Healing Hearts 8: Teach Me What Love Is Read online

  “He can’t prove it was me. Besides that, it gives us more time to fuck with the company and start making those accidents happen on the construction sites. He’ll be caught up in fines, shut down for placing workers in danger and paying out the ass while we sit back laughing. I already have plans in motion for three of the sites across the state.”

  “I’m telling you to slow down. You can’t make these things happen so close together. It will alert the cops, hell, even the feds onto this. The plan is to make it look like he’s a scumbag.”

  “He is a scumbag. How fucking long before I can make the other shit happen?”

  “Give it a couple of weeks, then a few more weeks in between the next one.”

  “What? No, no fucking way. I want to see Faith. I need to make things up to her and start working on getting her back.”

  “You need to be careful with that, too. You have no patience when it comes to her. She isn’t dating anyone. Everly told me when I called her this morning.”

  “You’re talking to her? I thought she was mad at you.”

  “She still is but the attraction is there and she knows it,” Greg said.

  “It isn’t fair. I need Faith. I’m doing all of this for her. To prove to her that I would do anything for her.”

  “Call her instead. Start getting her used to your voice, you caring about her and talking things out.”

  “I sent her something. She should get it today.”

  “What did you send her?”

  “Purple roses.”

  “Nice, but will she accept them? I would have started calling her first.”

  “She will. I gave her purple roses on our first date and then sporadically here and there to surprise her. She’ll get it and accept them, and I’ll start working on calling her and getting back involved with her life.”

  “Good, stay where you are and wait another two weeks before you do the next set up. I’ll take care of things here and internally in the company.”

  Andrew ended the call and leaned back on the bed. He lay there in the hotel just thinking about Faith and all the things he planned on doing with her. His sweet, caring school teacher would take him back. She would forgive him because she had such a great big heart. She was controllable, easily manipulated and she needed his protection. Any guy or guys could come along and take her from him. Make him lose his chance to be with her again. He had to make sure she didn’t stray.

  He glanced at his watch. Tomorrow I’ll call her. Tomorrow I’ll start getting into her head and reminding her about who she belongs to and about coming back into her life. Tomorrow.

  * * * *

  Paulie took Faith’s hand, stopping her by the building. They were all going to meet at the center for the police car races. They had a mock track set up in the parking lot with safety cones the officers had to maneuver around. It was a demonstration showing the local law enforcement training and capabilities in the police cruisers.

  She stopped and looked way up at Paulie. He stepped closer, slid his arm around her waist and hoisted her against him.

  “Paulie.”

  He shook his head. Stared down into her eyes, so blue and stunning, and with the glasses she wore they stood out even more. He felt so much as he stroked her jaw and gripped her chin.

  “You came out of nowhere and shocked the shit out of us. I feel so protective of you, Faith. It’s like you need looking after.” She went to shake her head.

  “You do need looking after. What the hell were you thinking going over to those guys and saying you would go to their self-defense training tomorrow? You knew they were flirting with you earlier,” Rocky reprimanded.

  “You made me do it,” she said, glancing at Rocky and Hendrick, who were right there.

  Paulie widened his eyes. “It’s our fault you flirted back and now they think they have a chance with you?” Paulie asked.

  “I wasn’t flirting back. I accepted the invitation to try their class. That’s what you were all hinting at, wasn’t it? For me to get some kind of training?” she asked.

  “Is she serious?” Hendrick asked.

  “You’re too damn sweet,” Rocky stated, sounding frustrated.

