by Jaime Lewis
“How’s our girl doing?” A third voice asked.
Derek? Now she was hearing the voices of her best friends and Derek. Oh, hell, this is worse than I thought. Am I dying or something?
“She’s awake, but I think she’s playing possum with us.”
Okay, that definitely sounded like Stitch.
Their loud voices weren’t helping with her headache.
She groaned and covered her eyes with her arm. She just wanted some quiet time.
“If you want to talk, can you please do it elsewhere? You're making my head worse.” She whispered and then heard them chuckle.
“There’s the Tenley we know,” Frost said, laughing.
She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to massage the pain away. What in the hell were those three doing here? She had only been gone for twenty-four hours. She didn’t know the proper protocol for missing persons, but she was sure there was a stipulation that the person had to be missing for twenty-four-hours. Plus, there was no way the government could put a search and rescue mission together that fast. She may not know a lot about how those types of things work, but she wasn’t born yesterday.
Now she really started to worry. Lying to the folks here at the camp was one thing, but lying to her best friends and the man she considered a father? There was no way in hell. They’d be able to see right through the lie. They were trained for that shit.
Knowing she couldn’t lie there forever, and that she was going to have to face the music sooner or later, she finally worked up enough courage to pry her eyes open, and when she was able to focus, she was looking directly into Stitch’s eyes. He was leaning over her, and she immediately saw the stress and concerned look in his darkened eyes.
“What are you all doing here?” She croaked out.
“Are you serious? Do you honestly think we’d leave the fate of your life in the government’s hands? We may work for Uncle Sam, honey, but sometimes Uncle Sam can take his sweet ass time. We weren’t willing to wait around.”
Her eyes widened. “You guys aren’t going to get in trouble for being here, are you?” She didn’t want to be the one responsible for getting them kicked out of the Navy.
Derek stepped forward and leaned down and kissed her forehead, making her relax some. “You scared the shit out of us. Not to mention your mother,” He told her, holding her gaze.
She stared back up at Derek, remembering her mother. She licked her dry lips, still wishing for that drink. “Well, if I’m being honest, I was pretty scared myself.”
Derek’s response to her statement was interrupted when the rest of the team pushed their way into the room; Ace, Dino, Irish, Tech, and Diego. They were all there except for the one man she had been hoping to see. A feeling of sadness washed over her. Did Potter hate her that much that he didn’t even want to help find her? She had planned on taking Miguel’s advice and was going to speak to Potter once she got home, but him not being here, was clearly a message that it really was over between the two of them. She tried her hardest to blink back the tears, but it was no use.
Stitch wiped them away as they fell. “Why the tears, Ten?” Stitch whispered to her, and she closed her eyes. She couldn’t look at them. She felt embarrassed. They were Potter’s teammates, and they all probably knew exactly why she was crying. Oh well, there was nothing she could do about it. She had brought it all on herself.
She shook her head, and the movement caused her even more pain, causing her to cry even harder. “Can you please give me a few minutes alone?” She asked, her arm thrown over her eyes. She knew Stitch would oblige, but she also knew the guys weren’t the most patient group, and she was going to need some extra time to build up her courage to lie. Why was this happening to me?
Stitch brushed her hair away from her face. “I’ll ask everyone to leave to give you a few minutes and that we’ll meet them in a little bit.”
She opened her eyes and glared at Stitch. “We?” She questioned.
“Yes, you and me. I can understand you want a little bit of time to yourself right now. I’m sure you’ve been through a lot. But with that knot on your head and the symptoms you have, the throwing up and dizziness, I’m not comfortable leaving you alone right now.” He squeezed her hand. “I thought I lost you, Ten. I’ll sit quietly in the chair over there against the wall until you’re ready.” He raised his eyebrows.
How in the hell was she supposed to say no to that? She sighed. “Fine.” She watched from under her lowered lashes as Stitch talked to the guys. Then he did as he said he would and took a seat in the chair against the wall by the door as if on guard. She laid her head back down and closed her eyes again, taking in the silence she had asked for.
She drew in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. She thought about asking Stitch about Potter but decided against it. That was a whole other issue, and she didn’t feel like getting into it with him because it would lead to her having to answer questions she wasn’t ready to answer yet. She’d save that drama for when she got home. She had more important things to worry about right now, like the Miguel dilemma. Maybe sitting here in silence may not have been the best idea. The use of her brain right now was not helping her head. She needed to get up and talk with everyone to get it over with.
She started to sit up, and Stitch was right by her side. “Easy there, Ten,” He pressed his hand against her back, helping her into a sitting position. “You’re going to be sore, honey. You worried me.”
“I was worried about myself. I felt fine when I woke up this morning. No dizziness or nausea. Just a slight headache.”
Stitch pinned her with a serious look. “Tenley, where were you?”
She swallowed hard and stared back at him as she sat on the bed with her feet dangling off the side. “Let’s go and meet up with the guys, and I’ll explain what I can to everyone.” She was stalling, but she needed a little more time to get her story straight.
As Stitch helped her off the bed, the door to the room opened, and her breath hitched. She blinked a couple of times to make sure she was for sure, seeing Potter standing in the doorway, holding Alejandra’s hand.
