Page 37 of Protecting Jess

Was that why Mom had always included updates in her conversations with him? Had it been her way of fostering a connection between them?

What did it matter?

They were together now, and that was all that mattered.

Thirteen

Jess checked herself in the mirror. She hadn’t brought a lot of clothes with her on this trip, and her jeans and T-shirt looked too casual for a dinner date.

Over the years, she’d learned to pack light, considering the dance company traveled all over the country, performing in one state and, a few days later, performing in another. There wasn’t much time off when they were touring.

The expensive apartment she paid her share of the rent on in New York was merely a place she and four of her fellow dancers laid their head in between tours.

It was exhilarating and exciting to learn new routines. Get fitted for new and more glamorous costumes. Visit new and exciting places, too. But it was tiring. There were times she just wanted to sit on the couch or laze in bed for the day, but she couldn’t because she either had rehearsals or performances.

“You ready to go?”

“I guess,” Jess mumbled and turned away from the mirror. Her breath caught when she spied Finn dressed in a pair of dark jeans that hugged his thighs. The white button-down shirt he wore accentuated the blueness of his eyes. “Now I definitely feel underdressed.”

Finn grabbed her hands, holding them out as he looked her over. “I think you look beautiful. I’m going to be the envy of every other man in the restaurant.”

Warmth stole over her. She didn’t deserve the compliment. “Thank you, but I think it’s going to be me who will be fending off every other woman in the place.”

“They can look, but I only have eyes for you,” he said.

Part of Jess struggled to believe he truly meant those words, considering all he’d done to avoid being with her. Having his attention and focus on her was a lot to deal with. “Are you sure this is fine for where we’re going?”

“You look perfectly fine for where we’re going.” Finn brushed his fingers against her cheek and her eyes drifted shut at the sweet touch.

He’d done more of those little touches throughout the day. They hadn’t done much. Just gone for a walk. He’d told her he had to go to the base tomorrow for a few hours to go through a few things before he went on leave.

After their conversation on the balcony, he’d called his commander back and told him he was going to take him up on his offer. It seemed a couple of the other guys on his team were doing the same.

Tonight, they were all meeting for dinner and drinks at a bar near the base with the guys from his team and their partners. One they frequented, which was owned by the wife of a retired SEAL.

“Perfectly fine. Not the way to make a girl feel good about what she’s wearing,” Jess grumbled.

“You did hear the part where I said you looked beautiful, right?” Finn arched an eyebrow.

The way his gaze drilled into hers, willing her to believe him, she really had no other choice. “I did.”

“Then you know if I thought you needed to change, I’d tell you. Aces is a place we all go to relax. Jessyka’s focus is making everyone feel welcome. For years, it was known as a pickup joint, but Jessyka has gone to great lengths to change Aces’s reputation.”

Jess rolled her shoulders and stood straighter. “Anyone whose name is Jessica has to be a good person.”

He chuckled. “Yes, but her name, unlike yours, is spelled with a ‘YK’ instead of a ‘IC’.”

“Oh, that’s such a pretty way to spell it.”

“It is. Now come on, are you ready to go? I’m sure you don’t want to leave Kaley by herself for too long.”

Jess paused mid-action of collecting her purse from the side table. “What? Kaley’s coming?”

Finn’s eyebrows rose in surprise, higher than moments before. “You didn’t know? She didn’t tell you?”

A flush of embarrassment washed over her. “I switched my phone off again.” It was a habit she’d gotten into after her experience with Bartholomew. Whenever something bad happened, she’d turn it off. If Jess spoke to or texted her parents, they’d pick up that something was wrong.

When they’d asked her why she hadn’t responded to their calls or texts, she’d made the excuse that she needed to focus on an upcoming performance. They’d believed her and, after what happened a couple of nights ago—not to mention the conversation she’d had with Finn—she wasn’t ready to speak to them.

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