Serefina lowered her eyes as Ice lifted her the rest of the way and placed her onto the blanket over the tailgate.
Bull and Ace moved closer as Serefina crossed her legs and looked out toward the water. She looked sad, and he wondered why. Bull took a seat next to her on her left and Ice took the seat on her right. Ace stood in front of her.
* * * *
Ace and Bull talked about the anticipation they were feeling leaving the bar and getting over here to spend time with Serefina. But it was the sight of his brother kissing her that lifted his heart and made him want to yell out a hallelujah.
But now that he was closer, he could see the tears in Serefina’s eyes.
He placed his hand over her crossed tanned thighs and his palm against her cheek. Staring nearly eye to eye now that she was sitting on the back of the truck, he absorbed the sight of her beauty.
“You look upset. Does it have something to do with us?” he asked.
She took a deep breath and released it, as Ice covered her one hand and Bull covered the other one. All three of them were touching her and it aroused Ace more than he ever imagined it could.
“It does and it doesn’t, Ace.”
“Maybe you can explain it to us so we understand what you’re feeling?” Bull suggested.
“How can I when I feel so much right now. I’m confused, I’m attracted to the three of you and I feel guilty for feeling this way.”
“Guilty?” Ice asked.
Ace caressed her cheek and then her chin, tilting her face up toward him.
“Does this have something to do with the fire you were in back in North Carolina?”
* * * *
Serefina panicked. She didn’t totally understand why, but she did, and tried to get down off the truck.
Ace held her in place by her hips. She froze, overcome with emotions running through her body and the feel of his large, hard hands against her hip bones.
He pressed closer, and she moved her legs to the right. They were still crossed, and now any possibility of getting down and escaping from his questions were gone.
“Don’t push us away. I can see the sadness in your eyes. I feel you struggling. Talk to us. Why can’t you give in to the attraction we feel?”
She took a deep breath and forced the tears to stay away, and the fact that she could do that validated her feelings of betrayal to Matt. She was even done crying over missing him.
“It hurts too much,” she whispered.
Bull placed his hand on one shoulder, Ice on the other, and Ace continued to soothe her fears. “Why does it hurt? What are you feeling?”
“Guilt, betrayal, selfishness, desire, you name it, and I feel it right now.”
They were silent and she wasn’t sure what would happen next. She wanted to leave, to run home, yet another part of her felt disappointed and at a loss for not at least trying to open up her heart to them.
“Tell me about him,” Ace whispered.
Serefina widened her eyes, shocked that he knew it had to do with a guy. But Matt wasn’t just any guy. He was her first lover, her future, or so she’d thought.
“Oh God, Ace, how can you ask me about him? How can you, when you like me and you want to get to know me in that way?”
“Because by knowing about him, it will help us to learn about you. It’s what we wanted to do from the start. We want to know who you are. What makes you so special and different than any other woman we have ever met that you can bind together three brothers.”
She was shocked by his words, his powerful admittance, yet she shouldn’t be. She felt the same instant, deep desire for the three of them, and it seemed like there was no fighting it anymore.
She reached up with a shaky hand and pressed her palm against his cheek. He was mature, older, experienced and hard, yet so empathetic and all knowing. He turned his head slowly and kissed her palm.
She lowered her eyes.
“You’re right. I need for the three of you to understand my fears. His name was Matt, and I loved him.”
* * * *
Ice felt like a vise grip had wrapped around his heart and was trying to cut off the circulation. To hear her sadness and to know she loved another man brought on a surge of jealousy he had no right to feel. It was hypocritical of him to even think those thoughts, never mind verbally express them or grip her shoulder tighter at her revelation, when he in fact was no saint.
Maybe the fact that she was so sweet and youthful blocked any thought of her ever being in love or having sex with another man. He never felt such strong emotions, never mind such instant possessiveness. He listened as she explained about Matt, and just when he thought he could handle it, she hit them with a double punch.
“He was a firefighter, and he died in the fire we were caught in.”
“Jesus, Serefina, that’s terrible,” Bull whispered.
“You watched him fall? You saw him?” Ace asked, sounding like he was just as shocked as they were.
She nodded her head and talked about the rest and how she fell and somehow was rescued by firefighters as they broke through one of the fire escape doors that had been blocked.
“It was an arsonist that caused the fire?” Ace asked, teeth clenched. Ice knew exactly how his brother felt. It reminded them of their own brother’s death at the hands of a monster.
* * * *
Serefina could sense the men getting upset, but as Ace lowered his head after asking about the fire being arson, she put it together.
“Ace?” She reached out, and he covered her hand with his palm against his chest.
“You lost your brother in a fire, too, didn’t you?”
He nodded his head. “Marco. His name was Marco.”
She felt their sadness and it hit her pretty clearly at that moment that they knew exactly how she felt. They were feeling their own loss in just about the same way.
“We were close, Serefina. As close as me, Ice, and Bull are now.”
“He was the one who talked about us finding the perfect woman to complete us. It’s like he knew that we would continue to share, and live our lives as one unit, one team,” Bull added.
