Falling for Them Volume 3: Reverse Harem Collection

by Amy Sumida

  Thoughts rattled around.

  She remembered the different times her guys made some small comment about back home like when Jason said they would show her pictures of them from high school. At the time, she glossed over the comment, thinking he said it in the heat of the moment. But now, did it mean something else? Wasn’t this supposed to be an island romance? There couldn’t possibly be a future for them back home, could there?

  Groaning, she flipped over again and stared at the ceiling. She bit her lip. This was impossible. The guys hadn’t said they wanted more, so there was no point in spending time considering the possibility. Clenching her muscles tightly, she employed some of her relaxation tricks to quiet her mind.

  ~

  They spent the morning at the beach, enjoying their last day of the sand and surf. Aria spotted Derek, Mark, and Kyle out swimming and playing beach volleyball farther down, but didn’t see any sign of the girls. Lying back in her lounger, she wondered if she should go and find them.

  She didn’t believe she was in the wrong in their dispute, but she’d been the one to walk away. Maybe after lunch?

  The boys’ butler brought a special lunch to their cabana containing many local delicacies. The four of them climbed onto the bed with full plates. They passed the time talking and laughing, determined to enjoy every minute they had left.

  As soon as they finished, Chad clapped his hands. “Nap time, everyone.”

  Doug and Jason jumped off the bed and started to pick up their empty plates as Chad started to adjust the sheets and head height on the sun bed.

  “What? I don’t need a nap.” Aria stuck out her bottom lip and crossed her arms.

  With a half grin, Chad leaned in front of her face completely invading her personal space. Her eyes crossed as she tried to focus on his eyes. “You were restless last night, probably worrying about your fight with your girlfriends.” He leaned closer and placed a soft kiss on her out-turned lip. “So, humor me, please.”

  Sighing, Aria sucked her lip back in. Uncrossing her arms, she wrapped them around Chad’s neck and drew his mouth to hers.

  “Okay,” she muttered before kissing him properly.

  The sunbed depressed around them as Doug and Jason climbed back on. Jason scooted in behind Aria. As his arms wrap around her waist, her fire intensified, deepening her kiss with Chad. Jason’s lips met the back of her neck as Doug entwined her fingers with his.

  This is what I want forever.

  Her heart was breaking, but she pushed it aside, not wanting to lose a single precious minute.

  The other two let the kiss continue for a few minutes longer before Jason, with laughter in his voice, said, “Okay, you two. Nap time is a wastin’.”

  Chad pulled back, much to her disappointment. His eyes twinkled with laughter. “Fine. I guess I did make a big deal over nap time.”

  Kissing Aria’s nose, he stood, closing the cabana curtains and turning on the ceiling fan before climbing back in beside her and Jason.

  It was a tight fit, but the four soon became comfortable enough to nap.

  Jason, who had spent less time napping with her over the past ten days, slept leaning back with Aria between his legs while Doug and Chad also semi-reclined on each side holding onto Aria.

  — Shona —

  Shona stood, peering through the crack in the cabana curtains. Her mouth hung open, her eyes as wide as saucers. She’d spent the last two days thinking about and discussing all of Aria’s revelations with Jennifer and Trish. Shona had spent the past few years happy to still have her best friend at her side, but she’d never spent any time considering how everything had affected Aria. She only wanted to see Aria happy after the disastrous sham of a marriage.

  But this relationship, or whatever it was, wouldn’t make Aria happy. The guys may have told Aria they were fine sharing, but in her experience, it never lasted past the threesome, or in this case the foursome, one-night stage.

  This was why she stood shocked at the sight inside the cabana. The four of them curled up together on the sunbed, asleep and cuddling with Aria. And it wasn’t post coitus. They were all still in their correctly placed bathing suits.

  She swallowed hard as she continued to stare, not believing the expressions of love on their faces.

