Love Against the Odds: Rogue in Love | Open Wounds Read online

  Table of Contents

  Part 1

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Part 2

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Part 3

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Love Against The Odds

  Inevitable: Love and War | Rogue in Love | Open Wounds

  Inger Iversen

  Inger Iversen Books, LLC

  Contents

  Introduction

  Suggested Reading Order

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  Inevitable: Love & War

  Audiobook

  Part 1

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Part 2

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Part 3

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Rogue In Love: Lex and Thea

  Rogue In Love

  Synopsis

  Prologue

  1. Lex

  2. Thea

  Fifteen Years Ago

  3. Lex

  4. Thea

  Twelve Years Ago

  5. Lex

  6. Thea

  7. Lex

  8. Thea

  9. Lex

  10. Thea

  11. Thea

  12. Thea

  13. Lex

  14. Thea

  Open Wounds: Abel and Hope

  Open Wounds

  Synopsis

  1. Hope

  2. Abel

  3. Hope

  4. Abel

  5. Hope

  6. Abel

  7. Hope

  8. Abel

  9. Hope

  10. Abel

  11. Abel

  12. Hope

  13. Abel

  14. Hope

  15. Abel

  16. Hope

  17. Hope

  About the Author

  Introduction

  Thank you purchasing a copy of this boxset duology!

  INGER IVERSEN

  Follow me on BOOKBUB to find out when the next Teal and Trent book is released! You can also join my new FACEBOOK GROUP.

  What to be a member of the Insider’s Club? Join today!!

  Suggested Reading Order

  You can read Rogue in Love and Open Wounds as standalones or in any order you prefer. However, your enjoyment may be enhanced if you follow this order:

  Incarcerated: Letters to Inmate 92510

  Inevitable: Love and War Included in Boxset

  Indelible: Beneath His Ink

  Rogue in Love (standalone novella) Included in Boxset

  Open Wounds (standalone novella) Included in Boxset

  Indebted: Til’ Death Do Us Part

  Weathered Souls (standalone novella) *coming soon*

  Acknowledgments

  To those continuous in showing their support,

  thank you.

  Copyright

  Love Against the Odds © 2017, Inger Iversen

  All rights reserved.

  First electronic publication: November 30th, 2017

  Published by: Inger Iversen

  ISBN: 978-1979214070

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review. Audio samples may not be uploaded and shared without permission in writing from the author.

  Note from the Author: This boxset is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and, situations in this novel are products of the author’s imagination or has been used fictitiously and should not be constructed as real. Any resemblances to persons living or dead, actual events, locale, organizations are completely coincidental and wholly unintentional. The author does not have control over and does not assume any responsibility for third party websites or their content.

  Published in the United States of America.

  Edited by: Melissa Ringstead | There For You and Crimson Tide Editorial

  Cover design by: Inger Iversen

  Formatted by: Inger Iversen Books, LLC

  Cover Photo: Regina Wamba

  Inger Iversen

  www.ingeriversen.com

  ingeriversen.com

  © 2015 Inger Iversen

  All rights reserved.

  Published by: Inger Iversen Books, LLC

  All of the situations and characters in this novel are fictional. Any similarities to actual people or situations are completely coincidental and wholly unintentional.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Editing by: Crimson Tide Editorial | Victoria Schmitz

  Cover Artwork by: Mae I Design Photography | Regina Wamba

  Cover Models: Luke Weinand and Elly Olson

  Formatting: Inger Iversen

  Inger Iversen

  13-digit ISBN: 978-1507783771

  First Edition

  www.ingerivers
en.com

  Part 1

  Kentucky 1993

  Trent

  Chapter 1

  Trent pulled up in front of his boss’s house and parked. He couldn’t wait to help build the transmission, so he could meet his girl at midnight for his birthday surprise. Harper had promised it would be special, and he prayed to all the gods in existence she was finally willing to give it up to him.

  This day couldn’t get any better. He’d walked out of high school for the last time, and then tonight, he’d get to celebrate. A smile tugged at his lips as the possibilities of what she had planned crossed his mind. He was positive Harper was a virgin, meaning sex probably wasn’t on the table. His balls had turned blue and done nearly burst over the course of this past year, but being with Harper was different than with other girls. When Trent spoke, she actually listened.

  She’d even encouraged him to seek a tutor when he’d almost failed Math, she’d talked him into taking the SATs just in case he changed his mind about going to college and she’d taught him how to kiss her. Trent had always believed he knew what he was doing in that area, but Harper ended up showing him a thing or two—or three.

  Trent hopped out of the car and patted his pocket with the forty-five dollars in it. Sam may have been a lot of things, but at the moment, he was the only reason Trent had his blue and gold graduation cap and gown. Over and over he’d been told it wouldn’t happen, he thought as he headed up the drive and banged on the door. There were times when he’d believed it. Harper had changed that. Of course he wasn’t graduating with honors, or even a high GPA, but he was graduating and that was more than most people thought he could ever accomplish.

  Sam opened the door looking like pure and utter shit. Trent pushed past him and headed inside. He looked around the messy place. It smelled of old food and stale cigarette smoke. “You been up all night?” Trent asked as he headed to the coffee pot. He pulled some filters out of the cupboard and started a pot of black coffee for Sam.

  “No,” Sam’s gruff voice was in the kitchen with him. Trent turned around and pulled the money out of his pocket. He shoved his hand out to Sam, offering him the money. Sam gave him a sideways glance. “Why you handin’ me money, son?” Sam yanked open a cupboard and pulled out a box of crackers. “You work for me, not the other way around. I pay you, remember?” Sam flashed him a crooked smile.