“So it was his idea, not yours?” she asked, feeling a bit uncertain about this. Were they trying to hold on to something that wasn’t possible just to hold on to their lost brother?
“No, it was something we all wanted. We had friends in the military who are involved in ménage relationships. It just made sense to us when Marco brought it up first,” Ice stated.
“But how do you know this is right? How can you be sure that such a relationship can last and be just as long and durable as a traditional one?”
Ace cupped her cheeks and held her gaze. “Because Marco said that the moment we all met the woman who would complete us, we would know it, because she would affect us all the same way and there wouldn’t be any question about it.”
She swallowed hard. “You felt that way meeting me? All of you?”
He nodded as Bull and Ice said “yes.” Together.
“I don’t know why or if this is going to be all wrong, but maybe it’s worth a shot.” Ace smiled right before he leaned closer and kissed her deeply.
Serefina wrapped her arms around his shoulders ignoring the slight tinge of ache from her bruise. She was lost in his kiss, the feel of his strong body wedged against hers when suddenly she felt Bull’s lips against her shoulder on one side and Ice’s lips against her neck on the other.
Her pussy leaked and she knew she was way in over her head, and overwhelmed with emotions filling her body.
As Ace released her lips, she smiled at him and he winked at her. She lowered her eyes only for Ice to grip her chin and turn her face toward him. He leaned down and looked into her eyes. She closed hers, anticipating his kiss.
Their lips touched, and it was slow and gentle until he pulled back then shook his head.
“Kissing you is going to be my new favorite pastime.”
She chuckled, and then heard Bul
l clear his throat.
She looked at him and he raised his eyebrows up and down in an adorable way.
“Come here, Bull,” she said, reaching up to place her palm against his cheek. He turned his head, kissed the inside of the palm, and then bent closer to her lips. He kissed her gently and knew for certain that she liked all three of them. They were unique, their own men, yet she felt that connection they mentioned that sparked between the three of them. She also felt that excitement within herself obviously feeding off their desires. When Bull released her lips, he closed his eyes and lowered his head.
“I’ve been waiting so long for that kiss.”
“Get a room!” someone yelled at them, and they all turned toward a group of men walking with one woman who playfully slapped the man who yelled. His arm was wrapped around her waist and she looked happy.
“How about a beer?” Ice asked, reaching back and pulling the cooler closer to them. He pulled four out and handed one to Serefina first.
“Blankets, a cooler filled with beer, a gorgeous view, you three couldn’t have planned this not knowing I would be here tonight,” she stated.
They smiled and clinked their three beers together.
“We were hoping, plus Tasha kind of gave me the heads-up after my interrogation,” Ace told her.
“What? Tasha told you we were coming here?” Serefina asked, shocked that her friend would do that, but her anger dissipated rather quickly as all three men smiled.
“I owe that woman a manicure, pedicure, and trip to someplace called the boutique,” Ace said.
Serefina chuckled. “Get your wallet ready, Ace. Her little escapade of beauty and shopping will set you back a few grand.”
Ace nearly choked on his beer.
“A few grand?” He raised his voice and Serefina laughed.
“Did you really think it would be that easy?”
Ace placed his palm against her cheek. “I think being with you here tonight, and starting to get to know one another is going to be way worth it.”
He leaned forward and kissed her softly and she smiled, feeling not so angry at Tasha anymore, and more excited about what was yet to come.
Chapter 10
“Are they out of their minds? What you’re telling me, Commander, is that the Feds know about this arsonist, have been connecting fires to him and his associates, and they’re waiting to find him and capture him because of international business dealings? How the hell does that even make any sense?” Arson investigator Trent Landers asked his commander at headquarters.
“Believe me, Trent, I want this fucking guy identified and captured. So do the investigators in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New York. But our hands are crossed while the Feds verify their case, which is, unfortunately, more important than these small minor fires.”
“Minor? You call killing twelve firefighters and one hundred and thirteen innocent young civilians at a nightclub, minor? What about the other few fires, explosions we’ve linked to this guy? What about the information I gave them in regards to my theory about this arsonist hunting the survivors?”
“Trent, those were not my words, those are their words, and you heard my reaction. I’m just as ticked off as you are, and so is the rest of the team, including your brother, Buddy. What I confirmed is that this guy, this arsonist, has not been identified. Not at an accurate hundred percent.”
“What the fuck does that mean? We’re supposed to just stand by and wait for the next arson fire? Wait to stand there and do the body count? This is insane.”
“I know it is. I have made calls to a few people and one to Cummings. If he gives us the approval to continue our investigation and track down this asshole to identify him, then we say fuck the Feds’ investigation and waiting game, and we grab this scumbag, present all the evidence and help lock him away for good. They’re not saying for you or for us to not do our jobs.”
“But what about the survivors from that fire out in North Carolina? I spoke with the investigators out there. They’ve caught the links, too, based on the materials used to ignite the building. Doors were rigged shut so that even the firefighters couldn’t get through without tools. Those people were trapped in there.” Trent ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
“Trent, I know it’s bad. Hell, I know what you’re thinking. That this guy is the same one who went after Marco, your cousin.”
