Page 3 of Protecting Kelli (SEAL of Protection: Alliance #6)

CHAPTER TWO

Kelli stood in her hotel room and stared into the mirror. She wiped her sweaty palms down her thighs as she tried to decide if what she had on was appropriate for dinner with one of the sexiest men she’d ever met in her life.

When she’d first been introduced to Flash, she’d dismissed him immediately, figuring he was just like the other four men Charlotte had homed in on at the resort. Out for a one-night stand.

Then her hand touched his when they shook, and it felt as if little electrical jolts were shooting down her arm, straight between her legs.

She’d never had a reaction like that to a man before—and it scared the crap out of her.

She’d immediately left the bar last night, retreating to the safety of her room and a good book.

Still, she hadn’t been able to resist peeking over at him when he’d chosen a beach chair not too far from where she’d been sitting that afternoon. And when he sighed and stared out at the ocean with such…discontent, she also hadn’t been able to prevent herself from commenting .

She was too blunt. Always had been. But she hated the games people played in social situations. She’d always preferred others come out and say what they were thinking. It saved a lot of time and heartache.

Kelli supposed that started after her dad died and people began to tiptoe around her.

They’d whisper behind her back, and it drove her crazy.

And then she’d found out that her friend, a girl she’d gotten close to during that horrible time, was only hanging out with her because of the money Kelli had inherited, she was done .

Done with being socially correct.

Done with hiding what she was feeling.

She was who she was, and if someone didn’t like that, tough.

But even so, she was surprised to find herself spilling her guts to Flash earlier that afternoon. Telling him about her many jobs, her relationship with her family, and basically making herself vulnerable to the handsome man she’d met only the night before.

But he hadn’t seemed annoyed or surprised. He’d seemed…what? Interested?

No, that couldn’t be right.

But he had asked her to dinner.

Then again, he’d done so after Charlotte had humiliated her. Maybe he’d felt as if he had no choice. A pity date.

Ugh. She hated being the object of people’s pity.

Yes, it was embarrassing that her cousin had come right out and said she didn’t want her around when she and the Three A’s were trying to get some from the bachelor party guys, but Kelli had been embarrassed plenty of times before.

She could deal. She knew she was only in Jamaica out of a sense of guilt and obligation.

Her mom had probably talked to Charlotte’s mom, and her aunt had probably bribed Charlotte into putting her in the wedding and inviting her to Jamaica.

And Kelli’s own mom had guilted her into attending the bachelorette weekend.

Sighing, she turned her attention back to her reflection.

Her hair was actually behaving…right now.

Later, it would likely frizz out in the humidity, but for now it hung just below her shoulders with a slight curl in the ends.

She’d put on some mascara and lipstick. Her face was pink from too much sun, and a little too round from the sweets and carbs she liked to eat, but she couldn’t do anything about either of those things.

She was wearing a dress she’d gotten back in La Jolla that she’d loved at the time, but now she wondered if it was too much.

It was a tank dress that stopped just above her knees.

It was a little clingier than clothes she usually wore.

Frowning at the bulge of her belly, and the way her upper arms sagged, Kelli pressed her lips together.

She’d felt pretty when she’d tried the dress on in the store, but that was before she’d had any inclination she’d be wearing it to dinner with one of the hottest men she’d ever seen.

Flash had eyes so green, they matched the palm trees surrounding the resort.

His brownish hair was cut short, and she’d never been with anyone who had any kind of facial hair, so she couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to kiss him.

Would it be distracting? Would he get food caught in his short mustache and beard?

Kelli could admit that she wanted to impress Flash, though it was unlikely anything would come out of these few days of acquaintance. Even though they lived not far from each other back in the “real world,” she doubted they’d keep in touch.

But for tonight, they’d be sharing a meal. It wasn’t a date, not really. Still, she couldn’t help but feel the butterflies that usually happened before going out with someone new.

Shaking her head, Kelli deliberately turned away from the mirror.

She was being ridiculous. This was only dinner.

Tomorrow they’d go tubing, then the next day they’d all head home.