“Ms. Tenley!” Alejandra squealed, making Tenley break eye contact with Potter. Alejandra let go of Potter’s hand and hurried over to Tenley, wrapping her arms around her waist. “I missed you.”
Tenley’s eyes stung as the tears started to re-emerge. She bent down and buried her face in Alejandra’s mess of curls. She kissed her head and held her tight. “I missed you too, kiddo.”
Sensing the large presence next to her, she looked up and locked gazes with Potter. His eyes darkened as he zeroed in on the bruise on her cheek. “You okay?” He asked gruffly.
She shook her head while still holding onto Alejandra. It was like Alejandra was her security blanket, even though she wanted to reach out to Potter and hold onto every muscled inch of him. “I’ll be okay.” She admitted and gave him a faint smile. She realized he looked exhausted.
He used his thumb to wipe a tear from her cheek then pressed his palm against the side of her face. The warmth of his hand had her wanting to lean into his gentle touch. As if sensing what she was thinking and realizing what he was doing, he pulled his hand away fast as if he realized what he was doing, and that reaction hurt. She let go of Alejandra and turned back toward the bed to try and hide her look of rejection.
She heard Potter tell Stitch to take Alejandra to meet up with the team. She took a deep breath. She didn’t want to be alone with him. Her heart couldn’t take another rejection from Potter. She needed a moment to get her emotions in check and dig deep to find that strong persona she knew she had in her.
She picked up the little dixie cup that held some painkillers that the doctor left for her. She popped them into her mouth and washed them down with some water. She closed her eyes and wished she was locked inside her home and snuggled up in her bed alone to escape all the drama. She just wanted one full day to be able to be herself and live the way she did months ago without
all the deceit and threats.
She felt Potter’s presence behind her, and before she could turn around, his arms came around her waist and pressed his body snugly against her back.
“Potter, what are you doing?” She whispered, but loud enough that he heard. Oh, damn did it feel good to be in his arms again, she thought to herself.
“I’m hugging you. Just give me this for a minute, please. I’m close to losing it, Ten.” His voice was unsteady, something she’d never heard before. She felt his warm breath against her neck as he spoke. “I thought I lost you, woman.” The light scruff of his beard rubbed against that sensitive spot just below her ear, making her skin erupt in goosebumps.
Tenley’s heart pounded in her chest. She placed her shaky hands over his locked hands and gave them a light squeeze. He was scared and was exposing his vulnerability to her. “I’m fine, Potter. I’m right here, just a little bruised. This is your job, and I understand you are obligated to be here with the team. So please do not feel like you need to give me any sort of special treatment.”
She heard a low growl emit from him, making her shut up. “Tenley, will you just shut your damn mouth and let me speak for a minute.” She tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t allow it and tightened his hold on her.
“I think you said enough the last time we spoke. This is just your adrenalin talking right now. I’m quite sure once you adjust to the fact that I am standing here alive, you’ll realize that your feelings haven’t changed since that morning you walked out of my house.”
She shook her head. “I’ll admit it, I made a mistake, but I needed you, Potter. I don’t think I can handle another rejection from you.”
He turned her around so that she faced him.
“I made a mistake too, Tenley. I should never have walked away from you like I did, and for that, I’m sorry. I’ve been living with that guilt every goddamn day since. There were a lot of things we didn’t talk about, and a lot of things I said in the fit of anger that I regret. Please don’t shut me out. Fuck, Tenley, tell me I haven’t lost you completely.”
She placed her hands on his chest, and he closed his eyes for a second. She missed touching him. She was so tempted to slide her hands down his torso and slip them under his t-shirt to feel his skin and taut muscles. She stared up into his mysterious, dark eyes that she loved.
“I need some time. There are things I need to take care of and things I need to process before I can move forward.”
“Let me help you. I want to be there for you.”
If he only knew how much those words meant to her. She would love to have him by her side to help her through this mess with Chaz. But giving in and doing that would mean giving him her heart again, and she feared once she told him everything he would leave again and break it once more.
“There are some things that I can’t explain right now.” He wanted to protest, but she held her hand up, silencing him. He wasn’t pleased. “Things that I promise to explain when the time is right.”
He held her face between his large hands holding her gaze. Slowly he dipped his head, and she stiffened, thinking he was going to kiss her on the lips, but he stopped short as if knowing she wasn’t ready. Instead, he pressed his lips against her forehead.
“I’ll give you some time, but don’t make me wait too long. You know I’m not the most patient person.” She snorted a laugh, then looked up at him with a serious expression.
“Thank you, Potter.”
“I’d do anything for you, Ten. You know that, right?” He told her as he caressed her cheek with his fingers and stared deep into her eyes.
Damn, he was potent. Alone with him for just a few minutes, and she was ready to strip him down and jump right back in bed with him. She was losing focus. Yes, she still loved him, but she wasn’t sure if she could hand over her heart again to him so easily.
As they exited the room in search of the others, she heard Potter mumble something under his breath about torturing him. She now wondered if she made a mistake in not telling him everything now. Would keeping her distance a little while longer hurt the chances of them rekindling their relationship?
