Healing Hearts 12: Road to Happiness Read online

  They were all quiet.

  “I want to know what happened to her,” Briar stated.

  “We all do, but when she’s ready, she’ll tell us,” Ace said, and they prepared for their date and walked outside to get the wave runners ready, bringing five of them even though the plan would be to bring four and then take turns riding with Amber. They would take the five of them. Give her the space she needed and hope they could prove to her she was safe when they were around her.

  * * * *

  Amber was laughing and having a great time with Briar, Cliff, Ace, and Corona. They had just finished taking another ride, and the sun was beating down hard on them. It was time for a swim, and they lined up at a cove where other people were swimming and enjoying the little beach. The engines died down, and the men began to pull off their life jackets and gear and place them on the handlebars. She followed and could feel their eyes on her. It had been an hour-long process deciding which bikini to wear. Her boxing and workout regimen was pretty fierce, and she had the abs and the toned body to show for it. However, she was well endowed, and finding appropriate tops was not easy. She wore a royal-blue bikini with the bra style top that gave support to her breasts and also accentuated her deep cleavage.

  The water splashed as her heart raced, and she looked to see Cliff was in the water already and exhaling.

  “I feel like the steam is coming off my body,” he said and lay back, but his eyes were on her and squinting from the sun.

  She watched as Corona went in next, and she saw how he slid off the wave runner because his legs were so long. She was going to have to do the same thing off the back and jump a little.

  “Need help?” Ace asked her when she turned sideways on the seat. Briar was in the water now too and holding her wave runner along with Ace.

  “Just slide right in,” Ace said, his eyes roaming over her body.

  “I got it,” she said and then jumped off the wave runner and into the water.

  It felt exactly like Cliff described it. Her body slowly started to cool down. She lay back in the water, and the guys talked about who was better at maneuvering in the water with their wave runner tricks. She chuckled as they gave little digs at one another, and she remembered watching them do jumps on the waves of other boats, and then getting to hit some big ones farther out.

  “Having fun?” Corona asked her, swimming next to her in the water. She looked at him, at his light whiskers along his cheeks, that hard-core, firm jaw and those deep blue eyes of his.

  “It’s a lot of fun. Thank you for inviting me to tag along.”

  “Tag along? You were riding like a pro, not a beginner. I saw you take that wave,” Cliff said to her.

  She chuckled.

  “I scared myself,” she said, and then gasped when Briar pulled her into his arms. The feel of his one strong arm wrapped around her midsection aroused her and had her staring at his lips.

  “You did great, beautiful,” he said, and he leaned forward and kissed her.

  She felt it everywhere. In her breasts, in her mound, in her heart, and she was in tune to his muscular body, the hard steel feel of him. It made her feel safe and protected, the way he used his palm to slide down her waist to her ass and their legs moved to keep afloat. Her breasts were above the water slightly, and as he released her lips, he glanced at her breasts and licked his lips.

  “You have an incredible body, Amber. I like this color on you. It brings out the blue in your eyes.”

  “Thank you, Briar,” she said, and he released her so she could wade there, but then Corona pulled her to him.

  “My brother is right. I love this color on you, but mostly, I love your eyes. So blue, so telling,” he said and pressed his lips to hers.

  She was surprised at how comfortable she was getting kissed one after the next by these men. At how right it felt, and how safe she felt. Even when Corona released her to Ace, and he did a little more exploring with his hands than his brothers had done.

  She kissed him back and let go just a little more, allowing him to massage her ass cheek, but then he cupped her breasts and moved his mouth from her lips to her neck, her shoulder, and against the deep cleavage of her breasts, and she panicked. She pushed back on his shoulders.

  “Ace,” she said, and he didn’t release her. He pulled her back.

  “Whoa, okay, slow down,” he said, and he was breathing heavily.

