Page 8 of Odin

I walked towards the bedroom door to leave and expected him to lead the way out of the room. He didn’t. Standing straight, he wrapped his hands around my shoulders and pulled me into his body. Holding me tight, he lowered his head to steal whatever breath I had left. “Hello, baby. You look absolutely stunning.”

“You’re not bad yourself.” I reached up for a kiss before we left the penthouse.

Chapter 5

Serena

It was an unusually cool summer night. The air was crisp, and it smelled like rain was on the horizon, even though there wasn't a cloud in sight. We took the elevator to the garage and walked over to his BMW. Opening the passenger door for me, he waited until I sat. I thought he'd close the door when I was comfortable, but he bent over and tucked me in, making sure my seat belt fastened. I didn't know what to make of it, but I felt cherished.

"Were you home all day today?" Odin asked me as he pulled away from the parking garage. I wasn't sure where this conversation was heading. Was he questioning me, or was this just to fill the silence in the car? It made me anxious. I wanted to make a good impression, but this might be a trap. Turning towards him in my seat, I watched his face for any clues. I couldn't get a read on him, but in my defense, I wasn't good at reading people, anyway.

"Yes. Didn't they tell you?" His eyebrows raised, and he looked as if he was just as confused as I was.

"Did who tell me?" He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and then focused back on the road. His hands flexed on the steering wheel.

"Don't my guards tell you my every move?" There was no expectation of privacy in the Lombardo compound or at my father's house. "You're a Lombardo, Serena. Act like it," my mother would reprimand me, and the guards would report any minor detail they thought would win them a favor. I expected it to be the same now.

"Yes, and no." He laid a hand on my knee. I could feel the warmth of it seeping through my jeans. "I want you to be comfortable, baby. They were explicitly told not to divulge your whereabouts unless something suspicious is happening or you're in danger. They still report to me, and they need to know where you are when I ask, but they don't tattle." He patted my knee and before he could remove his hand, I laced my fingers loosely through his. I didn't want him to be distracted behind the wheel, but I couldn't find a better way to relay my gratitude. My guards were not looking for me to fall to advance their status. I hoped he received the message. Curling my fingers down and over his, he raised our hands to his mouth and kissed my knuckles before releasing me.

"Hmm, so how did you know I was home?" I didn't honestly care. I just wanted to keep him talking.

He looked over at me and smiled. "Each morning, you tell me every detail of your plans. There wasn't anything going on today, so it was a lucky guess." He winked at me. I felt warm all over, and I wasn't sure if I was coming down with something. I'd never felt this way before. Knowing that he actually paid attention to our morning banter gave me hope that this marriage would be real one day.

I smiled back at him as we both went quiet, lost in our own thoughts. The only sound was the purr of the engine as he drove. It wasn't uncomfortable, and I didn't feel pressure to spew nonsense to fill in the gap. Looking out the window, I watched the scenery go by as he drove.

"Do you want to know where we're going?" I caught his eye as he looked over at me, waiting for my response.

"No, I like surprises." My smile widened even further.

Looking at me again, he smirked. "We're here, so I hope you like this one," he said.

When we pulled into the parking lot, I instantly knew where we were. “This is the outdoor movie theatre. I haven’t been here in years, Odin. Years.” How did he know I loved coming here? When we were little, Kat and I used to watch the kid's weekend show every Saturday. It was our favorite time together outside of school, because it was just us and our guards. When we became teenagers, it had stopped. We were told we were too old, and it made no sense to pay guards to watch movies.

He jumped out of the car, rounded the hood, and came over to my door. Opening it, he offered me his hand as I slid out of my seat. Ignoring it, I threw myself into his arms, hugging him fiercely. He wrapped his arms around me just as tightly. “Thank you. I love it,” I whispered into his chest.

"I had a little help from your brother. He said this used to be one of your favorite places." His arms didn’t let me go. “Let this be the first of many date nights.”

I pulled away first. Smiling widely, I grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.”

***

After finding a spot in the grass, he spread out a blanket and held out his hand to help me sit. I recognized the bags fromthe diner around the corner from the penthouse. I hadn't been there yet, but I'd seen it multiple times from the street.

"Is it alright?" he asked me. He was watching me as I opened the containers. There were two burgers, fries, and sodas. They looked delicious, and my mouth watered. "Yes, this looks good. Thank you." The burgers were the same, so I handed him one container and ate from the other. Taking a bite of the burger, I let out a little moan and closed my eyes to savor the taste. It was to die for.

I opened my eyes to take another bite, and that's when I noticed Odin wasn't eating. He was staring at me. I was afraid I'd done something wrong, but the blue flames in his eyes were back.

"How was your day, dear?" I asked playfully to break the tension.

He shook his head as if to clear away his thoughts and took another bite of his burger. "Let's see, it started with bedroom talk. That's always the highlight." My lips lifted at the corners. Our morning talks were the highlight of my day too because they made me feel seen. Odin paid attention to the things I said instead of pretending to listen. I continued to eat, not knowing what to say.

"It all went to shit with the usual stuff. Saw some people, did some things, but this beautiful woman agreed to come out with me, so it wasn't all bad," he continued. I shook my head at him, but before I could say anything, the theatre announced the first movie was starting in a few minutes.

The only thing I hated about the theatre was if you wanted the best view, you had to sit on the actual lawn. It wasn't so bad, but I couldn't get comfortable. My muscles would get stiff from being in one position, and then I'd shift to get a reprieve. A few minutes later, I was shifting again. Odin had been laying on his side with his head in his hand, his elbow propping himup. I watched the muscles in his forearms shift as he sat up. Stretching, he leaned over and grabbed me by my hips, plopping me between his spread legs. He shifted us so that I was leaning against his chest. This was much better than a lawn chair.

“Settle down, baby. I got you.” I let my head rest on his chest, content to let him hold me.

I hadn't thought to bring a sweatshirt, so by the time the first movie ended, I was cold. I shivered and buried myself as close as I could get to Odin. He was comfy, but he pulled another blanket out of the picnic supplies and wrapped it around me. I shifted forward to give him room, not thinking anything of it, until I felt the tension radiating off of him. Odin pulled the back of my jeans away from my body. That's when I clued in. My husband had seen the red lace panties by accident. I waited patiently in anticipation.

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