Falling for Them Volume 3: Reverse Harem Collection

by Amy Sumida

  Reaching his hand out, he snagged Aria’s camera. “Let me take a few of you. You have some of everyone else, but you need some to show you were here as well.”

  She handed him her camera without a word, but the tremble of her lips spurred him into action. She must be overwhelmed by today. Grabbing her hand, he hoisted her to her feet and dragged her to the back of the boat, away from the prying eyes of their group. Once there, he engulfed her within the folds of his arms, crushing her to his chest as his hand stroked the back of her head down to her lower back and up again as her body trembled. Her head rested by the tattoo on his left pec, hands hanging limply at her side. Her breath stuttered against his skin as she tried to keep from crying.

  Lifting a hand, she folded each finger back until only her index finger stuck out straight. She placed her finger on his warm skin, traced the outline of his tattoo, and continued to do so until her breathing evened out despite the shudders that wracked his body.

  “What is the significance of this?” Aria mumbled against his chest.

  Doug clenched the muscles throughout his body. The brush of her lips on his chest was better than what his imagination conjured and yet it was only from her talking. The caress of her mouth on his skin from a kiss both excited and scared him. He hoped he would have a chance to find out.

  Focused intently on his thoughts, he missed most of her question. “What?”

  “Your tattoo. What’s its meaning?”

  He shuddered again as her lips brushed his chest. He closed his eyes and willed his body to calm down. “It’s from the first Super Bowl we won.”

  She pulled her head away and tilted it way back until her eyes met his. “You won a Super Bowl?” Her face filled with amazement.

  Doug’s face became bashful. “Um, two, actually.”

  “That’s so awesome. I’m so happy for you.” Aria leaned in and wrapped her arms around him.

  Doug squeezed her gently, glad she appeared to be in control of her emotions, before letting her go. “Let’s get some pictures.”

  — Aria —

  Aria sat up in her bed with a start for the fifth or sixth time. She searched the room around her finding Shona passed out in the bed beside her and Jennifer and Trish passed out in their shared king-size bed.

  Mr. Sandman must have passed her by on his rounds earlier as sleep eluded her. Quietly extricating herself from the bed, she grabbed a throw from the couch as she passed it on her way to the patio doors. Watching the stars would relax her even if sleep never returned. The patio doors slid open under her hand allowing her to step out into the warm nighttime air.

  Ahh. She took a few deep breaths as she stood at the railing, staring out over the water to the lit up ships in the distance. Closing her eyes, she focused on slowing her heart rate, thankful different reasons than yesterday’s brought on this rapid beat.

  With a clear mind and a slower heart rate, she padded over to the daybed. Arranging the pillows, she reclined in a semi sitting position. Wrapping the throw around her, she closed her eyes, waiting for morning to find her.

  Chapter Five

  — Aria —

  Aria and her friends ambled down to the beach on Dickerson Bay where their resort was situated. As with the other 364 beaches in Antigua, it was technically a public beach which meant anyone could set up for the day. Although most resorts set up their own chairs and some sun shelters on the beach, clearly marked for guest use only, most chairs and sun shelters were set up behind wooden fences on the resort property.

  Their resort followed the same practice, but the girls opted to rent a beach facing cabana, only found on the resort property, for their beach days. It gave Aria a place to retreat to during the hottest part of the day, had four additional sun loungers in the sun, and came with a dedicated staff member to bring them food and drinks throughout the day.

  After placing their breakfast order, the girls jogged through the sand to reach the warm tropical water for an early morning swim. When they emerged, they found company seated in the now six sun loungers situated outside the cabana.

  — Jason —

  “Morning boys,” Shona called out as she strutted towards them, shaking out her long, auburn hair from its high bun.

  Jennifer and Trish called out their own greeting as they matched Shona’s strut.

  Jason’s eyes never left Aria’s body as she ambled towards him. She had a natural beach walk that sent his blood pressure soaring. He had a feeling his friends suffered with him. Missing the sound of her voice, he raised his eyes to catch the grimace on her face as she stared at her girlfriends. Hmmm, I wonder what that’s about?

