Chapter 13

Jay couldn’t take his eyes off Nichole. Even with the dirt and grime, the bruises and exhaustion on her face, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He hadn’t let his emotions get in the way of doing his job. There hadn’t been a good time to tell her he was on the rescue team, and now the chopper was too loud. She was staring up at him, which made him want to peel off his equipment and go to her, telling her everything in his mind and heart.

Nichole finally glanced away when the helicopter dipped a little. It gave him more time to study her. Though there were bruises and scratches on her face and arms, she looked good. Did she have any clue he was here, or was her interest in him just her natural curiosity?

The rescue had gone off well. They’d not lost a single person, and none of them had been injured. They’d made the right decision going in.

He heard over his coms that they were about five minutes out from the ship. He needed to come up with a plan to talk to Nichole. Usually, the Navy had people who would take those they rescued to get medical attention, food, showers, and rest. The SEAL teams would be fed and prepared to fly out on a helicopter and catch a flight back to their base. But there was no way in the world he would leave before having a chat with Nichole.

They were almost to the ship when he moved to Griz, signaling he needed to talk. Griz nodded, but he wasn’t sure if Griz would agree with what Jay wanted to do.

The landing was perfect, which didn’t surprise him, and they offloaded quickly. Once they were away from the noise, he started talking.

“I have to go talk to her.”

Griz shook his head. “Dude, the Navy has them now.”

“How long until we leave?”

Griz shrugged. “Four hours, I think.”

“I need time with her before then.”

Griz stopped before opening the door and turned to face him. He’d removed his goggles so Jay could see his eyes narrow as he contemplated Jay’s request. He saw the moment Griz realized arguing was pointless.

“Fine, I’ll arrange it. Get showered fast, and I’ll see what can be done.”

Jay’s lips spread into a wide grin. “You won’t regret this.”

Griz huffed. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Jay finished his shower in record time, energized by the idea of talking to Nichole. He wanted her to know he was going to get in touch with her. She had gone through something terrible. He didn’t know exactly how bad it had been, but from what he’d seen as a SEAL, it couldn’t have been good for her or the other women. He just hoped she wasn’t too traumatized by everything that she would associate him with negative emotions.

Griz stopped by and told Jay that he’d cleared the meeting with command. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.”

Griz rolled his eyes. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Jay chuckled. “You know me well.”

“Dude.”

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 away from 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.