Chapter 14 #2
“You were a dumbass,” Scott agreed, but he smiled when he said it so she knew he was teasing. “I’d never been so mad at someone and so glad to see them at the same time.”
“The woman driving the Uber was nice,” Elodie defended.
“Not the point. You could’ve been taken advantage of, taken somewhere to be robbed and raped. And, might I remind you, you promised never to do that again.”
“I know. And I won’t,” she told him.
“So back to my point, you are more than welcome to stay here. You’re practically living here anyway, other than the few hours you spend at your place in the afternoons when I drop you off after your shift.
Kai said it would be no problem to pick you up and drop you off here before and after your trips, and if he can’t, I can arrange for a friend from the base to come get you. ”
“I could drive Ben. I mean, if you trusted me with your truck,” Elodie suggested.
“I trust you with everything I have, but it’s simply safer if you aren’t alone. We talked about this.”
They had. But Elodie hated to be a burden on anyone.
Having Scott chauffeur her around wasn’t weird anymore, but having someone else go out of their way seemed like such an imposition.
“I haven’t felt anyone following me since I’ve been here,” she argued.
“And you said yourself that your team hasn’t found out anything that would make you think Paul knew where I was. ”
“I did, but that doesn’t mean he won’t suddenly find something while we’re gone,” Scott countered. He leaned down and rested his forehead on hers. “I just need you to be safe while I’m not here,” he said quietly. “But if you really want to drive my truck, I won’t say no.”
And this right here was one of the many reasons why she’d fallen for this man. He wasn’t overbearing and demanding. He had his say and ultimately left the decision about what to do up to her.
“Kai can pick me up and drop me off,” she told him.
Scott straightened. “Thank you. And now, there’s something else.”
“Something else? What?” she asked.
“Sunday, you, me, and the guys are going to hike the Maunawili Falls Trail. I know what you said about hiking, but I think you’ll have fun.
It’s not too strenuous, less than three miles round trip, and I’ve done this one several times.
We’ll leave early in the morning, before all the tourists get there.
We’ll get wet though. And muddy, so be prepared.
Afterward, we’ll head to Aleck’s place. He lives in a condo with a huge pool and gazebos with grills. ”
Elodie waited until he was done, as it was obvious he was nervous and talking fast so she wouldn’t interrupt him. “Sounds fun.”
Scott stared at her for a second, as if trying to read her mind. “Are you just saying that, or do you mean it?”
“I mean it,” Elodie told him.
He sighed in relief. “Good. The guys have run out of patience with me keeping you to myself. They said if I didn’t plan something, they were going to hogtie me and kidnap you just so they could get to know you.”
Elodie laughed, but then realized Scott wasn’t joining in. “Wait, you’re kidding, right?”
“Nope. Not at all.”
She shook her head. “Well then, it’s a good thing I said yes, huh?”
“Yup. I appreciate that, for my sake as well as yours. Because if they’d kidnapped you and scared you, I would’ve had to beat the shit out of them.”
Elodie had a feeling he wasn’t kidding about that either. “So you came up with the hiking plan?”
“Yeah. And figured Aleck could buy all the burgers and shit. His place really is amazing. We gave him crap about renting such an expensive place, until he told us he wasn’t renting, that his family owned the condo.
Apparently they’re loaded, and when they found out he was going to be stationed here, they gave it to him and bought another for themselves, for when they visit the island. ”
“Wow,” Elodie said.
“Yeah. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him that his family’s rich. I think he was on the team about six months before we even found out. I figured we might as well take advantage of the perks of the complex.”
Elodie was looking forward to seeing Scott’s friends and teammates again. There was no chance to get to know them aboard the Asaka Express. She couldn’t help but hope they liked her.
“You have nothing to worry about,” Scott said, as he took her hand in his and pulled her toward the kitchen.
“With how much I’ve talked about you, they already like you.
Come on, I’m hungry. I didn’t eat lunch today because I was worried about telling you I was leaving.
Now it feels as if my stomach is eating itself. ”
“Scott,” she scolded. “You can’t skip meals. It’s not good for you.”
“I know. What’d you want tonight?”
They went back and forth about their options and finally decided on sriracha shredded chicken tacos. They were quick and relatively healthy.
Since Elodie had to work in the morning, they headed to bed early, and after Scott had gotten her off twice, and had orgasmed once himself, they lay together, their arms and legs intertwined, replete and relaxed.
“Be safe next week,” Elodie whispered into his shoulder.