  She could see the desire in his eyes. He was a man, and he was attracted to her, and of course he wanted to explore her. She felt a wave of anxiety, of uncertainty coming on, and she thought back to the words of advice from Kiana, and she ran her fingers through his hair and then held his cheeks between her hands. She was breathing rapidly, too. His arm was snug around her waist as he held them afloat, moving his arm and his legs to keep them afloat.

  “I’m sorry, baby. I felt so much. Want so much.”

  She shook her head.

  “It’s me, Ace. I need slow. I’m sorry if I’m ruining this. You’re older and must be used to women who throw themselves at you and just let go.”

  “No, not at all. You aren’t ruining anything. We all know this is different. You’ve never been in a ménage relationship before, right?” he asked, and she shook her head and continued to caress his hair and then his shoulders.

  “Have you, and your brothers?” she asked, glancing at them as they gathered around them.

  “No, he whispered.

  “We’ve never dated much. We were always on missions and doing jobs for the government,” Cliff added.

  She worried her bottom lip. “I had a steady boyfriend in college. I thought I would end up with him.”

  “What happened?” Corona asked.

  “He cheated on me,” she said and remembered how hurt she was. That broken heart. That kind of heartbreak was nothing compared to what came three months later.

  “What an asshole,” Corona said, and she chuckled.

  Briar reached out and caressed her cheek so she would look at him.

  “Is he the one who hurt you badly? Who puts that fear in your eyes?” he asked.

  She felt her eyes well up with tears as she shook her head. “No, he wasn’t.” She swallowed hard, and she could see their concerned expressions.

  Ace spoke, bringing her attention back to him. “When you’re ready to tell us about him, about what happened, we’re ready to listen. We want to take that fear away, Amber. We want this to work out between all of us,” Ace said.

  She felt overly emotional and couldn’t speak, so she cupped his cheeks and slowly processed her lips to Ace’s, kissing him, putting all her emotions into that kiss until they were breathless and she needed to slow things down.

  “What time are we supposed to meet Danny?” she asked, and pulled from his arms and began swimming a little around them.

  “Thirty minutes ago,” Briar said.

  She gasped.

  “What? Oh God, we have to go,” she said and started to swim toward the wave runner when a strong arm wrapped around her and pulled her back. She gasped when Corona dipped her and then kissed her. When he released her lips, he winked.

  “Now we can go,” he said and smiled.

  She reached up and caressed his cheek. Just held his gaze and stared at his beauty, his masculinity, with adoration and desire. He squinted at her, gave her body a little squeeze, and then she slid from his arms and started swimming to her wave runner and felt his palm glide along her back and her ass. She could still feel his hand there even when she climbed up onto the wave runner. Her hair was wet as she reached up and squeezed the locks, and when she didn’t hear any engines start, she opened her eyes and saw all four men watching her with hunger in their eyes.

  “God damn, I think I need to go back into the water,” Cliff said, and she felt her cheeks blush and quickly put the life jacket back on, clipped it into place and then started the engine as they did, as well.

  The ride back to the marina was one filled with a multitude of thought
s, including doing a little exploring of her own on their bodies. These men were fit and then some, and the scars they had were intriguing, as well. It seemed she wasn’t the only one with scars, with a past, and that brought her a little bit more peace of mind.

  * * * *

  Danny was looking at his watch. They should have been here thirty minutes ago. The text from Ace said they were on their way. He looked at Rocky, who smirked.

  “Your brothers lay the groundwork and what? You go in for the kill to seal the deal?” he asked.

  “Quit it,” Danny replied, and Rocky chuckled.

  “I’m just teasing. I think it’s great that you and your brothers decided to make a move on Amber. She’s stunning and sweet as can be. Always has a bit of a guard up though. Watch yourselves. You never know what could make a young, beautiful women look so guarded.”

  “We know, believe me, we do, Rocky. There’s definitely something there,” he said.

  “Emma said she’s known Amber for about a year now. What about your sister? I bet Jo could give you some information.”

