Falling for Them Volume 3: Reverse Harem Collection

by Amy Sumida

  Large muscular hands grabbed her waist to steady her when she bounced off the bare muscular chest in front of her.

  “Are you alright? I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” the brick wall in front of her said in the most spine tingling deep voice reminiscent of Sean Connery and James Earl Jones.

  Aria’s eyes scanned upward trying to see the brick wall’s face, but only saw the lovely underside of his chin. Hints of freshly shaved dark facial hair already covered his chin. He was probably one of those guys who had to shave twice a day to maintain a freshly shaved look. The hands on her hips gave her a slight squeeze, jarring her from her thoughts to realize he waited for her answer. “Umm, yes, I’m fine.”

  Her foot moved half a step back before she stopped suddenly. The hands holding her waist refused to let her move any farther. Her eyes started in the middle of his broad muscular chest and then tried to travel up, getting caught on the sheer breadth of it. Holy Shit. He’s massive. A tattoo over his left pec caught her eye, but she didn’t stop to fully examine the logo other than noting the Roman numerals and the letters S and B. Continuing to travel up, her head tilted backwards to give her eyes more maneuverability until she could finally see his face. With her head nearly horizontal, she realized he stood well over six feet, maybe closer to six and a half. Between his height and the size of his chest she wondered if he ever played football. He was in great shape lending himself to some type of defensive position, the ones needing to run with lots of muscles.

  Oh, my gosh! The rugged handsomeness of his square jaw, bottomless dark eyes, and short dark hair made it difficult to breath. Sean Connery and other ruggedly handsome male actors had nothing on him. She continued to stare, lost in his twinkling eyes. A faded scar ran from his right temple to the underside of his eye drawing her gaze. Its path skirted the corner of his eye, highlighting his luck at not losing the eye. She wondered at its cause, not caring that the scar marred his face. Instead, it increased his rugged appeal.

  His eyes met hers. Oh, my gosh. He totally knows I’m checking him out. Aria’s skin changed from vampire pale to pink blush on its way to tomato red. Pulling her scattered thoughts together, she took a deep breath. “Actually, I think it’s me that needs to apologize. I was the one who ran into you.”

  The Wall chuckled. “Yes, but I take up far more room than a tiny thing like you does. It would have been easier for me to move around you than for you to move around me.” He winked at her, giving her hips another squeeze.

  “Uh um.” Her tongue seemed too big for her mouth as her heart pounded. What was she supposed to say in this type of situation? She didn’t know. Limited social interaction outside those extremely close to her, had been her norm for the past two plus years. Her only contact to the outside world was limited to her boss and medical visits, if you ignored her visits to her lawyer. Somehow, lawyer visits never made her list unless necessary. None of those situations prepared her for this.

  “Are you heading back to the beach or pool area?” The Wall smiled down at her.

  Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth making it difficult to speak. “T-t-to the bar actually.”

  “Great. I was headed there myself.” The Wall stepped back, dropping his hands, and motioned for her to pass by in front of him.

  — Doug —

  Doug watched as the petite brunette stepped in front of him. His eyes travelled the length of her body from behind. Her hourglass figure showed beautifully in her black and white spotted bikini. Drool formed at the corner of his mouth as he took in the shape of her ass. Swallowing his tongue, he stepped up beside her, lightly resting his hand on the small of her back as they walked.

  When he first saw her, his fist nearly slammed into his chest to restart his heart as her tiny, but curvy body plastered momentarily against him. His hands, with a mind of their own, instead reached out to grab onto her hips to keep her from falling. Larger men, with far more weight on them, flew through the air when they hit him. Worried she would be hurt, he kept his hands on her hips, holding her tight to his body, but the warm skin on her hips played havoc with his mind. It took all his self control to keep himself from pulling her closer and grinding against her body.

