeed than a Valkyrie and much lighter-boned than Asgard women, he noticed first. Hmm, even the women considered beautiful in Midgard were much different from her. She had long legs, thick with muscle and turned pleasingly wide at the hips.

Long, silky hair fanned out about her, a lovely shade that combined brown and red. He looked up and down her body, his eyes following the highlights in that hair. Her waist looked tiny compared with the rest of her and he made a mental note that he could probably put his hands the whole way round it. Her breasts, for such a small frame, were large and full. They fit perfectly in his hands.

"Maria, in truth you are beautiful," he whispered to her, shivering as her hands – fingernails specifically – raked down the length of his back. They veered off and wrapped around his hips and the young woman gasped. Thor smiled, this time genuinely, without a trace of his usual smirk. "Do me the honor of opening your eyes…"

The world looked soft and pastel-toned again as Maria's hazel-green eyes fluttered open. First thing, she saw Thor's gleaming blue eyes and didn't have to see the rest of his face to know he was smiling at her. But her eyes traveled downwards anyway and she blushed deeply at his very real smile. She peeked further down, and her eyes widened before returning quickly to his face. Her cheeks darkened by four shades at least. The smirk returned as he realized what she had done.

"Tell me, my dear," he leaned down to purr in her ear, his bare chest pressing against hers and causing her heart to race. "Do you like what you see?"

She couldn't answer beyond a tiny, embarrassed squeak. His arms pulled her close and he laid the both of them out, side by side. Her body fit perfectly, almost magically, against his. She couldn't do much but pant shallowly at the sudden fell of skin on skin, so very warm.

"Then tell me this…" he breathed into her ear. "Do you like what you feel?"