Alea loved the way Dane tasted. She loved the soft velvet of his cock under her tongue. She definitely loved the way he moaned. Oh, it was a completely controlled, utterly masculine moan, but it came from deep in his chest, a definite sign that he loved this, too.
He was giving her orders, but she felt her power.
“I told you to play with my balls, baby. Do we need to have a discussion about the word obedience?” The question came out on a sexy growl.
She looked up his perfectly cut body, and he stared down at her with those blue eyes. So often they reminded her of a frigid lake, but there was nothing cold about them now. Though his voice was perfectly controlled, his eyes told a different tale. They were hot, a little desperate.
He wanted her. She could feel it. And it wasn’t that he wanted any woman. He wanted her. He’d waited for her.
Alea didn’t understand it, but she wasn’t about to turn him down. And she wasn’t going to push him to spank her when she was more than curious to play with his balls. She let her hand run down the length of his cock, skimming the bulbous head. Fascinating. She loved watching the way it twitched and moved as though following her fingers as she felt her way down to the heavy sac that rested below his cock.
Big and round, the globes had been groomed at some point. The men had managed to find razors and though Dane was letting a sexy beard shape his face, he’d taken care of himself down under. His balls were smooth, like twin plums hanging from the hottest tree. As she watched, they tightened, pulling up closer to his body.
There was a neat line of flesh dividing the two sacs, and Alea outlined it with her fingertip, watching the way he reacted. He gave a sharp intake of breath, and his thighs tightened as though he was holding himself in rigid check.
“Does that hurt?” Alea asked.
“Hell, no.” Dane’s face was rock hard, his jaw a sharp line as he ground the words out. “It’s perfect.”
She cupped them, secure that it was all right to continue. She could hear Landon moving behind her and Cooper was suddenly at her side, his hand smoothing up her back. Her men were with her.
Alea rolled his testicles. They were so big, they couldn’t quite fit in the palm of her hand, but she caressed them, closing her hand gently, squeezing just a little. She palmed them and leaned back to take the head of his cock back in her mouth again. It slid in just behind her teeth, and she sucked him, loving the salty taste on her tongue.
“God, that’s so good, baby.” Dane’s hand found her hair, an encouraging gesture. He settled his fingers in the strands and helped her keep the rhythm.
Over and over. Around with her tongue. There was a peace and serenity in serving him in this fashion, a music they were making together. It wasn’t dirty. She wanted to give, and he gratefully accepted. The act was beautiful. Oh, it could be made dirty. She’d seen that up close and personal, but it didn’t have to be. Sex, Alea realized, was different for everyone. It could only be judged by the motivations and emotions behind it. She wanted to please her partners, and her men were careful about pleasing her.
They were in love.
A hand cupped the cheeks of her ass, and Landon’s voice rumbled along her skin. “Our girl seems to like the hell out of sucking cock, Dane.”
“She does it beautifully,” Cooper responded.
“Peace to that, brother.” Dane let out a long breath. “She’s the best head of my life.”
Alea felt her skin practically glowing. She knew they merely said all this to infuse her with confidence, but it worked anyway.
“I think we should challenge her a little bit,” Dane said. “She’s damn straight perfect at sucking a cock when she doesn’t have a distraction.”
“I can give her a distraction or two.” Landon chuckled.
“I can help.” Cooper’s voice was filled with sexy male arrogance.
Alea wasn’t sure what they meant by distractions, but refused to worry. Instead, she settled back to her task. She wanted to see if she could make him lose that vaunted control of his and fill her mouth.
Then she felt Cooper plucking at her nipples, pulling a hard gasp from her throat. Coop’s fingers rolled the nubs with practiced ease, then pinched down. The sharp pain sent pure sensation through her body. Her nipples seemed to have a direct line to her pussy. Yes. That was very distracting.
“Landon, she’s stopped. Could you please help me?” Dane asked, his hand tightening on her hair.
