Page 1 of Protecting Kelli (SEAL of Protection: Alliance #6)

CHAPTER ONE

One day.

That’s all it took for Wade “Flash” Gordon to remember why he didn’t vacation at the beach.

He hated sand.

Hated the heat.

Hated the salt that stuck to his skin.

Which was ironic, considering he was a Navy SEAL who spent half his life, or so it seemed, in the ocean.

Flash took a sip of the beer he’d been nursing and grimaced. Warm.

Another reason to dislike the beach…his beer didn’t stay cold longer than five minutes.

He was well aware he was being an asshole, but he didn’t care. The only reason he was here, sitting in a beach chair, grumpily staring at the gentle lapping of the sky-blue waters off the Jamaican coast, was because of his little sister, Nova.

She was ten years younger than him, and Flash would do anything for her.

He’d adored her from the moment his parents brought her home from the hospital, when he was ten.

He never cared when she cried at night, that her poops stunk up the house.

That she’d followed him around when he was a teenager.

He’d loved every second of having a younger sibling.

They’d both cried when he’d left home after graduating from high school and joined the Navy.

And through the years, Flash had kept in close contact with his sister.

Phone calls, texts, even letters sometimes.

So when she’d met Charles Hepworth, Flash had flown home specifically to meet the man and put the fear of God into him.

Make sure he understood that if he fucked with his sister, he’d regret it.

Flash wasn’t too impressed by Chuck. He was older than Nova by six years and far too…smooth. But then again, Flash could admit that he, himself, was constantly surrounded by men who were a little rough around the edges.

Despite his feelings for the man, when Nova called and asked if he’d be a groomsman at their wedding, Flash didn’t have to think too hard. Of course he’d stand up with his sister. He might not be her fiancé’s biggest fan, but he’d support Nova no matter what.

And if things didn’t work out, he’d be there to help her pick up the pieces too.

As a groomsman, when this trip to Jamaica was cooked up as a bachelor party kind of thing, Flash had been invited.

He’d planned to turn it down—he definitely didn’t want to hang out with Chuck’s buddies—but Nova had begged him to go.

It was one of the rare times he would’ve said no to his sister, except he read the concern in her voice when she’d told him about the private resort.

How she assumed there’d be plenty of beautiful girls there who might want to hook up with Chuck.

It was obvious she was worried her fiancé might think the same thing.

So here was Flash.

In Jamaica, sitting on his ass on a hot beach, babysitting…no… spying on his sister’s future husband. Making sure his occasional flirting didn’t cross any lines.

Flash had no problem whatsoever reporting back to Nova.

Even if it might cause her pain in the short-term, he wouldn’t keep any indiscretions by her fiancé a secret from her.

But so far, Chuck had been on his best behavior.

Hanging out with his friends Rowan, Ben, and Sebastian, mostly at the bar, and not hooking up with any ladies.

Though, not so surprising to Flash, the resort wasn’t very crowded.

The country was beautiful, as were the grounds of the resort, but Jamaica had been going through a tough period of time with crime and violence.

Back home, Flash’s SEAL team leader had expressed surprise their commander was even allowing him to go to Jamaica on leave because of that violence.

Chuck and his buddies weren’t happy with the sparsely populated resort. They’d wanted tons of people they could party with. Instead, they’d gotten families with young children, a smattering of couples on their honeymoons, and only a handful of singles their own age.

A loud crack of laughter sounded from the bar area, and Flash glanced over his shoulder. He saw Chuck and his buds sitting around a large table with a group of four women, all of whom were tall, slender, stacked, and blonde. He’d been introduced to them last night at the resort’s indoor bar .

The women were here for a bachelorette weekend. Charlotte was the bride-to-be, and the bridesmaids sitting with her at the table were Ava, Alice, and Afton. Flash had mentally rolled his eyes at the fact their names all started with A.

After hanging around the group for three minutes, Flash had quickly deduced nothing about any of the women would interest him. They were younger, mostly concerned with talking about themselves. And the giggling…

He shuddered. The giggling had gotten on his nerves within seconds.

So he’d ditched the group to enjoy a drink by himself, far enough away to avoid the high-pitched tittering while still keeping an eye on things.

Now here he was again, glaring at the water, playing monitor, wishing he was anywhere else. He’d much prefer to be home in Riverton, California, in his two-bedroom apartment, studying maps, going over intel about bad guys, watching football…anything other than babysitting Chuck and his buddies.

