Chapter 16 #2
“Fuck off,” Mustang told his friend. “Just for that, I think we’ll do our run with our packs on for PT on Monday.”
Everyone groaned.
Elodie giggled. It was the most beautiful sound Mustang had ever heard.
Aleck wasn’t exactly wrong with his assessment of his temperament.
Being around Elodie had softened him in a lot of ways.
Regular sex probably had something to do with that as well, but he’d never admit to something so crass… especially not in front of Elodie.
“If we’re gonna get our asses kicked on Monday, I want to stuff my face now to prepare. Are there any more burgers?” Pid asked.
“You guys want more?” Elodie asked in surprise. “We already made like a dozen of them.”
“They’re always hungry,” Mustang informed her as he squeezed her hands once more then reached for the plate he’d abandoned.
“I could eat another, but I’m more interested in watching how Elodie cooks these things,” Jag said.
“Same,” Midas agreed.
“All right, I’ll show you on one condition,” Elodie said with a completely straight face.
“Anything.”
“Of course.”
“Depends on what it is,” Slate said suspiciously.
She smiled at him. “Ah, there’s one smart guy in the bunch,” she quipped. “Wanting to know what he’s agreeing to before he says yes. All I was gonna ask is that you promise to come back safe and sound from your mission next week.”
Everyone went silent at her request.
After a pregnant pause, Mustang knew he had to step in and explain why they hadn’t all immediately agreed.
“Babe…here’s the thing. As good as we are, as much as we plan and prepare, shit can always go sideways.
We’re trained to deal with that…but from the first day we started working together, we made a pledge that when we had girlfriends or got married, we’d never promise to stay alive.
We do everything in our power to make sure that happens, but we can’t promise. ”
He saw Elodie swallow hard, then nod. “I understand, and I shouldn’t have said anything.
It’s just…you guys are my only friends. And now that I know all of you, really know you, not just what Scott has told me about you, I can’t imagine any of you not being here.
You’re a unit, a team, and it’s obvious how close you are. ”
Surprisingly, it was Slate who approached. He tugged Elodie into his arms and gave her a long and heartfelt hug. “We can’t promise not to die, but we can promise to not do anything stupid or to put ourselves in situations that would be less than ideal.”
Elodie chuckled against Slate’s chest. “Less than ideal, yeah, that’s totally SEAL speak for ‘fucked up beyond all recognition’ for sure.”
Slate loosened his hold and glanced down at her. “How’d you know what FUBAR stands for?”
“Because I’m not an idiot?” she quipped.
“I know how to use the Internet. And I may or may not have used Scott’s phone to research military acronyms. Since I’m dating a military guy now, I need to know that stuff so I can understand Scott when he talks.
And along with the normal things, like the ranks and ridiculous stuff like COMNAVSEASYSCOM—who actually uses that one?
—I looked up some of the more fun ones. Like FUBAR, FARP, BLT, BOHICA, DILLIGAFF, and SWAG. ”
Mustang couldn’t help but laugh along with the rest of his friends.
Then Slate passed Elodie to Pid, who gave her a long hug of his own, then Aleck, Midas, and lastly, Jag.
Mustang had no problem whatsoever with his friends comforting Elodie.
He trusted them with his life, and Elodie’s, and if they could make her feel better with a hug, he was thrilled.
His heart kind of hurt thinking about her saying they were her only friends. He wanted to fix that, but wasn’t sure how without putting her in danger.
For what seemed like the hundredth time, he mentally cussed out Paul Columbus. It was true that he wouldn’t have met Elodie if the man hadn’t caused her to flee for her life, but he hated that she was so alone right now. Afraid to make any deep connections in case she had to bolt once more.
He stood back and watched as Elodie charmed his team. She showed them how to put the thumbprint in the middle of the patties and smacked Jag’s hand when he reached for the burgers with the spatula.
“I said no touching,” she scolded. “Let the heat do its thing.”
Mustang thought it was hilarious that his slip of a woman actually had the audacity to smack Jag. He wasn’t exactly Mr. Jovial, but she knew he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.
By the time the afternoon was winding down, Mustang could tell Elodie was exhausted.
It was no wonder; they’d hiked, swam, hiked some more, then she’d cooked and kept up a constant conversation with everyone.