  “This is what I owe you for the graduation stuff.” Trent pushed the money into Sam’s hand and walked to the sink. He pulled out two cups and washed them with some dish soap. “I got an extra graduation ticket . . .” Trent eyed Sam as he ate, “if you want one.”

  He was unsure as to why he was inviting Sam to his graduation, but of all of the people in his life, he was positive that Sam would show up. He might show up drunk, but he’d be there whooping and hollering as he walked across the stage.

  "I’ll leave it here before I go.” Trent didn’t have any extra tickets. He was given five and the only person who planned to go was his sister, Paula. The other three he’d sold. It was how he’d come up with the money to pay Sam back without having to work at the shop last weekend. He and Harper had had a date that weekend.

  Sam shoved a few crackers in his mouth then threw the box on the counter when the coffee pot beeped. “Leave it on the counter.”

  Trent nodded. “You rebuilding that transmission today?”

  “Nah, I got Auggie heading in at three and a friend coming over from Lexington to run the place this weekend.” Sam reached for a cup, but Trent had it firm in his grasp. Was he saying he didn’t need Trent anymore?

  “Why? I’m free now.”

  Sam moved forward and snatched the cup from his hand. “Don’t come over here holding my cups hostage, boy. I need my coffee to survive.” Sam let out a wheezing cough/laughter.

  Trent didn’t return the laughter Sam barked out. He was too busy wondering how he was going to pay rent at his new place if Sam fired him. He watched Sam fill his cup and waited for him to finish a gulp of the hot liquid before he asked, “Are you firing me?”

  Sam looked at him in shock. “No, son. But I thought you’d want to celebrate this weekend with that chick you been hidin’ from everybody. Hell, you graduated high school. A man like you, comin’ from where you come from . . . now, that’s a feat.”

  Trent knew his words to be true, but something caught his attention. “How’d you know I was seeing a girl?”

  He chuckled and took another swallow of his coffee. “I look like a damned fool to you? Son, I had me a secret girl back in the day too.” Sam looked past him as if the memory played off in the distance. Trent wondered what happened to that woman. Was she the reason Sam was so fucking broken?

  He shrugged. “She isn’t a big secret.” Sam’s sly smile said he knew more than he was letting on, but Trent ignored it and poured himself a cup of coffee. As he was adding the sugar he thought back to times Sam may have seen him with Harper.

  The problems were: she was younger, Trent was poor, and her father was not only a judge, but a hard ass. If he found out about them before they were ready, there’d be consequences. Trent wasn’t worried Sam would say a word to the judge. The Hannocks lived in Royal Gates a gated community, and Sam and Trent both lived on the other side of the proverbial tracks. He doubted Sam would ever meet Harper’s father.

  “I seen you two ridin’ past here once. You and that black girl.”

  Trent stopped mid drink. Busted.

  Hoping not to give himself away, Trent finished his swallow and placed the cup down. “Who, Harper? Nah, I just give her a ride home. It’s a good way to make gas money.” Trent didn’t know why he lied to Sam of all people. He could feel heat rising in his chest. For some reason, he liked it better when Harper was just his and his alone. He definitely wanted to tell the world, but he knew the trouble that could cause and Trent wasn’t ready to rock the boat . . . just yet.

  Sam supported his large frame against the door jamb. “You ain’t worried about that girl getting you in trouble?”

  Trent glanced up at Sam questioningly. The man’s youthful gaze was reddened by the over use of whiskey and his face was prematurely lined with age. When Trent had first met him he’d reminded Trent of his deadbeat father, but over time he realized that Sam was different. There was sadness to him and that sadness had taken away his will and his serenity. Sam wouldn’t tell Trent what had made him this way, but Trent truly believe it had been a woman or maybe even two.

  “Get me in trouble, how?” Trent asked. He placed his cup in the sink and headed to the man’s fridge. There was nothing inside but a pizza box and a few other things that Trent wouldn’t consider eating.

  Sam moved over to him and pointed to the pizza. “Got that last night. You can eat it.” Trent pulled out a slice and took a bite. “That girl’s father is important and is known for that Jesse man, you know the one that talks about how blacks are all suppressed and it’s the white man’s fault or some shit like that.” Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head, but no matter what Sam believed, the racial divide was real and it was an issue in Kentucky.

  Although it was nothing new to Trent, it did stir up plenty of concerns about Harper and him. “So, what’s that got to do with me and her?” he asked, already knowing the issue and wanting to hear Sam’s thoughts.

  It wasn’t like shit didn’t go down in school. A lot of fights were race related and in his high school you rarely saw races mixing. It happened, but it was rare and it was never a poor white kid dating a rich black kid or vice versa. Trent saw where things could get sticky and adding Harper’s age to it, there was bound to be some issues.

  “Look,” Sam got his attention, “you ain’t marrying that girl and once her daddy gets wind that a poor ass white boy is chasin’ his daughter’s sweet little ass, he’s gonna be putting and endin’ to it, you here me.”

  A muscle ticked in Trent’s jaw and he worked to temper his anger. Trent was graduating, moving out, had his own car and a job. What the hell else
did he need to do to convince people that he was worth Harper’s attention? “Got it.” He threw the pizza crust in the trash and headed out to the living room. “So you don’t need any help today with that transmission?”

  Sam eyed him for a moment. No doubt knowing that his words had upset him. “No, go do whatever it is you and your friends plan to do. Just come in Monday morning at eight. You still got the keys to open up. If I ain’t there open up and get to work. Auggie’ll be there ‘round noon. Anything you can’t do, just schedule it for then.” Sam sat of the couch shoving papers to the ground as Trent headed to the front door.

  “Gotcha,” Trent said. He pushed Sam’s warning to the outskirts of his mind. Pulling out of the driveway, he headed home. There were some obstacles in the way, but for the first time in forever, he was hopeful the future he’d always wanted was actually within reach.