  “I bet she tastes sweet, too,” Paulie said and then pressed his lips to hers. When he kissed her she was shocked that she felt the same deep attraction she had with Rocky. This was insane and she could feel her body shaking and her mind couldn’t even process what was happening here. When she felt the second set of hands on her hips from behind and then lips against her neck, she moaned into Paulie’s mouth. It was Hendrick and then Rocky joined in and ran a hand along her waist under her top and against her belly. She pulled back from Paulie’s touch and pushed Rocky’s hand down and off of her, but then Hendrick turned her around and stopped kissing her neck to kiss her lips. He ravaged her mouth, squeezed her ass and pressed her hard against his body. She felt his thick, hard cock and it both scared her and aroused her. She never felt so instantly turned on and wanton. Holy God, she felt like she could have sex with these men. Like she could give up her virginity. She pressed her hands against his chest and he eased back slowly.

  “Easy now, darling. God damn, you pack one hell of a punch for a pint size thing,” he said and winked at her.

  “What have we done?” she asked and reached up to press her fingertips to her swollen, wet lips. Her breasts felt swollen and needy and her panties were wet.

  “Got things started, Faith,” Hendrick said to her and she shook her head and started to step back and away from them.

  Rocky slid his arm around her waist. “Whoa, slow down, no need to panic,” he said.

  She stared up at him. Absorbed the feel of his big, muscular arm around her waist and then at all those muscles, that fierce expression. Then she looked at Hendrick and Paulie, who sported similar looks. They were big, capable, and could seriously cause her harm.

  “My God, you’re shaking. Please don’t be scared. Fuck,” Rocky said and pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. He caressed her back and she was lost in his arms. She gripped on to his sides and to his shirt.

  “Oh God, this can’t be happening. I can’t allow this. It isn’t right. Why are you doing this to me? What is it you want? Is this a game? Very funny, the joke is over,” she said and pulled away from Rocky and fixed her glasses and then smoothed her hands along her hips. She gasped when Hendrick gripped her hips, slid his hands along her belly and hugged her from behind. His mouth was pressed against her neck and by her ear.

  “Slow down and breathe. God damn, you’re so shy and sweet. We didn’t mean to scare you or overwhelm you, Faith,” he said and she exhaled.

  “You did,” she whispered and Paulie and Rocky stood in front of her, eyed her over and then Hendrick eased back. He held her hand, brought it to his lips and she watched him kiss her knuckles. Those bold blue eyes of his were locked on to her and the fierce expression remained.

  “How about we head over to the parking lot and the course to watch?” Rocky suggested.

  She was stunned at what just took place and at the wild thoughts running through her head. She nodded and they walked. Hendrick remained holding her hand and Paulie and Rocky were right there with her. She pulled her hand away from him and rubbed her hands together. She was completely freaking out here. This wasn’t good. They were older, very attractive men and they could get any woman they wanted, why the hell were they kissing her, touching her and making moves on her?

  She stopped short. Her hands were on her hips and they stopped to look at her.

  “What is it you’re after?” she asked them as anger pooled in her belly. She wasn’t a game. She couldn’t let the fact that they were dominant and sexy overrule rational thought here.

  “What do you mean?” Paulie asked her but Hendrick and Rocky crossed their arms in front of their chests and stared down at her. If that wasn’t intimidation then she didn’t know shit about it.

  She exhaled, eyed him over in his navy blue SWAT T-shirt and
the dark black camo pants. No words came out of her mouth. She was too busy drooling over Paulie and forgot what she said. It didn’t help that he bent slightly as he held her arms and squinted in a cute way that made her heart race.

  “We aren’t after anything. We like you, and we’re getting to know you. Now let’s enjoy the event and then talk some more.”

  The sound of sirens wailing alerted them that the event was starting out and ended the discussion. She was confused, unsure but as they walked her over to the fence for a closer look then formed a semicircle around her, protecting her from anyone bumping into her, she began to enjoy the sensations and let her mind wander.

  It was hard to concentrate on the vehicles speeding through the obstacle courses while Paulie, Hendrick, and Rocky took every opportunity to caress her skin, to even whisper into her ear little descriptions of techniques as if she cared. She didn’t even absorb what she was watching, she absorbed what she was feeling. When the one police car skidded along the parking lot looking as if it was coming close to the fence, she stepped back. Rocky’s arm went around her waist and then his mouth was against her neck and shoulder. “You’re safe with us,” he said and she leaned back, tilted to the right, giving him better access to her neck and a sensitive spot he kept finding. Her eyes locked on to Hendrick’s. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. She was in serious trouble here.