“It can’t be that bad.”

Surprised out of his thoughts by the husky voice to his right, Flash turned his head to see a woman he recognized, smiling at him from several feet away. She was in her own beach chair, had a book in her hand, and a water bottle stuck in the sand beneath her chair.

Flash searched his brain for her name. He’d been introduced to her last night as well…

Kelli. Kelli Colbert. She was with the bridesmaid group, but it seemed that, like him, hanging out at a bar wasn’t exactly her cup of tea. She’d ditched the group even faster than Flash, leaving the bar entirely and opting for a night in her room.

He must’ve been staring at her for a beat too long, because now she gave him a sheepish grin and shrugged. “Sorry. Ignore me.”

“No, I apologize. It’s been so long since I’ve been required to do more than nod in agreement and smile that I’ve apparently forgotten how to talk to people.”

She laughed under her breath.

At first glance last night, the woman seemed…plain. He hated to think that. It was rude as hell. But compared to her friends—overly made up in every way…clothes, hair, makeup—it was true.

Today, Kelli’s dirty-blonde hair was pulled into a messy bun at the back of her head. Her cheeks were red, from too much sun most likely, and she was wearing a one-piece black swimsuit covered up by what looked to him like miles of material.

Unlike the other women in her group, she wasn’t tall or slender. If Flash remembered correctly, she was at least a foot shorter than his six-two. She was also curvy…the complete opposite of her stick-thin friends.

And today…there was something about her that intrigued him. Maybe it was the genuine smile she flashed at him. Maybe it was her laughter. Flash wasn’t sure. But for once, he wasn’t annoyed that a total stranger was attempting to chat him up. Usually he hated that kind of thing.

“You aren’t over there with the others, hanging out at the bar?” she asked with a small tilt of her head.

Flash shook his head. “Not my thing.”

“Yeah, mine either. ”

“If I’m being honest, I hate the beach.”

Kelli smiled, and her light brown eyes seemed to sparkle. “Sure, I can see why. The sun on your face, the relaxing sound of the waves on the shore, servers waiting on you hand-and-foot. It’s horrible.”

It was Flash’s turn to grin. “Let’s just say I spend a lot of time trying to get sand out of…sensitive places…in my day job.”

Kelli turned more fully toward him. “ Hmmmm , that sounds intriguing. Beach lifeguard?”

Flash shook his head again. “Nope.”

“You run one of those machines that shoot sand into rock formations, trying to extract the oil?”

Flash was a little taken aback. If he was trying to think of jobs that might involve sand, fracking would be the last thing he’d come up with. “Second strike,” he joked.

“Sandblaster? Installer of backyard sandboxes? Navy SEAL? Landscaper?”

Flash couldn’t believe she’d actually guessed right.

“What? Still way off base?” Kelli asked, with another open and welcoming smile. “Fine. Don’t tell me. But me? I love the beach. There’s something just so soothing about it.”

“If you’ll forgive me…you don’t exactly look soothed.”

She sighed. “Yeah.” She looked around, as if to make sure no one would overhear, then leaned in his direction and said quietly as she could over the distance, “I didn’t want to come on this trip.”

Flash’s brows flew up. “You too?”

It was her turn to look surprised. “You didn’t want to come either?”

Flash shrugged. “You already know my thoughts on sand. I don’t know the guys I’m here with. Not really. The groom-to-be is my sister’s fiancé.”

“Ah…the obligatory brother-in-law duties,” Kelli mused.

“Yup. I want to make sure he behaves, so I don’t have to kick his ass for hurting my sister. And you?”

“The bride’s my cousin. Our moms are sisters. I think she was guilted into making me one of her bridesmaids. I don’t exactly fit in with the Three A’s.”

Flash almost choked on his lukewarm sip of beer.

Kelli grinned. “I know. It’s juvenile, but I can’t help it.

They look like triplets, act exactly alike, flip their blonde hair all the same way.

So that’s just how I think of them in my head.

Anyway, when this trip was planned, I suspect I wasn’t supposed to come.

I think Charlotte told me about it, guessing I’d say no.

But this time, it was my mom who laid on the guilt, so…

Here I am. But clearly I didn’t think it through.

I was just thinking about the beach. Not the part about having to hang out with the Three A’s and my cousin. ”

“What do you do for a living?” Flash asked. The more the woman talked, the more intrigued he became. She was a mixture of blunt and shy at the same time.