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Odin

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

"This is ridiculous. You don't have to sleep here."

"Why not? After all, I only work for you."She holds her head high as she adjusts the sheets in the staff quarters I have in my apartment. She also seems to speak more calmly than usual, which, contradictorily, is unnerving.

“Elina, come back to our room. Why are you being so stubborn?"

“First, there is no our room. It is your room. And I'm not being stubborn, Odin, just trying to keep both feet on the ground. Thank you for what you said earlier today. Things were getting a little messy between us."

I give myself a mental kick.

I didn't mean to say that shit, but her statement at the restaurant was still stuck in my throat. How could she have answered that she's just my employee? The woman shares a room with me every night, for God's sake!

After we got home from the restaurant that night, she acted like everything was fine, surrendering to me and showering me with affection. That drove me completely crazy.

Not really sure what I was getting myself into, I did the only thing I could .

I took her hungrily.

It's like I can never know when our last time together will be, and now she's pissed that I repeated what she said about us.

I swear to God, Elina is trying to drive me crazy.

Still, I know I was an imbecile.

She may not have said what I wanted to hear at that dinner, but I know what we are and I should have at least said that she was my girlfriend.

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, even before I saw her, I had already regretted them.

"What did you want me to call you?"I would really like her to answer me, because despite being mad at me, I don't believe she knows how to put a label on us.

She starts walking towards the attached bathroom.

“Elina, we haven't finished talking. Control that hellish temperament of yours and answer my question."

"Do I have a hellish temperament?"

"Yes, you have. You are the most difficult woman I have ever met."

“That's because you must be used to having women kissing your feet at all times. If that's what you want from me, you can sit and wait."

“I don't want you kissing my feet; I want you in my bed."

“I'm not saying we won't have sex anymore, but I won't sleep there."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling like a hell of a headache is coming. I run a hand over my face to try to clear my head, while she continues to act like I'm not in front of her.

She goes into the bathroom, and I can see in the mirror that she's starting to unzip her dress, probably getting ready for her shower.

"Come back here."

She sticks her head out of the door. "Please."

"What?"

“‘Come back here, please , Elina.’ Come on, I'm sure you can do it."

Now I know she's trying to piss me off.

First, I feel like punching the wall in frustration, but then, after a few seconds, things clear up as fast as a cloud drifting away from the sun, and I smile. “We are definitely a couple. We just had our first fight."

“I'm not fighting. I wouldn't risk doing something like that and losing my job, boss ."

I laugh out loud, and she looks like she wants to throw something at me. “You're my girlfriend, not my employee."

“I’m your employee and also the woman you have sex with," she persists, with a frown.

I've never been one to fear death, so I take two steps closer to her, testing the water.

Elina doesn't look away, her eyes radiating a dangerous light, but I notice a vein pulsing on her neck.

It's always like that. We can't be close for more than a few minutes without ending up naked, curled up together, sweaty and moaning in each other's arms. Even when I read to her, we end up either on the couch or on the floor, with me buried deep in her body.

"You are my woman."

“I don't want to hear this. I asked you not to lie. I'm not punishing you for what you said to Christos, just trying to remind myself who I am in your life."

I place my hand on her hip. "My woman."

"No."

"Yes, you are. It doesn't matter if we agreed to keep feelings out of the game, we are together. You are my woman as much as I am your man, and from now on, the whole world will know it."

“You must be crazy."

I hold her ass and rub my erection against her belly. I kiss and lick her neck, and when I bite her earlobe, she moans.

“This is just sex."

“Girlfriend, woman,” I continue, already pulling up the skirt of her dress and touching the minimal fabric of her panties. "Mine."

I put my hand inside the silk piece, and a growl escapes my throat when I realize it's already wet. Then she unzips my jeans, and before long, my hard sex slides into her hand.

When I pick her up, she doesn't let go, as anxious as I am. As I pull her panties to the side, she fits me into her opening.

“Damn it, Elina!"

In this position, it's even more difficult to take her because she is so tight, but she doesn't seem to be worried, and after two thrusts, she holds all of me in her body.

The urgency is almost painful, and I lean against the wall, starting to move in a slow, deep rhythm. "How do you want it?"I'm holding on for her, because judging by my craving, I need to go harder.

“Everything, Odin. Always everything. I love what you do to me. What we do together."Her fingers tug at my hair, and her legs are locked around my waist.

Holding her hips, I confirm once more, since I can't think straight. "Everything?"

She nods her head and then pulls me by the shoulders. “I want it really deep."

I shiver with contained arousal, and bringing her closer to me, I speed up my movements.

“Just like that. You know how to drive me crazy," she moans.

We get lost for minutes that feel like hours.

Hungry, desperate, insatiable, until she whimpers, telling me she's going to come.