She heard the smack to her backside before she actually felt it. The slap cracked through the air, an oddly sultry sound, before her skin flared as she felt the sensation sink in. Lan kept his hand where it was as though trying to soothe the place he’d just hit.
Her breath hitched because that had not been what she was expecting at all. Wow. Yes, there had been pain, but then it flared to a shimmering heat. The sensations were deeply erotic.
“Again, Lan. She hasn’t gotten the message,” Dane said.
Quicker than she could prepare herself, the slap found her other cheek, and Cooper pinched down hard on her nipples as though this was a symphony he and Lan had practiced and perfected. Alea moaned.
“I don’t think she cares about the message,” Lan said in a Texas drawl. “I think our girl likes to be spanked. Her pussy is wet as hell. I can see it glistening, and damn, she smells good.”
“Lea, love,” Dane said in a deeply patient voice. “You need to take care of me. If you don’t, we’ll stop and have a full spanking. But if you manage to continue, Cooper and Lan here are going to play with you. They want to give you orgasms, but they’ll only do it while you’re sucking me.”
Orgasms. She’d kind of thought they were a myth until she’d given herself over to these men. Now she was greedy for them, her whole body softening at the prospect of another.
She leaned over once more and sucked Dane’s cock into her mouth, pulling him inside inch by delicious inch. She had to work to take him all, forcing her jaw wide so she could fit him deep. She loved working her lips open, pushing down on him as she tried to get his whole hot shaft in her mouth, the pressure threatening to make her blink. Then the deep breath of relief as she worked back up his cock, her jaw loosening and her tongue swirling all around him. Over and over. Catch and release.
She settled back into her rhythm, the hands on her breasts just another part of the music she made.
Then Lan’s fingers slipped inside her pussy. One, at first, and then two. He didn’t linger inside, but scissored and stretched her, as though massaging the nagging little ache that had taken up residence after his possession.
She wasn’t thinking about anything like soreness now, just about how she was going to get him to give her a third finger. She wasn’t full enough. Her mouth was lovingly full of Dane, but her pussy wasn’t. Landon had given her his big cock, and now she couldn’t handle anything less.
Cooper’s fingers continued to pluck the sensitive tips of her breasts, squeezing and nipping her in perfect time.
She sucked at Dane, trying to keep her attention on his cock as Lan pulled out. She could feel Dane’s cock swell in her mouth, his hips starting to move.
“Stop.” Dane pulled gently on her hair.
Alea didn’t want to stop. She wanted to keep going until he’d filled her mouth, but he was insistent.
“I’m too close,” he explained. “And I want to be in your pussy the first time I come with you. I want to feel that tight cunt of yours gripping me as I get off.”
He moved back, getting to his knees and moving away. “Landon, let’s get started.”
Started? It felt like they’d finished, and she couldn’t stand the thought. Even though she’d made love with Landon and Cooper not thirty minutes before, she needed Dane to fill her.
“This is going to be a little cold, baby,” Dane warned.
Something liquid and chilly slid between her ass cheeks. She couldn’t help the gasp that came from her chest. “What are you doing?”
She had a suspicion.
“I told you. We’re preparing you,” Dane said, as someone pulled her cheeks apart.
“Preparing me?” She’d known deep down they would want this, but already? Now?
Dane’s chuckle played along her spine as he kissed her right at the small of her back. “Yes, Lea. I’m prepping you to take all of us. I won’t accept less, and you shouldn’t either. One of us will fill your pussy, another one your mouth. Then the last one will squeeze into your sinful ass. We’ll share you. Eventually, you’ll take all of us in every way. Do you understand what the word sharing means, baby?”
If she hadn’t before, she did now. Dane’s words painted her a vivid mental picture. Now she understood what Piper meant when she talked about being sore in triplicate.
“Maybe we should talk about this,” Alea said, trying to turn back to see them.
A loud smack cracked through the air, and she was gasping. Two smacks. Three. Dane kept it up, smacking her ass over and over until she’d counted to ten. Tears pricked her eyes, but by the fourth slap of his hand against her, she felt the sweet heat sinking in and making her shiver with need.