  His reaction bothered him. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be instantly attracted to a woman, but it usually related to her looks, not the fact she ran into him. Friends would often bug him about his player ways as women tended to flock to him, but the label made him uncomfortable. He flirted hard with those women, but the attraction level wasn’t the same. This time was different. Running into her was a complete accident. He never saw her face before his hands were on her skin. Just touching her skin sent shockwaves throughout his body. His hands, acting on their own, wouldn’t let go of her hips, keeping his nerve endings aroused. And then, she glanced up at him with her large honey-coloured eyes causing his stomach to drop. Air became a precious commodity in his body as he struggled to breath. Despite the no woman rule he had with his two best friends, he knew he needed to get to know her during their ten-day vacation.

  Walking beside her, he struggled to come up with something to say. Never experiencing this before made it worse. “Um, uh, how long are you here for?” He breathed a sigh of relief when the words formed a coherent sentence.

  “My friends and I are here for ten days.”

  His thumb traced a pattern over her lower vertebrae. “My friends and I are here for ten days, too. We arrived yesterday. How about you?” He refrained from holding his breath as he awaited her answer. The fingers on his other hand crossed, hoping he would have the whole ten days with her.

  He caught her eyes darting up to his before they returned to face forward. “We arrived yesterday as well.”

  Something familiar niggled in the back of his mind. Not sure of what it was, he tried to come up with something else to say. “Have you been to Antigua before?” At the shake of her head, he continued. “What do you think so far? Any plans for while you’re here?”

  A small smile rose on her face. “I think that I love it here. I love the water, the heat, the food so far. It’s a wonderful resort.”

  They stepped up to the just opening bar. She leaned against it with her elbows on the countertop while Doug leaned his hip against the side, his body angled to face hers. “Any plans?” he prodded.

  “We have a few day trips planned.” She smiled at the bartender waving at them.

  “We have some trips as well.” Doug’s nose scrunched and eyes squinted as her mannerisms reminded him of something. Duh. He felt like smacking himself on the forehead. “Did you and your friends fly in yesterday from Halifax?” At her nod, he smiled, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. “We were on the same flight.” He remembered a group of three women waiting outside the bathroom at the local airport. A tiny woman emerged joining them as his private car containing him and his friends drove away.

  The woman in front of him opened her mouth, but instead of her voice, a deep male voice spoke with a heavy Argentinian accent. “What can I get you?”

  Standing up straight, her eyes twinkled at the bartender. “I’ll take three of the frozen white drinks with rum and one without for me.”

  “And you?”

  Noticing the way the bartender’s eyes travelled over her, he turned his body until it leaned into hers. “I’ll have two of the same with rum and one without.” His eyes hardened evoking a smirk on the bartender’s face. Nudging her, his eyes stared down into hers. “Not drinking?”

  The corner of her mouth lifted. The twinkles remained in her eyes. “Not yet. I’m limiting myself to two a day, so I need to make them count.”

  Drumming his fingers absentmindedly on the bar top, Doug’s feet shuffled as if standing still made him uncomfortable. “Same with my best friend. He says he did enough drinking while he was in the military, so he is limiting himself as well. Our other friend though, he usually doesn’t drink, but we decided he needs to on this trip. He has been wound up too tight for the last
few years and needs to learn how to relax again.”

  The bartender returned with their drinks. The petite brunette deftly picked up her four, dashing his hope of her needing his help, leaving him to pick up his three. Turning away from the bar, they stepped down onto the concrete path. “Are you over by the pool?”

  She shook her head. “The beach today.”

  “Oh,” Doug’s face dropped a bit. “Maybe we will run into you later then?” He offered her a hesitant smile.

  “Maybe?” She winked and turned, walking towards the beach.

  He watched her leave and then shook his head. How stupid can I be? I never even got her name. The guys will kill themselves laughing. This must be a first. Unable to take his eyes off her, he watched her until the palm trees hid her. He found her pretty in the girl next door type of way, but not breathtaking. Not enough to draw his attention usually, but something about her, an aura, captured him. He took a sip of his drink as he turned to head back towards the pool.

