by Jaime Lewis
Alex laughed then whispered so none of the others could hear. “I think real soon we can drop the ‘friend’ name and start using sister.” She nodded her head toward Derek and Juliette, who had their arms wrapped around each other while they spoke with Ace and Potter.
Tenley’s eyebrows rose. “You think so?” She asked.
“Oh, I know so. You weren’t there when they shared their first kiss. Let me just say it was scorching.”
Tenley starting laughing, then Alex started. Ace glanced at them then looked to Potter. “I don’t even want to know what they are talking about or possibly planning.”
“As long as it doesn’t involve them getting into trouble and it doesn’t involve me, I don’t care,” Potter stated as he walked over and grabbed Tenley’s elbow steering her toward the front door.
“You do know that trouble is both their middle names, right?” Juliette called out laughingly as she and Alex walked away to prepare dinner.
◆◆◆
After a delicious dinner of burgers, bbq chicken, pasta salad, and corn on the cob, everyone sat around the patio. Alejandra had gone inside to watch TV.
It was starting to get late, and Tenley was exhausted. Her bed was calling to her, but she knew she had to see what was so important that an attorney had to drive out from Richmond for.
She reached for the envelope that sat next to her. Everyone quieted down as she slipped her finger under the seal. Before she reached into the envelope, Derek covered her hand with his and gave her a warm fatherly smile. “Whatever’s in that envelope, good or bad, know that all of us are here for you.”
“Thanks D.”
She took a deep breath and pulled out a thick stack of papers, and what she read at the top of the page made her eyes start to water. She looked up at her family, watching her intently and waiting for her to tell them what it was.
She sniffled and took a deep breath. “It’s a copy of Dante’s Will.” She had learned while in the hospital that Dante was killed during a shoot-out with Esteban and Chaz.
“Oh, sweetie,” Juliette said, getting up and coming around the table to console her. Tenley buried her face in her mom’s shoulder and cried.
“I don’t know why I’m even crying over him. Yes, technically, he’s my father, but he also abandoned you and me, mom. He isn’t my family. My family is right here with me right now.”
Potter took the papers from Tenley and started reading over them. “Holy shit.”
Tenley turned to look at Potter. “What?”
“He left you a bunch of businesses.” He looked closer and furrowed his eyebrows. “Potter, what is it?”
“These businesses. They’re all local, here in the Virginia Beach area.”
“What? That’s impossible. Let me see.” She said, reaching for them and looking them over. As she read the names, she was stunned speechless.
“Have you heard of any of those?” Potter asked her.
“I know all of them. At one point, they were all owned by Chaz.”
“Dante was smart, Tenley. He knew what Chaz was up to when he got involved with Esteban. More than likely, Dante made some backdoor deals and stole Chaz’s companies right out from under him.” Derek explained. But Tenley didn’t want this. This would just be a constant reminder of everything she’d been through. All the pain she had endured. She wanted no part of it.
Later that night, as they were getting ready for bed, Tenley looked at Potter. “I don’t want any of the businesses. What if we sold them and used the money for other purposes? We could use some to put away for the kids’ college fund. We can pay the house off and still live comfortably. I would also like to give a big chunk to Alex’s foundation.”
“Tenley, I don’t care what you do. As long I have you, Alejandra, and our baby for the rest of my life. You know I’ll support you with whatever you want to do.”
“Thank you, and not just for supporting me on this, but for fighting for us. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know where I’d be right now. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, baby. Come on, let’s get some sleep.”
Epilogue
So, Frost, how long are you going to have to stay in the hospital.” Dino asked.
The team had come by to visit Frost after their morning PT. Unfortunately, his ass was stuck in a fucking hospital bed. He just wanted to get back to working with the team. He’d had injuries before, maybe not as bad as the current one he was mending from, but still, nothing held him back.
He didn’t understand why he couldn’t sit at home in his own damn bed. He’d been a cranky son of a bitch the last few days. The nurses were all tired of his attitude, but he was tired of them as well. Hell, some of them actually tried to hit on him, which pissed him off even more.
He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “A few more days. I’m supposed to start physical therapy today.”
“So soon?” Ace asked, giving Frost a once over. Probably making sure Frost wasn’t pushing it too fast.
“That’s what the doc told me yesterday. They want me to start with some light exercises.”
“Just don’t over-do it, okay? We want you back as soon as possible, but we want you healthy with no setbacks.”
“Yes, sir.” He gave Ace a salute. A light knock on the door followed by a woman’s soft but husky voice had Frost glancing at the doorway.
“Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt, but I’m looking for Chief Petty Officer Rhoades?”
Frost rolled his eyes. Great, another nurse coming to “check on him,” though he didn’t recognize the voice of this one. She probably worked on another floor and heard from her co-workers that he was there.
He took a deep breath and got ready to say something sarcastic, but then the woman emerged from behind Ace and Irish, and not only was he left speechless, he almost tumbled out of the bed as he found himself leaning towards her to get a better look. He shook his head to refocus as the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on in a very long time walked towards him. And that was saying something because he’d seen his fair share of women in his thirty-one years.
Frost closed his mouth when he realized it was gaping open as he looked her over. She was petite, with a shapely figure. Tits and ass, just what he liked. Add in those plump pink lips, her little pixie nose, and large shamrock green almond-shaped eyes that sparkled in the lighting; he was left speechless by her beauty. But what had his heart thumping was her long wavy red hair that fell below her shoulders, framing her face beautifully. Even in what he assumed was her hospital attire, a purple polo shirt, and black khaki pants, she was a fucking knock-out.
