“You know it wasn’t anything like that. I had cramps and didn’t want to bother you with them,” Elodie reminded him.
“I know. And I told you not to do that shit again. That I don’t give a crap about your period. I mean, I hate that you have bad cramps, but I’m not going to wig out about the fact that you have a period every month. It’s kind of a part of life. And the second time was when Kalani fell and hurt herself. You didn’t want to leave her, so you spent the night on her couch until her kids could get there from Maui. I completely understood, but I still missed holding you as I fell asleep.”
Elodie stared at him in surprise. She couldn’t believe he remembered every minute detail of the times she hadn’t slept over at his apartment.
“And the third time was when you saw that news story about a fire at that restaurant in New York. I knew it made you start thinking about your own situation, and that you were running scared. I hated that you were running from me instead of to me when shit got real, but I let you do it because you’re a grown-ass adult.”
“And I called an Uber at one in the morning to bring me back to your place because I couldn’t sleep and knew I’d been a dumbass,” Elodie said softly.
“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.”