Hearts on Fire 1: Serefina (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “That’s something else.”

  “What? What more can you hit me with now? It’s going to take some serious time to recover from the idea of three men with my daughter.”

  She chuckled. “Serefina didn’t exactly tell us everything about that fire that Matt died in.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She was caught in there, too. She nearly died, and was burned. Matt saved her.”

  “What?” She heard the word in an echo and realized that both Marty and Tyler asked.

  She turned toward her son. She wondered how long he was standing there, and how much he heard. Serefina would freak out if this were how her brothers found out about the Sullivan men.

  “Don’t worry, Mom, I know about Ace, Ice, and Bull being interested in Serefina.”

  “How?” she asked.

  “Well, the three of them threatened to kill Keith and his buddies if they ever went near their woman again. So I’d say they were staking a public claim to her.”

  Angelina gasped as she covered her mouth with her hand. The tears stung her eyes.

  “What were you saying about Serefina being caught in the fire and Matt saving her?” Tyler asked.

  “She still wouldn’t give all the details, but she admitted that she had gotten burned. She has scarring on her neck by her hairline. I’m afraid that things were a lot worse than she explained. She didn’t want us to worry and she still refused to talk about it.”

  They were all silent.

  “Well, maybe that’s why there’s an attraction between her, Ice, Bull, and Ace. They suffered a terrible loss when Marco was killed in the fire, and Serefina lost Matt in a fire.”

  “But all four of them are stubborn, unwilling to confide in anyone about their feelings over their losses,” the chief added.

  “Fate is a powerful thing, Marty. It just might have the power to heal all four of them. Hopefully, they can open their hearts and accept one another.”

  “Oh God, why do I feel like I need a drink of scotch?” Marty asked.

  “For the same reason I do, Dad. Eddie and Lance are going to need one, too.”

  Chapter 9

  Denis watched them through the binoculars. Two of the five survivors were together, a couple who made it out of the building before the final explosion. They were fine, and he was disappointed to learn that they had sustained minor injuries. Just smoke inhalation and bruises, but no burns, no torn flesh, no symbols of fight against his master. It was disappointing, but his desire to burn, to destroy two possible threats to his master and their existence fed his infatuation. He held the black device in his hand. Small, compact, but with just the touch of a button, the entire house, most importantly the two people inside would die. But even that hadn’t been enough. He wanted them to know. He wanted them to realize before they died why the master was taking them.

  He stared through the binoculars again. He watched as they climbed the stairs after their evening out with friends. They would see the poster, the advertisement for the club back in North Carolina on the bed.

  Sweat dripped from his brow. He’d worked a miracle tonight rigging their place. Undetected, in and out like a ghost of fire. He licked his lips, was practically drooling while he watched them.

  Look at the bed. Look at the poster, and remember and know that life is over. The master has the higher power, not you, not those who fight against his weapon.

  He blinked his eyes, the sweat dripping into them, when the couple embraced and began kissing. He could see the man’s hands caress over the woman’s body, then under her dress. This was killing him, but the longer he watched, the more clothes they removed, he found himself reacting like never before. He was aroused, interested, and then they fell to the bed, landing on the poster. He shook his sexually deviant thoughts from his mind and watched as the woman pulled the poster from underneath her. The guy looked, she covered her mouth, and Denis smiled, knowing in that moment they realized their fate. The fear was apparent on their faces as they looked around the room.

  Denis slid his thumb over the red button. “The master always wins.”

  * * * *

  Arson investigator Trent Landers was looking over the reports of a house explosion in Pennsylvania. As he read the detail of the blaze, something about the couple’s story grabbed his attention. In the article it mentioned that the couple had survived a club fire out in North Carolina nearly ten months ago. They had moved after the incident to be closer to family. As he clicked on the details and noted the investigative team in charge of the case, he went back to a series of articles on small fires occurring in their own county.

  He had been doing this job for years, just like his old man had done. Rest his soul. When their cousin Marco was killed two years ago in a fire set by someone who appeared to be a serial arsonist, he had become obsessed with finding him. And he knew that the arsonist was a man. Someone who either lived in New Jersey or traveled here. Trent connected the crimes of other arson fires to this same individual. It was the guy’s use of explosive devices, and the leftover materials Trent and other arson investigators found at the crime scene. Arson investigation was tedious work. It entailed having a keen eye for detail and even the tiniest of evidence. Like the way burn marks landed on walls, along trim work and how deep the charring was. There was a lot involved and he had the ability to, so far, be good at his job.

  Looking over the file, he noticed that last week another explosion occurred in New York. A bit further digging and he could confirm if the victim who died was also a survivor of that fire in North Carolina. Could the arsonist who killed his cousin Marco be the same one responsible for the North Carolina fire and these recent victims?

  He never turned his back on a hunch. Left no rock unturned. He promised himself and his cousins Ace, Ice, and Bull that he would catch the guy responsible for killing Marco. If this was the connection he was waiting for, then he could be getting closer to making his promise a reality.

