IRISH (The Trident Series Book 4)

by Jaime Lewis

  A few minutes later, Irish explained to the guys his dilemma, and they all put their heads together. With some last-minute help from Bailey and Alex, who showed up, they were now all stuffed into Sienna’s bedroom, sitting around her table having a tea party fit for a queen.

  Irish was going to owe the guys big time. Not only had they all agreed to take part in the tea party, but they went above and beyond the Call of Duty by dressing the part. Ace and Dino had hot pink feathered boas wrapped around their necks and wore silver clip-on earrings. Stitch wore an oversized white garden party hat with some bright ass yellow flower on it. Frost, God help him, let Sienna put lipstick on him, and he too had some weird contraption clipped to his head. He thought he heard Alex call it a fascinator or something like that. Whatever it was, he looked funny as shit. It looked like a bird coming out of his head. Potter had a silver tiara with pink hearts sitting on top of his head and chunky costume necklaces made of pearls. Diego wore earrings, bracelets, and a tiara similar to Potter’s. Irish, on the other hand, was thankful Sienna chose him to be a Prince, and he got to wear a big gold crown. Bailey and Alex promised not to take pictures, but he knew they had anyway. He would pay them back if they ever decided to use them.

  Irish noticed a plate sitting on the table that was covered in foil. Curiosity, of course, got to him. “Sienna, what’s on the plate?” He pointed to the plate, and she smiled.

  “I made tea sandwiches.”

  “Tea sandwiches?”

  “Yes, silly. You can’t have a tea party without tea sandwiches.” She took the cover off, and his stomach growled at the sight of the food. He was hungry. She handed him one, and he looked it over. It smelled fishy. Then it dawned on him she had made tuna fish, remembering there were a couple of cans in the pantry.

  He waited until she passed them all out before eating his. Tea sandwiches were supposed to be finger sandwiches. These, on the other hand, were full sandwiches cut in half. Everyone politely thanked her before eating. When the meaty chunks of the sandwich hit his taste buds, he knew instantly something was off. Whatever was between the slices of bread was not tuna fish, and before he could warn the others, it was too late. Skittles swore and make a face as if he’d just eaten a piece of shit. But if Skittles’ sandwich tasted like the one he had just bit into, he couldn’t blame him. Seconds later, Stitch started gagging before spitting the remnants of his sandwich into a napkin. Ace was doing everything he could to swallow his, but it wasn’t working too well. His face was all scrunched up, and he looked a little green. Frost and Diego were coughing, trying not to make a huge scene. Dino couldn’t take it, as he spit his into the wastebasket, then grabbed the tall pitcher of iced tea and downed what was left in it. That left Potter. Fucking Potter did what Potter normally did. He took it in stride and ate the fucking nasty ass sandwich as if it was the sweetest and tastiest, damn cupcake. Ace made a mad dash for the door and ran down the hall. A few seconds later, Irish heard him throwing up.

  Bailey and Alex came into the room, looking concerned and asked what was wrong. Irish got up from the table because he didn’t want Sienna to feel bad for likely poisoning the entire team. He had no clue what she had given them. He explained, and Bailey said she would check the kitchen and see what she could find.

  Irish turned his eyes on the sweet, innocent-looking angel who stole the hearts of the entire team with her jubilant personality. She sat there with her too-big purple tea party hat, her jewelry on, and in her yellow princess dress. She looked like a hot mess, but all that mattered was her happiness, and right now, she was far from happy. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and Irish thought she looked about ready to cry. Fuck me….

  He walked over and knelt in front of her. He could still smell whatever was in the sandwiches. He shuddered and felt his stomach protest at the pungent scent. “Honey, what did you put in the sandwiches?”

  “I made them with the tuna fish in the can,” she whispered.

  Ace had come back and stood in the doorway, holding the small wastebasket from the bathroom. He still looked a little sickly. Bailey and Alex walked back into the room and judging from the amusement in both of their eyes and the smirks on their faces, Irish had a feeling this was a story they all would be talking about for years to come. Alex looked as if she was ready to burst as she rubbed Ace’s back, making sure he was okay.

  Bailey lifted her hand and showed Sienna a can. Irish couldn’t quite see it but could tell it was the size of a tuna fish can.

