Chapter 15 #3
“Here’s the thing,” Pid said. “You’re with Mustang, and he’s one of the best men I’ve ever met in my life.
He’s saved my life too many times to count.
I’d do anything for him. Being with you makes him happier than I’ve ever seen him, and I want that to continue.
We were already impressed with your actions back on that cargo ship, so helping you isn’t a hardship.
Threaten one of us, you threaten all of us.
That’s the way it’s always been and how it will always be. ”
Elodie loved that Scott had the kind of bond and friendship as he did with these men. She didn’t care if they were helping her only because she was with Scott.
“Aren’t you uncomfortable with all that mud on you?” Aleck asked from behind them.
Elodie startled so badly, she would’ve fallen off the rock she was sitting on if Pid hadn’t grabbed her arm.
She looked behind her and saw water dripping off Aleck’s hair.
He’d taken off his shirt, and she couldn’t help but admire his physique.
She wasn’t attracted to him sexually, but she could appreciate a well-built man when she saw one.
“I’m okay.”
“You don’t have to jump, but I’m gonna feel guilty if you walk all the way back to the cars all muddy like that. The water’s chilly but it’s refreshing. Please?”
Elodie sighed. How could she refuse? And Aleck was right, she was sticky and the mud was starting to itch on her legs. “Okay, but if an anaconda drags me under, I expect all of you to come and save me.”
“Deal!” Aleck exclaimed happily. “Come on.”
She once again took his hand and let him lead her to the edge of the swimming hole. He immediately plunged into the water, while Elodie bent down to take off her shoes.
“Leave ’em on,” Jag told her.
Elodie looked up. Jag hadn’t said much thus far, and not just to her, but anyone.
She didn’t think he was being rude, so much as it was just his personality.
He was the silent but deadly type. At least that was the impression she got.
He was also the shortest of the men on the team, but still taller than her by a few inches.
“There are some sharp rocks at the bottom, and it’ll be easier to walk with them on. Not to mention it’ll clean them off,” Jag said.
Elodie nodded and decided to wade in with her shorts and shirt on.
Yeah, she wore her suit underneath, but she’d wash off the mud first, then take off her clothes.
She was very thankful at that moment that Scott had insisted on throwing in an extra set of clothes for them both in his pack.
She’d thought he was being overly prepared at the time, but he’d obviously known what he was doing.
She waded in cautiously—then shrieked with laughter when Scott came up behind her and hauled her up into his arms. He strode into the water, holding her above it.
“Don’t drop me!” she yelled, latching her arms around his neck.
He smirked at her.
“I mean it,” she threatened, but she didn’t think she sounded very adamant.
He walked out into the water until she could feel it lapping against her ass. She tried to arch her back to get away from the cold, with no luck.
“Hang on,” Scott told her.
She wasn’t about to let go of him, and Elodie closed her eyes in anticipation of him dropping her—but instead, he kept hold of her and plunged them both down into the water.
It was freezing. The guys kept saying it was “chilly” but they’d totally lied.
After dunking them both, Scott immediately stood back up, and Elodie gasped in air. “Holy crap, it’s like ice!” she told him.
He laughed. “It’s not so bad.”
“Right, I forgot, you’re a big bad Navy SEAL and impervious to cold.”
He backed up closer to the shore, then lowered himself again, sitting on a big rock in the water.
When he settled, the water came up to around the middle of his chest. “You’ll get used to it in a second.
” Then he propped her ass on his knees under the water…
and used a hand to inch his way up her body.
He caressed her thigh, then her stomach, then her chest.
Elodie’s eyes widened as his touch turned intimate.
“Scott?”
“Just cleaning the mud off,” he said with a gleam in his eye.
Elodie looked around nervously.
“No one’s watching,” he said. “And I’d never do anything inappropriate in front of my friends, or anyone else, that would embarrass you.”
She had to admit that, thanks to his touch and being immersed in the water, she was warming up. Elodie relaxed, trusting Scott to hold her up in the water. “Thanks for suggesting this today. I’m having a good time, and it’s nice to get to know your friends.”
“They like you,” Scott said.
Elodie shrugged. “I mean, it’ll take longer for us to really get to know each other, but it’s obvious you’re all close. I feel honored to have been invited into the inner circle, at least a little bit, if that makes sense.”
“It does. You feeling more comfortable now?”
“With them?”
“With them, and in the water now.”
“Yes to both.”
“Good.” He stood up, letting her legs fall, and Elodie realized the water wasn’t actually all that deep.
She stood, and the water came to just below her breasts.
Scott pulled her close and she snuggled against him.
He’d taken his shirt off too, and she loved how the sun glinted off his tan skin and his tattoo.
His beard dripped, and once more, she realized exactly how good-looking her man was.
She went up on her tiptoes, and he immediately lowered his head.
The kiss was intimate and deep, but they kept it short.
Voices sounded in the direction of the trail and when Elodie turned to look, she saw they were no longer alone.
“And here they come,” Scott murmured.
She was disappointed, but understood that this was public property. Tourists were just as welcome to use the area as they were.
“Come on, man! Come take a few more jumps before this place gets overrun!” Midas called out.
“Go,” Elodie told him when he hesitated.
“You sure?”
“Of course. I’m good.”
Scott gave her a boyish grin, then kissed her once more, hard and fast, before turning and heading for shore.