Trent looked at his commander, Ray Thorpe.
“It’s him. This same fucker is causing fires and purposely going after the survivors just like he targeted Marco. I’m not going to just sit here and do nothing, yet the Feds are blocking off my attempts of investigating on this end. I can’t even get a hold of the survivors from the blaze in North Carolina,” Trent said in frustration.
Ray looked at him and then lifted up a file.
“I got this this morning. I don’t want to say who sent it to me or why. But as firefighters, as brothers, we stick together through thick and thin. When one of our own is threatened, we come together and we fight for him, get his back and do what needs to be done. The thing is, my hands are crossed here as the commander of this unit. I fuck up this job, then I can’t help in times like these when protocol needs to be pushed slightly to the side to do what’s right and necessary.”
He handed over the folder, but as Trent took it, Ray didn’t release it. They held gazes.
“One of ours is in trouble if your hunch is true.”
“A firefighter?” Trent asked, feeling his gut clench tighter and fear grip him hard.
“Take a look.”
Trent opened up the file and sat down in the chair. It was a list of the only few survivors from the club fire out in North Carolina. There were only five, but one sustained burns where the others had gotten out unscathed. He recognized the first three on the list. A man killed in a car explosion and the couple killed the other night in their home. The same explosive devices were used. Then he saw the last two names. He recognized the one woman immediately.
“Chief Martelli’s daughter?” He looked up at Ray.
“Her boyfriend was one of the twelve firefighters killed. They were together when it all happened. She survived but he didn’t.”
Trent looked at her name, and read the details.
“Oh fuck, Ray. You know the mental instability of an arsonist as well as I do. The Feds may believe he’s connected to international business deals and fires set to destroy companies or business people, but this need to go after survivors is something different. This is what I was looking for, the link to connect these cases.”
“I think you’re right, and I’m wondering if this guy started out doing the fires for money, a hired arsonist and now he’s so obsessed with it that he’s hunting.”
“A serial fucking arsonist. Holy shit,” Trent said and then stood up.
“This woman needs protection. Buddy, the team and me need to identify this asshole pronto. But how do we do this under the radar and protect Martelli’s daughter?”
Ray placed his hands on his desk and whispered. “Our code of honor. We protect our own, at all costs.”
* * * *
Serefina stood by the balcony that overlooked the beach. Their home was gorgeous and isolated from the other houses by large sand dunes, a huge cul-de-sac, and over an acre of property.
She had been nervous when they suggested showing her their home and having a quieter place to talk, but she accepted their invitation feeling comfortable with the three strapping men.
They had talked for a while and they shared memories of their brother Marco, and even showed her a picture of him. They explained how he died, and she couldn’t help but sense Ace’s raw anger at how Marco died, and about the fact that his killer was still out there. She sensed the guilt he felt as she caressed his arm while he stood beside her. Bull was sitting on one of the lounge chairs, and Ice was a few feet away.
“It wasn’t your fault, Ace. Coming from a family of firefighters, I know that there are crazy people ou
t there ready to do harm, to burn, and to destroy without a care for life. They attacked unexpectedly and usually when their targets are vulnerable. You can’t live your life thinking that you could have saved Marco. You can’t take that day back. You went into that fire just as you have gone into others. Your purpose, your mission was to rescue any people trapped, and put out the fire.”
He turned away from her and looked out toward the water. She glanced at Ice and then Bull who seemed on edge.
“He’s out there. The guy responsible for killing Marco. It kills me inside to know that. To think I failed Marco by not catching this guy.”
“What? How can you feel that, Ace? We all tried to help with the investigation. Trent and Buddy have been doing their best to find this guy,” Ice added.
“I do feel that way. I’m the oldest, I’m the one who’s supposed to take care of you guys. Don’t you realize how difficult it is for me to not be on the same shifts as you and Bull all the time? How little sleep I get while worrying about this guy coming back and going after one of you? It haunts me.” He turned from Serefina and his brothers.
“This is what all the ordering around and piss-poor attitude at work with us is about? You’ve been worried so you keep checking and double-checking our equipment or our ways of doing things?” Bull asked him.
“I’m not going to make a mistake again that can cost me losing another brother,” Ace said.
“You can’t go on like this, Ace. It’s not your burden. You need to trust your brothers and their training. They need to live their lives,” Serefina said, and as the words left her lips, she realized that she had been acting similar to Ace. She was denying her right to live her life out of guilt for Matt losing his. She’d closed off her heart and allowed fear and uncertainty to hold her back from her own loves and desires.
“You don’t know how difficult that is, Serefina. You don’t understand,” Ace stated.
“I don’t understand? You think that since I lost Matt in that fire that I haven’t thought why did I live and not him? After that fire I wanted to die, Ace. I actually thought about taking my own life.”
Hearts on Fire 1: Serefina (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 10
