Page 14 of Protecting Kelli
Now, she could admit to feeling a little nervous eversince Charlotte decided she wanted to head off the secure property. Having Flash along made her feel a tiny bit better. Safer.
Once the tubes were handed out, everyone quickly paired up, leaving Kelli with Flash…which wasn’t exactly a hardship. She enjoyed his company, was extremely attracted to him, and the thought of floating down the river with the Three A’s and Charlotte for hours wasn’t something that sounded fun in the least.
However, Flash hadn’t said much since they’d arrived. He was constantly looking around, sizing up the area, the employees and other visitors, and looking worriedly at the river itself. His unease transferred to Kelli. She looked around as well, and didn’t see or hear anything concerning. But Flash was the expert; he was a freaking Navy SEAL, after all. He was probably used to bad guys jumping out of the weeds and ambushing him.
But that wasn’t going to happen here…right? They were perfectly safe. They were surrounded by tourists, and it wasn’t as if the White River was some out-of-the-way place in Jamaica. It was one of the main attractions for people arriving via cruise ships and for people staying at private resorts, like them. Flash was just being paranoid…Kelli hoped.
They were getting a bit of a late start on the river because another tour group arrived just before them, and since the large bunch was from one of the huge cruise ships with a timetable to adhere to, those people were allowed to get their tubes and set out on the river before their smaller group of ten.
But finally, it was time to get in the water.
The Three A’s and Charlotte had no problem whatsoever stripping off their already almost see-through cover-ups and displaying their model-thin bodies. Their bikinis were sexy as well as stylish, and Kelli could practically see every guy in the vicinity drooling.
“You guys go ahead. Kelli and I will bring up the rear,” Flash told them, taking hold of Kelli’s arm gently. “I forgot something at the tube shack. We’ll be right back.”
Kelli was confused as she watched the rest of their group screech as they stepped into the apparently chilly water and get themselves situated on their tubes to float down the river.
“What’d you forget?” she asked, as Flash led them back toward the shack.
“Nothing.”
Kelli frowned. “Nothing?” she echoed. “Then what are we?—”
“It looked like you were uncomfortable around them. So I’m giving them some time to get ahead of us a bit, so you don’t have an audience while we’re getting into our tubes.”
Kelli stopped, giving Flash no choice but to stop as well.
He glanced at her. “I’m sorry, did I?—”
She didn’t give him time to finish his sentence before she practically threw herself at him. He went back on one foot but quickly regained his balance. His arms went around her, and Kelli closed her eyes tightly, trying not to burst into tears.
She couldn’t help but remember thelasttime she’d been at a crowded beach and had taken off her cover-up.She could feel everyone staring at her, judging. She looked nothing like the Three A’s or her cousin. And she’d always felt self-conscious around them. She was just…herself.
After a gentle squeeze, Flash put his hands on her shoulders and eased her back a little. Kelli forced herself to look up at him.
“For the record? There’s nothing wrong with your body. I told you before, you’re lush, and those idiots are probably jealous of your curves. So anything they might have said, or will say in the future, is bullshit. Okay?”
Kelli nodded, not really believing it. It was going to take more than one sexy man saying that he liked her shape to break down years of mental conditioning that said tall and slender was much sexier than short and chunky.
His gaze went back to the river. They could just see their group about to round a bend. “You ready?”
Kelli nodded.
Flash turned them back toward the water, where they’d left their tubes. The area that had been crawling with people ten minutes earlier was suddenly eerily quiet and empty, except for the employees of the tubing company.
Back at the riverbank, Kelli took a deep breath and peeled off her cover-up. She put it in a box that had been placed near the water by the tubing company, specifically for their group’s belongings. Refusing to look at Flash, she quickly walked over and picked up her tube and stepped into the river.
Despite the sunny day, it was still early, not even eleven in the morning…and the waterwascold. She inhaled sharply and heard Flash chuckle.
“I’m not sure what you were worried about, it’s us guys who should be embarrassed. You do know about shrinkage, right?”
Kelli couldn’t help but giggle. “You sound like that episode ofSeinfeld.”
“You like that show?” Flash asked, as he pushed his tube farther out into the current of the river.
“Love it,” Kelli told him with a smile. “And that episode…it just makes me giggle… It shrinks? Like a frightened turtle!”
By the time she’d gotten control over her laughter, they were gently floating down the river. Peeking over at Flash, Kelli saw he was staring at her and smiling in a way that made her wonder exactly what he was thinking.
