POTTER (The Trident Series Book 2)

by Jaime Lewis

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  Rex “Potter” Richardson tuned out the conversation his friends were having as they gathered in the game room of Ace and Alex’s house. His attention was elsewhere, specifically on the woman sitting across the room from him. He had been content with his quiet life outside of his career, until a couple of months ago when the feisty and sassy brunette bombshell walked into his life.

  He thought she was going to blow off spending the holiday with her friends and family until she barged in just as dinner was being served, claiming she had just woken up. Of course, everyone had peppered her with questions, but he didn’t. He just sat across the table from her and did what he did best. He listened to her tell tales at every question fired at her.

  What she had done nearly brought him to his knees; however, he would never let it show how she affected him in front of others. When he returned from that deployment and read the “Dear John” text she sent him, he was determined to sit her down and work out whatever was going through that pretty mind of hers. He had called and even gone by her house, but all he got was either a voicemail or an empty house. Alex had mentioned Tenley was working odd hours and only came home for brief periods. Alex and Tenley’s mom, Juliette, told him they were concerned at her abrupt pullback. Then one night, when he was headed to the hospital to confront her, his phone chirped with that ringtone that only meant one thing: he was being called into the base, leaving him wondering when he would ever get a chance to talk to her.

  As she sat at the bar with Alex in her red dress, with her sexy toned legs crossed, she still looked just as beautiful as the last time he saw her; about a month and a half ago. She had lost some weight—not that she needed to, but it was noticeable. What he didn’t like was the sadness she was trying to hide from everyone. She could plaster that fake smile on her face all day long, but her eyes told the real truth. She was hiding something, and he vowed to get to the bottom of it. He wouldn’t make a scene, not in front of everyone, but before this night was over, he would know the truth.

  ◆◆◆

  After most of the guests had left and Ace’s family had retreated to their rooms for the night, only the SEALs, Alex and Tenley were left.

  The guys were sitting around the TV watching the news. Earlier it was reported a 7.8 magnitude earthquake had rocked the northern coast of Ecuador near the Colombian border.

  Details were still coming in, but it was said there was significant widespread damage. Fatalities had been confirmed; however, their government was not releasing a number yet. Sources were estimating it could reach into the thousands.

  Aids from countries across the globe were already pouring in, including the United States.

  “I still can’t believe that you’re engaged,” Tenley said, smiling.

  “I know,” Alex replied as she admired her ring. “I’m still getting over the shock of it myself.”

  Tenley reached over and put her hand over Alex’s. “I’m really happy for you, friend. Who would’ve thought you’d be engaged to of all things, a Navy SEAL?”

  Alex laughed. “Yeah, I never saw that coming.”

  “But I have to say, you snagged yourself a good man. I can tell he adores the hell out of you. You are one lucky woman.”

  Alex noted the sadness in Tenley’s voice. Something was bugging her friend. For the last month and a half, Tenley had kept more to herself. She hadn’t wanted to hang out much, and she had also maintained a distance from Potter, which puzzled Alex because things had seemed to be going in the right direction for the two of them.

  “Tenley, I’ve been meaning to—”

  The sound of Tenley’s cell phone ringing cut her off.

  “I need to grab that. It could be the hospital. They’ve been short-handed the last few days, and I told them to call me if they needed me.”

  Tenley grabbed her phone and walked out of the room. Alex didn’t miss the way Potter’s eyes escorted Tenley out of the room.

  Ten minutes later, Tenley walked back into the room.

  “Everything okay? You look a little frazzled.” Alex asked. Potter must have seen the strained looked on Tenley’s face as well because he was up and walking over to where they were standing.

  Tenley grabbed her purse and coat off the bar stool. “That was the humanitarian organization I volunteer with through the hospital. They’ve been called in to assist with the relief for the earthquake victims. They were calling to ask if I was available to help assist.”

  “You’re going to Ecuador? When do you leave?” Potter asked, not happy with the news that she was leaving. It seemed to Alex that Potter wanted some alone time with Tenley; maybe to talk.

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  “For how long?” He questioned.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. We won’t know until we assess the situation down there. They said it could be weeks.”

  Alex watched the back and forth between Tenley and Potter. Seeing the tension between the two pretty much confirmed there was something definitely off.

  “We need to talk before you leave,” Alex said, grabbing Tenley by the arm and pulling her down the hall toward the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, Alex swung Tenley around. “Okay, fess up. What’s up between you and Potter?”

  “Nothing. Why?” Tenley snapped, looking surprised but guilted by the question.

  “Because since you two started dating, you’ve been making progress in the relationship. And now for the last month or so, there is obvious friction between the two of you. Not to mention the way you avoid hanging out with us. So, stop blowing smoke up my ass and tell me what’s got your panties in a twist.”

  Tenley shook her head and lowered her voice. “Please, Alex, I don’t want to talk about it. Not right now. But so that you know nothing can happen between Potter and me. Just let it be.”

  Alex squinted her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  “God, no! I’m just going through some stuff I need to deal with, and I can’t involve anyone else. Okay?”