Elodie dunked herself, slicking back her hair, before doing her best to get the rest of the mud washed out of her shirt and shorts.
Then she headed back up to where they’d left their stuff and stripped out of her clothes.
She felt a little shy, and was relieved Scott and his team were otherwise occupied.
She noticed they had no problem stripping down to their shorts to play in the water, but even with Scott’s praise and worship of her body when they were in bed each night, she wasn’t exactly comfortable flaunting herself around the very obviously in-shape SEAL team.
She sat on the rock near their packs once more and basked in the sun as the men played.
They began a splashing war with a few teenagers who’d arrived, then showed them how to get to the two different jumping platforms above the waterfall.
By the time the area around the waterfall and swimming hole got too crowded, they were all ready to head back.
Elodie put on the extra set of clothes Scott had packed and they all started down the trail.
This time, Slate was leading the group. Everyone made fun of him for being impatient.
Now that their fun time was up, all he wanted to do was get back to the vehicles.
Elodie couldn’t really blame him though.
Walking in wet shoes and socks, as well as a damp bathing suit, wasn’t exactly comfortable.
She stared at Slate’s wide shoulders as they walked, dividing her attention between them and the trail at her feet. The large man surprised her when he turned and said, “Let me know if I go too fast for you to keep up.”
“I will. Thanks.”
“You hanging in there?” he asked.
Elodie was even more surprised he was initiating conversation. He and Jag had been fairly quiet all day. “Yeah, I am. I wasn’t sure about this hike at first, but it’s been great.”
“I meant with everything else.”
“Oh, I guess so. I don’t really have a choice.”
“You always have a choice,” Slate said. “No matter what happens in life, you always have a choice. You might make the wrong one, but the choice is there.”
Elodie wondered what kind of wrong choices he, or maybe someone he was close to, had made in the past. Because it certainly sounded as if he was talking from experience and not in general.
“You’re right. I chose to take that job in New York without looking too hard into it. I should’ve known it was too good to be true, but I was blinded by the need to get out of the restaurant business and by the salary.”
Slate grunted. It wasn’t exactly encouragement to keep talking, but she did so anyway.
She kept her voice low so only Slate, and probably Jag, who was walking behind her, could hear.
“And I chose to take the job on that cargo ship, thinking it would get me as far away from New York as possible, and bad things still happened. And now I’m here.
I don’t know if my choice to come to Hawaii will end up backfiring, and if I’ll bring danger straight to Scott’s door, but you have to believe me when I tell you that I’ll do everything in my power to prevent that. ”
“Even leave?” Jag asked.
Yup, she was right. He could hear her. She turned to look at him, nodding. “Yes.”
Jag nodded back, as if she’d said what he wanted to hear.
“That’s not gonna be necessary,” Slate said, and Elodie turned to face forward again. “If anyone from that family manages to track you down and threatens you, we’ll take care of it.”
“Why?” Elodie asked. “I’m a stranger to you. I’m possibly putting your friend in danger.”
“Because we don’t like bullies,” Jag said. “We’ve spent our entire military careers fighting against assholes who prey on others.”
“And,” Slate added, “we like you.”
Elodie blinked. He liked her? He hadn’t said more than a few words to her all day, except for the last few minutes.
But his assurance meant the world to her.
She could understand them helping her because of Scott, had even expected that.
Pid had said as much earlier. But to hear Slate say that he liked her?
She felt as if she’d somehow managed to win the lottery.
She didn’t think Slate openly admitted to liking many people.
“And for the record, I’ll gut anyone who lays a hand on you,” Jag added.
Elodie shivered. Yeah, he was definitely the silent but deadly type. She made a mental note to never get on his bad side.
“Thanks, you guys,” she said. “I appreciate that more than I can say. But honestly, I’m more worried about Scott than me at this point.
He doesn’t deserve for any of my shit to come down on him.
Don’t let him do anything that might get him in trouble with the Navy, all right?
He lives and breathes serving his country, and if something happened because of me, and he couldn’t be a SEAL anymore, it would destroy us both. ”
“We’ve got his back. And yours,” Slate told her.
“Jeez, you guys in a hurry for some reason?” Aleck called out from behind them.
Elodie realized for the first time that they’d begun to walk much faster as they were talking. Maybe it was a subconscious attempt to make sure Scott didn’t overhear.
Without thought, she turned and yelled, “What? Can’t keep up, Aleck? Wuss!”
Everyone laughed, and it felt good to be joking around with these guys.
Aleck and the others jogged to catch up with them and a good-natured shoving match occurred between the guys, who were all trying to take over the lead.
Elodie stepped out of the way and watched with a huge smile on her face.
She turned to Scott, who’d come up next to her. “You aren’t joining in?”
“Hell no,” he said. “I only brought one change of clothes, and the last thing I want to do is drive to Aleck’s condo covered in mud.”
The guys quickly got themselves sorted out and they were once more walking toward their vehicles. They passed groups of hikers every couple minutes, and Elodie was glad they’d gotten up early to beat the crowds. Her stomach growled, and she realized it was close to noon.
Without her having to ask, Scott dug out a granola bar and handed it to her.
Smiling, Elodie sighed in contentment. She was truly happy. Her life wasn’t perfect, she still had a pretty damn big cloud hanging over her head, but right now? Walking in the mud with these six men and being treated as one of the team? She was content.