  “Sweetie…is this what you used to make the sandwiches with?” Alex snorted a laugh when Sienna shook her head yes, then looked around at all the sets of eyes on her. The poor thing looked frightened and intimidated. She probably thought she had done something wrong and Irish could see the tears in her eyes.

  “I used the tuna fish that you give Mr. Whiskers. You know, the one that has the picture of the fish on it.”

  Irish closed his eyes and swallowed the bile back down. Jesus fucking Christ…she had fed them all canned cat food. That stinky ass shit he hated feeding to that cat. That thought alone had him wanting to grab the trashcan out of Ace’s hands and toss his cookies. He looked back at Sienna and slowly spoke, so she understood him clearly.

  “Are you saying that you made the sandwiches with Mr. Whiskers dinner food?”

  She grinned and shook her head, yes, and the guys couldn’t hold back their laughs. Shit, he was never going to hear the end of this.

  “Well, one of the cans was the other type of can. The white one that you use sometimes. I couldn’t reach the other cans, so I took one of those.”

  That was when it sunk in, and he looked over at Potter, who was grinning. No wonder he ate his as if he enjoyed it. He got the sandwich with the “real” tuna fish. Fucker. Potter got up and lifted Sienna in his arms and gave her a big hug. She looked tiny in the giant man’s arms. He kissed her on the cheek.

  “Thank you so much for inviting me to your tea party. Your sandwich was so delicious. I can’t wait to come to your next party.”

  She smiled wide, and her eyes lit up. He would owe Potter for turning an embarrassing situation for Sienna into a happy memory. Ever since Potter became a father to Alejandra, he had become much more friendly and approachable, especially when it came to kids.

  “Of course, Uncle Potter. You can come to all of my parties.”

  He grinned and set her back down. Then as if on cue, Mr. Whiskers sauntered into the bedroom, jumped up onto the table, and began to lick the plate clean. Irish cringed while the others made comments. There was no way he could ever open another can of wet cat food again without gagging. The cat was getting dry food from here on out.

  ◆◆◆

  Bailey finished cleaning up the kitchen as Irish walked Skittles out. When Irish returned, he shut the front door and locked it.

  She was putting the left-over pizza in the refrigerator when strong arms came around her waist. She jumped, and Irish chuckled. He pulled her against him. With the front of his body pressed against her back, his strong, hard body felt warm and inviting. Apparently, he was aroused if going by the long thick appendage she felt pressing against her backside. She took a deep breath when he rocked his hips forward. Instincts had her pushing back against him. She heard his breath hitch, then felt his lips against her neck as he placed tiny kisses along her skin. Shivers racked her body, but it brought a smile to her face. She loved it when Irish put his hands on her. She was getting warmer on the idea of wanting to have sex with him.

  She turned in his arms and hugged him around the waist. Her cheek rested against his chest, and she felt content, safe, at home.

  “You really didn’t know what Sienna was making in the kitchen when she made those sandwiches?” He asked, making her chuckle. Irish wouldn’t let it go.

  “When I asked if she needed help, she said she was fine. I swear I didn’t know what it was.”

  Irish shook his head and then laughed himself. “Fucking cat food!” Bailey couldn’t hold it in any lon
ger and started giggling uncontrollably. By the time she got herself under control, she was wiping tears from her eyes.

  “You know the guys are going to have fun with this, right?” Oh, she had already heard some of them talking during dinner on what they were planning to do.

  “You’re probably right, but the one that I would be extra worried about is Alex.” She grinned at him, and he snorted.

  “That doesn’t surprise me one bit. That woman loves to play jokes on people, and she’s good at it. She strikes when you least expect it. Ask Stitch. During one of our deployments, she went into his apartment and emptied his shampoo bottle and filled it with lube.”

  Bailey gasped. “No!”

  Irish chuckled. “Oh yeah. It was funny as shit.”

  “That is wrong on so many levels, but totally funny, especially since it happened to Stitch. He seems so organized and a total neat freak.”

  “I know, it was awesome, but now I have to keep a close eye on her.”

  Irish got quiet, like he was in a deep thought. “Are you staying the night?” He asked.