  — Aria —

  Aria glanced over her shoulder to find the Wall’s heated stare on her backside. She held back from adding an extra sway, but it was hard. She turned to face the water, heat from his stare welling up inside her. Her stomach clenched and her steps nearly faltered. These feelings, so new, triggered good memories from long ago. Feelings of power and female satisfaction. After the number her ex-husband did on her, feeling desired or even just attractive was a foreign concept. Maybe Shona is right. This trip is great for the self-esteem.

  “Aria. What did you bring us?” Shona waded in the edge of the water with Trish and Jennifer.

  Aria smiled and held up the cups towards them. “A celebratory drink.”

  “Woohoo,” whooped Trish and Jennifer as they ran out the water towards her.

  Trish snagged the first glass as Jennifer chanted, “Gimme, gimme, gimme.” Aria laughed until tears ran down her face.

  “It’s good to see you laughing,” whispered Shona as she reached for the glass that Aria held out to her.

  Aria winked. “It’s good to be laughing.”

  “So, what are we celebrating?” Trish asked as soon as she finished swallowing her mouthful. “Yumm, this is good.”

  Aria watched as her friends nudged each other pointing out, what she suspected, were cute guys. A large smile filled her face. They supported each other through thick and thin. When she was curled up in a ball, crying her eyes out, and never wanting to leave her house, they never left her alone. Even when life became meaningless to her, they climbed into her dark pit and hoisted her back out. Without them, she would not be alive. Living day-to-day was difficult, but with this trip, she knew she turned a corner.

  She hoisted her glass. “Life, love, and friendship.”

  — Chad —

  Chad and Jason sat back in their loungers sipping their frozen drinks, waiting for Doug to return from his bathroom trip.

  “How was the dive pool this morning?” Chad turned his head to evaluate Jason’s response. They planned their ten-day vacation to force Jason to take time from work, but Jason managed to turn it into a working vacation. Not that Chad knocked the perks they received between Jason’s impressive résumé and Doug’s fame.

  Shrugging his shoulders, Jason lowered his glass. “It’s good. Other than a few minor issues, their instructors are well trained. I’m thinking of recommending a few of them to be the inspectors for the other resorts in this chain.”

  Chad nodded. Although Jason appeared to be a tall nerd when dressed in his corporate suits, the guy knew what he was talking about when it came to diving. His expertise made him well-known in all diving circles.

  Jason tapped Chad on the shoulder and pointed left. Doug walked towards them carrying three drinks with a far off gaze on his face. “Must have run into a pretty girl.”

  Chad laughed as he nodded. “She must have been a knock out if he’s returning with more drinks.”

  They continued to sip on their drinks as they watched Doug make his way across the pool deck to their loungers. Chad noticed the eyes of many women and even some men follow Doug as he walked as per usual. The three of them couldn’t go anywhere without attracting some attention. It became second nature to ignore it.

  “Something caught your eye, Doug?” Jason casually brought his glass to his mouth and took another mouthful.

  Doug coloured. “Uh, maybe. Why?”

  Chad tried to keep the smirk off his face. “Well, you headed off to the bathroom, but returned with more drinks.” He nodded to their cooler of beer and the six frozen drinks Doug previously ordered which sat on the table.

  Doug gazed at his feet. “Um, yeah. She was heading to the bar so I went with her.”

  Chad wanted to clutch his side in laughter. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jason vibrating as if he was trying to keep from laughing.

  “Might as well tell us about her,” Jason’s eyes sparkled even as the tone of his voice sounded bored.

  “Well,” Doug scratched his head. “She was short, and”—Chad and Jason rolled their eyes—“she has brown hair and the most gorgeous honey eyes I’ve ever seen.”

  “Name? Room number?” Chad smiled to soften his questions. They always said no women when on vacation, but someone, usually Doug, broke it routinely.

  “Um. I may have forgotten to get that.” Jason and Chad broke out into a new round of laughter as Doug grumbled, “I knew that’s how you guys would react.”

