IRISH (The Trident Series Book 4)

by Jaime Lewis

  Ace raised an eyebrow in his direction, and Irish pointed at the coffee mug. The others around the table started laughing as Ace turned the mug around and frowned.

  In big, bold black letters, the cup read, “Busier than a cucumber in a women’s prison.”

  “Fucking Alex and her damn coffee mugs,” Ace mumbled, getting up to get a new mug. Alex had a fetish for collecting inappropriate coffee mugs. You never knew what a mug might say. This one he’d never seen before, but it was hilarious, especially seeing Ace with it.

  Ace cleared his throat as he sat back down. “We were talking about you.”

  “And your point? What, do you want to sit around and gossip like girls while we paint each other’s nails?”

  “No, smart-ass. I want to know if you were able to get any more information about that guy who showed up.”

  “We talked about a lot last night. She has a past, and I have some concerns.”

  “What kind of concerns?”

  “Not what you are thinking. She had a rough childhood. Her parents are assholes who only appear to care about their lifestyle and money. Her grandparents had tried to protect her the best they could, but they passed away when she was in high school. After their death, her life spiraled.” He explained a little of her past, including the asshole who showed up at Bayside the other night and put the bruises on her neck.

  Potter asked. “Is he going to be an issue? It already pisses me off that he touched her.”

  “I asked her the same thing. She said she wouldn’t put it past them to make a move. I mean, this guy, Randy already made one appearance, and according to Bear, he heard him threatened her. He also wasn’t happy with Bear for intervening.”

  “Well, from the looks of it, she took her grandfather’s words of advice to heart and got away from the stronghold her parents thought they had on her.”

  “That she did. She didn’t even blink an eye when they threatened to cut her out of the will.”

  “They are that wealthy?”

  “From the sounds of it, they are very wealthy.”

  “Money comes with a lot of connections. In your opinion, do you think her parents and this Randy guy could show up again?”

  “I honestly don’t know.”

  “Well, if anything should arise, just let us know. Alex, Tenley, and Autumn have already formed a tight friendship with her.”

  Irish looked at his teammates. Specifically, Ace, Potter, and Frost. “Is it normal to already have that possessive and protective feel over her?”

  Ace laughed. “Yeah, man, it is. Once you find the one, you just know. But it’s a great feeling to have.” Frost and Potter agreed with their own words.

  “Oh, on a side note, do any of you know anyone who might want a cat?” They all looked at him strangely, and he proceeded to detail Mr. Whiskers’ night of passion with his pants. Then regretted it because he knew that conversation would come back to bite him in the ass.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The ladies had just placed their drink order and were looking over the menu at the restaurant they’d stopped into after a day of shopping for dresses and shoes to wear to Alex’s Foundation’s grand opening gala when Tenley looked at Bailey.

  “Umm, Bailey, the guy sitting three tables down from us keeps looking over here. Well, looking at you specifically,” Tenley told her.

  Bailey tensed up, and fear took over. Her first thought was Randy.

  “What does he look like?” She asked, not wanting to look in case it was him. She had already pulled her phone out and had her finger on Irish’s name to call.

  “I’m not going to lie; he’s hot,” Alex and Autumn shook their heads in agreement.

  Randy was handsome, but not hot, so she took a quick glance, and her eyes widened when she saw who Tenley was referring to. Bailey gasped and covered her mouth as she looked away quickly.

  “We need to go now!”

  “What? Why? We just got here. The guys are already on their way and should be here any minute,” Alex told her.

  Bailey tried to shield her eyes with her hand. She probably looked ridiculous. She took a peek and saw the guy get up and make his way over to their table. Her heart started to beat even faster. This had disaster written all over it.

  “Oh, God!” She tried to get up.

  “Whoa, honey. You look like you’re going to be sick.” Yeah, well, she felt like she was going to be sick.

  “I need to get out of here,” she pleaded with her friends.

  “Why? What’s wrong? Oh, look, there are the guys now,” Tenley said, waving at them. Bailey looked toward the entrance and was getting to make a run for it when she locked eyes with Irish.

  Bailey turned toward Alex and Tenley. “Remember my massage day?”

  “Who could forget that. What does that have to do with this guy?” Alex looked up at the guy approaching quickly, then looked back at Bailey. And Bailey knew the moment Alex realized who this guy was. “Oh shit! Tell me that is not the guy who practically molested you on the massage table.”

  All Bailey could do was nod as her stomach turned into one big knot when Manny stopped right in front of her.

  “Damn. It must be my lucky day. I almost didn’t recognize you with your clothes on.” Bailey’s face turned crimson. Suddenly, a deep growl came from behind her. When she turned around, Irish stood there with his arms crossed in front of his chest, glaring at the guy. With his eyes narrowed and standing there with his chest puffed out, Irish looked fierce, and Manny took his stance as a warning and stepped back.

  Irish took a step forward and placed his hands on her shoulders. He squeezed, and she knew he was pissed. This was so not good. The entire table went silent and waited to see what would happen next.

  “What did you just say to my girlfriend, asshole?” Bailey put her hands over Irish’s.