  She looked up at him, and her eyebrows scrunched together. “I don’t know.” They’d spent most of their free time together in the last couple of weeks, but each evening always ended with him giving her a good-night kiss before she went back home to her condo, alone. Tonight would be the first time she’d stayed the night, since the hurricane.

  She looked at him. “Do you want me to?” Please say yes, please say yes. She repeated to herself. Not that she was expecting to have sex with him. At least not tonight because Sienna was here, but she wanted to sleep in those strong, muscular arms of his.

  He smiled. “I do. I’ve already locked the house up and set the alarm.”

  “Hmmm…I guess I’m a prisoner for the night then.”

  “Prisoner…. I like the sound of that. I know a lot of torture techniques.” He lightly bit down on her neck, and made her squirm and laugh.

  “Ky…” She pulled back and saw the hungry look in his eyes. “Sienna’s sleeping just down the hall.”

  His arms moved around her waist, and his hands rested on her ass. “I know. I’m sorry. You are just so tempting. It’s hard to control myself when I’m around you.” He gave her a quick kiss. She couldn’t wait to curl up with him. Then she remembered she didn’t have any clothes. She usually kept a spare set in her car for whatever reason. She looked down at what she was wearing and cringed. Jeans were not going to be comfortable to sleep in. She only had a tank top that she wore under her hoodie, and she definitely wasn’t wearing just a tank top and panties to bed.

  “You okay?” She heard Irish ask and looked up him.

  “Umm…” He cocked his head to the side and looked at her with a serious expression. It was funny to watch the guys and how protective they all were when they assumed one of the ladies was in a pickle. “I don’t have any clothes with me. What you see is what I’ve got,” she told him, gesturing to her jeans.

  His face took on a devilish grin, one, like the Grinch does when he is up to no good. “I don’t see that as being a problem. I see it as a win for me. I guess you’ll just have to go to bed naked.” She blushed, then put her hands on her hips, preparing to scold him when he started laughing. “I’m just kidding. You can borrow one of my t-shirts and a pair of my boxers.”

  She smiled to herself. Oh goody, I can steal more of his clothes.

  “That works; let me finish putting the dishes away, and I’ll join you on the couch. We can watch a movie. I’ll even let you select the movie.” She cringed when she saw Irish grin. Yeah, she was going to regret that decision. Irish liked scary movies. She, on the other hand, despised them. She also wanted to talk to him about Sienna’s birthday that was coming up in a couple of weeks.

  ◆◆◆

  A little while later, she found herself snuggled with Irish on the couch as they watched Halloween, the original. She hated the Halloween movies. The boogeyman in that movie freaked her out. If she walked into a store and saw that white mask sitting on a shelf, she would turn around and walk out.

  At one point in the movie, she had tried to crawl behind Irish, but he just held her in front of him and chuckled. She felt his warm breath on the back of her neck. She was getting more comfortable with Irish on an intimacy front. She still got shy when he would make comments about her body, but deep down, she loved hearing the compliments.

  Deciding she would use conversation to distract herself from the movie, she flipped over, so she was face-to-face with him. He was a sight to take in with his disheveled hair and the light scruff on his cheeks and jaw. She used her thumb and rubbed his scar on his chin, and he grinned. For some odd reason, she loved that scar. It was a unique part of him.

  “Sienna’s birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks.”

  His eye’s widened. “Shit, that’s right. I totally lost track of the days. Do you have any ideas on what I can do?”

  Bailey had an idea, but she wasn’t sure if she would be overstepping, but she wanted to do something special for Sienna, especially since the last two months had been a major adjustment for her with moving and starting school.

  “Well, I have an idea, but…” She nibbled her lip, and Irish looked at her.

  “I’m open to all suggestions. This is new for me. I don’t know the first thing about throwing a birthday party for a little girl.”

  “Well, it’s sort of over the top, and you can say no if you want to because—"

  He squeezed her hip. “Bailey, just spit it out.” She forgot she was dealing with a master of impatience. He was grinning, so she knew he wasn’t scolding her.

  “I was thinking since the last few months for her has been whirlwind of change that we could do something really special for her.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. Ok, he was really getting impatient. It was kinda, sorta funny.

