Page 59 of Protecting Kelli
“You’re right. I’m a lucky man. So…you’ll come with me? Meet my friends? Get to know them?”
“Well…I kind of feel as if I already know the women. You told me a lot about them.”
She was going to say yes. Flash could tell.
“Okay. Thank you, yes. I’d love to come with you.”
Relief and satisfaction swept through Flash. “I’ll take you home when you’ve had enough. All you need to do is let me know. It’ll be crazy,” he felt obligated to warn. “Ifyou think Remi and the others are enthusiastic, wait until you meet Caroline’s crew. They’ll have you agreeing to sleepovers, girls’ night out at Aces Bar and Grill, and who knows what other crazy schemes before the night is done.”
“If you’re trying to talk me out of this, you aren’t succeeding,” Kelli said with a smile. “I’ve never had girlfriends to do that stuff with before. I mean, not as an adult.”
“Come on. Let’s go find our suitcases and get out of here. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry again. That usually happens after missions or times when I haven’t been able to eat properly. I’m ravenous for a few days until my body figures out that it’s going to be fed on a regular basis again.”
And just like that, Flash was happy. They didn’t have to say goodbye yet. He’d bought himself a few hours. And getting her enmeshed with the women was one of the best ways he could think of to ensure he’d see plenty of Kelli in the future. No one could resist Remi and her posse. He hoped.
Kelli looked around in awe. Never in a million years would she have guessed this was where she’d be right now. In a small house, packed to the gills—with more people in the backyard—laughing with people she’d just met, feeling as if she’d known them her whole life.
All of Flash’s friends were open and welcoming, kind and compassionate. And they seemed genuinely happy she was there.
It was…weird but awesome. Kelli wasn’t the kind of woman most people were drawn to. She was used to standing in the shadows, watching others at parties and get-togethers. If someonedidtalk to her, it was obvious they were usually doing so simply to be polite.
But she got none of those vibes from the people here. She couldn’t remember everyone’s names, as she’d been introduced to a lot of men and women. Fiona, Summer, Mozart, Benny, Julie, Matthew…and it seemed as if the women called the men one name, and the men used nicknames. It was all very confusing. But Kelli was still happier than she’d been in a very long time.
And Flash hadn’t been the only one who was starving. The cake that Addison made melted in her mouth, and it was all Kelli could do not to spontaneously orgasm right there in the kitchen at the first bite. But all the other food was just as good. There was a lot of finger food, which made it easier to eat and talk.
Kids ran everywhere, shouting too loud, running into people, and dropping food on the floor, but none of the adults seemed overly concerned. They just warned them to be careful, demanded they apologize when they almost knocked Kelli over, and generally shaking their heads at their exuberance.
Looking at her phone, which she was extremely grateful she hadn’t brought on the tubing trip, Kelli saw that she and Flash had been at the impromptu party for three hours. It was hard to believe, as it felt as if they’d just gotten there.
Just as she had the thought about Flash, he appeared as if she’d conjured him up. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and she leaned into him as he bent down and spoke softly into her ear. “You okay?”
She nodded.
“How many phone numbers have you gotten tonight?”
Kelli chuckled. “Um…all of them?”
“Good. Invites to hang out again?”
“Three or four.”
“Has Julie tried to steal you away to work in her secondhand clothing store yet?”
Her smile widened as she looked up at him. “How’d you know?”
“Because she’s not an idiot. You tired?”
Kelli shrugged. She was exhausted. It was silly, really. She hadn’t done much today. Slept in, eaten, then gotten on a plane, and now she was just standing around. But then again, traveling always made her feel as if she was dragging. Now her energy level was seriously flagging.
“I’m knackered,” Flash admitted.
She couldn’t help but smile at that. “Knackered?” she asked. “You have British blood in you that I don’t know about?”
“Nope. But I love that word. Was pleased I had a chance to use it.”
This man. He made her laugh, made her feel safe, and also scared the hell out of her. Mostly because the thought of losing him made her want to puke. And somehow she felt as if the second she said goodbye, that would be it. He’d go back to his life, with all these amazing people, and forget about her. The short, frumpy woman he’d somehow managed to get kidnapped with while on that one trip to Jamaica.
“You ready to go?”
