Page 87 of Protecting Kelli
She sighed, then said softly, “I trust you, Flash. More than any other man I’ve ever been with. Icantalk to you about anything, which feels amazing. I need you to know that I’d never keep secrets from you. I’m an open book to you. But…sometimes there are things that affectothersthat aren’t my place to talk about.”
Flash frowned. “Does this have to do with Williams and what happened? Has he contacted you in some way?”
“No.”
Her reply was so immediate and heartfelt, Flash believed her.
“Are you in danger?”
“Me? No.”
That didn’t make Flash feel any better. “But someone else is?”
“Maybe.”
“Look at me,” Flash ordered. He waited until Kelli had picked her head up again and met his gaze. “If someone is in danger, you need to tellsomeone. If not me, then one of my teammates. Or Wolf or someone on his team.”
“I can’t,” she whispered. “I promised.”
Flash didn’t like that answer. Not at all. He didn’t realize he was scowling until tears formed in Kelli’s eyes.
“I don’t want you to hate me. Please, that would destroy me.”
“I could never hate you. I love you.”
The words seemed to echo in the room.
“What?” Kelli asked.
He hadn’t meant to blurt that out, but Flash didn’t regret it. “I love you,” he repeated. “You’re my everything. It’s too fast again, but I don’t give a shit. It’s how I feel, and how I’llalwaysfeel. And I’m willing to wait as long as it takes for you to love me back.
“No matter what’s going on, I’m not going to hate you, Kelli. I understand loyalty. Hell, there are lots of things I’ll never be able to tell you, because of my job. I just need you to promise that if someone’s life is truly in danger, you’ll talk to me or someone else you trust. The last thing you’llwant is any guilt hanging over your head for not speaking up, only for the worst to happen.”
“I know. And I will. It’s just…it’s a delicate situation.”
Flash was baffled how this woman, who hung out in the apartment all day, could have found herself in the middle of a so-called “delicate situation.” But he didn’t question her. He’d have to trust that she’d come to him when she was ready. “Donotput yourself in danger,” he warned.
“I won’t. This isn’t about me,” she quickly reassured him.
But Flash wasn’t particularly reassured. He made a mental note to check in with her more often during the day. Make sure she was all right, that whatever was going on truly wasn’t putting her in harm’s way.
Making a split-second decision, Flash leaned over and grabbed the small box he’d put on the table next to the bed. He’d had something made for her and was waiting for the best time to give it to her. Now seemed like that time. He rolled back over and held it out to her.
Kelli looked surprised. Then confused. Then a little worried.
“It’s not a ring,” he said quickly. “I love you, but proposing two seconds after I tell you that I love you for the first time is a bit much, even for me.”
She grinned, then took the box and opened it without a word.
When she saw what was inside, her eyes widened and she let out a small gasp. “Flash,” she whispered. “Is this…”
“It’s the spoon. From the bus. The girls found it while they were helping you clean your apartment and since it didn’t match the rest of your silverware, they asked me what they should do with it. I took it and was going tohave it mounted in a shadow box or something, but decided on this instead.”
“This” was a bracelet. He’d brought it to a jeweler Caroline recommended and the man had twisted and manipulated it, making it a beautiful piece of art. It was still obvious that it was a spoon, but now it was polished and cleaned up, even if it still had its little dents and dings. Kind of like both him and Kelli.
“I…it’s perfect,” she breathed. “Thank you.”
Kelli looked up at him and Flash could see the tears in her eyes.