“You know I will be. I’ve got an amazing woman to come home to now. There’s no way I’ve found you, only to get taken out by some asshole now.”
She smiled against him. “I’m gonna worry about you every second,” she told him.
“Only appropriate, because I have a feeling I’m gonna be worried about how you’re doing as well,” he said.
Elodie lifted her head and frowned. “No, that’s not allowed. You need to concentrate on what you’re doing. I’m gonna be fine. You’re the one who’ll be in danger.”
“Until we know exactly what’s going on with Columbus, you don’t know that.”
“I’m going to go to work, be on the ocean all day, then come back here. I’m not going to be gallivanting all over the island. I’ll be holed up in your apartment.”
“Our.”
“What?”
“Our apartment,” Scott said easily.
Elodie smiled. She liked that. No, she freaking loved it.
“So if it’s our apartment, you’ll let me pay half the rent?”
“Not a chance,” Scott told her.
Elodie hadn’t really expected him to agree.
That was just the kind of man he was. But she could easily find ways to contribute.
The man ate a lot. She could order groceries to be delivered, just as she’d been doing at Kalani’s.
He didn’t pay attention to what was in his fridge or pantry very much.
And if he thought a grocery fairy was visiting and restocking, she didn’t mind.
“You need to talk to Kalani about your lease,” he told her. “There’s no reason to pay rent when you’re here all the time.”
He was right, but Elodie wasn’t quite ready to give up her room.
She knew she’d be hard pressed to find anything as cheap and nice as what she had right now.
It was only one room, but still. For just her, it was perfect.
And she liked Kalani, and knew she could use the extra money as well.
Besides, as much as she thought things between her and Scott were going well, if his friends decided she wasn’t a good match for him, or if he changed his mind, she’d need somewhere to go.
She made a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat.
He sighed under her. “I know, it’s not fair of me to ask you to give up your place. But you and me are going to work out, El. It’s okay if you keep it until you’re sure.”
That was the thing, she was sure, but it seemed like a huge step to give up her place. She was practically living with him already, as he’d pointed out, but still. “Thanks,” she said after a beat.
Scott hugged her, and she traced his tattoos on his opposite shoulder and upper chest. They looked kind of like the designs on the Indian pottery she’d seen from the American southwest. He’d admitted that he’d gotten them right after he’d joined the Navy, when everyone else was getting inked.
He didn’t regret the design, but they also didn’t have any deeper meaning.
“I think I’ve been more content this last month than I’ve ever been,” Scott said quietly. “I know things won’t always be so hunky-dory between us, but now that I’ve seen how well we mesh, I’m gonna try even harder to not be a dick and ruin what we’ve got.”
Elodie felt like a pile of mush. “I don’t think you could be a dick if you tried.”
“Oh, yeah, I can, but I’ll do my best to control it around you.”
She chuckled. “I feel the same. I never really cared much about having a boyfriend. I was happy with my own company and always so busy. But I feel as if you’re my best friend, as well as my boyfriend. It’s nice to have someone to talk to, who you know won’t judge you or think badly about you.”
“Well, there was that time when you said you actually like pineapple on pizza,” Scott quipped.
She smacked his stomach, and he let out an exaggerated oof. He caught her hand in his and brought it up to his mouth and kissed her palm, before wrapping his fingers around hers and resting their joined hands on his belly. “We’re gonna live happily ever after. I know it,” he declared.
Elodie was too satisfied, too happy, to even try to be rational about their relationship. Nothing about it had been normal, but she was all right with that.
“Go to sleep, babe. I’ll make sure you’re up in time to eat a good breakfast before we have to leave for the harbor.”
That wasn’t anything new, he’d been fixing her healthy breakfasts since the first time she’d spent the night at his apartment. “Are you running in the morning?”
“Not tomorrow. We’re taking it easy on PT since we’re heading out on a mission next week.”
Elodie hated being reminded that he was leaving, but she tried not to let it get her down. It was a part of who he was, as she’d known all along. “’Kay,” she said sleepily.
Scott tightened his arm around her, and she felt him kiss the top of her head.
The light from the bathroom shone into the room, and it reminded her of one more reason why she’d fallen so hard for this man. He knew about her demons and did whatever he could to help banish them, even if that meant sleeping with the light on.
The words “I love you” were on the tip of her tongue, but she held them back. Now didn’t seem the time to share those feelings. Instead, she turned her head, kissed the warm skin of his chest, and settled her cheek against him contentedly.
Her life may not have gone the way she’d thought it would, but she didn’t regret one damn thing, since everything had led her to this moment right here and now.