The salt-smell of the bay mixed with the crisp evening air as I dragged Thor through the familiar streets of Boston. Everyone said New York City was the place that never slept, but I'd always felt that true for Boston as well; everywhere we went, the sidewalks were crowded with people despite the wintry chill. Stoplights flashing as endless lines of cars made their way to their destination while even more people crowded the sidewalks, hunched over with their hands in their pockets or on their cell phone. There was no  snow on the ground yet, but I knew from the way the harbor sparkled and the way the cold air burned my throat that it couldn't be far off yet.

"Is it always this cold in Boston?" Thor asked, teeth chattering as we walked down the semi-crowded sidewalk.

"It's always cooler near the bay but this is pretty typical for this time of year," I replied, inwardly thankful that I'd had the sense to change from my dress into more weather appropriate clothing at the hotel. "Now hurry up! We're almost there." Slowly but surely, the steel and glass buildings were giving way to old, red brick structures that marked the changing location; we were getting closer to our destination.

"Where is 'here' exactly?" Thor ducked to avoid a low-hanging sign.

 I paused as I saw the familiar woodwork and yellow lights hanging outside to mark it's spot. "Thor, welcome to the finest establishment in Boston: Davy Joe's."

Thor stopped as well, squinting at the sign, the green painted letters peeling away as a cool breeze made it swing. "Were you by chance looking to stop a robbery when you hung out here?"

"Hey," I glared at him, "don't you dare insult my bar. Trust me Thor, this is one of the safest places in Boston." I grabbed the brass handle and pulled open the door which let out a loud creak of protest. "Come on in!"

Thor hesitated but another timely gust of chilly wind made him move his feet. I followed behind him, my eyes filling with the familiar sight of my favorite bar. Though I hadn't been back here in six months, nothing at all had changed. The L-shaped room was still covered in antique  wooden panels with a slight break in the mahogany coming the form of dark green paint bordering it all. There was a slam-clatter  sound pattern of glass hitting wood as the bartender and the regulars threw back drinks and laughter sounded all around.

"So, this is Boston's finest and safest establishment?" Thor muttered at my side, his breath tickling my hair.

"Half the patrons in here are cops," I told him, smiling smugly as I sauntered over to my usual booth. Thor followed suit, his lean frame sliding across the green vinyl to sit next to me.

"Really?"

"Yep," I replied as I shrugged off my jacket. "If anyone tried to cause any trouble they'd find themselves being held at gunpoint by at least six different people."

"Okay," Thor held up his hands, smiling crookedly. "I take back what I said, this is a safe place."

I laughed. "That's what you get for doubting me." I was about to conceded that the place did need a new paint job but then our waitress showed up, a perky-looking girl with a stud in her nose who introduced herself and was about to hand over menus shaped like bowling pins but I shook my head. "Can we get two Blue Moons and an order of hot wings please?" The girl wrote down our order and walked away, leaving us alone once again.

"So I take it you've been here before?" Thor teased, stretching so that his arm was resting across my shoulders. At least he'd skipped the cheesy yawn-and-reach bit.

"A few times," I replied, leaning into him and inhaling the electric smell that always surrounded him. "So, how's it feel to be anonymous?"

"Well," Thor whispered to me, his forehead pressed against mine and his voice so low only I could hear. "I definitely think I could get to used to it."

Jocelyn returned then with a tray carrying two large mugs of foaming beer with an orange peel stuck onto the rim of each glass. "Two Blue Moons and here are the hot wings." She laid out a flimsy plastic basket before us, the drumsticks slathered with bright orange sauce and my mouth watered at the sight while Thor side-eyed the spread.

"So this is what passes for gourmet food where you're from?" Thor asked, picking at the wax paper skeptically even as I helped myself.

"If you have any standards, yes." I tore into a drumstick without further ado and grinned as I polished it off. The mix of chili pepper and some kind of citrus note went straight to my head like a strong shot of whisky.

Thor still looked a tad skeptical but put on a brave face as he too dug in. At first he smiled but then I watched, unable to contain my laughter as his eyes began to water and he dropped the chicken and dove for his drink.

"A little hot for ya?" Thor didn't answer as he chugged his beer while I cracked up and I helped myself to more wings.  God, I'd missed these since leaving Boston. Finally, Thor came up for air, his beer half gone and his face flushed red.

"How can you eat those?" he gasped, evidently still feeling the sting. "Can't you feel pain?"

"I'm just made to tolerate spice," I wiped my messy fingers on a nearby napkin as I reached for my beer to wash it all down. The frothy liquid cooled my throat and warmed the pit of my stomach as it found it's mark. "I'll order some plain wings for you."

"That'd be nice," Thor replied, still wincing in pain as I signaled our waitress and passed on the request. "So, this is what you did after work before the trials?"

"Every now and again but honestly?" I shrugged, "I just went home most of the time. Twelve hours is a long shift; just wanted to get home, shower and sleep."

"I get it," Thor said as a basket of plain wings was set before us. "Thank you-anyways, like I was saying I get it. Sometimes you just want to be alone with your thoughts and unwind. Must have been easy though right? You lived alone didn't you?"