  When Paulie began to caress under her hair and neck after Rocky released his hold and her lips, she couldn’t believe how turned on she was and how much she enjoyed their touches. Could she actually entertain such an attraction or was she asking for nothing but a broken heart and problems?

  As the crowd began to cheer she pulled forward and clapped, as well, although she missed most of the event. Paulie took her hand and led her away with the crowd and his brothers.

  “So, what time works for you tomorrow to meet up at our place?” he asked her. She pulled her hand back.

  “What?” she asked, hand over her heart. Rocky laughed and pressed his palm to her hip.

  “For the self-defense training. We have a built-in gym and an area for sparring and training,” Rocky told her.

  Paulie reached out and stroked her jaw. “Get that mind out of the gutter, baby, unless you want to skip the dating process and go right to bed,” he said.

  She shook her head and pulled away, took a few steps back and looked away from them.

  “I don’t know if this will work.”

  “Hey, they’re just teasing,” Hendrick sort of snapped at her. Or maybe that was just Hendrick’s normal tone of voice. She wasn’t sure. She reacted.

  “Is that what they’re doing?” she whispered.

  “Damn,” Paulie said and pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. She was shocked and caught off guard at his actions. Why did he keep doing this to her? As he plunged his tongue deeper in exploration and then she felt his hand over her ass, she squeezed his arms and moaned into his mouth. He released her lips slowly.

  “You are so damn shy and sexy. I can’t take it,” he admitted.

  “Don’t do that.”

  “Do what?” he asked.

  “Just kiss me to shut me up or to control me.”

  “What? That isn’t why I kissed you. I like you a lot. Your innocent, timid expressions do me in, sweetie.” He stroked her cheek and she didn’t know if she could believe him or not. It was all so confusing and fast paced.

  “You need to slow down. You’re moving too fast,” she said to him and he placed his hands on his hips and squinted at her like she was crazy.

  “We’ll try, but no promises,” Rocky told her.

  “So what time tomorrow?” Hendrick chimed in, straight faced. She felt like she pissed him off somehow. He was quite demanding too and maybe he expected her to be like other women and just throw herself at them and let them lead her. The thought brought on a tingling sensation of desire. Holy shit, this was a first. She didn’t want to go slow either but knew she had to.

  “I need slow.”

  “You mentioned that. So what time tomorrow for training?” Paulie said to her.

  “Eleven good or earlier? Then we can do lunch afterward. Maybe take a swim in the pool,” Hendrick suggested. The three men looked her over as if they were imagining her in her bikini. Oh God.

  “Is that what you normally do after training women?” she asked with attitude she didn’t know where from. They widened their eyes.

  “I don’t do private lessons. Been asked, but never did them,” he told her. Was that supposed to make her desire him more? Make her feel special? Or like he was giving her the lessons to ease her mind before he went in for the kill? Jesus, she was freaking out big time.

  “I guess eleven, and then we’ll see about swimming. I usually catch up on things at home and doing yard work.”

  “Where do you live?”

  “Eastside.”

  “We live on Coastal.”

  “In one of those big houses?” she asked, surprised.

  “I can pick you up so you won’t get lost. I’ll be by at 10:45,” Hendrick told her.

  “Let’s exchange phone numbers and then you can text your address,” Paulie said and pulled out his cell phone. They were moving so quickly and she just reacted, obeyed and felt comfortable with them.

  “Okay, I should get going.”

  “What? It’s early,” Paulie added.

  “I have a lot to do today, including food shopping for the week.”

  They stared at her.