  “Morning girls. Morning Aria,” the boys called out.

  “We thought we should try out the beach today,” Doug added.

  “That’s great. I’m glad that you were able to find us.” Aria spoke quickly, as if trying to beat the other girls to the answer.

  Chad grinned and handed her a towel. “Well, Doug was able to pull some strings to find out where your cabana was.”

  “Impressive,” purred Jennifer as she moved to put her hand on Doug’s forearm despite the glare from Shona.

  Jason smirked when Doug casually bent over to reach for something in his bag so Jennifer’s hand missed his arm. “Not really. Just a perk of having an expensive butler suite.” Doug glanced up, catching Aria’s eye, and winked.

  Aria ducked her head. A cute blush rushed to her cheeks and Jason found it enticing. She finished drying herself off with the towel before plopping herself down on his lounger between the loungers occupied by Doug and Chad.

  Smiling, a happy Jason scooted over so she could sit comfortably at the head. “Comfortable?”

  “Very.” Aria sat crisscross and placed a folded towel in her lap. She motioned for him to lay down to which he complied, placing his head in her lap. Her hands played with the curls on his head. Pulling on them and then letting them go. He smiled wondering if she found them amusing. His hair always fascinated girls as they wondered if his curls were soft or wiry.

  Jason relaxed as Aria ran her fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp. During their two snorkeling sessions the day before, they became comfortable touching each other. What she did now implied a greater intimacy, but he wasn’t going to complain. For the last few years, no one touched him like this, yet he craved it. Until Aria, just the idea of letting a woman touch him this way disgusted him even if it was something he missed.

  The cabana attendant returned with the girls’ breakfast forcing Jason to sit up. He checked his watch. “Shit, I have to run. I have to be at the dive pool in a few minutes.”

  He leaned over and dropped a kiss onto Aria’s hair, much to her surprise.

  “Dive pool?” Trish leaned forward.

  “They have a pool where they do certifications and training. Today I’m taking a few of their advanced divers through a higher certification.” Jason ran his fingers through his curls. His mouth lifted into a small smile as he remembered the feel of Aria’s hands there. With a shake, he looked at Aria’s girlfriends. “I know that you gave up going on a diving trip so I’m going to check about a charter so that we can both dive and snorkel. That way no one is left behind.”

  — Shona —

  Trish clapped her hands as a huge grin spread across her face. “That’s awesome.”

  Jennifer and Shona quickly add their gratitude as well. Jennifer lifted her hand to stroke Jason’s arm, but at a head shake from Shona, she ran her hand through her hair instead.

  Shona caught all the little interplays between Aria and Jason, including the drop kiss. Excited for Aria, she meant to protect Aria’s claim on Jason from all the other women at the resort, including herself and her friends. Aria needed some romance in her life, even if only for ten days. This new development signified a return to the land of the living for Aria who had merely existed since her ex-husband left.

  Leaving Jason to Aria also freed up his two hunky friends for herself, even if they se
emed to focus more on Aria. Doug may have rebuffed her earlier, but it only made the game more satisfying when she won. Besides, handling a man like Doug took a finesse Aria lacked.

  Holy hotness! Shona fanned herself as she took in all his glory.

  “Will you be my diving buddy?” She reached out to stroke Doug’s arm on his lounger next to hers.

  Lifting his arm out of her reach, Doug ran his hand through his short, dark hair. “Um…”

  “Doug won’t be diving. He’ll stay on board with Aria.” Jason gave Doug a look that said, Do not disobey me.

  Correctly interpreting the silent exchange, she ran her fingertips down the exposed side of Doug’s chest. “Do you like being told what to do?” she asked with seduction lacing her voice.

  — Doug —

  Doug sat up trying to move away from Shona’s fingers. He glanced at Aria finding her in a discussion with Chad, but there was something in the way she held her body. It made him think she wasn’t miss a single thing Shona said or did. “I make my own decisions, but defer to specialists I trust”—he turned to stare directly at Shona—“over the years I’ve learned that women who push are not worth the time or effort.”

