Page 5 of Protecting Jess

Jess laughed and patted her face with her towel. “Even if I don’t get another contract, I won’t hold you to that. Pointe shoes are nasty. Not to mention, chewy.”

Kaley laughed. “You do make a good ‘point’. But seriously, you moved me to tears, and you know it takes a lot to make me cry.”

She hugged her friend. “Aw, thanks. It did feel good out there.”

“You were born for the stage, and I’m so glad that you’ve shaken off what happened to you.”

Jess bit her lip, her happy mood fading a little. She rubbed the scars on her upper and lower arm. She’d have to recover it with makeup before she went back out on stage. If Madame Baxter saw any evidence of imperfection, she announced her disapproval loudly and in front of everyone. “I can’t say I’m totally over it, but things are getting easier.”

“That’s good.” Kaley stretched, grimacing as she arched her back. “I’m glad that this is the final stop. My body is telling me it’s time to give up.”

“I feel the same, but we both know at the end of the two-month break, we’ll be itching to get back on stage.”

Something flashed in her friend’s eyes—there one second and gone the next. Had Jess imagined it?

“Maybe. But you need to get ready. Are you up to hitting some bars after? This is sailor town, right?”

Kaley had been sick and wasn’t with her the night in New York when she’d seen Finn. Jess had kept the kiss and dance she’d shared with Finn to herself. Her little secret and, in the aftermath of what Bartholomew had done, it had been a little bit of goodness to cling to. It didn’t matter what had happened after she and Finn had kissed, only that they had.

While she’d recovered, there were many times Jess had imagined Finn walking through the door and holding her in his arms like he’d done that night. Of course, it hadn’t happened because she hadn’t told anyone, apart from the other dancers in the company, and only because her absence needed to be explained.

“It is. And sure, why not celebrate a season and tour well done?” Jess injected enthusiasm she didn’t feel. The chances of running into Finn were slim, even if she’d thought she’d heard her old nickname.

When is this going to end?

The question ran through Finn’s mind as he watched a couple dance on stage. They’d taken it after Jess’s performance.

Fuck, Jess.

When the whole company had taken the stage at the beginning of the show, he’d picked her out immediately. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. It didn’t matter what the others were doing. His attention was solely on Jess.

When she’d come out and performed a solo dance, he’d been mesmerized. She’d glided across the stage as though she were skating on ice. Her body bent and twisted in ways he didn’t know were possible.

The story she told held Finn breathless and when she’d fallen to the ground at the end, he’d leaped from his chair, clapping loudly, and the nickname he’d given her when they’d been kids had slipped off his tongue.

“You okay, Hive?” Oak whispered.

“Yeah, why?”

“Your leg is moving up and down as if it’s on a fucking trampoline. It’s shaking my chair.”

“Sorry.” He immediately slapped his hand on his thigh, unaware he’d been moving it. It was a habit he’d picked up as a kid while living in the boy’s home. The movement had provided him comfort when he’d been anxious.

After he’d gone to live with his mom and dad, the habit had faded away, only rearing its head when he wanted something badly. Or was worried about something.

If he was anxious before going on a mission, Finn managed to curb the habit so his teammates didn’t see it.

Tonight, all he wanted to do was rush backstage and see Jess. Which was completely stupid, considering he’d ghosted her after their kiss. Not to mention, he’d vowed she was off limits.

However, she was also like family, so if he didn’t say hello to her, that would be rude.

Keep telling yourself that, buddy.

Finn tuned out the inner voice and focused on the stage. The couple had finished their dance, and the lights in the auditorium dimmed.

The shuffle of feet coming onto the stage was hard to miss, and he sat forward, hoping to see Jess again.

The lights rose and he could make out the whole company had returned to the stage.

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