  Alex eyed her friend. She could see Tenley was struggling. She knew that both she and Potter were right for each other. Everyone could see it; most when Potter had all but marked his territory when other men congregated around her, and the way Tenley looked at him told an entirely different story than the words coming out of her mouth. Her friend had it bad for a certain Navy SEAL. Now Alex just needed to figure out what was holding her friend back and give her a little nudge.

  Alex let out a sigh. “Friend, you’re scaring me. But for now, I will respect your wishes. When you get back from your trip, you and I are going to sit down and talk. I’m worried about you.”

  Tenley hung her head in defeat. “Whatever. Give me a hug. I need to get going, so I can pack.”

  Alex hugged her friend, giving her a good squeeze. When they finally let go of each other, all of the guys had come out to the kitchen. They hugged Tenley, and some even lectured her on her safety.

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  When the last team member said good-bye, Potter stepped up to Tenley. “Come on; I’ll walk you home.”

  Tenley bit her bottom lip. Her nerves were at an all-time high. Just let him walk you home.

  “Okay.” She told him as she prayed that nobody was watching her house. The last thing she wanted was to place him in danger.

  “Be safe, and call me when you can.” Alex offered a wave before Tenley gave her a small smile, then turned and walked out the door with Potter following.

  The walk next door to Tenley’s house was done in silence. At the front door, Tenley turned to face him.

  The glare he gave her was intense. So intense that she wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. She was drawn to his black eyes, and she could tell those eyes were trying to see through the imaginary shield she had put up.

  She felt guilty. Guilty of a lot of things, like lying to her best friend and Potter. She cared for him so much. Who was she kidding, she was already in love with
him, but she couldn’t act on those feelings. She had to protect him and anyone else for that matter. She had gotten herself into a bind and didn’t have the first clue as to how to get out of it. The worst part was the person she wanted to ask for help; she couldn’t because she wasn’t putting him in danger.

  Potter’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. “Honey, I don’t know what happened to make you pull away from me, but I’m telling you right now that I’m not ready to see our relationship end. You have some concerns floating around in that mind of yours, and whatever they are, you and I are going to get to the bottom of it.”

  Her eyes started to tear up. “Please, Potter, you don’t understand.”

  He stepped closer to her. “Shhh, we’re not getting into it now. Now is not the time to hash it out. I’m just saying that when you get back, we’re gonna talk. No more bullshit and no more running.”

  Before she could respond, he leaned in and took her face between his large hands and kissed her. Not the hard demanding kiss she was used to getting from him, but a tender and passionate one.

  Getting caught up in the moment of enjoying Potter’s mouth on her, she had stupidly forgotten that there could be eyes on her. That thought was like dumping a bucket of cold water on her.

  Placing her hands on his chest, she gave a little shove, breaking the kiss. “I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened. And it can’t happen again.” She told him, looking down at her feet. She was a coward and couldn’t even look him in the eye, knowing that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to hide the truth from him any longer.

  Taking his index finger and putting it under her chin, he lifted it until her brown eyes were locked on his. “Don’t deny what we have Ten. I know you feel it.”

  She silently stood there, wishing she could let him in, but if she did, she would be opening the doors for evil to enter their lives. She already had her baby taken from her. Now that same evil didn’t want to relinquish its hold on her.

  He leaned in and gave her one last quick kiss on the lips, then dropped his hand as he stepped back. “Stay safe, Tenley.” He turned and walked away, leaving her standing there, staring at his retreating back.

  A lone tear slid down her cheek.

  “I do feel it.” She whispered to herself as she wiped the tear away and entered her house. Maybe a couple of weeks away from everything would give her time to come up with a plan. She couldn’t go on living this way. She had a right to be happy. And Potter made her happy.

  Chapter Two

  A few hours later, she stood in her walk-in closet, debating what else she needed to pack. She had never been to Ecuador, so she wasn’t sure of the culture there. The plus side was that she would mostly be wearing scrubs.

  She couldn’t help but feel sorry for all the people who lost loved ones and those who were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. From the details she got, the area she was traveling to was in shambles.

  Pulling some yoga pants and a couple of t-shirts from the shelf, she walked back toward her suitcase lying on the bed when she heard a knock at the front door.

  She froze, and her heart began to race. Numerous thoughts wracked her brain. Was it Chaz or someone he had sent to follow her? Oh god, did they see Potter kiss her? Did Chaz find out she was leaving? Had he com to stop her?

  Shit, now she wished Potter was still here, but he had left hours ago after he kissed her senseless, leaving her wanting more of him. She pressed her fingers to her lips. She could still feel his firm yet gentle lips on hers. She shook her head. She couldn’t want him. She had to stay away to protect him and her friends. Being around them, she would be too tempted to tell them everything. Especially her best friend, Alex, who already tried getting information out of her earlier, and boy had she been tempted, but doing so would have put her best friend in harm’s way. Tenley could handle herself getting hurt, but she would never be able to live with herself if anyone else was injured or worse.

