Page 28 of Finding Elodie
“I wouldn’t get any closer to her. I hear she’s pretty damn good with knives.”
Elodie looked over Valentino’s shoulder and saw Scott standing in the galley doorway. He’d come in through the crew mess and pantry. Now that the lights were on, he seemed even taller and stronger than she’d thought when she’d seen him in the dark.
She drank in his features. He was still dressed all in black, but now she could see his hair was short on the sides and longer on top. She still had an urge to feel his beard, to see if it was soft or scratchy. He was taller than her by at least half a foot, and the sight of him had her wanting to throw herself into his arms. If it had been him who’d embraced her, instead of Valentino, she would’ve gladly snuggled in and let him comfort her. His brown eyes were glaring at the officer, and she could see the muscles in Scott’s arms flexing, even under the black long-sleeve shirt he had on.
This was a man on the verge of pouncing. Like a sleek panther.
Elodie held her breath, waiting to see what would happen next.
Valentino kept his eyes on Scott, which was the smartest thing he’d done since they’d come downstairs. He obviously knew where the threat was…all six feet of him standing in the doorway.
Scott didn’t wait for Valentino to speak, he strode into the room and not so casually put himself between the officer and Elodie. “I’m thinking you’re needed on the bridge,” Scott told him. “They could use all the help they can get up there, and that’s where your duties lie. Not here.”
“I was offering to help,” Valentino muttered.
“Help, yeah, that’s what it sounded like to me,” Scott said sarcastically. “I think Rachel’s got things under control here. It’s her kitchen, after all.”
Valentino opened his mouth to say something. Probably something unwise, but Scott didn’t give him the chance. He leaned into the other man and said in a low, threatening tone, “Leave her alone, Valentino. She said she wasn’t interested. Very clearly, I might add. I heard her as I came through the door all the way back there,” Scott said, indicating the crew mess with his head. “Stop thinking with your dick and start using your brain. You’re an officer. Act like it,” Scott said.
Valentino glared at Scott, then turned and headed for the door that led to the hallway alongside the galley. The one with the freezers and storage rooms. He slammed his hand on the door and left without another word.
Elodie let out a sigh of relief.
“If that asshat pulls that shit again, you need to report him,” Scott told her.
“I will.”
“I mean it. Guys like him have a hard time believing that any woman wouldn’t want to sleep with them. And since it’s obvious he’s got his sights on you, and you’re the only woman onboard, you need to be careful.”
“I will. I think he’s simply feeling off-kilter after everything that’s happened,” Elodie hedged.
“Right. The man who deserted his fellow officers and hid like a coward in the engine room until it was safe to come out,” Scott drawled.
“But didn’t I do the same thing?” Elodie asked. “I hid here in the galley.”
“Not the same thing,” Scott told her, stepping closer.
Interesting that when Valentino crowded her, it made her skin crawl, but when this man did it, Elodie wanted to step closer.
“Let me guess, because I’m a woman?” she asked, doing her best to not embarrass herself by throwing herself at him. She had no idea what it was about this man that did it for her. She’d just met him, for goodness sake. But he’d done what no other man had been able to do for a very long time…make her want to lean on him. To confide in him.
But she couldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be fair.
“No. Your gender has nothing to do with this. He’s an officer. He’s supposed to be a leader on this ship. To lead by example. And being a coward isn’t being a leader. I’m not saying he should’ve been happy to get shot, but he should’ve done what you did…attempted to get help for his crew and fellow officers.”
Elodie stared up at Scott. “What are you still doing here? I thought you’d leave right after you found all the bad guys.”
“Yeah, well, I wanted to talk to you before we left,” Scott said.
Elodie’s eyes widened. “You stayed because of me?”
“Yeah, Rach, I did.”
She couldn’t help but wince at hearing a shortened version of a name that wasn’t hers.
Scott reached out and took her hand in his and walked her back toward the crew dining area.
He’d taken off his gloves, and his hand was warm and comforting around her smaller one. He pulled out one of the chairs around the table and urged her to sit. She did, keeping her eyes on his as he crouched down in front of her, still holding her hand.
