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Elina

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I sit on the couch in the living room after he’s left, trying to calmly think about everything that has changed in my life in less than a week. From leaving Greece up to now, it's as if I’ve been living someone else's life.

I mean, in a way, I've always been a fraud. I pretended to fit in and rarely experienced real feelings other than fear and shame.

Now, it's different and a little scarier because I'm in charge of my own life. When I look back, I realize that maybe I didn't pay enough attention to the signs because, in fact, things were already rather weird in our house well before Odin's party. Ever since he started building on our land, which at the time I had no idea no longer belonged to my father, Leandros seemed angrier than usual.

We grew up not worrying about money, but all of a sudden I saw my father complaining to my mother about high credit card bills and saying that we should let some of the housekeepers go.

He'd never been like that before, and that should have been a clear warning to me that something was very wrong.

It's just that I'd always lived within my own world, not caring about what happened around me. I had no concrete goal other than to love and care for my horses .

Occasionally, Leandros hosted lavish receptions, but those became increasingly rare events. In the past, my father made a point of bringing businessmen over to our house so he could show us off, treating Mom and me as if we were two trophies. I think he regarded her being English as a sort of distinction from the rest of the Greek people. As for me, I have always felt one hundred percent Greek. If we forget the fact that I speak both languages, there is nothing else that connects me to England other than maternal blood.

I get up and go to the window, looking out at the landscape. I can feel the city boiling even from up here. Light rain is falling, making the night seem dreary, but Manhattan is still beautiful.

When we got off the plane and took the car to the apartment, I tried not to show enthusiasm as I looked out the window, but it was hard not to lose my breath as we crossed that brightly lit bridge.

This island is so different from where I was born and raised. I'm scared to death and at the same time excited about everything that awaits me in the future.

I put my arms around my body and think about my family again. My parents ran away without a second thought about me. This shouldn't surprise me, but I can't help feeling hurt.

Even though Mom has always done everything to please her husband, it still hurts me that she didn't even care enough to say goodbye.

And then there's my father's arrangement with Naim. I don't know what would have become of me if Odin hadn't offered me the job and also put me under his protection. Because even if he didn't put it into words, I know that’s what he’s done.

Maybe not out of kindness, probably partly to annoy my dad, but he still helped me.

Leandros traded me, sold me, as the sheik himself said, for a considerable amount of money in order to guarantee his own well-being.

And what kind of man is Naim?

Even if we exclude the fact that he is vile and that he has physically and verbally assaulted me, how could he really think he would acquire me as if I were just a thing?

It's unbelievable .

Despite all of these certainties, a part of me still feels like I'm betraying my family by agreeing to come here with Odin. Although, I didn't have many alternatives and I'll fight tooth and nail to seize the opportunity he's given me to support myself with dignity.

The only problem is the attraction between us.

I don't know if what we've done since our first kiss on the plane is common for him—it probably is—but it will be hard for me to forget the feeling of being so wanted and protected.

Being by his side is like being inside a fortress, and it scares me because I don't want to get used to his care. However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to try having sex with him. My intuition tells me it would be an unforgettable experience.

But I know that it could ruin everything, because when it's over, I'll probably be fired with a pat on the back.

No. It's best not to go down that route.

I walk up to my room, and it's kind of suffocating to have so many rooms all to myself.

I've always liked being alone, but I feel oddly empty since he left. He didn't try to kiss me again, despite always keeping close as he took me around the rest of the house. Every time I passed him, my body reacted, and I think Odin felt the same. I should hope that he gives up quickly, that he finds another woman to be interested in, because I don't know if I'll be able to say no if he decides to seduce me.

It's not just the curiosity I've always felt about sex. It's him. Odin is so intense that he completely blows me away with his kisses and heat.

I lived a long time in the midst of coldness. Despite my mother's blind devotion to my father, the atmosphere in our house was never that of a loving home, so experiencing passion with Odin takes away my ability to think.

The arrogance with which he delivered the speech humiliating my father at his house party was the same arrogance with which he possessed my mouth over and over again while I was in his arms. He also seemed reluctant to leave, as if waiting for an invitation to stay, except I didn't want to ruin my new life, so I just let him go.

He wanted to give me a new cell phone, but I declined. I prefer mine, since I already know how to use it. Bossy as he is, he seemed irritated, but even so he accepted my decision. He only swapped the Greek sim card for a new one.

That also changed the settings a bit. As far as I can see, I think he should be changing our numbers, but I'm not sure.

Well, never mind.

There's really no one to call.

At some point I'll have to let my sisters and Theo know what happened, but I'm not ready yet.

I reach the bedroom, and as soon as I take off my dress, leaving only my bra and panties on, I hear the distant sound of my cell phone ringing and I go back to the living room to get it.

I know it can only be him, and there's something strangely sensual about taking his call dressed only in lingerie.

“ Elina?” his deep voice asks, sending a delicious shiver through my body.

“Yeah?”

“ Have you managed to familiarize yourself with your new home yet?”

“Not quite, but I like it here.”

“ Did I wake you up?”

It hasn't been more than an hour and a half since he left, but it still feels like a long time.

“No. I was getting ready to get in the shower.”

A hoarse sound comes from the other end of the line, causing the tips of my breasts to immediately swell.

Why did I say something like that knowing how much he wants me?

I'm not a tease. Generally. Perhaps the physical distance gives me the courage to push him, despite all my earlier conclusions about how wrong it would be for us to get involved.

“ Are you naked?”

My body shudders in response to the directness of his question, as well as to the desire I notice in his voice. “Almost.”

“Only in panties?”

“That's none of your business,” I say, suddenly feeling awkward. I don't know what I was thinking when I started this conversation. It's insane to provoke a man like Odin. There's no way I'm going to win this game .

“ You're safe, at least for today, so you could be a good girl and answer me. Since I can't have you in my bed right now, at least allow me to use my imagination.”

I stay silent, deciding whether I should hang up, but even though I know it would be the wisest thing to do, I find myself revealing, “I haven't taken my bra off yet.”

“ I would like to see.”

“What?”

“ That delicious body dressed only in tiny bits of cloth.”

“I think psychologists have a name for that.”

To my surprise, he laughs. “ At first, I would just look. I'd like to see you undress for me, but do not doubt that I wouldn't keep my distance for long. I would never miss the chance to feel you with my mouth, tongue, and fingers.”

I swallow hard, excited by his descriptive words. “You weren't kidding when you said you liked to talk while making love.”

“ No. And do you remember the other thing I said? I also like to listen. ”

My body feels like it's on fire, but I know I have to put an end to this. “I need to go. It's late.”

He doesn't say anything for a while, and I think he'll insist, but then he says: “ Okay. Tomorrow night we have an appointment. We need to take care of business. I'll pick you up at eight.”

“Are we going somewhere?”

“ Yes, we'll have dinner and talk about your first job.” His voice now sounds completely nonchalant, and as crazy as it is, I want his warmth back. “ Good night, Elina.”

“Good night, Odin.”