Page 62 of Protecting Kelli
“In a week, I’ll pick you up and give you a tour ofRiverton. Show you Julie’s shop, my favorite little beach, maybe take you to the naval base. We can have lunch somewhere…and if you want, we can go back to my apartment and watch a movie or something afterward.”
“I’d like that.” And she would. Especially the go-back-to-his-apartment part. She’d already come to the conclusion that she wanted this man. All of him. Naked and over her. Or under her. It didn’t matter. She’d never desired anyone as badly as she did Flash. Sleeping with him had been nice, but falling asleep after he’d been deep inside her body, after he’d hopefully made her come? That would be heaven.
They stood there staring at each other for a beat before Flash took a deep breath. Then he leaned down and kissed her again. It wasn’t as passionate as other kisses they’d shared, but it was no less knee-buckling.
“One week,” he said softly as he backed away from her.
Kelli couldn’t speak. All she could do was nod.
Then he was gone. Heading back down the walkway.
Kelli shut and locked her door, then she put her back to it and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. Wrapping her arms around her updrawn knees, she lowered her forehead and took several deep breaths. She didn’t want to cry. She’d done enough of that. Flash hadn’t said goodbye forever. Just for a week. She could understand him wanting her to be sure that she really did want to see him again, and not in the context of a savior. But that didn’t mean it didn’t suck.
Because while Kelli definitely thought of Flash as her savior, he was so much more than that. He wasn’t perfect. Neither was she. They were flawed humans who’d beenthrough an intense experience together, and who’d forged a bond.
A bond Kelli was sure would become stronger as time went by, instead of weaker. But if Flash needed time, she’d give him that.
Taking a deep breath, she stood and grabbed her suitcase handle. She brought it straight to the closet in the hallway, where her washer and dryer were stacked. She unzipped it and loaded all her clothes into the washer…minus the bathing suit and cover-up she’d left in the trash at the resort.
She took out her toiletries and other random items and put them away in her bathroom. Then she dragged the suitcase into her large bedroom closet and shoved it into the back corner. Finally, she sat on her bed and stared into space for a long while.
Her ringing phone scared the crap out of her, partly because she’d been lost in thought, and partly because no one ever called her. Looking down, Kelli smiled when she saw Flash’s name on the screen.
“Did you forget something?” she asked in lieu of greeting.
“Nope. Just wanted to hear your voice.”
The grin on her face widened.
“You in bed yet?”
“No. Just put my clothes in the washer and finished unpacking. You home?”
“Almost.”
The conversation continued as Flash arrived at his apartment, went inside, unpacked, then fixed himself something to eat. Kelli got herself something small to eat as well, then got changed for bed. They talked aboutnothing and everything. There were no awkward silences.
It wasn’t until Flash said, “I should let you go,” that Kelli realized how long they’d been talking.
“You have to get up early tomorrow…or rather, today?”
“Yeah. We have PT in a couple hours.”
“PT? You don’t get a day off after what happened?”
Flash chuckled. “Nope. I also have to meet with my commander. Give my report. And he needs to know Jeckle is in the States. Not sure what, if anything, will come of that, but the fact that the man tried to ransom US government property is probably a crime.”
“Not sure I like you referring to yourself as government property,” Kelli mumbled. Flash had told her earlier that the man who’d kidnapped them had fled Jamaica and flown to LA. She wasn’t thrilled about that, but she was determined not to give the man any more head space than he’d already taken from her.
He chuckled. “It is what it is. I’ll call you tomorrow?”
“Yes, please.”
“What’s on your plate?”
“Nothing as interesting as your day. I’ll probably go see my mom. Then talk to my boss at the travel agency, see if I still have a job, since I was supposed to work today and when I didn’t call in, I might have been terminated.”
“Surely after they find out that you were kidnapped, they won’t fire you? Or at least they’llrehireyou.”
