Page 13 of Protecting Kelli
But Flash didn’t find that funny in the least. He reached across the table and put his hand over hers. Her gaze flew up to his in surprise. “Don’t,” he ordered. “You aren’t fat. Not even close. You’re curvy. Sexy as hell. Greek goddess, remember? And in my eyes, that’s a hundred percent sexier than looking as if you’re two seconds from being blown away by a stiff breeze. Or hearing your stomach growling because you aren’t eating enough to keep a gnat alive. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said softly.
“Good. I see you got some of the cheesy bacon potatoes. They’re amazing. I don’t know what they put in thecheese…crack? But they’re so damn delicious, I’m gonna miss this place for these potatoes alone.”
His words seemed to ease the tension in the air, and Kelli smiled. “No. It’s the bacon. Everyone knows bacon makes everything better.”
“That it does,” Flash agreed.
The rest of breakfast was uneventful, thank goodness. Everyone else in their parties headed upstairs to get ready for the excursion, but he and Kelli stayed where they were. Nursing their cups of coffee and juice, and talking about nothing and everything. And laughing. So much laughter. Flash couldn’t remember being this entertained by another human being. Usually he was the first to want to leave a meal. He wasn’t much for idle chitchat. But with Kelli? He could listen to her talk for hours.
Eventually, it was time to head out for the tubing trip. Flash’s anxiety returned as they headed to the lobby. He wasn’t bringing much with him, just his wallet in the pocket of his swimming trunks, holding his ID and a credit card. Kelli had also packed light, with a small bag over her shoulder. The tour company was providing towels and, of course, the tubes they’d be riding down the White River.
To his surprise, when everyone began to board the vehicles, the guys were getting into one minibus and the women in the other. Flash would’ve thought the horndogs he was with would take every opportunity to stick close to the women. When he neared the minibus already loaded with his brother-in-law-to-be and his friends, he heard Seb and Rowan talking about who might be hooking up with who later that night.
He understood then; they were using the time it took to travel to the river to plot. It just disgusted him further.
Flash met Chuck’s gaze—and blinked when the other man rolled his eyes.
It seemed as if maybe, just maybe, he’d underestimated his sister’s fiancé. It made him feel better, but he was still going to withhold his approval until the man had proved beyond a doubt that he was loyal to Nova.
Looking over at the other minibus, Flash could see Kelli sitting in the back seat by herself, looking out the window, doing her best to ignore the other women…just as they were doing to her.
“I’m gonna ride in the other vehicle,” Flash told Chuck and the guys, before slamming the sliding door. He didn’t wait to stick around and hear the crude comments his announcement was sure to evoke.
He jogged toward the other minibus and opened the front passenger seat and hopped in. It didn’t sit well with him that they would be heading off the safety of the resort’s property in two vans, one filled with women and the other with men. That wasn’t smart or safe.
The driver nodded at him, and Flash turned around to face the women. “Ready?” he asked.
“Hey, Flash!”
“Ready!”
“Ooooh, we’ve got a big bad bodyguard!”
“Is it getting hot in here?”
Flash ignored the comments and kept his gaze on Kelli sitting in the very back. She gave him a small smile, and that was all Flash needed to see to know he’d made the right decision.
The driver started the minibus and they made theirway from the posh beach resort to the heart of Jamaica. The second they passed the resort’s security gates, Flash’s anxiety increased tenfold. This was a horrible idea, but it was too late now. All he could do was get through it. They’d be back at the resort that afternoon, and tomorrow he’d go home to Riverton.
But Flash felt naked. Wearing only a pair of swim shorts and a T-shirt, without his usual assortment of knives and guns and other SEAL gear, he was completely out of his element.
Doing his best to put his fears aside, Flash concentrated on memorizing the roads they were taking to get to the place where the rafting company put their customers into the river. Without thought, he entered “SEAL mode,” as he and his teammates called it. Hyper-alert, ready for anything. Hopefully it was overkill and he was just being paranoid. But better safe than sorry. It had saved his and his fellow SEALs’ lives more than once. He’d be an idiot to let down his guard now.
In the back of his mind, Flash had no doubt he was feeling extra protective because of the woman sitting behind him. Kelli had gotten under his skin in the space of a day, and the thought of anything happening to her on his watch was enough to make him even more tense. She, and the others, would have a fun-filled afternoon if it killed him.
He might be the only one on alert, but that was all right. He’d keep watch over them all. It was what he did.
CHAPTER FOUR
Flash looked tense.
Kelli couldn’t help but notice, and because he was on edge, it madeherfeel uncomfortable as well.
The other guys had looked a little sheepish when they’d arrived at the put-in spot for their trip, asked Flash why he’d ditched them, riding in the minibus with the girls…and he’d explained that leaving a vehicle full of women unprotected wasn’t the best idea, considering the issues in the country.
Kelli could admit to also being confused when he’d hopped into the front seat of their bus back at the resort. Once she heard why he’d done it, a warm feeling settled in her bones. Flash was a good person. And smart. She’d done her research on the country when she’d made all the arrangements for the trip. She knew how dangerous it could be. But she also hadn’t been terribly worried, assuming they’d be fine at the private resort.
