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“You cut your hair.” He's lying with me on his body and caressing my back. Odin seems to love keeping me like this, as a kind of willing prisoner, and I have to say I'm starting to get used to the warmth of his embrace.

“I wanted to change it up a bit. Zoe helped me decide the style.”

“Does it have something to do with the modeling career?”His voice sounds strained.

“No. It's just that I’ve never given myself the right to choose this for myself. Actually, it didn't matter, you know? My mom said I should leave it long and I didn't care.”

“Why the desire for change now?”

I remain silent. How can I answer that without looking like a fool?

“Elina?”He lifts my face from his chest, forcing me to look at him.

“You said that we . . . that we're going out to events together. I didn't want to embarrass you. People must be used to seeing you with exquisite women.”

“You're perfect. You don't have to change anything.”

“You don’t like it?”

“I like it a lot, but you're beautiful either way. What I want to know is: do you like it? Because that's all that matters. You must please yourself before anyone else.”

“I felt a little weird when I looked in the mirror the first time, to tell you the truth, but I'm getting used to it now.”

“The long hair will be missed.”

“Why?”

He tugs me higher and speaks in my ear. “Because I won't be able to pull it when I'm taking you from behind.”

“Wanton.”

“Totally. Your wanton.”

Suddenly, the worry that I might never touch him again comes back and my body shudders. I hold his face, giving him a light kiss and then another.

And then my mouth needs to touch more parts of him and I keep distributing kisses over his chin, his eyes, which are now closed, and his forehead.

“I was so scared.”

“I’m here.”

“But you might not always be.”

“Tell me about the phone call you received.”

I totally let my guard down. The fear that the things the sheik told me were true made me give up any protection against the way that Odin makes me feel.

“It was from Naim,” I begin, and he doesn't look surprised. “I don't know how he got my new number.”

“What time was that?”

“He called twice. First, just before I called you. He said I could say goodbye to my role as— I don't want to say it out loud.”

“To your role as what?”

“As your whore .”

“Bastard!” he curses and sets me beside him on the bed, though he is still holding me.

“It was no different from what my sisters said.”

I can tell by the way he clenches his jaw that he’s very angry. “You’re my girlfriend. They don't know anything about the two of us.”

“I don't care, Odin. I've spent my entire life worrying about people's judgment. I won't do it anymore.”

He nods. “Go on. What else did Naim say?”

“I was very nervous, so I don't remember everything, but I know he was laughing and saying you wouldn't come back, that he wanted to make me his wife, but now I would be his slave, his toy, until he got tired.”I shudder again as the hateful words slowly come back.

“It won't ever happen, Elina.”

“You can't say that.”Even though I've totally given myself to Odin, I don't want to think about an ever after .

“Yes, I can and I have. Nobody will take you. You have my word.”

I don't say what I'm thinking, but he himself said he wasn't after anything long-term, and I'm not going to hold on to promises.

Trying to distract my mind from the treacherous thoughts, I continue, “That's when I called you, and when you told me everything was okay, I calmed down. However, after half an hour, he sent a video to my cell phone.”

“Can you show me?”

“Now?”

“Yeah.”

I go into the living room and pick up my phone.

He watches me as I return to the bedroom. In fact, he always watches me, and I'm getting dependent on his constant vigil.

He's already on his feet and putting on boxers. He keeps an arm around me as he taps the phone screen to start the video. I don't want to see it again, so I hide my face in his chest.

Seconds later, he tosses the cell phone onto the bed and hugs me. “Pack a bag for three days. We’re going on a trip.”

“Trip? Where? I have to work. There are several details of the party to be decided yet.”

“You can do that when we get back. Let's get away from it all.”

"Were those your men in the video?"

“Yes.” He kisses me and directs me to the closet. “Do what I say.”

“What kind of clothing?”

“Only the essentials. We can buy everything you need there.”

Although I don't understand anything, I agree. “Okay.”