  Shit! This just makes the things I said worse. Shona clenched her fingers around the edges of the curtains. Her whole reason for coming to the cabana was to talk some sense into Aria. She was willing to grovel and apologize if needed, but only if it helped Aria to see the error of her ways. After all, her words had been a little harsh, driving a wedge in their friendship, which truly was one of the most important things in her life.

  But the expressions on the guys’ faces had her second-guessing.

  Letting the curtain fall closed, she backed up into one of the sun loungers. Sinking down, her hand covered her mouth, her eyes still wide. Holy shit! Aria was telling the truth about the three guys not being bothered about sharing her.

  A hollow ache opened in her heart as she recalled the things she’d said and done to Aria over the past ten days. Reliving her conversations and flirting with Doug made her cringe now, despite the pain of realizing she was never going to get him. Looking back, she could see how he kept telling her and showing her how into Aria he was.

  Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe I did that to my best friend and then called her a slut. I was the bitch. I was moving in on her man, yet she never took me to task like I did to her. How could I do that to her?

  Wiping her tear covered face, she stood to head back, not wanting to disturb the foursome, when the curtain parted, revealing Chad.

  He moved to stand in front of her with his arms folded across his muscular, bare chest. She nearly quivered under his gaze. His eyes were stern and menacing, missing their usual sparkle of happiness. “I hope you’re here to apologize and not make things worse, because if you’re planning on causing more trouble, I’m telling you to leave. Aria doesn’t deserve to be treated the way you’ve been treating her.”

  Flinching under Chad’s continued glare, her eyes slid past him to the cabana. She sucked in a breath before returning to meet him eye to eye. “I’m here to apologize. I was brutal and nasty in the things I said to her, but then you already know that.” Her gaze dropped to her feet.

  “Actually, I don’t”—Shona raised her eyes to stare at Chad as he continued to speak—“Aria refused to tell us what happened between the four of you. She just let us comfort her.” He took a step back and sat on the sun lounger next to the one Shona vacated. He motioned for her to take a seat, waiting to continue until after she settled. “We assumed it had something to do with us, but we don’t know what.”

  Hesitating, Shona wrung her hands in her lap. She knew she needed to own her part of the argument, but she didn’t want to. It embarrassed her to realize she placed a non-existent romance over her relationship with her best friend. Steeling herself for Chad’s anger, she told him about the two fights they had. True to her word, she owned up to every part she played in them.

  When she finished, Shona let out a small sigh. For some reason, spilling the story to Chad made her feel lighter, like she had confessed her sins to a priest. She nearly laughed at the thought.

  — Aria —

  Aria felt Chad slip out of the bed. Through her half closed eyes, she watched as he slid between the curtains following someone. The shadowy outline reminded her of someone. Shona? Opening her eyes, she pulled away from Jason to sit up.

  “Where are you going?”

  Aria jumped at the sound of Doug’s whisper. Turning around, she discovered both Jason and Doug staring at her. “I need to see what’s going on.”

  Nodding, Jason and Doug stood up. Taking her hands, they led her to the opening between the curtains. They stopped when they heard Shona’s voice tell Chad how she came to apologize. Wrapping their arms around Aria, they held her securely as they listened.

  Watching Shona’s face as she confessed it all, Ari
a tried to match the words to Shona’s demeanour.

  I think she’s telling the truth.

  She pulled open the curtains. “Do you really mean it, Shona?”

  Both Shona and Chad jumped before turning to the cabana where Aria stood wrapped in the arms of Jason and Doug. She stepped from between the two of them and walked towards Shona and Chad.

  “Did you really mean it?” Aria stepped into Chad’s open arms, her eyes never leaving Shona’s.

  “I did. I’m so sorry, Aria. I know I’ve run off some of our other friends before with my actions, but I always felt they were the issue. I never thought I would do that to you.”

  Aria stared into Shona’s remorseful eyes as her friend stood there twisting her hands in front of her waist.

  Shona never twists her hands in nervousness. She must truly realize how much she hurt me.

  She continued to maintain her silence as Chad’s body comforted hers. She’d forgiven Shona the minute she heard the whole confession. It wasn’t like Shona to admit publicly when she royally screwed up. It all served to prove Shona meant her words.

