Page 39 of About Love and Revenge

Unlike the first time, she now knows what to do, and her hands pull at me urgently. I took it slowly on the plane, but right now, perhaps because her words are still etched on my memory, there's a hint of desperation in my attack. I take her mouth in a clear simulation of the sexual act, and she responds as I know she would if I were inside her body.

Elina is pure fire in my arms.

Yet, despite the excitement bordering on madness, I force myself to stop. She'll have to learn to ask, too.

Her face shows disappointment, and God only knows how much it costs me not to kiss her again, but something she said stops me from continuing. I want Elina to come to me spontaneously, not feeling vulnerable or indebted because I gave her a job.

I wait to see if she will give an indication that she wants more, however, despite her desire being obvious, she hides it.

“Are you going to show me the rest of the apartment? I'm looking forward to seeing the kitchen."

Elina

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I siton the couch in the living room after he’s left, trying to calmly think about everything that has changed in my life in less than a week. From leaving Greece up to now, it's as if I’ve been living someone else's life.

I mean, in a way, I've always been a fraud. I pretended to fit in and rarely experienced real feelings other than fear and shame.

Now, it's different and a little scarier because I'm in charge of my own life. When I look back, I realize that maybe I didn't pay enough attention to the signs because, in fact, things were already rather weird in our house well before Odin's party. Ever since he started building on our land, which at the time I had no idea no longer belonged to my father, Leandros seemed angrier than usual.

We grew up not worrying about money, but all of a sudden I saw my father complaining to my mother about high credit card bills and saying that we should let some of the housekeepers go.

He'd never been like that before, and that should have been a clear warning to me that something was very wrong.

It's just that I'd always lived within my own world, not caring about what happened around me. I had no concrete goal other than to love and care for my horses.

Occasionally, Leandros hosted lavish receptions, but those became increasingly rare events. In the past, my father made a point of bringing businessmen over to our house so he could show us off, treating Mom and me as if we were two trophies. I think he regarded her being English as a sort of distinction from the rest of the Greek people. As for me, I have always felt one hundred percent Greek. If we forget the fact that I speak both languages, there is nothing else that connects me to England other than maternal blood.

I get up and go to the window, looking out at the landscape. I can feel the city boiling even from up here. Light rain is falling, making the night seem dreary, but Manhattan is still beautiful.

When we got off the plane and took the car to the apartment, I tried not to show enthusiasm as I looked out the window, but it was hard not to lose my breath as we crossed that brightly lit bridge.

This island is so different from where I was born and raised. I'm scared to death and at the same time excited about everything that awaits me in the future.

I put my arms around my body and think about my family again. My parents ran away without a second thought about me. This shouldn't surprise me, but I can't help feeling hurt.

Even though Mom has always done everything to please her husband, it still hurts me that she didn't even care enough to say goodbye.

And then there's my father's arrangement with Naim. I don't know what would have become of me if Odin hadn't offered me the job and also put me under his protection. Because even if he didn't put it into words, I know that’s what he’s done.

Maybe not out of kindness, probably partly to annoy my dad, but he still helped me.

Leandros traded me, sold me, as the sheik himself said, for a considerable amount of money in order to guarantee his own well-being.

And what kind of man is Naim?

Even if we exclude the fact that he is vile and that he has physically and verbally assaulted me, how could he really think he would acquire me as if I were just a thing?

It's unbelievable.

Despite all of these certainties, a part of me still feels like I'm betraying my family by agreeing to come here with Odin. Although, I didn't have many alternatives and I'll fight tooth and nail to seize the opportunity he's given me to support myself with dignity.

The only problem is the attraction between us.

I don't know if what we've done since our first kiss on the plane is common for him—it probably is—but it will be hard for me to forget the feeling of being so wanted and protected.

Being by his side is like being inside a fortress, and it scares me because I don't want to get used to his care. However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to try having sex with him. My intuition tells me it would be an unforgettable experience.

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