She wasn’t going to see Flash again, so thinking about how attractive the hair on his chest was, or how his facial hair would feel against her lips, was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Looking at her watch, Kelli realized she was going to be late if she didn’t get a move on.

She grabbed her sweatshirt, the only clothing she had that was warm, and headed for the door.

The sweatshirt didn’t match her dress in the least, but if they were going to sit outside, she’d need something, since it got chilly when the sun went down.

And if her putting a sweatshirt on over her dress turned Flash off, so be it.

She was who she was. Blunt, honest…and tonight she’d be warm, if nothing else.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her hotel room door behind her and headed down the hall toward the lobby.

Ten minutes later, she and Flash were being led toward a table in the resort’s five-star restaurant.

It was almost empty, probably because it wasn’t exactly cheap, was the only restaurant that wasn’t included in the all-inclusive price of staying at the resort, and because tourism was definitely down in the country.

Flash looked amazing. He had on a pair of khaki pants and a sage green polo shirt that seemed to bring out the color of his eyes all the more.

When he’d seen her in the lobby, he’d smiled huge and actually leaned down and kissed her cheek in greeting.

Kelli had inhaled discreetly when he was close, rewarded with the crisp scent of whatever soap he’d used when he’d showered.

It was intoxicating, and there was nothing more she’d wanted to do than lean in and bury her nose in the crook of his neck.

Now, his fingers briefly touched the small of her back as the waiter led them to their table, and Kelli barely controlled the full-body shiver that tried to break free.

“I hope this meets with your approval,” the waiter told them, motioning toward a table.

Kelli audibly gasped.

There was one table set in the far corner of the patio. They had an unrestricted view of the ocean and the coming sunset. The table had two roses in a slender vase in the middle, and the place settings were side by side, facing the water, instead of across from each other.

The chairs at the table were also not your average restaurant chairs.

They were leather, with wide seats and no arms, and even from a distance, Kelli could see they looked extremely comfortable.

In her experience, restaurants made their seats as uncomfortable as possible so people would eat, then leave, allowing more customers to come in, spend money, and leave just as quickly.

Looking at the romantic setup of the table, Kelli had a feeling she could sit there all right. And since the restaurant didn’t seem to be busy, she might be able to do just that.

“This looks perfect. Thank you,” Flash told the waiter, as he pulled out one of the chairs and gestured for Kelli to sit.

She smiled at him and stepped in front of the chair.

As she sat, Flash pushed the chair under her.

He’d done it so smoothly, as if he’d had a ton of practice.

And of course, that thought had Kelli assuming he probably took women out to fancy dinners all the time.

She was out of her element, but he seemed completely at ease.

The waiter said he’d return with waters and the menus, then left them alone.

Kelli was suddenly nervous and feeling totally out of her league. What was she doing? She should’ve stayed in and ordered room service.

“I always get confused about which utensil to use. Why do we have four forks and three spoons? What the hell do they think we’re going to do, take one bite with a fork, then put it down because it’s dirty and use another?”

His joke made Kelli relax. Flash wasn’t as comfortable as he seemed, which made her feel so much better. “I have no idea. But I’m thinking they aren’t going to haul us to fork jail if we use the wrong one, so we’re probably okay.”

He chuckled, and Kelli couldn’t stop looking at his mouth.

Flash relaxed in his chair, putting his arm over the top of hers. If she leaned back, his fingers might brush against her hair.

She mentally shook her head. She was being ridiculous. Acting like she was fifteen again, sitting with a boy she liked in a movie theater or something.

“This doesn’t suck,” Flash said after a moment.

Kelli smiled. “Even with the sand?” she asked.

“Even with the sand,” he agreed with a small nod. Then he looked at her. “Thanks for coming with me tonight. I was all ready to order room service, but I’m thinking this will be so much better. And I brought my phone, so I can take a picture of the sunset and send it to my sister.”

“What? Not post it on social media with a hundred hashtags?” Kelli teased.

“Don’t have any social media, so, no.”

She blinked in surprise. “Seriously?”

“Yup. My job doesn’t allow it.”