“We’re not talking, Lea,” Dane said, a deep command in his voice. “We’re preparing.”
Cooper leaned close to her ear, his tongue sliding over the shell. “You can always say stop, but god, your skin is so pretty all pink. I like watching you get spanked and I’m going to like watching you get plugged.”
“Plugged?”
Cooper smiled, his gorgeous face coming into view. He took Dane’s place, but leaned toward her, pressing their lips together. “It’s a nice little plug. Pink. We bought it for you.”
“Landon saved the anal plug, but not the condoms?” They needed to talk about Lan’s priorities.
A hand slid up her spine as she felt a firm pressure against her anus. Oh, god. They were touching her there. She’d never been touched there. She shivered at the forbidden feeling. Pressure built, a jangly pleasure-pain shocking her system.
“The plug set was in another case, along with the lube and the whip. But the nipple clamps are gone. I mourn them.” Cooper kissed her again. “We bought everything special for you. Tal has this guy.”
She could just bet. Her cousin was a pervert of the first order. She could imagine that Tal had a Royal Toy Maker on staff. It had likely been very easy for her boys to make an appointment. “You brought all this stuff with you?”
Dane sent her a low chuckle. “We had to hurry. We thought we’d have weeks to start to get you into the right mode of thinking, but then we found out about your little getaway and we hauled ass to kit up.”
The pressure was starting to get to her. No pain. Not at all. Just an oddly intimate sensation as someone pressed something against the rosette of her ass. She tried to concentrate on their words. Kit up. Most people would just pack things like clothes and toiletries, but not her guys. No. They had to make sure they had all the finest sexual aids. “So you picked out a butt plug for me?”
Not exactly the gift she’d thought she’d get.
“Not just one. We picked out a whole set,” Cooper explained. “And right now they’re not using the plug. Landon is using his finger. He lubed up his finger and he’s stretching you.”
“You’re so fucking gorgeous, Lea,” Lan ground out.
He was rimming her, pressing in and circling her untried hole, tempting her to open up for him.
“Lea, we want to share you. Totally. Without reservations. We want to be inside you, all of us at the same time.” Dane’s voice was a dark seduction. She felt a strong palm run down her spine. “Relax. Let us in. We’re going to get in. We’re going to take this ass the same way we take your pussy and your mouth—thoroughly and completely. We’ll prep you, baby. You’ll be ready for us.”
All three of them at the same time. She would be totally surrounded, utterly protected by her men.
She closed her eyes and eased back as Landon’s finger pressed in. Her eyes watered, the pressure just on the edge of pain, but so erotic. She could feel herself clenching. She could feel their stares on her, caressing every inch of her exposed skin.
A smack to her ass made her moan.
“Don’t you try to keep him out,” Dane growled. “You let him inside.”
“Relax.” Cooper kissed her again, his tongue playing against hers. “Open for him. You’ll like it in the end. Take a deep breath and flatten your back.”
The pressure was killing her, and not from pain. She was so aware of everything. They were forcing her out of a place where she thought and worried and into a place where she simply felt.
She breathed in, the sweetly salty air filling her lungs as she obeyed. She flattened her back, forcing her spine down. She felt the moment Lan’s finger slipped inside her ass.
Now that was an intimate sensation.
“Fuck, darlin’. You are so tight. Damn, you can barely take my pinkie, but one day, this gorgeous ass is going to be split wide by my cock.”
She had to concentrate on breathing, the sensation was a little shocking, and she whimpered, trying to get used to the invasion.
“You’re doing good, baby,” Cooper encouraged her, his lips on the nape of her neck.
“She’s doing perfectly,” Dane agreed. “Alea, are you in pain, baby? This isn’t supposed to be painful. There will be a little discomfort until you’re used to it.”
“How would you know?” She snapped the question at him.
And he slapped her ass again—with Lan’s finger in there. She gasped at the sensation.
