Page 25 of Protection for Nichole

He hated this tension. A part of him wanted to force Apple to apologize, but getting into a fight with Apple right now wouldn’t serve any of them. They needed to have a discussion, but not with Nichole here. She didn’t need to hear them hash things out. There would probably be harsh words said that would make Nichole feel uncomfortable.

When they left, he could tell that Apple’s words still affected Nichole. She shouldn’t have to worry about what Apple thought, but his team was important in his life, and Nichole would have to deal with running into Apple from time to time. He just hoped this died down and didn’t push Nichole away.

Chapter 21

Nichole couldn’t forgetthe accusations. She would never put Jesse or his team at risk, but she felt like she was betraying him by writing this article. They went to bed, but she woke at midnight and slipped out of the room, planning on reading the article again to make sure she hadn’t revealed any secrets that could come back and harm Jesse.

Minutes after she sat on the couch, the door opened, and Jesse stepped out, rubbing his face.

“Hey, why are you up?”

She shook her head. “Just reading through the article again.”

“Don’t let Apple’s words bug you. Seriously, I’ve read the article twice, and there’s nothing in there that would put us at risk or reveal any secrets.”

She drew in a slow breath, trying to find the right words. “You know, I’m in a position that few journalists have ever been in. And I recognize the bad things that could happen if I wasn’t honest with you.”

“Like what?”

“I could manipulate you into telling me secrets, not that I would. But people will think I should. I wouldn’t ever do thatto you. I know your job has some aspects that the public may desperately want to know about, but it’s not my place or anyone else’s place to tell those secrets.”

He ran his finger down her arm. “I trust you.”

“You shouldn’t?—”

Jesse opened his mouth to interrupt her, but she jumped up and put her hand on his lips.

“Give me a minute to talk this through. Don’t interrupt me.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

“I see Apple’s point. We don’t know each other. We spent seven days in a magical situation at a resort, living in an unrealistic environment. We weren’t really living in our lives then. It was wonderful, but not a place where you can really get to know a person. Now, we’ve been together here for a few days, really not long at all. And we’ve both spent most of the day working. That’s life. It’s how it is. We both work, so we haven’t had time to really get to know each other. If one of my friends came to me and asked if they should trust someone and their situation was exactly like ours, I would tell them hell no. And that’s why I say you shouldn’t trust me. If you were my friend, that’s what I would tell you.”

Jesse moved to the kitchen and grabbed a glass, filling it with water before turning to face her. “I get that. I can take a step back and look at the basic facts of how long we’ve known each other, and I can see where the lack is. But I also feel what I feel for you.”

She moved to him, placing her hand on his chest. “I feel it, too. I look into your eyes, and it’s like your soul is open to me, but that doesn’t mean we’ve known each other long enough for you to blindly trust me without some questions. I’m not saying I would do anything to destroy the faith you have in me, but your friend wasn’t wrong to question my motives.”

Jesse set his glass down and turned back to her. “I don’t question your motives. I know you’re not here to take advantage of me.”

She wanted to reply, but he held up his hand, stopping her.

“Just give me a second.”

“Sure.”

He closed his eyes and drew in a slow breath. For a second, she worried that he was going to tell her to leave. She wouldn’t blame him. He had a dangerous job and didn’t need distractions. Dating an investigative journalist would be one heck of a distraction.

“I trust you. I know you would never do anything to hurt me. This one article crosses our paths, but the way you wrote it doesn’t reveal our personal connection. No one will see it.”

“Someone could dig and figure out we know each other.”

“True, but you don’t reveal anything about who came to rescue you. It’s not obvious to the casual observer that it was Navy SEALs.”

“The doctors and nurses who were with me aren’t revealing too many details publicly, but in private, I have no say over what they say.”

“I trust you. That’s what I think, and I want you in my life.”

What she’d feared wasn’t happening. Jesse wasn’t kicking her out of his life. She hoped he didn’t change his mind later. Her work wasn’t something she was willing to give up.

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