  “We’ll walk you to your car.” As they did they stopped her here and there and kissed her. It was as if they really didn’t want her to leave, or for the day to end and by the time they got to her car, she was feeling it, too. As she turned toward Rocky to tell them she enjoyed the day and would see them tomorrow, he grabbed her around the waist, pulled her into his arms and kissed her with vigor and purpose. She kissed him back, gripped on to his sides as he ran one hand under her hair and neck, holding her in place while devouring her moans and then his other hand squeezed her ass. He moaned into her mouth and then eased his mouth off her lips and then went to her neck. As he readjusted his position she ran her hands up his chest and hugged him. He bent lower, lifted her up and twirled her around.

  “God damn, baby, I want to take you home and explore every inch of this sexy body with my brothers, but I know that’s way too fast for you.”

  She tightened up as he lowered her feet to the ground. When she eased back, all three men licked their lips.

  “Jesus, look at her,” Hendrick whispered. Paulie reached out and stroked her cheek and then down her top over her breast. The nipple hardened and she stepped back, lowering her head.

  “Tomorrow can’t come fast enough,” Paulie said and she gave a little wave as she got into her car and they stepped back, just watching her. Holy shit, were they gorgeous men. Real men, seasoned, experienced, oh so very experienced. My God, I want them. I want to take this chance. I might have a heart attack, but what a hell of a way to die. Holy heavens.

  * * * *

  “Holy shit, how the fuck did this happen. Did you see her? See that expression, that fucking body she hides, her shyness, and reaction to us? Holy shit,” Paulie said and ran his fingers through his hair.

  “I know, she looked so sweet and innocent. Definitely not as experienced as us. Holy fuck, I feel like I’m committing a crime. Is robbing the fucking cradle a crime?” Rocky asked as they chuckled at him and started walking back.

  “When I kiss her I don’t think about how fucking young she is, I think about the curves, the way she feels and smells. She smells so fucking good,” Hendrick added.

  “I know. It’s funny because when we were at the table this morning and this little boy from her class spotted her and ran to hug her, he was surpised she wasn’t wearing a dress but said she still smelled as good as she does at school and he hugged her leg again.”

  Paulie chuckled.

  “Jesus, I just felt jealo
us over a little kid hugging her leg and inhaling her scent,” Hendrick said and they laughed more.

  “This is incredible. We haven’t talked about this idea. About sharing a woman in quite some time,” Rocky said, feeling that uneasy feeling begin to simmer.

  “We don’t know what this is yet. We shouldn’t jump the gun and get all serious and start picking out fucking china,” Hendrick snapped.

  Rocky knew there were going to be some hard feelings, a lot of emotions. They had planned to share a women with Keith if they found one they all were attracted to and wanted that with. He hadn’t told them about Hailey, and it was too late when they realized he had such a bad drinking problem and then died.

  “Listen, we’ll work it out. It’s a good thing that Faith needs slow. We don’t need to rush into this and then screw it up,” Paulie added.

  “Definitely not. We need to be sure because our good friends, men you and I work with and are around all the time, are dating her girlfriends,” Rocky said to them.

  “We need to find out more about her. How old is she really? How many lovers has she had?” Paulie asked.

  “What? Why the fuck do you want to know that?” Hendrick asked.

  “I think she hasn’t had many, and after kissing her and seeing her reaction, it wouldn’t surprise me if she hasn’t had one.”

  “A virgin, Paulie? Seriously?” Hendrick asked but then looked at Rocky and squinted and then looked back at Paulie. Rocky widened his eyes.

  “Great, Now not only do I feel fucking old, but like some dick for wanting that from her. To be her first and only. Holy fuck, if she is, she’s ours. All ours and no one else’s. Do you guys get that?” He ran his hand along his beard and then exhaled. “Let’s not assume anything.”

  “So putting a tracking device on her ankle and claiming her our woman, making sure every man knows to stay away from her, is probably a bit too crazy of an idea?” Hendrick asked. Paulie and Rocky laughed.