Dane was suddenly right next to her, his body towering overs her even though he was on his knees. “I know because I trained for this. Dominance and submission is serious, Lea. Sex isn’t something I do and then forget about. I won’t ever put you in danger.”
The sharp set of his face left her no doubt that he was being honest. He was also making himself vulnerable, even as he looked at her with those dark eyes. He was waiting for her judgment, for her to accept him—or not—as he was. A sudden joy hit her system. He was offering her his truth, and there was something beautiful about that.
She couldn’t turn them away. They were in paradise. Nothing bad could happen now because she was surrounded by them. “Yes, Sir. I’ll try to keep the sarcasm to a minimum, but it’s very difficult to be serious when Lan is giving me a colon exam.”
Dane growled, but he was smiling as he did it. “That’s another ten. Damn it, you’re going to kill me.”
His cock, already hard, had tightened even further as he’d promised her discipline. He was gone in a flash, proving that he really did enjoy the whole spanking thing.
“You keep up what you’re doing, Lan. No need to stop because our submissive has a bratty mouth.” Dane’s voice was right back to smooth and deep, and she was starting to recognize that this was his Dom voice. He’d used it on her more than once when he snapped an order her way. Those orders almost always had to do with her safety. Then his tone was hard, unrelenting, but the same unmistakable air of command was there. But this was sexy Dom, whose rough edges softened marginally as if he lived for this type of command.
She groaned as the pressure in her ass increased. Another finger. God, he was stretching her, opening her up, and all she could do was try to stay on her knees.
It soon became harder because Dane’s hand found her cheek, connecting and making her howl.
Shit. It hurt and it made her eyes water, but she wanted more. She could feel Cooper’s hand soothing over the skin of her back, a perfect contrast to the sharp sting of the smacks. Dane settled in and Landon kept up the pressure, scissoring his fingers deep inside, pulling out and pushing in while Dane lit her up from the outside. Over and over. It seemed to take forever, yet it was over before she’d really drawn a deep breath. Tears squeezed from her eyes, but they felt good, clean, uncompromised. She laughed a little on a breath as she steadied herself.
“Hey, you okay?” Cooper asked, reaching up and touching those tears.
She smiled at him, feeling so strong even as her knees were weak. “I can take it.”
The words were a revelation. She could take it. She could take them. She didn’t want to go hide somewhere or just get through the next few minutes so maybe someone would hold her. She wanted to take that dumb plug and then she wanted Dane to mount her and give her the orgasm she needed.
She felt more feminine and powerful than she’d ever felt before. Kneeling in the sand, submitting to these men showed her strength.
“I know you can.” Dane’s voice floated over her, the anchor she needed to keep herself grounded. “I’ve always known you could. You’re my girl.”
“You’re our girl,” Lan corrected.
“Ours.” She could practically hear the smile in Dane’s voice. “And it’s time for her to take this plug because I don’t want to wait weeks to share her. I want to get in her ass as soon as possible.”
There was her dirty Dom.
Alea winced a little as she felt Lan’s fingers leaving her and he moved out from behind her. She clenched as though trying to get that feeling back, but there was already something pressing at her. Dane had taken Lan’s place, and he pushed the plug right against her tight hole.
“I’m going to get cleaned up. I get the feeling this is going to be a nice long day.” Lan got on his knees and leaned over, his lips touching her head sweetly. “Be right back, baby. You take everything he gives you. I want to watch.”
“Fuck, I’m already watching.” She turned and saw Cooper had gotten rid of those confining shorts of his. She’d never thought a cock could be gorgeous, but her men had lovely ones. Cooper ran his hand along his thick stalk as his eyes trailed back. “You know how beautiful you are?”
She felt beautiful when they were around. “I want to watch, too.”
She wanted to watch Cooper stroke himself while she submitted to Dane.
“Watch all you like, baby.” He sat back and spread his legs wide, stroking himself, his cock growing bigger and harder with every pass of his hand.
“There we go,” Dane said as the plug slid home, invading and stretching, taking up all the space. “You’re going to wear that for a while. And you’re going to wear me, too.”
