Page 12 of Protecting Jess

Finn had only partly heard what his buddy had finished saying. His mind was going over the small matter of how Oak had looked over at Jess and how he’d said “if I hadn’t.” Hadn’t what? Come to the dance show, everything would’ve been okay? Hadn’t seen the way Finn had been so focused on Jess as she performed?

What did it matter what his friend had or hadn’t seen? All that mattered was that he was single and seemed perfectly okay with it.

Or was he?

“Are you sure you’re good?” Finn asked.

“Yeah. The night is young, and we don’t have to be on base tomorrow. This place is hopping, and I think we should hop right into it.”

He laughed and shook his head. Yeah, the guy wasn’t heartbroken at all. “What’s your plan? Who are you going to leave with?”

“Dude! I’m not going to leave with anyone. I just broke up with Sylvia,” Oak barked, his eyes wide and offended.

“Who you just said wasn’t the love of your life, and you don’t look like you’re going to cry into your beer.”

“Nothing you say is a lie, but even I have some class. You may think I’m a bit of a man-whore, but even I know it’s tacky to go from one woman to another in one night.”

“Fair call.”

“What I’m thinking is, we need to go up to the dancers. I need to tell them how great their performance was.” There was a knowing glint in Oak’s eyes, and Finn’s gut shouted that if he objected, his friend was going to call him out.

Not to mention tell the other guys on the team about it all.

Although, that was a given, since there weren’t many secrets among them. Or at least none that lasted long.

According to their teammate House, it hadn’t always been that way. There’d been some clashing, but after a critical mission, where things had gotten bad for them, they’d worked out their issues and were a more cohesive unit now.

Finn had only been with them a short time, and as much as they made him feel welcome, there were times he still felt like an outsider. However, he’d proven himself, stitching up one or two of them in the middle of a shitstorm they’d found themselves in. The rest of the guys found it handy to have a trained medic on the team again.

“Fine, but that’s all we’re going to do,” Finn said. As much as he wanted to be near Jess, talk to her, he wasn’t going to force himself on her.

Yet, that was what he was basically going to do when he and Oak went and spoke to them.

Following his friend, they made their way through the crowd, and before Finn was ready, they were standing behind the dancers.

The woman that had been with Jess saw them the second they arrived. Her eyes narrowed and she sent him a death glare.

He took it on the chin, glad that Jess had a friend who had her back. He had a whole team of guys that wouldn’t hesitate to wade into a fight if Finn found himself in one. Just like he’d do for them.

How could he relay to Jess’s friend he wasn’t there to do any harm?

Kind of hard without saying anything. Not to mention, he didn’t know the woman and she didn’t know him.

There’d been no hint of recognition in the woman’s face when he’d been talking to Jess. If Jess had told her about him, there would’ve been something to say that she was aware of who he was.

Should it bother him that Jess had kept him a secret?

Man, what the hell was wrong with him?

After his rough start to life, he’d shed most of the insecurities that’d coated him like a second skin. The love from his adoptive parents had given Finn the security and confidence he’d needed. Right this second, though, all those past feelings of not being worthy or good enough were vying to take over.

“Hi, sorry to bother you all,” Oak yelled over the music, as he tapped one of the guys on the shoulder.

Those with their backs to him and Oak all turned at once, like the well-choreographed team they were.

Jess’s eyes widened a fraction before narrowing, and if he thought her friend’s glare was bad, the one Jess fired in his direction would’ve been a direct shot to his heart.

“What do you want?” She poked him in the chest.

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