  * * * *

  Serefina hadn’t laughed this hard in a while. Tasha, Mel, Catalina, and three other friends surprised her by getting tickets to a local theatre comedy production. They got all dressed up, and went to the show. Now they were on their way to the Station, which Serefina wasn’t sure was a great idea considering they were decked out in strapless sexy dresses and heels. She worried about her bruise and finding the right dress, but after trying on many with straps that lay over the damaged skin, she had no choice but to go for the strapless black one. Her large breasts barely fit into the top, but she couldn’t go a size up because it kept coming down and also was too loose on her waist.

  Her friends had picked out their dresses in colors. Tasha in green, Mel in red, and Catalina in purple. When the seven of them arrived, they drew in the immediate attention of the guys in the place and the three other girls went on the prowl for their men. Serefina, Tasha, Mel, and Catalina headed toward the bar for some drinks.

  They were standing there for a second when they were surrounded by guys from Engine 19. She felt the hand on her waist several times as one of the guys she didn’t know but could tell had been drinking kept touching her there.

  “Cool it,” she said to him. When she looked in his eyes, she could tell he was plastered. They were glossy, and he focused on her breasts again and the deep cleavage the strapless thing caused.

  She was getting annoyed every few seconds as the hands landed on her waist.

  She wondered if other members of Engine 19 were there. Curious, she looked around as she absorbed the atmosphere of the bar. There was firefighting memorabilia everywhere she looked. Pictures on the wall, old uniforms, and retired gear, plus even the pole the firefighters used to drop down from the upper floor. The building was the original fire station and as more homes were added to the community and the boardwalk was expanded to allow more businesses, the fire station was moved to a more central location.

  This place was cool. She was shocked at the disappointed feeling she had when she didn�
��t see Ace, Ice, or Bull. The other guys greeted her and welcomed her back home and talked to her about work and life in North Carolina. They didn’t even ask about her bruised shoulder. It was like they all knew how she sustained it and she wasn’t certain if that embarrassed her or gave her more confidence. Most firefighters were not jerks to women. At least none she had ever encountered in her life.

  She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up right before a large warm hand pressed against her waist from behind. She had had enough from Mr. Octopus, and he was ruining her time at the bar with her friends. She raised her hand ready to give the guy a piece her of her mind when she locked gazes with Ice.

  Obviously having quick reflexes, he snagged her wrist and gently blocked her ability to strike him.

  “Hi, Serefina. Is that how you greet people in North Carolina?” he asked. She turned to face him, and he kept his hand in a possessive manner against her hip. His eyes trailed over the cleavage of her breasts and those damn sensations nearly overwhelmed her. Her pussy throbbed, and her nipples hardened. “Only the guys who try to dip me over chairs or who don’t understand the words ‘not interested.’”

  “I don’t fall into that category, do I?”

  She looked him over, feeling the effects of the man’s magnificent physique straight to her core, and she smiled. “That has yet to be determined.”

  He chuckled. “How is the shoulder? It looks pretty painful.”

  “Naw, it’s better now.”

  “And the hand?” he asked, pulling it up toward him. His blue eyes seemed to darken as he focused on the discoloration.

  “It’s okay.”

  “It’s bruised,” he said with a scowl on his face, and she swallowed hard. But then he lifted it to his mouth and gently kissed the palm. Serefina thought she was going to faint.

  “Hey, big guy, I want to go check out the prospects, can you keep an eye on my girl?” Tasha asked.

  “Tasha,” Serefina reprimanded her.

  Tasha smiled. “Sorry, Serefina, but I like Ice and his brothers. They’ll take good care of you.”

  Tasha walked away as Ice took her hand. “We don’t bite. Why don’t you come over to our table? There’s no place else to sit.”

  She looked around and he was right. The place was packed and all the tables were filled. He led her through the crowd with a possessive hand at her back and the other on her waist and people smiled, guys checked her out, and she felt Ice squeeze her waist a little snugger. When they approached the table in the corner, sure enough Bull and Ace were there along with some other guys. They all looked at her, and she felt a bit insecure as she shyly looked away and around the bar.

  Ice kept his hand on her waist. “Want to sit down?” he asked, and she declined. He took the seat, but kept his hand on her waist.

  “You ever been here before, Serefina?” one of the other guys asked.

  “No. But my friends have. We went to see a show at the local theatre. That’s why we’re all dressed up,” she added.

  “Well, you look mighty fine in that dress,” the guy stated, and she felt Ice tug her between his thighs. She looked at him and he smiled.

  “Come sit down, you’re making me nervous.” She lowered her ass to his thigh, and holy shit, she nearly sprung up off of him.

  How could a man have such thick, hard thighs that felt like steel? Her ass cheeks warmed as well as that small gap between them where her pussy was positioned. She didn’t know what to do. So she crossed her legs, which seemed to make matters worse as the men around her stared. She had the urge to wiggle her ass so that her pussy could feel the steel thigh, too. It was ludicrous.

  “So, how was the show?” Ace asked her. The other guys at the table started talking about something entirely different while looking around the bar. She turned toward Ace and Bull.

  “It was fun. I don’t remember the last time I laughed so much.”

  “They do a lot of shows at that theatre,” Bull added.