She felt Dane’s big hands on her hips, pulling her back, and then he was fondling her breasts as she felt his cock rooting at her pussy.
Yes, this was what she’d needed from the moment their fight had begun. She’d needed to take him inside, to know he was with her. She felt him pulling at her nipples as though trying to get her ready, but the minute his cock had touched her, she’d softened. “Please, Sir. Dane. Please.”
His hands seemed to be everywhere, running along her every curve, worshipping her. She wanted to be able to see him as he filled her up, but even as she thought about it, she knew she wasn’t ready to lie underneath him. He was giving her what she needed, how she needed it, and he was sharing the experience with his brother.
Cooper smiled her way even as he moved closer, his hand never letting up on the slow stroke of his cock. “Do you know how happy you make us?”
“All of us,” Dane added. “I’ve waited my whole fucking life for this.”
She gasped as he drove his cock inside her.
So full. Oh, she was so damn full. She clenched around the plug and Dane’s cock. He was so big and he’d forced himself in to the hilt, sparing her not a moment of his hard possession.
Because that was Dane. He would fight for her, die to protect her, but he needed to be in control of this moment. For the first time, she saw that it was a fair trade. The love between them didn’t have to be fifty-fifty every minute of the day. There would be times when he let her have her way…and other times when he would conquer and take her however he pleased. The thought made her moan.
He held himself still for a heartbeat, his hands on her hips, tightening as though he was afraid of losing her. “Are you all right?”
Alea winced. She’d done a number on him.
She smiled at Cooper. “Will you tell him, please?”
A brilliant grin crossed his face. “She can take you. She can take me. We already know she can take Lan. Our girl’s made of strong stuff.”
“Damn, what a woman.” He smacked her ass, making her cry out because every nerve lit up. “You’ll take me when I say. How I say. For as long as I say. Isn’t that right, my pretty sub?”
Why had she ever been afraid of him? Now that she really knew this man, she heard what he meant. You’ll take me, and I’ll take care of you. “Yes, Sir. I’ll take you anyway you want.”
She would try anything with them.
Dane moved behind her, dragging his cock back out, just keeping the tip in before diving back deep. “Move with me.”
He was letting her off the leash, and she gave him everything she had. She slammed back toward him, fighting to keep him inside, then shifted to start the process again. Over and over, she slammed against him, his cock pushing up, filling her until she thought she would burst, but she fought for her pleasure, fought for this feeling of oneness with him. She lost herself in the sun and the sand and her men.
She heard Dane groaning as he shifted up and hit that miraculous place deep inside her and sent her flying. Her vision seemed to dim briefly as the orgasm propelled her into a white-hot realm of pleasure.
Dane pulled her body up, her length against his as he groaned and pumped his orgasm into her body. “Our woman.”
He turned her head to his as his cock slipped out of her, his lips taking hers, each moment progressively more gentle than the last. Her body hummed, her blood pumping through her system. She kissed Dane again. Then she caught sight of Cooper still and watchful, his back against the log, his legs stretched in front of him. His cock strained, long and thick, just begging for her.
The old Alea would have wondered if he simply didn’t want her, even in the face of massive evidence to the contrary, but the dark doubt that had been with her since the day she’d been taken had finally begun to fade. The very act of loving her men seemed to have turned down the volume on those voices in her head. She heard different voices all of the sudden, their voices telling her that she was beautiful and sexy and worthy.
She didn’t hesitate, didn’t feel self-conscious. She felt…new, free. She moved to Cooper, her body sensuous and alive.
Cooper shook his head. “Lea, baby, you’ve got to be sore.”
Even as he said the words, she could see how his cock pulsed with need, the purple head weeping.
She was sore, but it was a delicious ache. “I need you, too.”
Dane and Lan were suddenly on either side of her, helping to settle her on Cooper’s lap.
“We have to face facts,” Lan said with a smile. “We’ve created a monster.”
