Once breakfast was made and served, Chelsea was feeling better about the morning's events. So far no one seemed upset with her, and no one wanted her to leave. These were good things, and she was feeling more secure as she ate and listened to Doc and Elias talk about the road trip yesterday. She smiled as she remembered Sam's forest, and riding through it with Elias. The wind, the trees, and the rivers they crossed over were all so wonderful. The feeling of being free and gliding across the world on a wave of rolling thunder was so good.
She began to wonder though if Elias would want sex with her still. After what she told him, she doubted he would. She didn't want to offer, but she wanted to feel him close again. He said that she was still his woman, his partner, so maybe he would. If he didn't, though, she would understand.
Maybe Doc would have sex with him, and she could just be his woman. She didn't really like the idea of Doc having sex with Elias, though. She was too old for Elias. He needed someone young. Someone who could give him the pleasure that she could, before he found out she was broken.
After breakfast, Chelsea took the dishes away and began washing up. She heard Doc tell Elias that she didn't think they needed to go to the hospital, but that if there were any more problems to call her right away. Elias said he would, and thanked her for coming over.
"It was my pleasure. I like her a lot, and she's good for you," Doc told him.
Chelsea thought about that, and decided that she would make that come true. She would be good for Elias. When Elias agreed with Doc, she wondered if he really felt that way. She decided that her first thought made that unimportant. Even if he didn't, he would soon. She could make him happy. She was sure of that. Then she saw a man outside in the backyard and she screamed.
Elias rushed to her. "What's wrong?"
"Someone is outside! In the back! I saw him!" she shouted, pointing at the man beside the pool.
"It's alright. That's Gary. He's one of my men. He's here to make sure you are safe."
"Safe?" she asked. "From what?"
He took her into his arms again and held her. "After what you told me last night, I decided that you were right. Tomas is a greater threat than I believed, and so I asked a few of the guys to help watch over you."
"You mean, like, guards?" she asked, peering past Elias and looking back out at Gary.
"Exactly like that. That's exactly what they are. They are your guards," he agreed.
"He's not going to watch us in the bedroom, right?" she asked.
Elias laughed. "No, he's not going to watch us in there."
She smiled weakly at his laugh. "That's good. Um, do you think he wants some breakfast? Or coffee?"
"I suppose you could ask him if you want," Elias suggested.
"Alright, I'll go ask him. Does he have a gun?"
"Yes, he does."
"That's good. Tomas has one, you know."
"Yes, I know."
Chelsea discovered there were three men, one in the back, and two out in the front. She brought coffee to all three of them, and gave them smiles. They seemed like nice men, even though they all had hard eyes. Their eyes reminded her of Elias' eyes the day that he put Tomas down on the ground and had the police take him away, only their eyes were like that all the time.
Elias didn't have hard eyes. His eyes were kind and warm when they looked at her. She loved Elias' eyes, and she loved the way he looked at her. She wondered if he would still look at her today like he did yesterday—when he was standing in the bathroom doorway, leaning against the jamb, watching her get dressed.
When she came back inside, Doc gave her a kiss on each cheek and then handed her a business card with her number. "I want to see you on Wednesday at my office."
"Alright," Chelsea agreed. "Am I really okay?"
"You're better than I thought you would be. You're a very strong woman."
"I don't feel strong."
"Well, you are. Believe that, Chelsea. You're stronger than just about anyone I know."
"Not stronger than Elias."
"Not weaker either," Doc told her. "I'll see you Wednesday. Take care of Elias for us, okay?"
"I will. Thank you for coming."
After she was gone, Chelsea came back over to Elias and looked up at him. "Elias?"
"Yes, lover?"
She paused, forgetting what she was about to ask. Having him call her lover made her heart quake. "Am I still your lover?"
"Definitely," he nodded.
"Then, can we go back in the bedroom and kiss some more?" she asked shyly, feeling greedy and needful.
He bent and swooped her up into his arms, and a giggle burst from her before she realized it was there. Wrapping her arms around his neck she kissed his ear, and then his cheek.
"I'm very happy you still want me," she told him.
"Do you still want me?" he asked.
"Very much," she told him.
"Then I'm happy as well."
"Make me your woman again Elias, please? Because I need you, too."