Free Odin (Billionaire Titans Book 2) by Alison Ryan Page A

connection just seemed too perfect. Maybe I should have given Miles Redbridge a try instead.”
    Miles was a year ahead of me at Calhoun, the only son of a loaded British industrialist. I’d never gotten along particularly well with him, but he had an uncle in Parliament and his family was near the top of the food chain when it came to European movers and shakers.
    “Miles is a giant douchebag, if I’m being honest,” I replied.
    “But one hell of a swimmer, no?” she asked.
    Miles and I were teammates on the Calhoun swim and cross country teams. We’d finished 1-2 in both the 100 & 200-yard freestyle events at the All-New England Swim Meet. He’d beaten me in both races and was being touted as a potential British Olympian.
    “Touché. That he is. But he’s also a racist asshole who I doubt would be interested in helping you with anything,” I countered.
    “You’d be surprised what people are willing to do, given the proper motivation. But he doesn’t suit my purpose anyway. And I prefer to work with people I can respect. Like your father.”
    We continued our dinner, trading verbal barbs and comparing notes on hacking, colleges and a myriad of subjects. Whichever direction the conversation turned; she could hold her own. I couldn’t figure out if I’d made a friend, a potential work colleague, if she was a professional networking gold mine, or if our relationship was heading in a romantic direction.
    She disabused me of the last notion over dessert.
    “So, what’s the deal with Charlize?” she asked.
    “Charlize? Oh, she’s just a friend, nothing serious,” I was being honest, nothing was happening between me and Charlize since that aborted effort to raise her SAT score. I assumed Raven was steering things in that direction to gauge my availability. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
    “Well, introduce me to her, and set up a meeting with your dad, and I’ll owe you one. Or two. You know how resourceful I am; I’d be a good person to have owing you a favor,” Raven suggested, the first genuine smile of the evening crossing her lips.
    “I’ll definitely discuss you with my dad. If nothing else, he’ll probably want to sponsor you, send you to college, that sort of thing. As for Charlize… really?”
    “Really. She’s just my type,” Raven laughed. “But I doubt I’m hers. Scratch that part. Be my connection to your father and, through him Richard Hunt, and I’ll be there whenever and wherever you need me.”
    It was a promise she would keep.

11

Clara
    P iper and the baby couldn’t be better. I was so proud of her for carrying her precious cargo so well after having to endure the stress of the shooting and, prior to that, the events that occurred in Alaska, a nightmare scenario I’d caught snippets of from Atlas and Piper both.
    I gave them both a well-check, which they passed with flying colors, before attending to Odin. I entered his room alone, recalling my dream of the previous night and feeling butterflies as I reached down and took his hand in mine. Butterflies weren’t all I felt, my body went on automatic pilot in his presence, arousal causing my heart to race in my chest and my thighs to tremble as I allowed my mind to wander to the orgasms he’d given me in my dream.
    Once my general duties were done, and Odin’s IVs were changed, I sat in the chair next to his bed and began to talk. I felt some guilt over my attraction to him, but at the same time, I felt my husband’s presence in the room with me.
    The love I shared with Callum had been deep and rich.
    We met as undergrads, his Irish brogue drawing my attention as we jockeyed for position at a campus bar. We’d both arrived with friends, but once we caught each other’s eye our groups were quickly forgotten. We snuck out together, making out in the parking lot like teenagers in a basement at our first kegger.
    That first night we walked and walked, going from near campus all the way to Las Vegas Boulevard and from one