  Manny held his hands up. “Whoa there, man. I didn’t know. She may want to be a little more careful. If she were my woman, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight, let alone let her venture into a place like my friends and I run.”

  “What in the hell are you rambling about?” Irish exclaimed. Irish wasn’t aware of the situation that had occurred at Deep Waters.

  “The day spa, my friends and I run,” Manny smiled all cocky. Bailey thought the man seriously had a death wish. “It’s a very hands-on experience for women only if you get my drift.”

  Bailey covered her face with her hands as the situation turned worse.

  “No, I’m not getting your drift.” She tried to intervene, but Irish hushed her, which kind of pissed her off. “Maybe you need to be a little more descriptive.”

  What the hell? Are they seriously speaking to one another about me like I’m not even standing here?

  Before the conversation could go any further, she decided it was time that she spoke up. She cleared her throat, shook Irish’s hands from her shoulders and stood between the two men.

  “Excuse me, Manny, but in my defense, I wasn’t seeing anyone at the time. And second, I was oblivious to what services your establishment offers. Now before this situation gets out of control, I think it’s best if you just turn yourself around and go back to your table.”

  The jackass had the audacity to grin and then wink at her. She heard Irish mumble something under his breath, but then the guy did what she had insisted. He turned around and went back to his table of friends who looked on with interest.

  “Asshole,” she heard Irish say before she felt his hands on her shoulders again. He turned her around and boy did he look angry.

  “Irish, I’m sorry—" He cut her off.

  “We’ll talk about it later,” he said, then motioned for her to take her seat and he took the one beside her. For the next forty-five minutes, he barely said anything, and she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. Shit…she didn’t know what to do.

  ◆◆◆

  Right after lunch, Irish excused him and Bailey. They were walking to his vehicle. His long strides m
ake it difficult for her short legs to keep up. Finally, she pulled on his hand, making him stop. “Irish, you’re scaring me. Please say something.”

  He shook his head and continued walking. “I can’t right now.”

  “Why not?” She pressed.

  He turned toward her with his hands on his hips. “Because I’m pissed off right now, and I don’t want to say something I may regret.”

  “I can see that, but not talking about it is making it worse,” she countered. She wasn’t going to let this go on.

  He raised his hands in the air. “What do you want me to say, Bailey? A man…. a man who, by the way, is not me, saw you naked, and then had the nerve to throw it in my face. So, excuse me if I’m not dancing around, acting happy and shit.”

  Her temper met his. It wasn’t fair that he was taking it out on her. “Just so we’re straight, he didn’t see me naked. Yes, I was naked, but I was under a sheet. And remember, when this happened, we weren’t dating.”

  “Like that makes me feel any better,” he retorted.

  “Irish, look at me.” He was staring at something over her shoulder, but she was determined to make him talk to her and realize that the situation was all a misunderstanding. She shook him, and he finally looked down into her eyes. She could see the anger and hurt. “I swear to you nothing happened with that guy. As I said, when I realized what was going on, I made him leave the room, then I got dressed as fast as I could and got the hell out of there.” She placed her hands on his chest, and he covered them. He was breathing heavily, and his nostrils flared. “You believe me, right? Because if you don’t, then we have a serious problem.”

  He backed her up until her back was against his vehicle. He took her face between his hands and bent, so he could really look into her eyes. “There was never a moment that I didn’t believe you. I’m a man, Bailey. A man who is very possessive and protective of people I care about, including my girlfriend. It upset me to stand there and hear another man talk the way he was about you.”

  She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Well, if it helps, I’m sorry for placing myself in the situation to begin with. Believe me, that won’t ever happen again.”

  He gripped her chin and tilted her face upward and stared into her eyes. “Damn straight, it won’t. Maybe I’m just insecure, but damn if I am going to knowingly let another man put his hands on what is mine.”

  She giggled. “Deal. Now kiss me.”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice.” He lowered his head and tenderly made love to her mouth. Things started to get a little hot and heavy when his large hand slid under her skirt and caressed the back of her thigh. The warmth of his palm on her skin had her moaning. When his hand slid further up toward her ass, she reluctantly pulled away and took a couple of deep breaths. The man was sexually lethal. She rested her head against his chest as he buried his face against her neck, and he placed tiny kisses to her skin as she listened to his heartbeat rapidly in his chest.

  “You are going to be the death of me, woman,” he whispered.

  She pulled back enough to look at him, and she could see the emotion in his face, mainly his eyes. The anger before was gone and replaced by arousal and desire. And it wasn’t just feeling aroused that had her wanting to demand him to take her home and make love to her. No, it was something else much powerful, more meaningful. She swallowed hard…It was love.

  He touched her cheek. “You okay?”

  She smiled softly. “Yeah, everything is perfect.”

  “Do you have plans for the rest of the day?” He asked, and she shook her head no. “I need to blow off some steam, and you gave me an idea.”

  “I did?” She asked, wondering how she managed that.

  “Are you still interested in learning to shoot?”

  She smiled wide. “Yes!”

