They slept until noon together on Sunday, and she woke wrapped inside his embrace to find him looking thoughtfully at her.
"Good morning lover,” she sighed.
"Good morning."
"What are you thinking?"
"Many things, mostly about you, and us, and the things I don't know, and the things I do."
"That sounds like a lot of thinking."
"Maybe. I'm hoping that sometime soon you'll be able to tell me the rest of the story."
Chelsea bit her lip and looked away. "It's not a pretty story, Elias. Can I have some more time before I bare that part of it to you?"
He held her close and kissed her neck. "No hurry. I doubt that the details will change my tactics much at this point."
She basked in his warmth for several minutes and then said, "Elias?"
"Yes?"
"I want to stay with you."
"I would like that as well. You sound fearful though."
"I am. I'm not sure that it will be possible."
"Because of Tomas? Or is there something else worrying you?"
"Tomas is enough."
Elias nodded. "He'll show up soon. Probably at the bar. There or Duffy's."
She turned and looked at him. "Yeah?"
He kissed her lips. "Don't worry lover. I not only expect it, I'm prepared for it. We'll deal with him. This time, at least. Then we'll prepare for the next. After that, it will be over, I promise you."
She turned away again and snuggled into him. "I really wish I could believe that it will be over some day. I really do. But he hurt me, Elias, and I'm very scared of him."
They lay together for several long minutes, caressing each other and letting the sunlight through the windows warm them. Then Elias suggested they shower and go down to the bar.
"Martin puts on a really good brunch. We can just catch the tail end of it if we don't dawdle."
"Dawdle? Who says that?" she laughed.
"My mother."
"Oh." She grinned. "Sorry. Let's go, and no dawdling."
In the shower, she ran her hands across the well-defined muscles of his shoulders and chest. "You hide this very well."
"What's that?"
"This," she said, gripping his shoulders. "I never thought you were this fucking strong until I saw you naked yesterday."
"Oh?"
"You don't do it on purpose? It's like a Clark Kent thing. Seriously," she told him.
He smiled. "I'm no superman."
"No? You sure about that? You couldn't have told me that last night," she said with a grin.
"Just a mild-mannered stock investor."
"Who has a gun, a license to shoot people, military training, and the body of a Greek god. How long were you in the military?"
"Six years. Most of that was over in Afghanistan, though I did do some time in Germany and England."
"Did you like it?"
He shrugged. "I thought of it as a job, and a way to get some investment money. I never wanted it as a career."
"No college?"
"Some. A few classes in finance, and things of that nature. Mostly math."
"Eww."
"Right. Let's get going."
"Alright, superman."
"Lois is a brunette."
"Lois is a wimp," she retorted with a laugh.
She went to her room and dressed. When she came out, he was putting on a leather jacket over his side holster and gun. "Why the gun?"
"It's about time to start carrying it."
"Oh. Not sure I like the sound of that."
"He's going to come. We both know that. The restraining order is for us, not for him."
Chelsea nodded. "Bikes?"
"Let's take the truck. I would like you beside me."
She smiled. "Alright."