Page 33 of Odin

“You’re absolutely stunning,” I bent to whisper in her ear. Dropping a kiss against the top of her head, I went to lean against the paint counter. I didn’t care. I could have stood there all day and watched her.

“Newly married?” the old man at the counter asked me as he approached. I twisted so that I could see who had spoken to me. He looked like a handy version of Santa, with his white hair and white beard, the orange of his apron standing out against the red of his shirt.

“Yes,” I responded, turning back around, so that I was facing Serena with my back to the counter.

“First home project? Reminds me of my first one, but that was many years ago.”

“Married?” I asked him, without answering his question.

“Yes. She made me come work here so that we could stay happily married,” he chuckled. I shook my head, acknowledging him.

“Make me look good. How do I get this done?” I asked him. The man gave me a crash course in DIY.

Chapter 17

Odin

It didn’t look too bad if I said so myself. You couldn’t see the red letters underneath, and there were no white patches poking through. I kind of liked the blue Serena had picked. It went well with the view of Lake Michigan that we had out the floor-to-ceiling windows.

It had been a chore, and it had weighed heavily on Serena, but we made the best of it. Cracking jokes the whole time, we had completed our first home project. If I could help it, I wasn’t doing another one. I’d just pay some son of a bitch to get it done for me.

The place was empty, but we sat on the floor next to each other, staring at the wall. We didn’t have very many clothes, so I stripped to my boxers and gave my undershirt to Serena. It did something to me to know that my wife was in my clothes. Now, I was trying to figure out a way to get her out of them. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but the silence in the room was comforting.

“When are you going back out on the prowl?”

I turned to look at her, but all I saw was her profile. “I can’t tell you that. I won’t put you at risk, baby.”

She turned, completely facing me, and tucked her knees to her chest. The shirt gathered in between her legs, blocking my view. It didn't matter, anyway. We were about to get serious. “You’re cooped up here. If I wake up in the middle of the night, either you're gone or pacing the living room. Sure, you have appointments during the day, but you function best at night. I am not wrong about this.”

I stayed quiet, watching her for any sign this wasn't going to end well, but I didn't see any. Her body was still loose, even though she was sitting like a pretzel. She had a slight smile playing on her lips, and her eyes were bright. Not wide with fear, but confident, as if the rest of today had never happened.

“I have been thinking. You can say no, but hear me out," she whispered. "Please, Odin."

I nodded at her to continue.

“I have known since our wedding night every time you leave. It’s like this intrinsic alarm that screams at me you’re gone. I have thought about changing my schedule to match yours, but I couldn’t come up with anything until today.

"My brother hates running Euforia. He's been leaving invoices all over the compound, and I saw one in the library the other day. I thought the price of glassware was high, so I called the company. I didn't tell them who I was, but I think they're overcharging the club. If I asked my dad, do you think they would let me train to take on half of the work? It’s a nightclub, so most of the staff work the overnights, and I could too. You wouldn’t be home, and you would know that I was safe.”

When she had first started speaking, she was speaking with her whole body. Her words tumbled over each other as if she had to get the thought out before someone stopped her. Her handswere flying around, and she had a slight tremor in her body from excitement. However, by the end, she'd trailed off in a whisper, and the movements had ceased. She no longer made eye contact with me, and I knew her well enough to understand that she felt embarrassed about desiring something. This wasn't about me, or even about her wants, because I'd give her the world. This was about her family, and the fact they had told her no often enough that she didn't believe she was worthy.

“Is this something you actually want to do?” I asked her. Her smile dropped a little, so I quickly chimed in, “If you’re trying to please me, you don’t have to worry about that. If you seriously want to do this, I will support you. I’d support you in everything unless your safety was in danger.”

I was sitting facing the wall with my legs outstretched, but she climbed into my lap and laced her fingers behind my neck.

“So, that’s where you draw the line? My safety?” I'd have been worried if she had said that seriously, but there was a small smile dancing on her lips.

“I will not spend another day without you.” My hands lightly gripped her thighs.

An enormous smile slowly spread across her face. It was big, bright, and lit up my soul. “I figured this would be better, and I want to feel useful. I can pitch in, and it won’t affect my time with you. Since my husband is easily jealous.”

“He is? Over what?” I wasn't jealous. I didn't know what the fuck she was talking about. There was no way I was fucking jealous.

She came closer to me, so that her lips touched mine. “He shouldn’t worry about my affectionsfor other people. I am only in love with him.” My heart beat triple time. "You see, my husband hasn't always experienced love, so he doesn't easily recognize it. I am going to show him and tell him as much as I can. As much as he’ll let me.” She kissed me, and I didn’t put upany fight. I let her take as much as she wanted from me. I pulled away slightly, still touching her lips with mine.

“Tell me straight.”

She smiled again and pulled away so that we were eye-to-eye. “I love you.”

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