  She looked at him, as he stared at her lips, and she wondered what it would feel like to be kissed by him, by them.

  “Yes, a friend of mine from high school helps to run the practices. A lot of hard work goes into creating a production.”

  “You sound like you know a bit about that?” Ace asked, as Bull stood up and moved his chair around. Now she was in the center, sitting on Ice’s lap with Bull in front of her on the right and Ace on the left. Bull’s calf was pressing gently against her lower calf and Ace’s was pressing against her ankle. Both men could reach right down under the table and caress her skin if they wanted to. Did she want them to? The thought made her look around at the bar and pull her libido back by the reigns and take a breath.

  “Did you do theatre in high school?” Ace asked, and she remembered that he had said something before that, but she was absorbed in their presence and their effect on her.

  “Oh, you said I sounded like I knew about the hard work. I’m sorry, I lost my train of thought.”

  She felt all three men touch her. Bull leaned forward and ran his palm along her calf, Ace covered her ankle with his hand, and Ice caressed his palm back and forth against her thigh.

  “Join the club, baby. I can’t keep a straight thought in my head while you’re this close to me,” Ace admitted.

  “Smelling this good,” Ice whispered against her ear.

  “Looking this good,” Bull added.

  She gulped and then pulled her lower lip between her teeth.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” she whispered, her voice cracking on the last syllable.

  She felt Ice kiss her shoulder, over the bruising. “Do what to you? Make you feel what we’re feeling and not fight it?”

  She turned at him. “This is crazy, Ice. Absolutely nuts.”

  Ace squeezed her ankle, and she looked at him, seeing the same identical expression as Ice on his brother’s face. Both men shared the same brilliant blue eyes, where Bull’s were brown. Their experience and their maturity now turned her on where earlier today the thought scared her.

  “It’s crazy how attracted we are to you and you to us. It’s also rare, Serefina,” Ice told her.

  “I don’t even know the three of you.”

  “That’s exactly why you need to get to know us,” Ace added.

  “Why are you afraid to get involved with us and see where this leads?” Bull asked her.

  She took a deep breath and released it.

  “It’s a long story, and I just don’t think I’m ready to explore any relationships, never mind one I’ve never even thought about trying.”

  “So it’s the sharing thing that bothers you?” Ice asked, kissing her neck, making her body hum with desire. She mumbled a yes.

  “Honey, no one ever just jumps into a relationship like this. We’ve never shared a woman before either. But it’s something we’ve thought about. Something we wanted but never thought could be a possibility,” Ace said.

  “Especially after our brother Marco died,” Bull added. She felt her chest tighten. She knew about that because of her mom.

  “It’s never easy to lose someone you love,” she whispered. The roar of laughter brought them out of their conversation until she felt Ice tap her thigh.

  “Let’s go for a walk outside where it’s less noisy.”

  She looked around them.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll let you two leave first and then we’ll leave a few minutes after,” Ace told her as if he read her mind and concerns at being seen leaving with three men she just met.

  When she stood up, she felt her legs wobble but also felt the loss of sitting on Ice’s sexy thigh.

  He took her hand but then eased behind her as he guided her through the crowd and out of the bar. It didn’t seem like anyone noticed, and once they were outside, the warm air did nothing to calm her trembling body.

  * * * *

  Ice was trying to resist the urge to pull Serefina into his arms and kiss her. When she walked into the Station with he
r friends, they gained everyone’s attention. Bull nearly headed straight for her, but Ace had had enough control to calm him down and then explain what they needed to do. Confronting Serefina, coming off all caveman like or immature was not going to go over well. They needed to take their time. They knew that she was going to be their woman. They staked a claim. They spread the word. Hell, they even spoke with Eddie, Tyler, and Lance. Now that had been just as stressful as waiting to see if Serefina showed up tonight.

  They walked down the pathway, passing some people hanging out by the entrance and others enjoying a stroll along the pier by the bay.

  Serefina looked over her shoulder.

  “Don’t worry, darling, they’ll be coming along soon enough.”

  He held her around the waist and headed toward the park that overlooked the channel. There were numerous benches and places to sit out there, but they had parked the truck and left a full cooler in the back.

  “We can sit down on the back of the truck. We packed a blanket and some drinks in the cooler.” He hit unlock and pulled down the tailgate. He reached over and unfolded the thick blanket and covered the back bed of his truck. She looked out toward the water, holding herself as he absorbed her long brown hair hanging past her shoulder blades.

  “Serefina?” He whispered her name as she turned toward him, looking lovelier than anyone he had ever set eyes on.

  “I’ll lift you up so you can sit on the blanket.”

  She placed her hands over his forearms, but as he lifted her, feeling her feminine, light body in his arms, he couldn’t resist.

  He kissed her softly, and his heart soared as the empty spot inside felt as if it flooded full.

  Serefina kissed him back, and then ran her hands up his arms to his shoulders, but the move must have caused her shoulder to ache as she stopped and pulled back.

  “God, I wanted to do that since the morning I met you on the beach.”

  Someone cleared his throat and they both turned to see Ace and Bull.