  She took another look at the door when she heard the hard-knock again. She debated answering it but then decided to take a peek out of the window to see if there was a car in her driveway or out front of her house.

  She walked into the living room and peeked through the blinds. Her fears were put at ease when she saw Potter’s silver truck in the driveway, but on the other hand, she wondered what he was doing back here at almost four in the morning.

  She walked to the door and unlocked the main lock then the deadbolt. Her hands were shaking, but when she pulled the door and saw the sexy as sin man standing there, her heart started to dance.

  “Potter? What are you doing here?”

  He stood there with his muscular forearm leaning against the door frame. The man was a beast; he stood at six-feet-five with short black hair, a chiseled square jaw, and eyes so dark and intense you’d swear they were coal.

  When she looked into his dark eyes, it was the desolate look that had her wanting to pull him into the house and confess everything to him.

  He took a deep breath and started speaking, his voice deep and sultry.

  “I can’t let you leave without knowing what happened between us. I thought I could walk away and give you time to think about what I said last night, but I can’t, Tenley. I can’t leave things unsettled between us when you’re going off to another country for who knows how long.”

  She shifted her feet, feeling uncomfortable and then shook her head. “Potter, please. Don’t make me do this. Not right now.” She pleaded with him.

  “When does your flight leave?”

  “Around 10:00 a.m. Why?”

  He glanced down at his watch. “We have four hours before you need to get to the airport.”

  “Four hours for what, exactly?” She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She knew the movement had probably just pushed her boobs up and out of her barely-there pajama tank top she wore. He confirmed her thoughts when his eyes made contact with her chest then he licked his lips, making her want to feel those lips on her.

  His eyes slowly moved from her chest up to her eyes. “For you to talk.” He walked with purpose past her and into the house like he owned it.

  She shut the door behind him and followed him into the kitchen where he stood. “I told you, Potter, I can’t do this right now.” She walked past him and went back down the hall toward her bedroom, hoping he’d get the message. But no such luck. She felt his large presence as he followed right behind her.

  “Just a minute ago you said you don’t want to talk and now you say you can’t. Which is it? I’m too old to be playing fucking games, Tenley.” She flinched slightly, remembering how Chaz used those same words on her. She knew Potter’s patience was wearing thin. She learned quickly these SEALs could be impatient men when they wanted answers. Potter, in her opinion, was the most impatient one out of all of them when he wanted something.

  Why couldn’t he just leave things alone for now? Why did he have to come back seeking answers that she wasn’t ready to give? She was almost home free. At least for the next four or so weeks, that is. Weeks of not having to avoid her friends and family so she didn’t have to endure the interrogations they would put her through to get her to explain why she was working so much and why she had suddenly broken things off with Potter. Plus, being away from Virginia Beach meant she would have weeks of not having strange men that Chaz had following her.

  She stood up straighter as she stepped into her bedroom and turned toward Potter with her hands on her hips. “I’m not playing any sort of game.” She said snidely.

  “You could’ve fooled me.” He pushed. He blew out a big breath and ran his fingers through his short strands of hair, making the front stick up. She paused in her packing and glanced at him. Even now looking pissed off at the world, he was still damn sexy.

  “Jesus Tenley, just talk to me. Because whether you believe it or not, your family and friends are concerned about you. I’m worried about you. Something happened, and I’m not leaving until you fucking tell me
what it was. We had something good together.”

  “I said, I can’t! Now just drop it.” She snapped and tried to turn away, but he grabbed her upper arm firmly, turning her back around to face him.

  “I will not drop it!” He told her as his voice turned cold and stern.

  “You don’t understand!” She shouted, trying to pull away from his grasp.

  “Then fucking tell me, so I’ll understand, goddammit!”

  Her emotions got the best of her. To the point that she couldn’t think straight, and she blurted out the first thing that hit her tongue. “I was pregnant!”

  Immediately as she said the words, she covered her mouth with her hand, wishing she could pull them back in as if they were never spoken. She couldn’t believe she did that. The way his eyes widened and his eyebrows scrunched together; he was not expecting her to say that.

  “You want to repeat that?” He asked as he took a step toward her like he was trying to listen harder.

  She watched him, and holy shit did he look lethal. She knew deep down that Potter would never physically hurt her, but from the look of his eyes as they bored into her, she started to tremble. Taking a step back, she lowered her head as her eyes filled with tears. This was not how she had intended the conversation to go.

  “I asked you a question, Tenley.” He said in a deep, low voice that was laced with venom.

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  Potter’s head was spinning; this woman was making him crazy. She was hiding something, and he wanted answers. But the words spoken from that sweet mouth of hers hit him like a freight train.

  Potter froze as if his veins filled with ice. At first, he was questioning his hearing ability, so he asked her to repeat what she had said.

  “Tenley, I’m going to ask you again. Repeat what you said.”

  She sniffled but wouldn’t look up at him. She was stalling. Then in a tiny, fragile voice, and spoken so low he almost couldn’t hear her, she said, “I said, I was pregnant.”