New York Times Bestselling Author

He was expecting a relaxing vacation, but instead not only found himself a victim of a kidnap for ransom, but also the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Beach vacation.
River Tubing.
It should've been a nice vacation from Wade "Flash" Gordon's life as a Navy SEAL.
Instead he was kidnapped along with an intriguing young woman named Kelli Colbert he'd met at the resort.
Then they were buried alive. Underground.
What else could go wrong? Oh yeah, maybe the kidnapper is pissed they got rescued and doesn't want to let go of the money he was hoping to get by ransoming them.
Flash and Kelli might have met by chance, but they forged a bond deeper than most people can understand. So when he finds out she lives near him in Southern California, nothing is going to keep him getting to know her better....and keep her safe from danger that is closer than either of them could ever expect.

**Protecting Kelli is the 6th book in the SEAL of Protection: Alliance Series. Each book is a stand-alone, with no cliffhanger endings.

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.

The redness in her face deepened. “This and that,” she mumbled, looking back out at the ocean.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

She sighed, then turned back to him. “You weren’t. I just…I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up. I’m twenty-eight years old and still have no idea what my passion is. I’ve done lots of things…waitressed, worked at an animal shelter, construction—don’t get too excited, I was just the one holding the stop sign directing traffic—fast food, coffee shop, house cleaner. You name it, I’ve done it.

“Currently, I’m a travel agent. In fact, I arranged this entire trip for my cousin. But I already know the job isn’t for me. It’s very stressful…which I can handle, but the clients change their minds constantly and are never satisfied, and they call me to complain if the slightest thing goes wrong on their trips, even when it’s not my fault. But I still haven’t found anything else that I can see myself doing for the rest of my life.”

She looked back out at the ocean again, her voice quieter, so Flash had to strain to hear. “My dad was killed on the job when I was a teenager, and just before he died, we had a conversation…and he told me to never settle for anything less than what made me truly happy. I think that’s why I’ve always had a hard time deciding what I want to do with my life. I haven’t discovered what truly makes me happy. I know I’m probably taking his words a little too much to heart, but it was literally one of the last things he said to me. Anyway…” Her voice trailed off a little self-consciously. “That’s why I tried to deflect when you asked me what I did for a living.”

There was a lot there. Flash wasn’t sure where to start. So he began with the most important. “I’m sorry about your dad.”

“Thanks. He worked in construction. He was on a scaffold when it collapsed under him. He fell and was crushed.”

Flash frowned. Then he stood, scooted his chair right next to Kelli’s and sat back down. Now there wasn’t ten feet of space between them. “I really am sorry.”

“Thanks. And contrary to what you might believe, I don’t go around telling perfect strangers my life history,” she said with a grimace.

“We aren’t strangers. We met yesterday. I’m Wade. But everyone calls me Flash.”

“Because your last name is Gordon,” Kelli said with a grin.

“Yup.”

“Well, Flash, I’m Kelli, but you probably know that.”

Flash nodded. “I remember. And…about an occupation. I think it’s admirable that you aren’t settling for a job you dislike.”

She smirked. “You want to tell my mom that? She thinks it’s ridiculous that I’m so unsettled.”

“I think that’s her job. As a mom.”

“True.”

They sat in silence for a long moment, and Flash realized that for the first time this trip, he felt content. Kelli was a breath of fresh air. She was down-to-earth, funny, honest, and, it had to be said…hot.

Oh, Flash was aware a lot of men wouldn’t find her shape and size attractive, but he’d dealt with plenty of women like her cousin and the Three A’s. The type who didn’t have an ounce of fat on their bodies and liked to push their fake boobs in his face, wanting a night in his bed simply because he was a Navy SEAL.

They’d say whatever they thought he wanted to hear, just so they could bag a SEAL. The frog hogs were exhausting. Gradually, they’d made him question every woman’s intentions.

But Kelli…she was interesting. And it had been a long damn time since he’d looked twice at a woman.

“Where are you from?” she asked after a while.

“Riverton, California. You?”

She gaped at him in surprise. “You are?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Because I’m from La Jolla.”

It was Flash’s turn to be shocked. “Really? That’s just north of me.”

“I know.”

“No wonder you like the beach. They have some wonderful ones.”

She smiled. “True. Wow. Small world.”

It was.

“You going on the thing tomorrow?” Kelli asked him.

“Thing? What thing?”

It was her turn to frown. “The tubing thing.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

For the first time, she looked uneasy. “Oh, um…sorry. Forget I mentioned it.”

“No, what tubing thing?”

Kelli sighed. “I guess Charlotte and the Three A’s are bored. There’s not much going on at the resort, and they want to do something more exciting. They contacted a private tour place and decided they just had to go tubing on the White River. I guess they asked your friends, and they agreed to go too.”

Flash frowned. He hadn’t heard anything about going off the resort’s property. If he had, he would’ve tried to talk the guys out of it. While all the people they’d met so far had been kind and courteous, he was well aware of the dangers that lurked outside the fancy resort’s gates.