  “Well, as much as she loves Disney, what if we planned a weekend trip and took her to Disney World. That is if you and the guys are not off saving the world. Maybe we could even invite a few of the others if they want to come. Sienna would love it.” She waited nervously as he pondered the idea.

  “I love the idea, but right now, I don’t know if I can afford something that extravagant for all of us. I mean, I have some money saved, but I had plans for using it.”

  Without thinking, she blurted out, “I’ll pay for it.”

  He looked at her like she was crazy. Yeah, teachers don’t have the highest paying salaries, but she had enough money to probably buy one of the “lands” inside the Magic Kingdom. Only he didn’t know that.

  “Bailey, you’re a teacher. I know damn well teachers don’t get paid what they should. I appreciate the gesture, but I just don’t see it happening. I mean, you’re talking airfare, hotel, rental cars, not to mention the cost of the park tickets. Tickets alone are highway robbery. Then you have food, plus all the shit they get you to buy at the parks because you can’t say no to a little girl who wants something.”

  If he weren’t being serious, Bailey would have laughed. He was way overthinking it, so it was time for her to step in and diffuse the situation. She sat up and used the remote to turn the TV off. Thank God because the movie was getting to another scary part. It was a good thing she was staying over because after watching that, she didn’t want to go back home alone.

  Irish sat up along-side her. She gave herself a quick pep-talk. Okay, you can do this. He deserves to know. Plus, you trust Irish; you know he won’t share with anyone what you are about to tell him if you ask him not to; you know he won’t be upset with you for withholding this information until now, and most importantly, you know in the end he will still like you for you and not your bank account.

  She took a deep breath. You got this girl.

  She scooted over until she couldn’t get any closer without sitting in his lap and grabbed his hand. “What I am about to tell you is something that nobody, except for my cousin, knows. I don’t want any secrets between us, but
I also don’t want you to think differently about me.”

  She was so nervous. It’s not like it was a subject that someone just brought up out of the blue with their boyfriend. “Hey babe, by the way, I’m worth millions.” Seriously, how do you tell someone you’re sitting on a nest egg worth twenty-million dollars, give or take?

  She must have zoned about because he squeezed her. His eyebrows were drawn in, and he looked concerned. “Bailey, whatever it is, you can tell me. I’m a pretty open-minded person.”

  “You know my family is wealthy.” He nodded, and she took a deep breath. “When I turned twenty-one, I inherited a trust fund that my grandfather left me. Nobody, not even my parents, I think, know about it. It’s something I keep quiet about.”

  She watched him carefully as he digested that. She couldn’t tell if he was upset, worried, or whatever. His face was just blank. “Why are you telling me this now? Did you think that by you having money, it would turn me off? Because I’ll tell you right now, rich, poor, middle-class, I don’t give a fuck how much or how little your bank account has. What I care about is what is inside here,” he told her firmly, pointing to her chest where her heart was.

  She stared up at him. She wasn’t exactly sure the reaction she was expecting, but she couldn’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy from his heartfelt words. She wasn’t used to that type of compassion. That someone actually cared for who she was rather than what she stood for. The tears pooled in her eyes. “That has to be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Not that you haven’t been nice, it’s just….”

  He smiled and ran his finger down her cheek. “I know what you mean, sweetness.”

  “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. It isn’t something that I want to advertise.” She was getting herself worked up. She took a breath and exhaled. “I don’t want to keep anything from you, ever. You have to understand, with the amount of money I have, I don’t have to work, but I do because I love doing what I do. I love being a part of something. But what I want more than anything right now is to give you and Sienna something back. I was on my own until I met you. You both have welcomed me into your lives and your home. I want Sienna to have a childhood that she’ll remember and smile about when she’s older. Not that you and your parents haven’t given her that already. And please believe me, this isn’t about me throwing my money around or trying to impress you. This is about me saying thank you and wanting to share in the memories that you both will have for the rest of your lives. I’ve had that trust fund for almost six years, and I’ve never touched a penny of it. I never wanted to until now. I always said that I would use that money when I had a family of my own. I want to help friends and even strangers in a time of need. Please, Ky, you and Sienna are the closest thing I have to a family.”