“Thank you,” Elodie said softly.
“You’re welcome,” Scott returned. Then he leaned over and took her chin in his hand and kissed her before shifting back to his own seat.
They ate breakfast slowly, enjoying the morning and continuing to get to know each other. Elodie insisted on taking care of the dishes, since he cooked. There wasn’t much to do, as he’d already cleaned up after making the bacon.
She put their plates in the dishwasher and turned, letting out an oof as she ran smack dab into Scott.
“Jeez, you walk quietly. I had no idea you were behind me.”
He rolled his eyes. “SEAL, babe, remember?”
“I know, but still, it’s uncanny. I’m gonna have to put a bell around your neck so you don’t scare the crap out of me when you’re sneaking around.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she noticed how his gaze fell to her chest. She hadn’t closed the buttons he’d opened earlier, and without a bra, she knew he was getting quite the eyeful from his vantage point.
His hands shifted under the waistband of the sweats she was wearing. His fingers caressed her hips—and his eyebrows went up. “You aren’t wearing underwear under here?” he asked.
“Scott, the last time I saw my bra and underwear was in the foyer. I have no idea where they are now, and I wasn’t going to put them back on anyway. They’re dirty.”
“They’re in my washing machine,” Scott admitted. “I was gonna wash your dress too, but unfortunately, I need to take it to a seamstress to get it fixed before you can wear it again.”
He was damn cute. “It’s fine. The dress cost like fifteen bucks at an ABC Store. It’ll be cheaper to just go buy a new one.”
Scott shook his head. “Nope. You’re keeping that dress, and every year on our anniversary—the anniversary of when we found each other again—you’re gonna wear it when we go out and I’m gonna strip it off you when we get home, just like I did last night.”
God, she loved the thought of that. Not only the sex, but that he was thinking long term. It solidified her feeling that this wasn’t a casual fling for either of them. “I might gain weight and not be able to fit into it in the future,” she teased.
He shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. “Then I’ll scour the Internet and find fabric just like it and have a new one made for you.”
Gah, he definitely knew all the right things to say. Elodie smiled up at him.
“But now I can’t ever wear those sweats again,” he said conversationally.
“What? Why not?”
“Because I know your pussy has been bare under there, and there’s no way my cock will be able to behave.”
It was Elodie’s turn to roll her eyes. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Am I?” he asked, nodding down to his crotch. “Look, I’m hard and ready to go just thinking about you being bare under there.”
“I think you need to have that looked at,” Elodie said seriously. “That can’t be normal. Not after last night and you running two damn hours this morning. You should be exhausted.”
“You mean you aren’t thinking about all the things I can do to you with my cock?” he asked.
“Nope,” Elodie said, lying through her teeth.
Scott stared at her for a moment, then moved his hands up and began to tickle her.
Elodie screeched and squirmed, trying to get away from his fingers, without success. She broke away from him and ran toward the living room. Scott easily caught up to her and tackled her onto the couch, straddling her hips and continuing the tickle torture.
“No, no! Stop! I give up!”
“Tell the truth, or I won’t stop!” he threatened.
“Okay, okay!” she said between giggles. “I may or may not have masturbated in the shower this morning as I thought about how hot you are, and how much I loved what we did last night.”
His fingers immediately stilled, and he groaned. “Damn, woman,” he complained. “Seriously?”
Elodie nodded shyly.
“It’s a good thing we both have the day off,” he said as he reached for the buttons of the shirt she was wearing once more.
Elodie grinned and didn’t protest as he peeled his shirt away from her chest and stared down at her. Feeling powerful and sexy, she arched her back slightly. Scott immediately moved, leaning down to take one of her nipples into his mouth, just as he’d done the night before. Elodie moaned and fisted his hair as he feasted on her.
An hour later, they were both lying back in his bed, sweaty and satisfied after another bout of intense lovemaking. The connection between them was powerful, and it wasn’t just sexual either.
As if he could read her mind, Scott said, “Talk to me, El. It’s time.”
Elodie had known this was coming. And if she was being honest with herself, as much as she’d liked having the pressure taken off by not talking about her past before now, she was relieved to finally get it off her chest. To confide in someone.
She was still nervous about Scott’s safety, but after months of not seeing anyone suspicious or feeling danger lurking nearby, she was beginning to think maybe she’d overreacted. That maybe Paul was happy she was gone and would leave it at that.
Turning her head so she could look out the window on the other side of the room, see the calming sight of the ocean, Elodie took a deep breath and began to spill her secrets.
Chapter Twelve
Mustang did his best to stay calm as Elodie began to speak. He’d worried about her for months. Wondering if she was safe, and what could possibly be so bad that she’d taken a job on a cargo ship in the Middle East to get away from it. He’d come up with all sorts of scenarios in his mind…but not one of them was close to the truth.
“I was working in Chicago for a very well known Michelin star restaurant. But I hated it. I was tired all the time and the head chef was an ass. He stood around yelling at all of the sous chefs, station and line cooks, and specialty chefs. I understand how things work, but it still grated on my nerves when he took all the credit for everything, even though he didn’t cook a damn thing.
“A friend I knew from culinary school emailed me and told me about an amazing opportunity in New York City. The job was somewhat mysterious, but involved being the personal chef to a very wealthy family in the heart of the city. Room and board was included, which is huge since everyone knows how expensive apartments are in New York. I’d had an especially bad day at work and applied on a whim, never thinking I’d get a second look. But I did.
“I flew out for an interview, and I liked the people I met while I was there. I prepared a dinner for a small gathering as a part of the interview, and I guess they were impressed, because I got the job. I quit my job in Chicago and immediately moved out to New York. And things were great for a while. I was in charge of my own kitchen and mostly left alone. The salary was generous, and I met the head of the family several times, and he seemed very nice…” Her voice trailed off.
“But he wasn’t?”
Elodie shivered. “No.”
“Who was he?” Mustang asked, not liking where this was going.