  Not sure why she stayed silent, Aria wondered if it had anything to do with her own concerns about her role in their argument. After all, she hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with her feelings for the guys. She never mentioned to Shona or the others that she liked all of them until they fought, nor had she ever asked Shona to back off.

  Instead, she let her resentment fester.

  Sighing, she realized she needed to confess her role as well. “Shona, I’m sorry, too. I should have handled things differently.” She turned to kiss Chad on the cheek before stepping out of his arms. Reaching for Shona’s hands, she grasped them in hers before pulling Shona in for a hug.

  They stood together, wrapped up in each other’s arms, as tears streamed down their faces.

  Chad stepped to Aria’s side, placing a kiss by her ear. “We’re going to go for a quick swim to give you guys some privacy.”

  Lifting her head, Aria pressed a soft kiss on his lips, then Jason’s as he took Chad’s spot, and then again on Doug’s. She dropped her hands from around Shona and stepped back to sit on Chad’s lounger as her eyes riveted themselves to the backsides of her men as they headed to the water.

  “You really do like them all, don’t you?” Shona sat on her lounger, facing Aria.

  “I really do.”

  “So, how’s it going to work when you get back home? Is this just an island fling?”

  Looking down, Aria’s face fell. “I don’t know.” Her quiet voice filled with anguish as she bit her lip.

  Shona slid from the lounger to kneel in front of Aria, her face placed within Aria’s line of sight. “Have they said anything?”

  Shaking her head, Aria fought back the tears. “It sometimes sounds like it, but they’ve never said.”

  “Well, they’d be stupid not to, but the real world would be different. Not like here.”

  “I know, and that’s what scares me.” Aria wiped the stray tear that fell. Lifting her head, she offered Shona a small smile. “But that is for another day. Today I just want to enjoy what time I have with them.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Standing Shona held out her hand to Aria. “The three of us will be here for you tomorrow and the next day. You won’t have to be sad alone.” Aria nodded. “Now how about I go get the girls while you go meet your guys? We’ll join you in the water and then for supper.”

  Smiling, Aria gave her a hug before heading off to join her guys in the water.

  — Jason —

  Jason followed Aria to the wooden fence that overlooked the waves crashing on the beach. The moonlight created a path across the water, highlighting Aria. Her dark hair glowed with a silver shimmer, and her skin was luminous. His breath hitched, matching the same sounds coming from Doug and Chad who were half a step behind.

  She truly is my, no our, angel.

  He slid his hands around her waist, coming to rest against her belly button. His chin rested on her head as Doug and Chad flanked them, each reaching for one of her hands. “What’s wrong, love? You’ve been quiet and sad all evening.”

  The sounds of the rushing waves nearly drowned out her quiet voice. “I don’t want this to end tomorrow.”

  He shared a look with Doug and Chad over her head. They let go of her hands as Jason slowly spun her around to face them. He rested his hands on her hips as the other two each reached for a hand again. Not able to speak with his heart lodged in his throat, he let Doug and Chad do the talking for him.

  Shifting to face her, Doug lowered his head to meet hers. “We’re not ending tomorrow. Tomorrow is just the beginning.”

  Aria’s eyes widened slightly and a tiny amount of sadness disappeared to be replaced with a spark of hope. “What do you mean? Tomorrow we go back to Halifax; to our real lives.”

  Chad moved to mirror Doug’s stance. He placed two fingers on the side of Aria’s cheek directing her gaze to him. “This is our real life.” His fingers slid across her cheek covering her open lips. “I know things are different back home, we have jobs and commitments, but what we started here can continue there. We want it to continue there.”

  — Aria —

  Aria’s eyes flickered between the three guys. They all stared at her with a look she knew could only be love. It was a look she rarely, if ever, saw in the eyes of her ex towards the end. Her heart swelled as her chest relaxed, but niggling doubts continued to run through her mind, showing on her face. The idea of the four of them worked well here. Her earlier talk with Shona reinforced the idea of their relationship, or whatever this was, needing to end before they reached home. It was only Jennifer and Trish, who each privately commented to her about how happy they were for her and the guys, who showed support.