"Yep, that helped. But Yuki had my extra key so she'd always drag me out of my cave eventually. Apparently she thought socialization was good for me."

"Yeah, I think Sif said something similar to me once."  Thor nibbled on a plain wing and smiled. "See? Now this is palatable."

"Nah,  you're just weak," I teased, sticking my tongue out even as he rolled his eyes. "So when did Sif say that you?"

"When she was trying to get me to agree to do this," he gestured between us. "One of her many arguments."

"Oh I want to hear these arguments." I took a swig of my beer and helped myself to another hot wing. "Start talking!"

And so laughing over beers and wings, Thor regaled me with his many tales of how Sif tried to talk him into dating again. Her attempts began at first with bribery utilizing a finely aged mead and when that failed, she increased her efforts. Her most notable attempt being a staged meeting in which she spent thirty minutes on a slide show presentation for why the trials were a good idea.

"And that's what broke you down?" I asked laughing at the mental picture of Sif in a suit and  holding a laser pointer.

"No, not that but don't tell Sif. I like to let her think it was."

"Then what was it? What made you want to try again?"

Thor drained the last of his beer before answering. "Same reason anyone tries dating; I was tired of being lonely. I wanted a chance to find love."

The sincerity of his statement created a catch in my throat. "I know the feeling." Heart beating fast, I reached for his hand and laced my fingers through his. "But I don't feel lonely when I'm with you."

"I don't feel lonely with you either," he squeezed my fingers and for a moment, I wasn't aware of anything else. Not the chatter of the other patrons nor the crash of the bowling league or the wind howling outside. All I could focus on was the heat that was pulsing between us and rising like the tide.

"How you folks doing?" Our waitress's perky voice dragged me back down to Earth and I pulled my gaze away from Thor to address her.

"I think we're ready for our check?" I looked back at Thor who nodded and the waitress handed over her tablet. It seemed Davy's had finally entered the modern age. I ran my card and left a few crumpled bills as a tip as Thor handed me my coat.

Thor shrugged on his jacket. "You ready?"

I nodded and we made our way outside. "So, where do you want to go next?"

"Honestly I think I'd like to go back to the hotel," Thor said. "It's been a good day, don't get me wrong," he pulled open the door and sighed. "But a long day too."

"That's okay." I squeezed through the narrow alleyway, Thor directly behind me. "We can head back to the hotel and just relax a little."

I could hear Thor sigh at my comment and when he came free of the alley, he stepped around me and then encircled his arm around my waist, his grip firm and just a little too low to be appropriate for public display but it didn't bother me. It just made butterflies swarm in my stomach. We walked like that for a while through the city streets again, the silence companionable and easy. It wasn't even interrupted by Thor's shivering, as the wind had finally died down.

Finally, we were back at the hotel when the sounds of the city changed. The traffic was still humming in the background but a new, more pleasant sound accompanied it. A  guitar; it took me a moment to find it, but then I saw him. A teenager right outside the hotel, sitting on a bench and crooning some old song that I vaguely recognized but couldn't place.

"He's not so bad," Thor remarked, grabbing my free hand and effectively halting our walk towards the hotel doors. He pulled me in closer, his chest now pressing firmly against mine while his other hand found mine.

"You cannot be serious," I said even as he started to sway, leading me in an unmistakable waltz.

"I owe you a dance remember?" Thor asked, his breath turning to  frosty cloud in the night air. "The party after the interviews?  As good as you looked I should've been dancing with you."

I didn't recall much dancing happening at that party but then again, I had been rather distracted. Thor's aloof manner and Loki's party crashing had been more than enough to keep me from staying around long enough to enjoy a dance party. However, I certainly wasn't going to remind him of that night. This one was way better and as the guitar twanged I felt that heat come back, like smoldering embers and the twangy guitar faded away as the song ended and I led Thor back towards the hotel as anticipation spread through my limbs.

The walk back into the hotel felt more like a mile than a few feet. I could feel the heat pulsing through the air between us each moment we moved towards the elevator to get upstairs.  . The silver doors closed, the only sounds in narrow space the whir of wires and the thudding of my heart. I kept my distance from Thor, knowing if I touched him I'd turn the sparks into an inferno and lose myself in him completely.

But even as I restrained my body, my eyes and mind couldn't help but wandering. My gaze caught his soft lips that had been so warm against mine minutes ago. His arms, hidden by his jacket and I could already feel the leather sliding through my hands as I imagined depriving him of that garment. I could imagine taking it further, removing his white t-shirt and letting my hands wander over the angled planes of his chest and stomach. I could almost feel his lips on mine as we fell back on the bed in a tangle of limbs and laughter as he spoke-Camilla, he whispered and just like that, my mental pictured shattered and I came crashing back to reality.

Camilla. Camilla was still on Asgard. He was still seeing her even as he saw me. Perhaps he'd already crossed sex off his to-do list when it came to her and he'd spend the whole night comparing us. Or maybe he hadn't yet been with her, but what about Melinda? She had never been shy about how she desired Thor back when she'd been part of the trials. But she'd never boasted about it either and it certainly would've been her style. Elise came to mind next, such a ethereal and charming woman-how could Thor have resisted her? And she certainly wouldn't have been bragging about her conquest either. It wasn't her style. Or what about the woman who'd been eliminated after the first trial?  I didn't remember her name but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she could've been a Victoria Secret Angel...