  “I think we’ll find out the information ourselves.”

  “Spoke like an agent. How is work anyway? Aside from looking like you got your ass beat,” he teased some more.

  Danny snorted and shook his head. “Dealing with it,” he said and knew his eye was still pretty bruised looking, but his lip was healed, and his cheek had a slight darkness to it. All thoughts ceased when he looked toward the doorway and saw his brothers accompanying Amber into Gordon’s. Their friends greeted them, and she shyly looked down and away from the other men looking at her. Corona wrapped his arm around her waist and kept her at his side. It seemed that things had gone well.

  Danny stood up to greet them, and of course he smiled at Amber and kissed her cheek hello. She smelled so good. Some kind of fresh, light scent that had him inhaling. “You smell so good.”

  “See. It isn’t just us,” Briar said and reached out and stroked her jaw.

  She chuckled as she slid her palm along her hair as if checking to make sure it was still styled nice. It was damp and pulled back into a low bun, exposing her neck. She looked beautiful and sexy, especially in the flared beige skirt and blue tank top. He could see how well-endowed she was, how sexy of a body she usually covered up more often than not.

  “How was the day swimming and riding the wave runners?” he asked her.

  “It was fun. We had a good time,” she replied.

  “Next time I won’t miss it, baby,” he said and cupped her cheek, lowered his lips to hers, and kissed her softly. She didn’t pull back, and he was relieved. When he released her lips, she gave a shy smile. She was precious.

  “Amber, what can I get you to drink?” Briar asked her.

  “Hmmm, I don’t know.”

  “How about a nice tropical drink? One of my own concoctions?” Rocky asked her from behind the bar.

  “Sure, but not too crazy. I have to be at work at five o’clock tomorrow,” she replied.

  “In the morning?” Cliff asked her, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. He kissed her hand, and she nodded.

  Once they got a round of drinks, they walked over to a table outside under the umbrellas but on the dock. He watched her looking out at the water, and he could tell by the calm expressions on his brothers’ faces that all went well.

  As they talked about regular things, he slid his palm to her knee where her legs were crossed, and he stroked her soft skin. He glanced at her as she initially tightened up but then seemed to relax.

  “So what are the next plans for the next date?” he asked her, and she looked a little surprised or maybe still timid about the idea of dating them.

  “Anything you like to do, or want to teach us or show us?” he asked, and she squinted.

  “Well, the only thing I do on the side is boxing, and all five of you already know much more than that,” she said.

  “We could do that. Spar a little at our home gym,” Cliff suggested.

  “No, that’s okay.”

  “What time do you get off tomorrow?” Danny asked her.

  “One o’clock. Why?” she asked.

  “Well, there’s a nice little restaurant down by the sea wall in Sussex. Maybe I can pick you up, and we can go there for lunch?” he asked her.

  “Okay. That sounds nice. Thank you, Danny,” she replied.

  He gave a soft smile and then looked at his brothers. They talked to her about their lives, about the military, and of course about being an agent.

  “I noticed that you all have battle wounds. Are your missions, your jobs, always so dangerous?” she asked.

  “They can be, but we’re well trained, and we pick and choose the jobs we take,” Ace said.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t get to do that,” Danny said and took a sip from his beer and thought about this case. About how bad these men were and how they were tied to terrorist activities. They were getting closer and closer to finding out more names, and hopefully the mastermind behind all the smuggling and mock storefronts selling drugs and guns.

  “Well, you chose to be a federal agent after the military. We didn’t,” Briar teased.

  “Yeah, why he wanted to wear business suits and answer to some stiff higher-ups, we don’t know,” Cliff added.

  “Yeah, yeah, you’re just jealous,” Danny replied, smirking.

  Amber chuckled. “You guys like to tease one another a lot.”

  “We’re close, Amber,” Ace said and placed his arm around her chair. He leaned in and kissed her bare shoulder. “We share everything. Do everything, together.”

