Page 84 of Finding Elodie
“Same. But you’ll be busy and time’ll go by fast.” She had no idea if that was true or not, the time-going-by-fast thing, but she hoped so for his sake.
“Kai said he could pick you up and take you home, but if he gets sick or can’t take you, call either of the two guys we talked about. I work with them on the base, and they said they’d have no problem driving you back to my apartment.”
“I’ll be fine, Scott.”
“And if you need or want to go back to your place, make sure you lock the doors and don’t leave your windows open at night. I know you like the breeze, but it’s not safe since you’re on the ground level.”
“Scott—”
“And don’t forget to take the disposable phone I bought for you wherever you go. Even if it’s just to the store, although we did set up the grocery delivery straight to my apartment, so you shouldn’t have to go out.”
“Scott—” Elodie tried again, but he kept talking over her.
“I wish I knew how long I’ll be gone, but I don’t. Ballpark is two weeks, but we could be back before that or, if things don’t go as planned, we could be gone for up to a month. Be smart, and if you sense anything is wrong or off, call my commander. I updated him on what was going on—about Columbus and everything. I know you weren’t happy with me, but he needed to know so he could step in if the shit hits the fan while I’m deployed.”
“Scott!” Elodie said for the third time, moving so she was right in front of him and he had to stop walking or run right into her. “It’s going to be fine. I’m going to be fine.”
She saw him take a deep breath. “I know,” he said softly.
“Thank you for being worried about me. It’s been a long time since anyone has cared about what I’m doing.”
“I care,” he said in a tone she couldn’t read.
“You are not allowed to dwell on what I’m doing when you’re gone. You know what I’ll be doing—working, sleeping, and eating. That’s it. I’m not going to decide to take a stroll down Waikiki Beach, or hang out at the Ala Moana Mall or something. You need to concentrate on your mission and the guys. They aren’t going to be happy if they get a bullet in the butt because you’re distracted and wondering if I’m okay.”
Elodie was relieved when Scott smiled. “I know.”
“Good. Now, kiss me like you mean it and go kick bad guy butt.”
“This morning wasn’t enough kissing for you?” he asked with a smirk.
Elodie couldn’t help but blush. Scott had woken her up an hour before her alarm was set to go off and shown her without words how much he was going to miss her. That was on top of the amazing sex they’d had the night before. He’d taken her so hard and fast, she’d been nothing but a pile of goo afterward, then he’d changed things up and tortured her by bringing her to the edge of orgasm so many times, she’d begged him to please let her come already. They’d laughed, then she’d cried a bit, thinking about how much she would miss him, and she felt as if they were even closer emotionally as a result of their intense lovemaking sessions.
“I’ll never get enough kissing from you,” she admitted truthfully.
His smile disappeared as he leaned toward her. They made out in the middle of the dock for who knows how long, and probably would’ve continued and embarrassed themselves if Kai hadn’t walked by and wolf whistled at them.
“The boat won’t ready itself,” he joked to Elodie as he continued toward the Fish Tales to prepare it for the day’s charter.
Scott stared down at her for a long moment. Neither spoke, but they didn’t need to. “Be safe while I’m gone,” he finally said.
“I will. You too.”
He nodded, then grabbed her hand and they headed for the boat once more. Elodie wanted to cry, but forced the tears back. Scott needed her strength right now, not her breaking down. This was the first time he’d left for a mission since they’d been together, but it wouldn’t be the last. She could handle this. She could.
“Tell Midas I’ll kick his ass if he lets you get hurt,” she joked.
Scott didn’t smile. “I will.”
Realizing she was going to have to be the one to leave first, Elodie reached for the back of Scott’s neck and pulled him down to her one more time. She kissed him briefly on the lips. “See you when you get back.”
Scott licked his lips and nodded.
Elodie took a deep breath and let go of his hand, then turned and headed for the gangplank that led onto the Fish Tales.
“Hey, Melody, you ready for today? Four kids and two adults, here’s to hoping they aren’t obnoxious,” Kai said with a smile.
Hearing the fake name was extra jarring now, especially when she heard her given name from Scott and his friends all the time. “Now you’ve jinxed us, way to go,” she joked. Her heart wasn’t in it, but she was doing her best.