As she walked closer to the bed, her bold green eyes twinkled under the fluorescent lighting. “Since you’re the one sitting in the bed, I’m assuming you’re CPO Rhoades?” She asked again, grinning at him as if she knew her looks alone were tormenting him. He noticed the guys checking her out, and he couldn’t blame them a damn bit.
Frost cleared his throat. He was staring at her like a teenage boy who was nervous to ask Suzie Sunshine to the senior prom. It was like he became brain fried as all the blood left his brain and flowed straight to his cock. Thankfully, the blanket was pulled up to his waist and covered any evidence of his arousal. Just to be sure, he placed his hands in his lap and adjusted himself slightly to make sure his manhood wasn’t creating a pop-up tent. That would surely send her running, unless she was anything like the nurses before her.
“I am CPO Rhoades.” He said in a gruff voice, which made some of the guys snicker. Assholes. They knew exactly what was going through his mind, and he was so going to beat their asses for it too. Once he recovered from his injury, of course.
Flashing him a bright smile, she held out her hand, “I’m Autumn. I’m one of the physical therapists here at the hospital and the one responsible for getting you back on your feet as quickly as possible. Well, at least while you’re here, that is.” When their hands touched, an electrifying feeling coursed through his veins, and he
felt alive. Her hand felt tiny and delicate compared to his much larger one, and her skin felt so soft against his calloused fingers that he couldn’t help but hold on to it a little longer than a normal handshake. When she gasped and pulled her hand away quickly, looking away, he realized she felt something.
Well hell…so it wasn’t just me. The Irish beauty felt the connection too.
She started fiddling with his IV pole, trying to avoid eye contact with him when she started talking. He couldn’t hide his smile at her cuteness as she wrinkled her nose, looking down at her watch.
“I apologize for stopping by so late in the day, but I just received your chart. Since your doctor wants to start your therapy tomorrow, I wanted to come by and introduce myself and see if you had any questions, but since you have company, we can wait until tomorrow. I’ll readjust my morning schedule so we have some extra time to go over any questions or concerns you may have before we get started.”
He didn’t have any questions about his rehabilitation process, but he definitely had some personal questions he wanted to ask her. For starters, was she single?
He needed to keep it together, so he didn’t scare her off, so he flashed her a flirtatious smile. The one he knew that the women ate up. “Tomorrow morning would be perfect, but can I ask a favor.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly, placing her hands on her hips and giving him a stare-down. He wanted to laugh at the sight, but he knew better. If she were anything like Alex and Tenley, there was a lioness under her beautiful exterior.
“And what would that be sailor?”
He smiled, already liking her sass. “Promise me you’ll go easy on me?”
She let out a husky laugh and damn if his cock didn’t harden even more at the sound. And the way her red locks shook at the shake of her head had his fingers itching to run them through the silky tresses.
“Not gonna happen. Listen, I’m going to be upfront with you before we get started. I’m a tell-it-like-it-is type of gal. I don’t take crap from my patients, especially hard-headed ones like yourself. My job is to get you back on your feet as quickly as possible so you can return to active duty. I take my job seriously. I’ll push you so hard you’ll probably want to kill me, but I’m hoping it won’t come to that because then you’ll be assigned another therapist who most likely wouldn’t know their ass from their head and won’t give you the effort and care that I guarantee you will get from me. I will respect you, and I ask the same in return. I don’t work with quitters. If you’re not ready to give me a hundred percent, tell me right now, and I’ll make other arrangements for you.” She stood at the foot of his bed with her arms crossed in front of her chest, giving him a serious look and waiting for an answer.
Frost didn’t know if he should laugh or be a little scared. Not only was this woman a total knock-out, but she was a total badass. She was one of those women that kicked ass and took names later—a woman with attitude but also a sense of humor. In a matter of minutes, she had made his body come alive.
He smiled. “You’ve got yourself a deal, sweetheart. I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning.”
Maybe getting shot wasn’t so bad after all.
Click Here for Frost and Autumn’s story!
Book List
The Trident Series
Volume I
ACE
POTTER
FROST
IRISH
STITCH
DINO (April 2021)
SKITTLES (June 2021)
DIEGO (August 2021)
A Trident Wedding (August 2021)
About the Author
Jaime Lewis entered the indie author world in June 2020, with ACE, the first book in the Trident Series.
With a barrage of positive reviews and a series embraced by readers, Jaime is a rising star in the romantic suspense genre.
Coming from a military family she describes as very patriotic, it's no surprise that her books are known for their accurate portrayal of life in the service.
Passionate in her support of the military, veterans and first responders, Jaime volunteers with the Daytona Division of the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps, a non-profit youth leadership development program sponsored by the U.S. Navy. Together with her son, she also manages a charity organization that supports military personnel and their families, along with veterans and first responders.
Born and raised in Edgewater, Maryland, Jaime now resides in Ormond Beach, Florida with her husband and two very active boys.
Between her day job, her two boys and writing, she doesn't have a heap of spare time, but if she does, you'll find her somewhere in the outdoors. Jaime is also an avid sports fan.
Follow Jaime:
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/jaime.lewis.58152
Facebook Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/349178512953776
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17048191.Jaime_Lewis
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
Book List
About the Author