The elevator doors dinged open as we came to a stop but it did nothing to distract me from my thoughts. Even Thor's hand brushing mine and the rush of desire it brought still wasn't enough to clear my head. I swiped the room key at the door, moving inside in a daze as the feelings of desire, jealousy and uncertainty spun through me.

No sooner had I tossed off my jacket did Thor approach me again. His warm hands wrapped around my waist as he pulled me firmly against his chest.  "You know," he remarked and I could feel the quirk of his smile against my cheek as he kissed me. "I think we have a song now."

"Yeah? And how many other girls have one too?" I asked, my throat tight as I broke his hold. I saw him frown at me, all traces of his smile gone.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, taking a step forward even as I stepped back again and turned away. I didn't want him to see the tears building up in my eyes.

"Well I'm one of eight aren't I?" I replied, hearing the bitterness in my voice. "And it's been six months, I'm sure you and Camilla have a song too right? Or maybe  you and Vivian did? Before she quit?"

Behind me, I heard him sigh heavily.  "Where's all this coming from Suzume? We were having a good time five minutes ago. Or at least I was." His voice carried a heaviness that broke my heart and I turned to face him, breath short as I tried to explain.

"I was having a great time. I spent the whole walk back up here mentally undressing  you actually. But," I flopped onto the nearby chair, hanging my head. "This is just a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"When you say this, do you mean the press and how it gets into everything? Or is it being back home and realizing how much you miss it?" He sighed again and his eyes turned from blue to grey. "Or is it being with me?"

Now it was my turn to sigh. "That's just it though, I'm not with you. You're not mine; I have to share you." I twisted the word like a curse, but it wasn't anger that fueled me, just sorrow. "Look, I know I can't be mad at your for it; I knew what I was getting into when I came here but..." I shook my head, feeling tears build up in my eyes. "I don't know if you've ever been here but loving someone you have to share really sucks."

Thor's eyes brightened instantly and he was kneeling at my side in a second and he kissed me. A gesture not burning with lust, but a tenderness that alliterative the pain in my heart. "I love you too. And that's why there are no other women, not anymore. I broke things off with Camilla today. Right after I invited you to dinner."

"You did?" I asked, startled and he nodded. "But wasn't that a bit of risk?" I asked even as I rose to my feet so I could hold him. "Asgard still needs a queen."

"Asgard already had a queen whom I didn't love and that didn't work out," Thor reminded me. "Besides, Camilla deserved better than to be led on like that."

For once her name didn't send a ripple of dislike through me. I leaned in closer to Thor, pressing so that there was barely any space between us. "Is there anything else you've done recently I should know about?" I asked, my fingers tracing slowly down his chest. I felt him jump and I bit back a smile as the heat returned, my earlier distress eaten up by the flames.

"More like what I haven't done," he corrected me as my fingers curled around the hem of his shirt. "I never slept with Camilla-or any of them for that matter."

"No?" I let go his shirt, my hands moving slowly across his waist, leading him in the direction I wanted.

He laughed at my bewildered expression. "No," he confirmed, his warm hand sliding down from my face to trace the curve of my neck and shoulder. "I didn't want to cross that bridge until I was sure about my feelings towards you all."

"More of that 'don't led people on' thing?" I inquired.

"No, more of the 'this is one thing you don't have to share' thing."

"Well isn't the sweet," I whispered as I stopped rotating. I'd only have one shot to get this right. I leaned in and I felt him move as well, eyes closing as he prepared to kiss me. Perfect. With a deft motion, I threw him back against the bed and heard his exclamation of shock as he bounced back on the mattress.

"Take off your clothes," I ordered even as I stripped off my top.

Thor, still laughing did as he was told. "You're very bossy, " he remarked as he threw his shirt in the corner of the room while I kicked my jeans off. The sight of his bare chest sent another rush of heat through me that settled across me like a second skin.

I smirked at him as I stood in nothing but my bra and panties while his hungry eyes roamed over my body. A body which I knew looked pretty great thanks to all my work at the gym.  "You might be a prince on Asgard," I told him as his pants fell to the floor and I sauntered over, heart hammering as I grabbed his chin and forced him to look me in the eye. "But this is my domain, got it?" I moved to kiss him, ready to reignite the flames I'd felt in the parking lot and elevator but he was too fast.

Air rushed around me as I landed on the bed, pressed down by Thor's body as he whispered in my ear. "Any other commands darling?"

"Yeah," I replied, breathless with desire and laughter. "Don't ever call me darling again." I took his kiss as consent and slowly, we picked up where my daydreams had left off.

*********************

New chapter! Thor and Suzume's first night on the town and I'd say things are going well! Sorry for posting so late, I had to do some last-minute editing and scene relocating, hence why this  took the better part of my night!

We're getting close to the end guys! I can't wait for you to see what's coming next!

Write on! :)