He knew she had to be good at small talk for her job on the fishing boat, but it could be stressful to hang out with people you didn’t know and constantly be “on.”
After they’d cleaned up the gazebo area they’d used and had helped bring utensils and leftover food back up to Aleck’s condo, they’d all headed back down to the parking lot.
Elodie had given each of the men a long hug and told them all to be safe.
Mustang enjoyed spending time with his team, but he was more than glad to have Elodie to himself once again.
He drove back to his own apartment, which seemed tiny compared to Aleck’s.
For just a moment, Mustang worried that what he could give Elodie paled in comparison, but as if she could sense his concern, she turned to him the second they were inside.
She hugged him hard. “I loved Aleck’s place—who wouldn’t? —but yours is so much cozier.”
God, she was fucking perfect.
“You look tired,” he said.
“That’s because I am,” she replied with a smile.
“How about a bath?”
“I’d love one.”
“Go on, then. You want me to bring you a glass of wine?”
She smirked. “That will always remind me of the first time we came here, and you asked if I wanted a slow seduction with a glass of wine or if I wanted you to take me hard and fast just inside the door.”
Mustang’s cock twitched. He’d never, ever forget that either. “I knew you were perfect for me by your reply.”
Elodie sighed happily. “You want help with our stuff, getting it in the wash?”
“Nope. I got it. Go on and get settled. I’ll be in there in a bit with your wine.”
“Thanks, Scott. And for the record…you have amazing friends.”
“Yeah, they’re pretty awesome.”
With that, she went up on her tiptoes, kissed him briefly on the lips, and headed for the master bedroom.
Mustang watched her go and knew if something ever happened to her, he’d be completely lost.
For the first time in his Naval career, he didn’t want to go on a mission. He wanted to stay here, with her, making sure she was safe. He knew Elodie would tell him he was being ridiculous, but the thought of her possibly needing him when he wasn’t there was abhorrent.
Taking a deep breath, he reached for the pack he’d brought inside.
Their clothes were wet and had to be washed, then he needed to get a glass of wine for his woman and make sure she was as comfortable and relaxed as possible.
After she was mellow and warm from her bath and the alcohol, he’d take her to their bed and show her exactly how much she meant to him.
Smiling at the thought of making love to her later, Mustang headed for the small laundry room off the kitchen. He had a few days before they left for Africa, and he was going to take advantage of every minute he had to spend with Elodie.
On Wednesday, Elodie did her best to keep herself together as Scott drove her toward the harbor.
He was taking her to work and then he’d be headed out on his mission.
She was scared for him, but determined to put on a brave face.
This was what women who were married to or dating military guys did.
They made sure their men could go off and serve their country without having to worry about the people they were leaving behind.
She could do this. She’d been on her own for quite a while now.
Scott pulled up and hopped out of the truck without a word, as she did the same.
They met at the front of his truck and he immediately reached for her hand.
Her backpack with a change of clothes was over one of his shoulders, and she couldn’t help but be proud of how handsome he looked in his blue camouflage Navy uniform.
“You okay?” he asked quietly as they walked toward the Fish Tales.
“Yeah. You?”
“I’m just thinking about how much I’m gonna miss you,” he admitted.
“Same. But you’ll be busy and time’ll go by fast.” She had no idea if that was true or not, the time-going-by-fast thing, but she hoped so for his sake.
“Kai said he could pick you up and take you home, but if he gets sick or can’t take you, call either of the two guys we talked about. I work with them on the base, and they said they’d have no problem driving you back to my apartment.”
“I’ll be fine, Scott.”
“And if you need or want to go back to your place, make sure you lock the doors and don’t leave your windows open at night. I know you like the breeze, but it’s not safe since you’re on the ground level.”
“Scott—”
“And don’t forget to take the disposable phone I bought for you wherever you go. Even if it’s just to the store, although we did set up the grocery delivery straight to my apartment, so you shouldn’t have to go out.”
“Scott—” Elodie tried again, but he kept talking over her.
“I wish I knew how long I’ll be gone, but I don’t.
Ballpark is two weeks, but we could be back before that or, if things don’t go as planned, we could be gone for up to a month.
Be smart, and if you sense anything is wrong or off, call my commander.
I updated him on what was going on—about Columbus and everything.
I know you weren’t happy with me, but he needed to know so he could step in if the shit hits the fan while I’m deployed. ”