  A grimace plastered to his face, he met Jason’s gaze as Jason turned to leave after waving goodbye to everyone. He fought to maintain his grimace when Jason wiggled his eyebrows and tightened his lips as if he held back from laughing. Fuuuck. Why do I get all the crazies? He knew Jason and Chad would have a wonderful laugh at his expense later, but he was willing to put up with Shona if it meant keeping Aria close by.

  Jason called over his shoulder as he walked away. “Don’t wait on me for lunch. I’ll be back when I can.”

  Doug leaned over and pulled out a basket the butler placed under his lounger containing sunscreens and bug sprays. He pulled out some sunscreen with a higher SPF and turned to Aria, wanting to make sure she protected her skin from the sun. “Eat up, my darling, and then I’ll put some on your back.”

  His heart warmed when Aria picked up her fork and started to eat.

  — Aria —

  Aria shared her breakfast with Doug and Chad as the girls finished theirs. The group reapplied their sunscreen and lay out until it became too hot without a dip in the water. They waded out into the surf, spending their time horsing around and body surfing in the waves. Each time Doug ignored one of Shona’s blatant come-ons, little licks of pleasure curled in Aria stomach. When Shona switched from Doug to Chad, Aria experienced the same feelings, which confused her.

  Shona was her best friend, so why was she happy Shona appeared to be striking out? Was it because she was excited to see Shona not get her own way with a guy for once? That had to be it. There couldn’t be another reason and it certainly didn’t have anything to do with her growing feelings for both…no, all three guys.

  Exiting the water, they met Derek, Kyle, and Mark who carried a football and invited them to play. Chad and Doug, along with Aria decided not to play, but the other girls opted to. Mark turned to Doug with a smile of recognition. “Hey, aren’t you Doug Henderson who played for Minnesota?”

  “I am.” Doug put his arm around Aria’s waist.

  She moved to stand in front of him like a shield.

  “Cool.” Mark smiled as he tossed the football in the air.

  “It was too bad you had to retire after that brutal hit. Minnesota hasn’t been the same,” Derek added.

  Doug’s chest tensed, and his arm tightened around her waist as the guys continued to discuss his football days. She leaned back into him and glanced up. “Can you help me back to the cabana so I can lay down?”

  Doug smiled gratefully and nodded. “It was nice talking to you, but I need to get Aria back to her seat.”

  The guys nodded and called out their goodbyes as Doug, Aria, and Chad headed back to the cabana.

  — Chad —

  Chad carefully observed Aria noting the dark circles under her eyes. She looked peaked even under the tan she was developing. “Are you feeling okay, sweetheart?”

  “I’m fine. I could feel that Doug was starting to become uncomfortable with all their football talk so I wanted to help him out.”

  Chad wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you for that.”

  As soon as he lifted his head, Doug, who held her hand, pulled her to a stop. He turned her until she faced him with Chad’s arm still on her shoulders. “Thank you for rescuing me. Reliving my career ending hit is not something I like to do.” He leaned down and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead.

  — Aria —

  Aria coloured, but she felt safe and protected in between these two giants. Placing her empty hand on her cheek, she stepped out from between the two of them, dropping Doug’s hand. She focused on belly breathing to calm her racing heart. “Let’s get me into some sun before I have to hibernate for a few hours.” She started to walk back towards the cabana. “Besides,” she called over her shoulder, “The two of you make giant shadows that are making me cold.”

  Chad and Doug stopped to stare at one another.

  “Did you hear that? She thinks we make her cold,” Chad informed Doug.

  “And that the sun is the only thing that will warm her.” Doug looked over at Aria who had stopped a few feet from them. He nodded to Chad.

  Chad turned and smirked at Aria. “If you’re cold—”

  “We can warm you up,” added Doug as the two of them started to jog towards her.