◆◆◆
Potter sat on one of the two sofas in the back of the Bombardier Challenger jet. After grabbing dinner and listening to Tenley recount her ordeal about her attack, they were finally on their way home. She had been lucky those two guys from the next town over had been driving by when they did.
Stitch and Frost were sitting on the sofa with him. Ace, Diego, and Irish took up the couch across from them, while Dino and Skittles took the swivel chairs. They were all silent as they waited for Derek to join them. He was still sitting with Tenley near the front of the plane. It was where Potter wished he was now.
While they waited, Potter thought this would be an excellent opportunity to talk to the team. Ace had pulled him aside a couple of weeks ago and lit into his ass about his piss poor attitude, and although he had mellowed out, he realized he had never apologized to the guys, and he felt that he needed to do so. Since they were stuck in the plane for the next several hours, it seemed like a pretty good time. Sitting forward, he rested his elbows on his knees, then cleared his throat.
“I want to apologize to each of you for my actions over the last few weeks. I had no right to treat each of you the way that I have. I was hurt and angry, but that was no excuse to take my aggression out on you. I irresponsible and completely out of line, and my actions could have placed all of us in grave danger had we been on a mission.”
Diego spoke up. “Dude, you don’t need to apologize. We all understand that shit happens. Hell, it’s happened to all of us at one time or another. Tenley is close to all of us. We’ve all been worried about her, and we aren’t dating her. I can only imagine how you’ve felt these past few months.”
Irish leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head. “So, from the way you were up Tenley’s ass earlier today, I’m assuming that you’ve smoothed all the ruffled feathers?”
Potter narrowed his eyes at Irish. “I was not up her ass. She’s injured, and I was just helping her out.” Okay, maybe he went a little overboard, but dammit, he had a lot of sucking up to do.
Irish snorted and stretched out his long legs making himself more comfortable in the chair. “Okay, big guy. You keep telling yourself that. Shit, you scared off every man that came near her. Jesus, I thought that one security guy was going to piss his pants just from the ice-cold look you gave him, and all he wanted to do was hug her goodbye.”
Potter looked at Irish and raised his one eyebrow. “Did you see how close his hand was to her ass?” The fucktard was lucky he only received a look because what he really wanted to do was break his fucking hand. That was his ass to touch and nobody else’s.
“You pretty much did everything but piss on her leg to mark her as yours,” Irish laughed. “So, answer the question. Are you two back together or what?”
“No.”
“Really? What the hell are you waiting for? Hell, man, there are plenty of men I know who would love to get their hands on her.”
“What the fuck? You know people who are interested in Tenley?” Potter asked. His temper started to get the better of him at Irish’s revelation. Tenley was his, and he had to make it known to anybody who thought otherwise.
Irish smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “Of course. Some of the guys from the other teams and others from the base who know her from Bayside. What’s not to like about her? She’s beautiful, smart, and sassy.”
“Irish….you’re such a bastard.”
“Well, if you aren’t, I’ll happily step up to the plate.”
Potter growled at Irish, then Ace spoke in a warning tone, “Irish, I suggest you shut the fuck up before Potter throws you out of this plane. Last time I checked, I don’t recall these planes coming equipped with parachutes.”
Irish turned his head toward Potter and smirked. Fucker. Potter had played right into Irish’s hand. If he weren’t
a teammate and a good friend, he would reach over and wipe that smirk right off his face with his fist.
“So now that we all understand that Tenley is still yours, would you like to fill us in on what’s been going on with her?” Irish asked, going from playful to all business-like.
Potter cleared his throat. “Without getting into details, there was a situation that occurred while we were deployed back in November. It’s something that she and I need to discuss further because I only found out the morning she left for Ecuador. After I confronted her, things went south.”
He peered over at Ace, who was watching him closely. Ace had told Potter the condition Tenley was in when he and Alex went to check on her that morning. They had found her curled up on the floor, crying to the point she nearly made herself sick. Ace being the man he is, had respected Potter’s wish when he told his best friend he wasn’t going to talk about it. It was nobody’s business except for his and Tenley’s.
“I sense a ‘but’ coming.”
“Whatever happened at home while we were gone is the reason she pulled away from everyone, and I think it may have to do with her ex-boyfriend.”
Stitch and Frost sat up straighter, and it was Frost, the quieter of the two who spoke. “I only met him once, and you know me and first impressions. I can normally tell if a person is genuine or not right from the start. He had an air about him, thinking he was better than everyone else. I know Alex can’t stand him.”
Ace agreed and told them about a conversation he overheard between Alex and Tenley, shortly before Tenley had ended her relationship with Chaz. He went on to explain how Tenley thought Chaz might be involved in something illegal.
Hearing what Ace was saying made it believable that Tenley’s behavior could be connected somehow to this guy. Maybe Chaz learned that Tenley was suspicious, and he threatened her, but why wouldn’t she say something?
“What makes you think it’s her ex?” Dino asked, making Potter refocus.
“Earlier today, Shelia and I were discussing some things, and she mentioned that Tenley had spoken about her ex. Whatever Tenley said gave her the impression that this fucker could be trying to get her back, because she made me promise that I’d keep a close eye on Tenley.”