“I haven’t been hanging around them much. I’m sure they’ll tell me as soon as they get a chance,” he said.

She nodded. “I really am sorry. I know what it’s like to be left out.”

Flash couldn’t help it, he laughed. Then, at seeing the look of hurt that flashed over her face before she could mask it, he hurried to say, “I’m not laughing at you. It’s just that I have no real desire to sit my ass on a tube for who the hell knows how long it’ll take to get down whatever overcrowded piece of river.”

He was relieved to see the smile return to her face. “Right? I’m so short, my legs usually end up sticking straight up, and it’s all I can do to hold onto the stupid tube.”

“Are you going?”

Kelli shrugged. “Yeah. I really don’t want to because I’m not sure it’s safe to leave the resort. But I kind of feel obligated.”

Flash didn’t want to either, because he knew as well as Kelli apparently did that it wasn’t safe. But the last thing he was going to do was leave his future-brother-in-law to get hurt or robbed. His sister would have his head on a platter if he did that. And then there was Kelli...

“So…you think you might want to go?” she asked.

It wasn’t hard to see the interest in Kelli’s eyes. Normally, that in itself would urge him to say no. He didn’t do one-night stands any longer, and he definitely wasn’t looking for some kind of vacation fling. But he found himself in a whole new headspace at the moment. He liked knowing this woman wanted him to come along. He wanted to spend more time with her. Get to know her better.

“Yeah,” Flash told her.

“Cool,” she said with a shy smile.

“Cool,” he agreed.

A sound behind them had them both turning to see who was approaching. It was Charlotte and the Three A’s. Flash chuckled to himself; now he was calling the bridesmaids by the nickname.

“Hey, Kelli, we’re going to hang out with Seb, Ben, Rowan, and Charles in that little grotto on the other side of the property.”

“Um…okay?” Kelli said, obviously confused about why her cousin was informing her of their plans.

“I just didn’t want you worrying about where we were or coming to look for us. We’ll see you tomorrow after breakfast. The minibus will pick us up in front of the resort at ten. Don’t be late.” And with that, Charlotte turned, and she and the Three A’s strutted back to the bar where the guys were waiting for them, exaggerating the swing of their hips.

Kelli was staring back out at the water, refusing to meet Flash’s gaze.

“That was weird,” he blurted.

Kelli shrugged.

“Hey,” he said softly.

She still wouldn’t look at him.

“Kelli,” he said, putting a little more force into his voice.

Finally, she turned, and seeing the way her eyes sparkled with unshed tears tore at him.

“What?” she asked a little aggressively.

“You want to have dinner with me?” The words were out before he’d even thought about what he was going to say.

She stared at him with those wounded eyes, and Flash ached to do something that would make them sparkle with humor again.

“I mean, since the guys I’m with are obviously going to be hanging with your cousin and the Three A’s, it means we’re free to do whatever we want. I’ve heard great things about the restaurant here. I bet we could even get a table on the beach.”

“But you hate the sand,” she said softly.

“I hate seeing a beautiful woman torn up because her snobby, clueless, obviously stupid cousin was hateful to her even more.”

Kelli sighed. “She knows I made dinner reservations for all five of us tonight. And that dig about not coming to look for her? She obviously doesn’t want me anywhere near the guys who’ll be drooling all over her tonight.”

“Fuck her,” Flash said, way past caring that he was being derogatory about Kelli’s relative.

“Don’t you need to watch your sister’s fiancé?”

“He already knows that if he does anything other than talk to another woman, I’ll tell my sister so fast it’ll make his head spin. And he might be more scared of Nova than he is of me.”

Kelli giggled, and Flash was so relieved, his muscles relaxed. He hadn’t even realized how tense he’d become.

“Have dinner with me, Kelli. Please?”

“Well, when you ask me so nicely, how can I refuse?”

“You can’t,” he said with satisfaction.

“What time?”

“Six-thirty?”

She nodded. “Okay. I need to go talk to the front desk and tell them to cancel my previous dinner reservation.”

“You need to go right now?” he asked, wanting to prolong his time with this intriguing woman.

“Probably not. Why?”

“Because it’s a beautiful day. We could sit here for a while and enjoy it.”

She stared at him for a beat, before nodding. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Flash said, before taking another swig of his disgusting warm beer.

“You mind if I read? I was just getting to a good part.”

“Not at all.”

Sitting next to Kelli while she read and he stared out at the waves was relaxing. For the first time this trip, Flash felt the tension he always carried on his shoulders dissipating. And it took…what? A pretty woman saying yes to his dinner invitation. Hearing the pages of her book shuffle as she turned them. Her quiet chuckles each time she read something funny.

Flash still hated the beach.

Still despised the sand.

But somehow, it was more tolerable with Kelli Colbert sitting next to him.

 

Protecting Kelli

Sept 2, 2025