I touch her clit and make her ride me a few more times.

Almost simultaneously, our bodies succumb to the ecstasy of climax.

“Don't think I'm asking for a compromise. We agreed it would just be sex. I just didn't like being treated like a mistress."Finally, she seems to be calmer and able to talk more than usual.

I've always found her way of talking incongruous with her temper.She talks slowly, even when she's spouting insults at me.

“We are both free, and even without involving love, we don't need to hide,” she continues.

We are lying on the bed, and I have her naked on top of my body, after hours of passionate sex. The fight seemed to increase our desire even more .

Elina and I both have combative spirits, but we're also addicted to each other, I have no doubt, so the mere possibility of us drifting apart was all it took to make our blood boil.

As soon as we understood each other, we both demanded complete surrender.

“We're not hiding. All my employees know that you live with me."

"I don't live with you. It’s a temporary thing."

I lift her chin to look at her. "Why are you saying this now? Are you thinking about moving out? Are you going to try the modeling profession like Zoe suggested?"

If she were a good girl, she'd say no and give me back my peace of mind, but this is Elina, with all of her traits that I simultaneously adore and drive me crazy.

She will never make my life easier.

“I haven't decided on that yet. She said that, with time, I could achieve financial independence."

I carefully weigh what to say because I don't want to act like a Neanderthal. Besides, I'm almost positive that if I complain, the chances of her embracing the profession will be greater. "But is that what you'd like to do?"

"I don't know. Models need to be exposed a lot, and I don't like the idea of being scantily clad in front of people."

And there she goes again.

One moment, the woman is feisty, determined, ready to put me in my rightful place. The next, she shows how raw and innocent she still is.

My delicious woman. My private temptation.

“You don't have any problem being undressed when you’re with me,” I joke because I want to ward off this strange feeling that’s beginning to appear more and more often inside me.

The certainty that she's mine and that this desire won't pass.

“Because it's just you. I even hated it when my mom wanted me to wear low-cut dresses to our parties."

It does nothing to restrain the caveman I have under surveillance. Not knowing what to say, I kiss her for a long time.

We are not good with words; our bodies communicate much better .

“I won't let you down, if that's what you're worried about. Even if I decide to try a modeling career, next month's party is guaranteed."

"Aren't you satisfied with your work?"

"Yes, I am. I actually like this organizing thing a lot, but it doesn't seem right to me to be paid a salary and still sleep in your bed. I know this sounds kind of absurd, but it's like I'm being paid to have sex with you."

“Don't ever say that again. At first, when I invited you to work for me, it was because I wanted to help you start your life here in the States, but that's not what it's about anymore. You are competent. Everyone praises your work. Cassandra was surprised by your good taste. You're not in this position because you're my girlfriend."

“That still sounds weird."

"What?"

" Your girlfriend. You don't look like someone's boyfriend. When I think of a boyfriend, a sweet and cute man comes to mind, bearing a bouquet of flowers in his hands.”

"Is that the kind of man you like?"

"No. Don't change. I prefer you the way you are."

Elina is right—the lines of our relationship are totally blurred, overlapping. We are not just lovers. Gradually, she is becoming part of me.

“I didn't mean that."

"What are you talking about?"

“About being an idiot and calling you my employee."

“You said nothing but the truth. What irritated me was that you gave the impression that I was only your employee."

“It won't happen again."

“Are you apologizing to me?"

"Yes, I am."

She pulls away a little as if to check whether I'm serious.

I hope she's going to gloat with some mocking phrase, but to my surprise, she holds my face in her hands.

“Apology accepted, boyfriend."

God, I will never unravel her.

“Oh, Elina...” I bite her hot mouth lightly. "Why can't I predict your next move?"

"Is that bad?"

“No, it's delicious."

The next morning

"I had an idea," I say.

She's cooking our breakfast as I watch her. She asked me to give the staff weekends off, and I agreed.

“I think I've found a solution so you won't have to worry about working for me anymore. I will invest in an event organization company, and you'll be the owner. You can even get some other clients."

“I can't afford it, and I don't want any favors."

"Don't worry about it. Once you start earning money, you can pay me back little by little."

She turns around with a huge smile on her face, but just when I'm ready to mentally congratulate myself on getting it right, her expression drops.

“Thanks, but I'm not interested,” she says and turns back to the counter.

"Why not?"

“Because I wouldn't know how to run a company."

“You have me. I will help you in any way I can."

"No, thank you. Maybe I'll try modeling first."

I don't understand what's going on. I thought she said she loved throwing parties.

But one weekend fight is more than enough, so I get up and hug her from behind. "It's all right. Whatever you choose to do, I will support you."

She turns in my arms and lays her head on my chest. "Thanks."