Page 86 of Protecting Kelli
That didn’t sound very promising to Kelli, but she nodded anyway. “Be safe out there,” she said softly.
Bree nodded, then opened the door. Kelli watched her walk down the hall until she was out of sight. Then she closed and locked the door once more. The last few hours had been surreal, but she was very glad she’d met the illusive Bree Haynes.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Something was up with Kelli, and Flash was frustrated because he couldn’t figure out what was bothering her, and she wasn’t talking.
He’d done everything he could to try to get it out of her. He’d apologized over and over that she was stuck in Smiley’s apartment all day, but she shrugged it off. Said it wasn’t his fault and that she was fine. He’d offered to take her to see her mom, but she declined, saying that they talked on the phone all the time, she didn’t need to see her until they knew for certain it was safe.
He was doubly frustrated because Williams was still in the wind. It had been over two weeks since the fire at his apartment, and Ryleigh, the woman in New Mexico who was trying to find him, hadn’t had any luck. He liked the woman, she was blunt and to the point, a lot like Tex. She’d found the bank account that had been set up to receive ransom money—and disabled it—but that was a dead end as far as finding Williams.
She’d even gone so far as to get his current credit cardcanceled, and she transferred the money in his Jamaican bank account to Flash’s, just because she could, also rendering his debit card useless. She’d hacked into security cameras at all the places he’d last used his credit card before canceling it, and she’d also sent pictures of the man to all their friends. But she still hadn’t been able to find him.
Canceling his cards had almost certainly pissed him off and hampered his ability to hide in shitty motels or rent vehicles…but it also cut off any ability to track him. Still, Ryleigh assured them that she would find him. That she was getting close.
Flash had to believe her.
Other than whatever was weighing on her mind that she wouldn’t talk to him about, things with Kelli on a personal front were going extremely well. She was his perfect match in every way. Flash just hated that she couldn’t be free to do what she wanted. To move on with her life by starting her electrician classes. He’d been a little skeptical about her decision, but the more time that went by, the more excited she got. And seeing her so hyped about her future made Flash happy.
Their sex life was more amazing every day. Kelli’s passion matched his own perfectly. Most nights he went to bed telling himself that he was going to make love to her slowly, but within minutes, she’d blow all his good intentions out the window. She was a wildcat, and he loved it. She loved giving head, which was any man’s dream come true. She wasn’t as comfortable with him reciprocating, but she was learning the joys of being eaten out.
She also loved to experiment when it came topositions…and they hadn’t kept their sexual activities to the bedroom, which Flash would never admit to Smiley.
Speaking of which, Flash was more than ready to get back to his own place. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate his teammate giving Kelli a safe place to stay while he was at work, it was more that he wanted to be inhisspace. He wanted to see her shoes inhisliving room. Her underwear inhislaundry hamper. Her body inhisshower.Hiskitchen.Hisbed.
Those thoughts were ridiculous, but he didn’t shy away from them. He wanted to be able to start his life with his woman on their own terms, not on Brant fucking Williams’. The man needed to be found. Pronto.
Maybe when that happened, Kelli would feel comfortable enough to talk to him about whatever had been bothering her for over a week now.
They were currently in bed, and he was running his fingers over her bare shoulder as she lay on top of him. He needed to get up soon, but for now, he was enjoying the quiet moment with the woman who meant everything to him.
“Are the guys going to be deployed soon?” she asked, seemingly out of the blue.
Flash frowned. “No. Why?”
She shrugged against him. “I don’t know, I guess because you’re all working really hard on whatever it is you’re working on, I just figured that meant the mission would start soon.”
“Sometimes we research for months before we head out. Other times we’re sent out on the spur of the moment. It all depends on what the mission is. For instance, taking out an HVT…high-value target…could takeweeks of planning to make sure we mitigate as many dangers as possible. But if there’s a hostage situation, we might get no advance notice.”
“That makes sense,” Kelli said against his chest.
“You okay? What brought this on?” Flash asked, wondering if this was what had been bothering her.
“Nothing. I’m good. If they catch Brant, you’ll get put back on the rotation to be deployed, right?”
He nodded. “Whenthey catch him, yes. Are you worried about that? About me leaving?”
“No.”
“No?” Flash asked in surprise.
Kelli picked up her head and rested it on the back of her hand, lying on his chest. “Why would I? I already know that you rock. I’ve seen you in action first-hand. And your fellow SEALs too.”
Her confidence and absolute trust in him blew Flash away. “I know things between us have been fast, brought on by some not-so-great circumstances, but you can talk to me about anything, Kelli. Nothing is off limits between us. Understand?”
She put her head back down on his chest and nodded.
Her reluctance to meet his gaze made him even more sure that she was keeping something from him. And her next words cemented it.
