Page 12 of Protection for Nichole

Jay waved and took off, promising to return long before they were set to leave. He still needed to eat, and he wouldn’t mind some sleep, but talking to Nichole was more important than his comfort.

The group they’d rescued was sitting in a conference room, most of them staring blankly into space. He smiled at the ensign assigned to escort the people around the ship.

“Excuse me, Ensign. I’m?—”

“Petty Officer Moore. It’s an honor to meet you. Just a second. I was told you needed to speak with Nichole Brenton.”

“Um, yes. That’s correct.” Reactions like this young ensign’s still felt odd for him. The woman was an officer, but it was obvious she valued what the SEALs did. He wasn’t into hero worship. Being a SEAL was a job to him, not some weird way for him to garner worship. He always felt awkward when someone gushed over him.

The officer moved to speak with Nichole, who nodded and stood, moving toward the door. Jay wasn’t sure what the ensign had told Nichole, but halfway across the room, Nichole glanced up, and her eyes narrowed. Her steps faltered before a huge smile spread across her face, and she moved more quickly to him.

“Jesse?” Her voice cracked as tears filled her eyes.

He nodded, and Nichole didn’t stop at a comfortable distance. Instead, she plastered her body against his and wrapped her arms around him, holding tight for about five seconds before she leaned back, confusion written on her face.

“What are…oh shit, you drive a boat. I’m so stupid.”

He shook his head. “No, you’re not. Can we step over here and chat?” He made a motion to a space about ten feet awayfrom the entrance to the conference room because everyone inside was staring at them and he didn’t want an audience.

“Um, sure.”

“We aren’t going far, Ensign.”

The woman smiled and nodded. “No problem, Petty Officer Moore. I trust you.”

He held Nichole’s hand as he led her to the small alcove that would give them a bit of privacy. This close, the bruises and small scratches stood out on her face. She probably wouldn’t scar, but he hated seeing her messed up. A protective instinct rose that made his brain buzz from knowing she’d been hurt.

His heart squeezed as her fingers squeezed his hand. It had been years, and now he was on a ship, having just rescued her. The words he’d planned on saying froze as his throat went dry. He stared into her eyes, realizing that the emotions he’d felt for her hadn’t dimmed one bit since they walked away from each other four years ago.

Chapter 14

Nichole couldn’t believeJesse was here with her on this ship. Why had she ever let him walk away from her? It was one regret that hadn’t dimmed with time.

“How did you know I was here?”

He reached up and scratched his chin, his lips twisting to the side. “Um, about that. I’ve had a change in jobs since then. When we met, I was driving a ship. Well, there were times I was training on how to be a boatswain. It was the path I was on at the time.”

She shook her head. “So what are you doing now?”

He glanced over at the ensign and saw her eyes dart away. “I was on the team that was sent over to rescue you.”

“Wait, you were…” She drew in a sharp breath as the thought of the man who’d stared at her in the helicopter flashed in her mind. Panic rose, but she pushed it down. “You should have said something.”

He shrugged. “I couldn’t, and then there wasn’t time. We were a little busy.”

The rush of emotions had her pulling him close and hugging him even tighter. He was right. He hadn’t come over just torescue her. He’d been there for all of them, making sure every single person being held captive had come home safely.

Tears stung her eyes, but she didn’t want to cry. His arms tightened around her, and that did her in. She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks, and that pissed her off. She wanted to talk to Jesse, not cry on his shoulder.

His voice was low, but she could hear him as he spoke. “I’ll reply to your email. And yes, I want to see you again. We should have—never mind what we should have done. I want to see you.”

She nodded, still clinging to him. All the fear she’d felt while being held captive rose to the surface, making her shake. The heightened emotions and fear response was because she felt safe with Jesse. She wanted to tell him as much, but she heard multiple people coming closer, and Jesse untangled himself from her and stepped back.

She watched as Jesse changed in front of her eyes and saluted the man approaching. The new person returned the salute and stopped in front of Jesse.

“Petty Officer Moore, I wasn’t expecting you here.”

“Yes, sir. I was acquainted with Miss Brenton and wanted to make sure she was okay.”

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