  Chapter Two

  — Aria —

  Aria awoke suddenly with her hands clutching her chest. A sense of doom sitting on her chest like an elephant. Struggling to breathe against the overwhelming sense of panic, her chest heaved with the effort. Her heart pounded as she continued to struggle. Frantically pushing the blankets down her legs in the vain hope of relieving the feeling, she sat up in her bed. Still lost in a haze, her dilated pupils desperately searching the room for anything familiar. Her vision greying as her lungs continued to ignore her brain’s command to breathe. Latching on to the TV sitting on the large dresser against the wall opposite her bed, she focused on the reflection of shifting colours heralding the sunrise peaking through the curtains hanging over the patio doors. As her breathing slowed, the sound of crashing waves replaced the roaring in her ears and the sense of panic receded.

  Gingerly, she climbed out of the king-size bed knowing she would no longer be able to sleep. She glanced back over her shoulder to make sure Shona still slept on her side of the king-size bed.

  Flooded with relief as Shona continued to sleep soundly, Aria padded to the end of the bed, grabbed her short robe, and put it on over her sleep shorts and tank as she continued to make her way silently to the patio. Snagging a bottle of water and her pills on the way, she eased the screen door open and walked through making sure to close it behind her. Tucked against the patio wall between them and their neighbors’ patio, the daybed, with all its pillows, called to her. She headed over. Her heart still beating rapidly, but she hoped lounging and taking her meds would slow it down.

  Relaxing back, she watched as the sky turned from indigo to turquoise with streaks of gold emanating from the slowly rising ball over the water. As the sun rose, her breathing slowed and her eyes closed.

  ~

  Frantic voices calling Aria’s name startled her awake. “I’m on the patio,” she called out.

  The patio doors opened as her three friends rushed out. Shona, never one to hold back, spoke first, “Girl, you gave us a heart attack! We didn’t know where you were.”

  Jennifer nodded in agreement as Trish added, “Please, tell us next time. Don’t just disappear. We need to know that you’re safe.”

  Aria watched as her best friends wiped the tears from their faces. She never appreciated before how these last few years affected her friends. It broke her heart to realize she caused the fear and pain. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I woke up early and decided to watch the sunrise.”

  Shona left the doorway a
nd wandered over to the daybed. Aria scooted over so Shona could sit by her. “It’s okay. We should’ve thought to look on the patio before we freaked out.” Aria leaned her head on Shona’s shoulder as Shona’s arm wrapped around her. “We came so close to losing you that when we couldn’t find you, we panicked.”

  Jennifer and Trish made their way to the daybed and clambered on, surrounding Aria. With tears flowing down everyone’s cheeks, Aria pulled each of them into a group hug.

  Sitting back, Jennifer put both her hands on Aria’s cheeks. “We love you and never want to lose you.”

  Aria nodded. “I love you guys, too,” she whispered.

  Wiping her face, Shona pushed herself back, staring at them all. She clapped her hands. “Girls, I say it’s time to get this day started. Enough with the mushy stuff. We have some sightseeing to do and some fish to see.” She stood up, sashayed to the patio doors, and then glanced over her shoulder. “Who knows, there may even be some hotties to drool over.” Shona winked before heading into the room and claiming the bathroom first.

  Trish and Jennifer headed back into the room leaving Aria by herself on the patio. Noticing the forgotten meds on the table, she took them as she stared out over the water. Her heart raced faster than usual. Her breathing a bit off, but she attributed it to the change in environment. Even with the continued double dose of her diuretic, her feet were still swollen. Shaking her head, she tried to reassure herself. If I can get the rest of the fluid off today, then I will be fine.

  She decided to keep her symptoms and concerns to herself. What happened this morning made her realize her friends continued to stress about her. They needed this vacation. Today’s day trip, seeing the sights and going out on the water, was a highlight of their vacation. She didn’t want to ruin it by complaining about her symptoms.