  Would their other friends, family, and coworkers be like Trish and Jennifer, supportive? Or would they be like Shona? Could she take the risk?

  “Love, you’re overthinking things.” Jason’s thumbs stroked rhythmically across her hip bones. “Yes, people may not understand us and our relationship, but that’s not a reason to end it.”

  “We’ve all faced death and loss, all four of us.” Chad stepped closer until his hip brushed up against her side. His fingers again went to her chin, bringing it up so she met his eyes. “We know how quickly life can be ripped away, so shouldn’t we embrace love when it finds us?”

  Doug stepped closer on the other side to match Chad. Her men surrounded her. Chad’s fingers tilted her head to face Doug. “We should spend our time savoring life instead of being worried about what others think.”

  Aria’s face broke into a huge smile. “Savoring life”—she stepped closer, into the middle of them—“is the exact phrase I used in my argument with the girls. I want to savor life with the three of you.”

  “I’m glad that’s settled.” Jason leaned down and captured her lips in a searing kiss, reminding her that she belonged to him.

  When he removed his lips from hers, they were replaced with another set. Doug nipped her bottom lip and thrust his tongue into her mouth. His kiss set her already speeding heart into a frantic pace as he, too, laid claim to her.

  Just when she thought she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen, Doug backed away. A new set of arms enveloped her carefully. Like a piece of priceless treasure, Chad cradled her in his arms, his lips lowering to hers in a gentle caress no less claiming than the others. His lips slid over hers softly and sensually, setting her already overheated body on fire. He kissed across her cheek to her ear.

  “You are mine and ours,” Chad whispered before pulling her lobe in between his teeth.

  Two more sets of arms came around her as their bodies pressed against hers. Her eyes closed as a smile graced her face. Her head tipped back against Doug’s chest, and she soaked up their feelings of love and devotion.

  They stood like that for what seemed like an eternity before Jason backed away, a giant grin on his face. “Now that that’s out of
the way, you’re coming home with us from the airport.” He spun on his heel and ambled back towards their room.

  Aria’s mouth dropped open. Her eyes moved from Chad to Doug to see what their reactions were to Jason’s words, but their faces were blank with only the twinkle in their eyes, to give away their true feelings. “Bu… What? You…ah…Jason.” Aria started after him, dragging Chad and Doug by the hand.

  Jason stopped and turned to face the group, waiting for them to reach him before speaking. “We have room, so you’re moving in.”

  “I, uh, can’t move in. It’s, uh, too soon.” She turned to Chad and Doug for help, but found none.

  “Why can’t you move in?” Doug raised a single eyebrow as he stared at her.

  “Because…”

  “Do you really want to stay in the house you shared with your ex?” Chad squeezed her hand, his tone soft and compelling.

  Ugh. That same tone made me spill my guts when we first met. “No, I, uh, was thinking of selling it.”

  “See? We’re all set. You’ll come home with us. Then we’ll take you to get your things from your place so you can move in with us. Then you’ll sell your house. A win-win for all of us.” Jason leaned down and licked the tip of her nose.

  Laughing, he backed away.

  Aria rolled her eyes and shook her head, but couldn’t stop the giggle from breaking free.

  Chad bent, his lips brushing her ear. “Remember, we are savoring life so let’s start right away.”

  He and Doug led her back towards their room.

  Aria smiled, contentment on her face.

  That’s what I’m doing. I’m going to savor life.

  About the Author

  TB Mann is the wife to the most amazing husband and the mother to three extremely smart young adults. After nearly becoming a member of the 27 club, she left her job as a nurse in the Canadian military to be a stay at home mom. As the children grew, further studies in nursing, infectious diseases, and theology were not enough to keep her brain active. After a few years of pushing by her husband, she finally picked up the keyboard and hasn’t looked back.