Page 64 of Protecting Kelli
Which she knew was why he was giving them both a week’s time-out.
She smiled at that. Was it really a time-out when they talked for hours every night and constantly texted eachother to ask how the other person was doing? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she missed Flash. Even talking to him didn’t feel as if it was enough. She wanted to see him. Touch him. The feel of her hand in his was the ultimate in comfort for her now.
Just as she’d finished cutting up vegetables and chicken and arranging them on a cookie sheet to bake, her phone vibrated.
Looking at the counter, she saw Flash had texted her.
Flash: Bad news, won’t be able to call until late. New intel just arrived and we’re staying later than planned to analyze it.
Disappointment hit Kelli, but she pushed it down. She had no idea what information he’d received, but she was proud of him for doing what he could to keep the world safe.
Kelli: It’s okay. I don’t have any plans tonight. Am going to think a bit more about what kind of career I want, maybe watch another episode ofAloneso we can talk about it later.
Flash: Can’t wait to see what you think about who taps out tonight. And it’s been six days. I’m going to come up and take you out tomorrow night…if that’s okay with you. Think about where you want to eat.
Kelli’s nipples immediately hardened. Apparently, when Flash said something, he was serious. He’d said a week, and tomorrow was a week. She was more than ready to see him again. To see if the connection they had was real. She thought it was, but she’d find out for sure tomorrow. She couldn’t wait.
Kelli: It’s definitely okay with me.
Flash: Good. I’ll text when I’m done here. If you’re asleep, not a big deal. We can talk tomorrow.
It was a big deal to Kelli. She hadn’t realized he might bethatlate. She liked her sleep, but lately she’d been staying up later because of their calls.
Kelli: Okay. I’ll miss talking to you.
Flash: Not as much as I’ll miss talking to you. Gotta go. Getting the stink eye from Kevlar.
Kelli: Later
Flash: Later
Kelli sighed. She wished it was tomorrow already. There were plenty of amazing restaurants she could take him to, she’d just have to wait and see what he was in the mood for and what he liked.
The rest of the evening went by fairly quickly. Her dinner was delicious, even if it was a bit lonely. She’d gotten used to eating while talking to Flash. The episodeofAlonewas exciting and she couldn’t wait to discuss it with him. She was amazed at how resilient the contestants were. They made it seem as if camping outside in negative temperatures wasn’t a big deal. Not to mention hunting and killing squirrels and other animals and attempting to fish when conditions, frankly, sucked.
She supposed some people would say what she’d done was just as amazing, but she’d been with Flash, who’d done all the work. She could probably survive living in sub-freezing temps if Flash was with her. She could sit in the shelter—that he made—and cook the animals he caught and skinned.
Kelli laughed at herself. No, she’d hate that. Wouldn’t like feeling as if she wasn’t pulling her weight.
Looking at her watch, she was surprised to see it was nine o’clock. Not terribly late, considering what time she’d been going to sleep this past week, but late for Flash to still be at work.
Kelli turned off the TV and headed to her bedroom. She put on the long-sleeve top and boy shorts she wore to bed before padding back into the hallway, to the only bathroom in her apartment. When she was finished, she climbed into bed, crawled under the covers, and put her phone on the nightstand. She grabbed her tablet and brought up the book she’d been reading.
She didn’t think she’d be able to pay much attention, since she was waiting to hear from Flash, so she was pleasantly surprised when she got lost in the story.
Flash eventually sent a text over an hour later, saying he was exhausted and heading home to bed. But he promised to call early tomorrow so they could arrange a time for him to come over and take her to dinner.
Instead of going to sleep herself, Kelli continued to read. She wanted to find out who the bad guy was in her book.
And that was why she was still awake around midnight…when an out-of-place sound from the front of her apartment caught her attention.
Kelli froze, tilting her head, as if that would make it easier for her to hear.
The tell-tale squeak of the hinges on her apartment door had her adrenaline immediately spiking.
She’d locked the door, she knew she had, but had she thrown the dead bolt? Put the chain on? She didn’t think so. Her hands had been full of the bags she was carrying. She had a feeling she’d forgotten.
No one except her mother had a spare key to her apartment, so whoever had just entered wasn’t anyone she’d want to come face-to-face with in a dark apartment in the middle of the night.