  He grinned and opened the door for her to get in. When she stepped up, he gave her ass a slap, making her jump. She turned to reprimand him, and he cocked his eyebrow, daring her to say something. Instead, she kept quiet and buckled her seatbelt. Today had been a turning point in their relationship. She felt it, and she had a feeling that Irish had too.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Hey, sweetie, why are you sitting in here all by yourself?” Bailey asked Sienna as she walked into Sienna’s bedroom. Sienna looked saddened as she sat at her little pink and green Disney table.

  Sienna let out a deep sigh. “Uncle Ky promised me he would come to my tea party. But his friends are here now.” That was when Bailey noticed that Sienna had her table set with her Disney tea set, complete with teacups, saucers, and teapot. She had even placed her favorite stuffed animals around the table and she wore her yellow Belle from Beauty and the Beast dress, with a matching tiara. She looked adorable.

  She crouched down in front of Sienna. “Oh, honey, I don’t think he forgot. He just got a little sidetracked. I’m sure he’ll be here as soon as he finishes up with his meeting.”

  “Do you know when they will be done?”

  “No, but whatever they’re meeting about must be really important because I know for a fact that your uncle wouldn’t have forgotten your tea party. He loves to spend time with you, and I’m sure he is just as upset as you are right now that he can’t be here. How about you come and sit with me on the couch, and we can watch a movie until he’s finished.”

  Sienna shook her head. “No, I’ll stay here and wait. Maybe the rest of my friends can have their tea, and then when Uncle Ky finishes, he can have some,” she said, motioning towards her stuffed animals.

  Bailey smiled. “I think that is a perfect idea. If you need me, I’ll be in the living room.”

  “Okay…”

  Bailey waited patiently on the couch. She could see the guys through the glass door. It was getting later, and Sienna was still in her room. She had ventured out for a few minutes and fixed herself a snack and fill her teapot with water.

  When Bailey had checked on her a few minutes ago, Sienna still sat at the table looking defeated. Her sad expression broke Bailey’s heart. She knew Irish hadn’t intentionally forgotten about the tea party. He had been surprised when Ace called this morning and asked if they could all meet at his house. Irish had called her right after he had hung up with Ace and asked if she could come over to keep an eye on Sienna since he wasn’t sure how long their meeting would last. She hadn’t minded one bit. She loved spending time with Sienna, especially outside of the classroom. Bailey was still adjusting to the balance of the relationship inside and outside of the classroom. There was a certain professionalism she had to maintain to be sure she wasn’t showing favoritism.

  Bailey knew something was going on with Irish. He had been quieter than usual and a little moody the last few days. The way he had blown up yesterday at the situation with the guy from the day spa had been a good example. She was pretty sure something at work was the driving force behind his mood. He’d also been working late, and he mentioned he could be called out any day. Even though she wanted to question him on it, she knew to just let it go.

  She lifted her head when she heard the sliding glass door open, and Irish poked his head in.

  ◆◆◆

  “Hey, are you okay?” Irish asked.

  “Yeah,” she replied.

  He walked in, closing the door behind him. He sat down next to her, and she laid her head on his shoulder.

  “You look like you’re pondering something.”

  She pulled her bare feet up and tucked them under her. “No. I’m good. How much longer do you think you guys will be?”

  “Not too much longer. Why? Do you have somewhere you need to be?” He leaned in and started suckling her neck, making her laugh. That brought back a memory from yesterday when they went to the shooting range. She not only had surprised Irish, but she’d also surprised herself with how well she could handle a gun. Her favorite, for now, is a Glock 17, 9mm compact handgun. However, she really wanted to get her hands on the weapon that Irish used. When she
asked him about it, he just smiled and said it was his baby. But when he had her laying on her belly, trying to hit the target with the Glock, he kept distracting her by kissing her neck just like he was now.

  She sat back and looked at him. “I don’t, but you do. Your niece is heartbroken because she thinks her uncle forgot her tea party.”

  His eyes widened, and he stood up. “Oh, shit! Where is she?”

  “In her room. Sitting at the table waiting.”

  “How long has she been there?”

  Bailey looked at her watch. “About three hours. She did come out to the kitchen to get something to eat but went back to her room.”

  He ran his hand down his face and sighed. “Shit. I can’t believe I forgot that. Why didn’t you come and get me?”

  She pulled back and looked at him like he was crazy. “I wasn’t going to waltz out there and interrupt your meeting. You all looked so serious and deep in conversation. Potter, at one point, looked like he was ready to kill someone. Plus, I told her that you hadn’t forgotten and that you were just delayed.”

  Bailey was right about one thing. Potter was pissed. They had been discussing an upcoming mission, one that involved women and children being slaughtered. But right now, he needed to make things right with Sienna. He had made her a promise, and by God, he would honor that promise.

  He took Bailey’s hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “What do I do? How do I make it right?”

  “I’d suggest you finish up that meeting of yours and get to that tea party.”

  He grinned and leaned in and gave her a big wet kiss. “What would I do without you?”

  “Don’t know. And hopefully, we won’t have to find out.”