Page 28 of Protecting Jess

Would Finn be okay with her telling her best friend that he was the son of a billionaire? That Finn didn’t have to work, but he did it because he loved giving back and helping people.

“I guess. Do you want a drink?” she asked, in an attempt to distract her bestie. “We’ve got champagne, soda, juice, water.”

Finn had got her settled in the room before saying he needed to go back to the base and grab things so he could stay with her until she left for San Antonio.

Kaley had been texting her all day, but Jess had had her phone turned off, too worried to have it on, in case it was Bartholomew who’d left that ‘present’ in her room.

She might’ve changed her number, but past experience told her he had ways of getting information about her.

Jess had only turned her phone back on because Oak had called Finn and told him Kaley was going out of her mind with worry.

Wait…Kaley had spoken to Oak? How had she gotten Oak’s number?

Even amidst everything that’d been going on, she’d noticed the way Finn’s friend had remained at her best friend’s side.

“What’s the deal with you and Oak?” Jess blurted.

Color bloomed in Kaley’s cheeks.

Her friend never blushed, but she was blushing right now.

“Um...I’ll have a soda, thanks.”

Jess bit her lip to keep from laughing. Considering how she’d used offering Kaley a drink as a diversion, her friend had returned the favor.

“Guess we’ve both got things we don’t want to talk about.” She smirked, but headed to the fridge and grabbed two cans of soda.

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” Kaley said, her tone sly and her embarrassment gone.

Jess finally laughed and held her can out, waiting for her bestie to tap hers against it. “I’ll drink to that.”

“Are you doing okay?” Kaley asked after they found seats on the comfy, oversized sofa.

“I think so. I’ve tried not to think about what happened last night too much. If I do, I’ll spiral into a well of what ifs. It helped that Finn took me on a tour of the base and we went to the beach for a while. I met a couple of guys he knows from another SEAL team. I don’t know what they feed these guys, but man, I’ve never seen such good-looking men.”

Smiley and Flash were tall and muscular. Considering all the training they did and the equipment they had to carry, they had to be strong. It made sense, but those guys had abs that were as impressive as Finn’s. Yet, with all their good looks, they did nothing for her.

“So, you did make it to the beach after all,” Kaley said.

What does she mean?

Her confusion must’ve shown on her face because her friend chuckled. “You said last night that we should go to the beach today. You know, so we could drool over guys without their shirts on who likely had small dicks.”

Their conversation from the night before came back to her and so did the guilt that she’d made plans, but had completely forgotten about them because of everything that’d happened.

“Oh God, Kay-Kay. I’m so sorry. It totally slipped my mind.”

Kaley squeezed her forearm. “It’s all good. I, um...” She looked away. “I ended up doing something else.”

Jess arched an eyebrow, the wheels turning in her mind, especially with Kaley’s earlier comment. “You and Oak?”

“Yes, me and Brennan. I can’t call him Oak. Sounds like I’m a college girl on spring break looking to get hammered every time I say his name. Oak! Oak for everyone!”

Jess giggled. “Now, that’s a visual I want to see.”

Her bestie shrugged and took a long drink from her soda. “He didn’t mind when I said I wasn’t using his nickname. He can save that for his friends.”

“I have to agree. I don’t think I could call Finn ‘Hive,’ like his teammates do. It seems so foreign, but it doesn’t bother him.”

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