  Danny felt his cock tighten, and as her face flushed, Ace tilted her chin up toward him, and he kissed her. Danny continued to slide his palm back and forth up her skirt and against her thigh. When Ace released her lips, Danny moved his hand, gripped her chin toward him and kissed her next. He was gentle and made it short despite wanting so much more.

  The waiter came over to deliver their food, and Danny held her gaze, making her keep his eyes on him and not the waiter or anyone else.

  “Thank you, for trusting us to be here to get to know each of us. I look forward to more time getting to know you, Amber.”

  She parted her lips like she wanted to say something, but then she just smiled and looked at her salad with grilled chicken.

  “That looks good,” he said, and they all began to eat.

  * * * *

  “So, you’ve been busy the last two weeks. Is it safe to assume you’re dating my brothers?” Jo asked Amber.

  Amber smiled wide. “It’s been nice, and we’re taking things slow.”

  “Didn’t look too slow when I saw Corona with his tongue down your throat and his hand on your ass outside of Gordon’s two nights ago,” Melina teased.

  Amber felt the heat reach her cheeks. She chuckled, pushed her long blond hair over her shoulder, and her friends laughed.

  Afina, London, and Faith started to make some noise, whistling and then laughing as Amber shook her head. Jo hugged her arm.

  “We’re just teasing. We’re happy for you, and it’s great to see my brothers so happy. In fact, how come none of them are here tonight at Corporal’s?” Jo asked.

  “I thought I wasn’t making it here until eight, but then I got out of my meeting early,” she said.

  “So they’ll be here soon and will be taking up all your attention, so let’s make plans. A beach day this upcoming week. Who is in?” Melina asked.

  They decided on going Wednesday when they all had off from work or could take off from work. As the conversation went on about some other events coming up and of course a new salon that was opening up in Sussex, they gossiped about the people opening it and what the talk around town was.

  “Amber?”

  She heard her name and turned around to see two guys, Ray and John, who had come into urgent care last week. They had both suffered chemical burns while working. She smiled. “Ray, John, how are you? How are the burns?” sh
e asked.

  Both men started telling her about the burns and then smiling and asking to buy her a drink.

  “I’m actually meeting someone here.”

  “Should have known you were taken,” Ray said, and she smiled.

  “Make sure that you continue that antibiotic that Dr. Ford prescribed.”

  “We will, and we have to stop in this week for the other paperwork. Something was missing from worker’s comp on there.”

  “Oh, well, I’m sure Cindy will be able to help you out,” she replied.

  John reached out and pushed a strand of hair from her cheek, surprising her.

  “I was hoping you would.”

  “Any reason why you’re touching my woman?” Ace said, coming up from behind Amber. She gasped and turned around to look up and see Ace looking ready to throw punches.

  “Ace, there you are,” she said and wrapped her arm around his arm, hoping to keep him from throwing a fist.

  “I was just telling Ray and Johnny about meeting you and your brothers here.”

  Ace was in a dead stare at the men.

  “We’ll see you around, Amber. I’ll stop in next week for the papers,” Johnny said, not really backing down, but his buddy Ray was already walking away. Ace kept eyes on them, and she reached up and cupped his cheek while still holding his other arm.

  “Ace.”

  He looked down into her eyes.

  “Who the fuck are they?” he asked.

  She gave a soft smile and then stood up on tiptoes and kissed him. She felt his arm slide around her waist, and he took her hand and wrist of the arm that was behind his and restrained her. His other hand squeezed her ass.

  When he released her lips, he squinted at her. “Who are they?”

  “Just two patients from work.”

  “You always let patients touch your hair and flirt with you?” Corona asked, holding a beer but whispering against her ear. She tilted up toward him.

  “No.”

  “So why did you let them?” Corona asked.

  “I didn’t let anyone do anything. He just did it, and before I could say or do anything, you did, Ace.”