  Aria squealed and took off in a sprint, trying to avoid the two hulks chasing her down.

  ~

  The other girls returned to the loungers as lunch was served. Doug’s butler arrived at the same time with lunches for him and Chad. They all retreated into the cabana to eat. Chad and Doug joined Aria on the double-wide sun bed within the cabana to eat while Jennifer, Trish, and Shona sat down at the table. Conversation was lively as the girls regaled them with stories of playing touch football in the surf.

  Aria watched as Shona kept sneaking glances at Doug, which he pointedly ignored while Jennifer and Trish kept trying to engage Chad in conversation. The boys, again making Aria’s heart sing, simply made their comments generic or singled out Aria when they wanted specifics.

  As lunch finished, Shona regarded Aria. “Girl, I guess it’s time for your siesta. Jennifer, Trish, and I will take the guys out of your hair so you can rest. I don’t think you slept much last night, did you?”

  Doug and Chad looked at each other, but Aria answered before either of them could speak. “I did get up early, but none of you have to leave. I’m probably only going to lay in the shade anyways.”

  “Actually, Aria, the other guys invited us back to go sailing with them.” Trish stood and started to reapply her sunscreen.

  “Are you okay if we leave you alone for a few hours?” Jennifer took the sunscreen bottle from Trish to reapply her own.

  “I’m fine. Go have fun.” Aria smiled and made a shooing motion.

  Shona glanced at Doug and Chad. “They asked us to invite the two of you as well.” She tossed her hair before gathering it up into a ponytail.

  Chad’s eyes held Aria’s as he answered, “Tell them thanks from me, but I think I’m going to stay behind.”

  Doug nodded at Chad’s statement. “I think I’ll stay behind as well.”

  Jennifer and Trish shrugged as they finished gathering up their stuff.

  Shona tried to hide her disappointment, but Aria knew her best friend like the back of her hand. She wanted to smile at Shona’s rebuff, making herself angry with herself. Taking pleasure in the disappointment of her friend was not Aria, or at least it wasn’t an Aria she liked. She knew to treat her friends better than that. Angry with herself, Aria bunched her fingers into fists beside her legs to keep them hidden from view.

  Moving closer, Shona leaned over the lounger in front of Doug, with her cleavage nearly in his face, as she gave Aria a hug. “Be good and have a nap. We’ll see you in
a few hours, okay?”

  Aria hugged her back with a tight smile. Shona may love men, but Aria always knew she came first with Shona. Knowing Shona would never try to hurt her only served to make her feel worse about her earlier thoughts.

  She patted Shona’s back. “Go have fun. I’ll be fine. Besides, you need to show those guys just who Shona is.”

  Shona stood and winked. “But of course.” With a wave, the three girls headed out to meet up with the other guys.

  Doug picked up the food trays from the sun bed and placed them on the table as Chad moved to sit in front of Aria. “Didn’t sleep much last night?” Chad used the same commanding tone, the one she was rapidly coming to crave.

  The butterflies returned to her lower belly. “No. I kept waking up in a panic, so after the fourth or fifth time I headed out to lay on the daybed on our patio.” Aria pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

  “Did you get anymore sleep after that?” Doug sat back down beside her.

  Aria shook her head as she sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth. Her heart started to pound and a light sweat broke across her skin with just the thought of sleeping. She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes.

  — Chad —

  Chad gave Doug a look full of concern. Having dealt with PTSD from all his combat experiences he knew the symptoms well. Someone with Aria’s heart condition needed restful sleep. Aria never mentioned PTSD, but Chad recognized a fellow sufferer when he met one. Lack of sleep made PTSD symptoms worse inducing a negative chain of events. He needed to get to the bottom of her sleep issue to prevent anything from happening to her. “Aria, sweetheart. Can you tell us why you didn’t sleep?”

  She opened her eyes and stared into his. “I don’t think the girls know this, but after I was diagnosed, my heart stopped in the middle of the night. If I hadn’t been in the hospital, I probably would have died so they immediately put in the defibrillator.”