Page 20 of Odin

Odin was someone I found physically attractive. How could I not? It wasn't just physical, though. I enjoyed spending time with him. When things were serious, he knew when to interject humor to break the tension. He was a dangerous man, but I adored how he treated me. He didn't baby me or make me feel incompetent. It was more like he stood at my back, ready to protect or support me when I needed him. I was important to him, and sometimes, I even felt as if he needed me, too. I'd never had that before,

Then came the rest. Was he attracted to me, or was he being nice? He could have any woman he wanted, and although he had never told me, I had a feeling his sexual history was pretty extensive. I wasn’t a thin carbon copy of the women in this room, including my mother. I was me, and I would never apologize for that. He held my hand or rubbed my lower back, but nothing overly sexual. Besides the couple of times we'd done things, he had never implied that there would be more. Why? Was it me?

The other issue was I wasn’t sure how I’d handle being sexual with him. It wasn't Odin I was afraid of. It was the act itself. I’d hurt for days after being raped, walking around, popping Tylenol like it was candy and hoping no one noticed I was walking funny. I had come to terms with it. It had happened, and I had to accept that, but could I voluntarily open myself up to another man? Not just to another man but to my husband. What if it was disastrous? I didn’t want to tell him, afraid he'd look at me differently. I wanted marital bliss with Odin, but I wouldn't handle it well if he rejected me.

“Serena,” my mother said loudly, snapping me to attention. “Please pay attention,” she whispered as an afterthought. My cheeks blushed red at the reprimand.

“If I had her husband, I’d be daydreaming too,” Mrs. De Luca quipped, leaning forward in her chair, ready to pounce.

“Leave her alone. You have a husband who’s that handsome. You just don’t want him,” Mrs. Moretti said. It was true. Mrs. De Luca had married some politician, and they only pretended to be happy on the campaign trail.

Mrs. Moretti winked at me and steered the conversation back to normal ground. “How’s married life, Serena?” She'd always been nice to me, and I was grateful for her help.

“Yes, wife. How is it?”

Fuck! My head jerked to the side to look over my shoulder when I heard that voice. Odin's ears must have been ringing, because there he was, dressed in a three-piece suit. When I had left this morning, he’d been in a t-shirt and jeans. What had he been up to, and why was he calling me "wife" instead of "baby"? He'd never done that before, and I despised it instantly. It was just a name, but my instant reaction had me questioning why. It suddenly dawned on me as I looked over at my mother. My father called my mother "wife", and although they had an okay marriage, they lived separate lives. I didn't want that for myself. Odin was present when he was with me, and I never wanted that to change. I hoped for a genuine marriage.

Odin approached the table, instantly crouching between my chair and my mother's. He used the edge of the table for balance as he turned to look at me but addressed the women around the table."It's so good, she's speechless." They openly swooned. I could feel my cheeks heating, and I was sure I'd gone from blushing to being beet red.

“I am just surprised to see you. What are you doing here?” I shifted to my left so that I could see him. His face was blank, and the eyes that stared back at me were dead, not the vivid flames I normally saw.

"I remembered you telling me you would be here, and I have an appointment in an hour nearby. I thought I'd stop and see you for a few." They took his words at face value, but it was a lie. Ihadn't told him where I would be. In our morning conversation, I had said that my mother and I had a luncheon to attend. The specifics hadn't been important enough to tell him.

He leaned over so that his lips were at my ear. "Couldn't stay away," he whispered. I was confused, and this wasn't the time to ask him questions.

He turned back towards the women at the table, smiling. “So, ladies, have we solved the world’s problems today?” This was a new side of him I hadn’t seen before. He was a chameleon, and that was when I became positive that Odin was extremely dangerous for everyone but me. If you didn’t know him, you would have thought he was charming, sincere even. I saw it for what it was: an act. He wasn't hostile, but he hardly smiled, and laughter was practically non-existent. I treasured being on the receiving end of one of his smiles because they were rare.

“Not yet, Doctor, but you could help us. Volunteer for our bachelor banquet. I'd be happy to bid on you.” Mrs. De Luca had found her next target. She wasn't even trying to hide that she was interested in him. Leaning forward in her chair, she offered him a view of how low her dress was. I was beyond humiliated.

“The ladies are thinking about doing a bachelor auction to raise funds for back to school,” I explained, telepathically screaming at him to leave.

He nodded his head as if he was processing the information. "I won't be able to take part, as I am happily taken.” He slid one arm along the back of my chair and rebalanced himself on his toes. “I am afraid I wouldn’t be any fun.” He squeezed my shoulder. That was another lie. Right now, his demeanor was cool, with a pretentious vibe. Giving each woman a few seconds of conversation, he was saying all the right things. This wasn’t my husband.

He stayed a few more minutes before he made his apologies. Standing, he turned to my mother to say goodbye. They were distant with each other, which struck me as odd.

Shifting towards me, he held his hand out. "Walk me out?" I placed mine in his and stood immediately. I needed a break from this insanity, and I wanted a few minutes with my husband. Not this imposter. He let me go first with a hand on my back as we made our way through the tables.

We were silent as he walked me outside to his car. When we approached the driver’s side door, he gathered me in his arms and kissed me like we hadn’t seen each other in years. I needed this. I needed to be with him like this. When he pulled away from me, he looked into my eyes, and the blue flames were back. “Hi,” he said.

Thiswas my husband.

“What was that?” I asked. I was confused, and I needed some answers. He didn’t have to tell me everything, just enough that my mind was at ease with the sudden change.

“Not here.” I understood. I hadn't been prepared for the shock, and now I was reeling from the adrenaline. It was all too much, and I had reached my limit for the day. I was holding on by a thread, and it was about to snap at any minute.

He leaned against the car and pulled me against his chest, hugging me tight. I wrapped my arms underneath his suit coat and around his waist, laying my head on his shoulder. I curled into the spot where his neck met his shoulder and let his citrus scent soothe me.

“Are you alright, baby?”

“I don’t know. That was an act.”

“Later.”

I didn’t want to wait. I wanted to know now, but you never knew who was listening.

“Order Chinese for dinner, and I’ll answer your questions. I can’t do it here, baby.”

“I know,” I told him. I took the comfort of his arms for a few more seconds and then pulled away. Giving him a small smile, I turned around to walk back to the entrance of the hall. My husband was watching my back, and my guard was visible through the glass doors. I should have felt safe, but I didn’t. I was anxious.

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