A Midwinter Fantasy - Leanna Renee Hieber [79]
“No . . . Yes.” Sonja’s pulse raced. She pressed a hand to her heart. Did she want to meet him? As a child she had fantasized about her father coming to rescue her from her strict aunt. But in twenty-six years, he hadn’t even sent her a birthday card. Nowadays, she imagined telling him exactly what she thought of irresponsible men who abandoned their kids.
“He’ll be at the Yule Fest I’m attending tonight. Come with me,” Vidar said in a low, compelling voice. “You must be curious about him.”
She imagined coming face-to-face with her father in the middle of a party. How stunned he’d be to see her. How nervous she’d be to see him.
“That’s settled then. I’ll take you with me.”
“No!”
His elegant dark eyebrows rose. “Do you have a problem with me?”
“You? Of course not.” Darn, now she had offended him. But arriving at a party full of strangers with a man she didn’t know to face the father she’d never met . . . She wasn’t that brave. “If you give me his contact details, I’ll call him.” Or maybe she wouldn’t.
Vidar laughed—a low amused chuckle, as if she’d cracked a joke. “Your father is not the sort of man you just call.”
She set her jaw and clasped the briefcase on her lap. She hadn’t come here to find her father. They were getting off track. Just because Vidar owned one of the most successful theme parks in the world, she mustn’t let him browbeat her. “Let’s discuss business.”
He laughed again, this time a weary, self-mocking sound that disturbed her. “You’ll get your deal after the Yule Fest, Sonja. Don’t worry.” He pressed an intercom button on his desk. “My guest is leaving, Hildur.”
Vidar rose. Sonja had no option but to follow suit.
“I’ll see you tonight then,” he said.
“I haven’t agreed to come with you.” She wanted the deal badly but not if it came with strings attached.
“There’s no need to be nervous about meeting your father. I’ll be with you. Go to your cabin and get some rest. You’ll be out late tonight.”
She bristled at his high-handed attitude. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to shove his deal somewhere unmentionable when the reassuring presence of her guardian angel flooded through her. Her fears slipped away, and she realized that she must take this opportunity to meet her father. If she returned to England without seeing him, she would never forgive herself.
“Where is the Yule Fest?”
“Valhalla—that’s Odin’s ice palace. There’ll be a lot of people there.”
The resort’s theme was a combination of Norse mythology and Santa Claus folklore. She couldn’t come to much harm surrounded by other guests. “All right, I’ll come with you, Vidar. Thank you.”
“I’ll collect you from your cabin at around six.” For the first time he smiled, a slow stretch of his lips and a sparkle in his eyes. A shiver of awareness fluttered through her.
Only when she was outside his door did she wonder how he knew that she had never met her father.
Vidar stared at his office door, the memory of Sonja’s slender form and the silky fall of blonde hair replaying in his mind. His body was tense with arousal just from sitting opposite her.
He slammed shut the file on his desk and cursed. “Skitur!” The last time he’d seen her she’d been a tiny baby. He’d been curious to discover how she’d turned out, to put an adult face to the child he’d protected over the years. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined she’d look like that. Her long blonde hair and deep blue eyes so closely resembled those of Troy the Deathless that her appearance should put him on guard. Instead, he’d fought to concentrate on business rather than dwell on her full lips and the soft swells of her breasts beneath her blue jacket.
How could he want to kiss her when she reminded him of Troy? He swiped the back of his hand over his mouth. She was an innocent he’d pledged to protect. He would do well to remember that fact.
Sharp tapping sounded on the window behind his desk. Even before he pivoted, he knew he’d find his father Odin’s damn raven spies at the glass. His breath rushed out in irritation.