WHITEFISH – MONTANA

“This place doesn't look real.” At the moment, I'm not the least bit worried about acting like a fool. I can't keep my mouth closed—it’s been open since the moment we got off the plane.

He’s brought me to his home in the mountains, and I don't want to leave ever again. The landscape looks like a dream setting.

“Do you like it?”

“I think you're going back to New York alone. I’ve found my favorite place in the United States.”

He laughs, and it’s such a rare thing that I'm kind of mesmerized. It's the first time since I've known him, outside of sex, that he seems more relaxed. As if just being away from the big city has changed his mood.

He hasn’t said anything more about the car explosion, and I’m grateful. I don't want to think that innocent men lost their lives because of me, just because that madman wanted revenge on both of us.

I look at Odin’s huge body and once again think about how indestructible he seems, and also about how suddenly such a strong man could have been killed by that coward.

He wears jeans that mark every muscle of his thighs. It's not that the pants are tight, but Odin looks like a mountain.

“You haven't seen it all yet. I have a surprise.”

“No one has ever arranged a surprise for me before.” God, me and my big mouth . I want to hide my face behind my hands, but I hold back.

He frowns, and I want to hit myself. "What do you mean?"

I shrug, trying to pretend it's no big deal. “My parents never cared about such nonsense. Leandros was rarely at home, and my mother lived for his every breath. There wasn't much time to remember that they had children.”I'm restless and a little embarrassed.

Seeming to notice my discomfort, he comes to me.

I can no longer hide how much I enjoy being by his side. Something changed after I almost lost him. I know the chance that I'll suffer when it's all over between us is high, but I'll make the most of it while we're together.

So when he pulls me to him by the waist, I don't hesitate, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Ready for your surprise?"

“Yeah.”

I can't believe my eyes. I feel my throat constrict as I walk from one stall to another.

“You raise horses.”I look back and see him watching me. I can't guess what he’s thinking, though. I am overwhelmed with the excitement of seeing these beautiful animals.

“I told you I loved horses too, remember?”

I nod and stop to pet a brown-spotted Appaloosa . “Can we ride them? I would very much like to ride.”

He comes up behind me, stopping a few steps away. “That's why I brought you here.” There's something in his voice that makes me look back at him. “Do you miss home?”

“The island itself, no. I'm enjoying living in New York, but I miss my companions.”

“ Companions ?”

“Horses have always been my best friends.”

“You choose your friends well.”

I look back at him and give him a crooked smile. “Some people might disagree with that.”

“Oh, Elina. Always provocative. What am I going to do with you?”

I don't answer because I'm already distracted talking to my new best friend. “Are they okay?”

“Who?”

“My horses from home . . . from your home, I mean. You were in Greece. The video Naim sent me was from our island. ”

“They are. I personally went to check on them.”

"Did you ride them?"

“No, I didn't have the time.” He pauses as if deciding something. "Would you like to visit them sometime in the future?"

“Would you take me?” And then I give myself a mental punch. “I mean, I can go alone,” I lie, trying to maintain my dignity. I've never been on a plane without someone by my side, and given my . . . problem, I'm afraid of getting lost.

“Yes, if you want to go, I'll take you.”

I look to see if he's telling the truth. I think he is. “Why are you so good to me?”

He takes a step back. “Don’t fool yourself. I'm not a good man, Elina.”

I'm silent for a while, thinking about what he’s said. I think he is.

Maybe not perfect, but he's a good man.

I've never seen Odin mistreat anyone or even raise his voice. He doesn’t need to. People naturally obey him.

Unlike my father, who barely spoke to his employees beyond the essentials, Odin seems to see each and every one of them.

His men respect him.

“What are you thinking?”

“That you don't have a very high opinion of yourself.”

“Maybe because I know myself better than anyone else.”

“Perhaps. Or maybe because you don't know yourself at all.”

I remember what Zoe told me about asking about his past and the problem with Leandros.

Maybe I'll do that later.

"So, which one can I ride?"

His face finally relaxes. “We’ll see.”