Page 4 of Odin

“Is there anyone else?” she asked. Anger welled up inside me. I'd told her multiple times that there wasn't. Shaking my head, I couldn't believe we were still discussing nonexistent women. What had they done to her?

“No. I put a tracker on the cop last night and followed him when he left the hotel. That’s going to happen a lot until this issue resolves.” It was unspoken that the cop would eventually die. We just had to make sure that there was no blowback for either organization.

I kissed her passionately and slowly moved down to her neck, relishing the taste of her skin.

"Stop." Her nails dug into my chest. “No, baby," she mocked me. "If you won’t let me, then I don’t think it’s a good idea to let you.”

Throwing my head back into the pillow, I laughed from somewhere deep in my soul. “You’re denying me my husbandly right?” My tone was playful.

“Yes, you deny me, so I’ll deny you.” Her lips turned up at the corners. The more I laughed, the bigger her smile became. “Baby, I don’t think you’re ready for more. I know it’s going to take time to build trust. You don’t know me well enough to know that I will never hurt you.”

“I do. You could have taken me every night that you entered my room, but you didn’t,” she stubbornly dug in. Laying her head on my shoulder, she sniffed at the skin of my neck. "Your scent gives you away."

We lay in bed like that for a while before she picked her head up to look at me again. "Now what?" Her brow furrowed, reminding me of the nights I'd watched her sleep. The nightmares had been relentless the first couple of nights, and I'd felt helpless to stop them.

“Nothing. You’re my wife.” I leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “When you’re ready for more, I’ll let you tie me down and have your way with me.” I wiggled my eyebrows at her, and it worked to break the ice. I'd planted the seed, but I doubted she'd ever take me up on it.

“The cop?” Her face was still pale, but she was slowly regaining color.

“Leave him to me. After breakfast, I’ll take you home. They sent over your things, but I didn't touch them. I figured you would want to unpack yourself." I took one last look before I let her up. “Serena, never doubt that I want you. You’re mine, baby.” She kissed me, and my heart skipped a beat.

***

Monday rolled around quicker than I wanted it to. It had been a good weekend. Married on Saturday, and then Sunday, I spent most of the day watching Serena unpack into her new home. I had been content. It was a new feeling.

Now, I was preparing to leave for the office like one of those schmucks I despised. A corporate job had never been in my cards. It was too restrictive, which was probably why I had never opened up a traditional practice or applied to the local hospital. Mr. De Angelis wouldn’t have cared either way.

My lifestyle suited me well, but I would be amiss if I didn’t say that I missed the thrill of the hunt. The God of War was not happy to be caged right now. I often told myself that once this bullshit was over with, I’d go back to my regularly scheduled programing. I didn’t think Serena would have a problem with it. I just didn’t want to give the cop any excuse to either target her or put a target on me.

“What’s your game plan today?” I watched her as I ran my hand underneath the vest, making sure that my tie was flat. This was my new favorite pastime. Her. Not the tie.

“Not sure. I am supposed to meet my mother for lunch, but she hasn’t confirmed.”

While putting the final touches on the suit, I nodded my head in agreement to show I was listening. I wasn't happy about herplans, but I wouldn't restrict her movements. It was easy to see that she had some insecurities that could have only come from her family. It was alright. When I finally had my way with her, she’d understand pretty clearly that her hang-ups weren’t mine. All I wanted to do was worship her body until she was screaming my name.

“What are you up to, besides the obvious?” She must not have realized I was watching her because her eyes were scanning my body. She'd started at my shoes and had worked her way up my legs, to my waist, and now, my chest. When she reached my face, I held her gaze in mine until it became too much, and her eyes slid back to the bed. I wanted to ask if she liked what she saw, but the red blush against her cheeks gave her away.

“I have to go see the boss-man.” Finishing up, I put my wallet in the back pocket of my dress pants and strolled over to her. She leaned back onto the pillows as I hovered above her. “If you’re going out, take your keys with you. You won’t be able to get back up here in the elevator without them. The guards don’t have a set and neither does the front desk.” She was too tempting, lying in bed, rumpled. I stole a kiss from her parted lips.

“The guards have a car for you, so if you’re leaving, call them ten minutes prior, and they’ll see to your safety. You’ll have to let them up to escort you down. Don’t forget, Serena. They’re Deviants. They report to me, and I won’t be happy if I hear you weren't a good girl.” I grabbed another kiss from her. She had been silent this whole time.

“One more thing, baby.”

“Oh, what’s that?” she said with a slight smile.

“Have a good day.” I stole my last kiss from her lips and walked out.

Chapter 3

Odin

Getting off the elevator on the executive level, I made my way across the foyer. The receptionist looked up from her computer, and when she saw it was me, went back to work. I'd been here enough in a short amount of time that she didn't even acknowledge me beyond that. I made my way to Mr. De Angelis' door. Knocking, I waited. “Come in.”

I walked into the office, and as I was shutting the door behind me, Mr. De Angelis waved me to one of the seats in front of his desk. I could feel him analyzing me as I sat down. He would have done the same thing if I had been in disguise, but this time felt different. Personal. As if he could see my newly developed weakness.

“Marriage looks good on you.”I didn't say a word, nor did I shift in my chair. We were not friends. He owned me, and I was possessive enough over Serena that I didn't want any details leaked. They were all mine, like she was.

He snorted. "So, it’s like that?"His amusement at my discomfort was clearly visible on his face. I was a blank slate, making sure my poker face firmly planted.