Page 7 of Protecting Kelli
Flash looked amazing. He had on a pair of khaki pantsand a sage green polo shirt that seemed to bring out the color of his eyes all the more. When he’d seen her in the lobby, he’d smiled huge and actually leaned down and kissed her cheek in greeting. Kelli had inhaled discreetly when he was close, rewarded with the crisp scent of whatever soap he’d used when he’d showered. It was intoxicating, and there was nothing more she’d wanted to do than lean in and bury her nose in the crook of his neck.
Now, his fingers briefly touched the small of her back as the waiter led them to their table, and Kelli barely controlled the full-body shiver that tried to break free.
“I hope this meets with your approval,” the waiter told them, motioning toward a table.
Kelli audibly gasped.
There was one table set in the far corner of the patio. They had an unrestricted view of the ocean and the coming sunset. The table had two roses in a slender vase in the middle, and the place settings were side by side, facing the water, instead of across from each other.
The chairs at the table were also not your average restaurant chairs. They were leather, with wide seats and no arms, and even from a distance, Kelli could see they looked extremely comfortable. In her experience, restaurants made their seats as uncomfortable as possible so people would eat, then leave, allowing more customers to come in, spend money, and leave just as quickly.
Looking at the romantic setup of the table, Kelli had a feeling she could sit there all right. And since the restaurant didn’t seem to be busy, she might be able to do just that.
“This looks perfect. Thank you,” Flash told the waiter,as he pulled out one of the chairs and gestured for Kelli to sit.
She smiled at him and stepped in front of the chair. As she sat, Flash pushed the chair under her. He’d done it so smoothly, as if he’d had a ton of practice. And of course, that thought had Kelli assuming he probably took women out to fancy dinners all the time. She was out of her element, but he seemed completely at ease.
The waiter said he’d return with waters and the menus, then left them alone.
Kelli was suddenly nervous and feeling totally out of her league. What was she doing? She should’ve stayed in and ordered room service.
“I always get confused about which utensil to use. Why do we have four forks and three spoons? What the hell do they think we’re going to do, take one bite with a fork, then put it down because it’s dirty and use another?”
His joke made Kelli relax. Flash wasn’t as comfortable as he seemed, which made her feel so much better. “I have no idea. But I’m thinking they aren’t going to haul us to fork jail if we use the wrong one, so we’re probably okay.”
He chuckled, and Kelli couldn’t stop looking at his mouth.
Flash relaxed in his chair, putting his arm over the top of hers. If she leaned back, his fingers might brush against her hair.
She mentally shook her head. She was being ridiculous. Acting like she was fifteen again, sitting with a boy she liked in a movie theater or something.
“This doesn’t suck,” Flash said after a moment.
Kelli smiled. “Even with the sand?” she asked.
“Even with the sand,” he agreed with a small nod. Thenhe looked at her. “Thanks for coming with me tonight. I was all ready to order room service, but I’m thinking this will be so much better. And I brought my phone, so I can take a picture of the sunset and send it to my sister.”
“What? Not post it on social media with a hundred hashtags?” Kelli teased.
“Don’t have any social media, so, no.”
She blinked in surprise. “Seriously?”
“Yup. My job doesn’t allow it.”
That’s right. She never did find out what he did for a living earlier that day. They’d been talking about sand and she’d guessed a few jobs, and then somehow the subject got changed. “Are you a spy?” she whispered, looking around furtively.
He burst out laughing. “No. But you did guess correctly earlier. I’m a SEAL.”
For a split second, the round, adorable, probably annoying-to-fishermen animal flashed in her mind.
“The Navy frowns on its special forces soldiers posting shit on the Net that could be a security breach. I’m not sorry though. I can’t stand how some people use the platforms to bitch about every aspect of their lives, or only to show the good stuff. Both ends of the spectrum are distortions of reality, and it’s annoying.”
“You’re a Navy SEAL?”
“Yeah.”
Kelli was tempted to push back her chair right then and there. She’d felt out of her element earlier, but now? She was definitely not up to this man’s speed. But the moment she told her muscles to do their job and get her the hell out of there, the waiter returned.
