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Odin

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Sitting at my desk, I look at all the open screens displayed on my computers. I don't usually let my emotions get out of control, but right now, I'm pissed as hell. How could I have been so careless as to not have someone watching Leandros right after the party?

The conversation I overheard between him and the sheik should have alerted me that the bastard was planning to run away. Perhaps it was catching Naim with Elina that turned my focus away from my main objective: destroying him. I don't regret having interfered either that day or the next. I couldn't allow that sick man to hurt her because of a business deal with that bastard who dared to call himself her father.

I even considered whether or not Elina was involved with Leandros in that plot to get money from the sheik. Trusting people isn't something I'm used to, but after seeing her be attacked twice and recognizing how scared she actually was, I had no doubt that she was kept fully in the dark by Leandros.

I know what it's like to be afraid, and her fear was real.

In any case, these possibilities no longer matter. She's now under my protection.

The job I offered wasn't an excuse. I really did intend to hire someone who would provide a personalized service to organize my receptions, especially the charity ones, but I would probably have assigned one of the secretaries or assistants to interview potential candidates.

It's been a long time since I hired someone myself to work in any area of my life. I was merely being practical by choosing her for the job, solving two problems at once.

Even with all the changes, she looked as happy as a little girl when she arrived here in New York. Of course, it wasn't anything she said or even showed, but I paid close attention to her every reaction. Elina is managing to deconstruct the image I had of her in my head.

The arrogant and cold woman now shows herself more and more as an inexperienced girl who is desperate to live.

No longer the hot vamp I thought she was, all that's left is her beauty and the fact that she's naturally sexy.

She doesn't have to try hard to be delicious.

I've never felt so horny for a woman. Maybe it's the fact that she never fully gives in. She shows that she wants me with the same intensity, but she doesn't give up easily.

My hunch is that she's not playing but rather she's even more reluctant than I am to let her guard down. My resistance, unfortunately, only works relatively well when I walk away from her, because all we need to do is be in the same room—no, in fact, all I need is to hear her voice—and any determination to let her go runs down the drain.

I spent most of yesterday with an uncomfortable erection. From the moment we kissed on the plane to when we arrived at the apartment, my body screamed for her. I'm not one to deny myself carnal pleasures and could have solved the problem with a simple phone call, but I didn't want to. No other woman will satisfy me. It can only be her.

What will Leandros think when he finds out that I took her from Greece?

I don't believe he already knows. The only person who could tell him that would be Naim, and I'm sure they haven't spoken.

The Argyros worm must be hiding, most likely running away from the sheik as well. He wouldn't be stupid enough to show himself with two enemies chasing him, and if I still can't figure out where he is, Naim doesn't stand a chance .

My current concern, however, is not with my main enemy—sooner or later I'll find him. At the moment, I'm focused on protecting Elina.

Naim is a mean man and will never accept a woman's rejection, so I know she won't be safe until I decide what to do with him. While the possibility that he'll get her out of the States is remote, there's nothing stopping him from trying to hurt her right here. And I'll kill him before that happens.

I'm looking into his financial life. I know enough about men in our sphere to know that a blow to the pocket is painful or, at least, more painful than striking his pride, and maybe if I discover his secrets, I can make him give up coming after her without having to take any other drastic measures.

If there's no choice, however, I'll do whatever it takes to get him out of her way.

And if her father contacts her, what will she do?

I'm not sure.

Even after all she's been through, having been traded as a valuable item, blood counts a lot.

Even if it bothers me, I'll have to keep an eye on her.

It would all be very simple, just business, if it weren't for our attraction.

Still annoyed, I’m thinking about how my plan, so carefully worked out, has suddenly become fraught with mishaps, until Grigori enters without knocking.

He's the only one with the courage to do that. After ten years working with me, our relationship has broken through the professional barrier. Reluctantly, though, I have to admit that, these days, he's closer to a friend than an employee.

As far as I know, he doesn't know anything about my past, at least not the part about my family's death, but he knows enough to understand that I'm obsessed with Leandros Argyros.

“We found him.” He doesn't have to give me a name for me to know who it is. Ciro.

“Still in Greece?”

“No, he was hiding in Croatia.”

“Why?”

“That we don't know yet, but I'd guess to get away from the old devil.”

I quickly process the information. If Ciro had to run away from his ex-boss, it's probably because he was no longer useful to him. “How long has he been hiding?”

“Practically since your cousin disappeared.”

“Take him to the island.”

“We're already making arrangements, but it probably won't happen for the next two or three days. Do you want me to take care of him?”

I know Grigori also has a dark past. I would never allow someone this close to me without checking them out first.

“No. I'll do it myself, but I need you to keep an eye on Elina while I'm gone.”

“That won't be a problem. Do you think she knows where her father is?”

“That's not what I'm worried about at the moment, rather that Naim might come after us and take advantage of my absence to try and kidnap her.”

“Why do you care?”

I almost smile. He has courage. Few people would be so direct when questioning me.

“Who says I care?”

“I'm saying it. Why are you so worried? She is the daughter of your enemy.”

“Yes, she is, but she's also a woman who has the right to choose who she wants to be with and I will not have her dominated by two sick people.”

“One of those bastards being her own father.”

I think of my mother. “We don't choose our parents.”

“I'm going to trust that you know what you're doing, keeping part of the enemy that close to you."

I don't answer him due to the simple fact that I don't need to. I will never explain my life to anyone.

“So once Ciro is back on the island, you'll go to Greece?”

“Yes, and you'll make sure that nothing happens to Elina. Take care of her as if you were taking care of me. ”

“Have you assigned men for this yet?”

“Some, before I even knew I would have to travel so soon. She's not used to a city like New York, but despite not knowing anything, she's a bit of a rebel.”

I think of her fighting spirit. I love the way she isn't afraid of me when most people, whatever their gender, shiver under my gaze.

“Your relationship is none of my business, but even so, my conscience tells me to warn you: watch out, Odin. Women can be cunning.”

I think of my mother again.

“I know.”

Later that night

“You look beautiful.”

The black silk dress molds to her sensual body, and it only takes a quick glance for me to see that she isn't wearing a bra. It doesn’t take long for my imagination to return to our conversation last night. She ran away and I allowed it.

Despite being vocal during sex, I've never had sex over the phone; yesterday, however, when she said she was only wearing lingerie, I was one step away from trying.

I could have insisted, but I decided to stop.

I don't want to scare her away. If what she said is true—that she's still a virgin—it wouldn't be a fair game to rush her. I prefer to let her know what will happen next, not to make her feel trapped.

“I got it right, then?” She looks down at her body, but I focus on her face, trying to guess whether she's serious or trying to seduce me. However, when she lifts it up again, I see an uncertain smile.

Does she have doubts about her appearance?

I take a step forward and grab her by the back of her head. I bend down and speak into her ear: “Delicious. Today, I'm pretty sure there isn't a bra matching the panties.”

I hope she backs off. In fact, I almost root for it, because I need one of us to be rational. I meant it when I said we were going out for dinner and business, but she has the power to throw my famous logical thinking down the drain.

“Maybe there aren't even any panties,” she replies, almost giving me a heart attack.

Before I can think about my next step, my naughty blonde walks past me towards the elevator.