For once, Cooper didn’t get the joke. He tensed under her, his cock beneath her pussy, still long and thick and begging. “Please, Lea. I’m dying to be inside you.”
She groaned with pleasure as she lowered herself, and Cooper’s cock began to penetrate. Each of her men were so different, and all so good. Cooper’s cock was thick and seemed to almost immediately find that special place deep inside her. She’d been so sure she couldn’t possibly come again, but as Cooper gripped her hips and thrust up, she felt the stir of orgasm teasing along her skin.
“Lea,” Cooper’s voice was breathless. His hips never stopped their rolling movement. “You’re so beautiful, baby. It’s feels so good.”
She stared at his gorgeous, masculine face, the strong jaw, the chiseled cheeks. She looked into those deep dark eyes, and the connection leapt between them, so much more than merely physical. She moved with him, their bodies finding a rhythm that was uniquely their own. Comfort and desire. She found a lovely blend with Cooper.
“You feel incredible. I’m so happy.” She had to say the words because they were true. How long had it been since she’d felt this sense of joy? Perhaps never. Perhaps this was the kind of happiness that only happened when everything fell into place, when a person’s puzzle was complete.
“Me, too. So happy. Oh, god, Lea.” Cooper picked up the pace, his face tightening.
One deep thrust sent her over the edge, and this orgasm was the cherry on top. He called out her name again as he clutched her to him. Pleasure flooded her system as she felt Cooper’s cock deep inside her. Then he came, filling her with everything he had.
Lea let her body fall against Cooper’s, their chests cuddling together.
She forgot about the past. She didn’t think about the future. She just let herself drift in this sweetest of moments.
* * * *
Cooper forced his head up as he watched Alea come out of the surf, her naked body revealing itself to him with every footstep she took. She brushed her hair back with a scrub of her hand and turned her face up to the sun. Just like that his cock went to full mast, come-on-baby, take-me erection.
Damn, he liked paradise.
Four weeks and five days. They had been on the island for all that time without a hint of rescue, and he was beginning to wonder if he even wanted to see a plane.
Alea looked so relaxed, so fucking full of joy. Her shoulders weren’t up around her ears, and she’d just stopped wearing clothes around day fourteen. That was fine with him.
She took a long breath and looked around the beach. As she caught sight of him, a bright smile lit her face. She looked so carefree, so uninhibited. He wished he could take a picture, but the batteries on their phones had died weeks ago. But he wanted to capture her like this. He never wanted to see worry in her eyes again.
“Hey, did you check the traps?” Alea asked as she stood in the shallows, wringing out the water in her hair.
This island was like a fucking protein basket. They all looked a bit leaner, but everything here was so fresh and healthy. He felt great.
“Yep. We’ll have fish for lunch and some nice roast pork for dinner. Dane’s been roasting that last pig real slow for two days. When I saw him earlier, he was shoveling pineapple into the pit for flavor.”
His stomach growled a little. He was pretty sure that a month into being stranded he should be begging for food, not wondering if Dane wasn’t overcooking their dinner. He’d gotten picky about his wild boar.
Alea laughed and threw herself onto the sand beside him. Yep. They would be getting right back in the ocean before they headed to camp. She sighed happily and put her head on his shoulder. “I see Mr. Happy is making an appearance.”
She’d named his penis, and she’d done it real damn well. His penis was happy. Fucking thrilled, in fact. “Baby, that’s his permanent state around you.”
He moved his arm so he could get it under her neck, cradling her properly. He had to admit, he loved the nights when all three of his brothers loved her, but he also enjoyed these long afternoons when he had her to himself. They’d taken to splitting up alone time with their girl. Nights were for the family, but afternoons were split shifts, and mornings were all up to Alea. Whatever she wanted. If she wanted to be alone, they allowed her the illusion that she was. One of them was always watching her because she was the most precious thing in the world and they weren’t about to let her drown or fall or have anything bad happen to her, but they let her be.
Afternoons were all about relaxing, and nights were for exploring.
Yeah, he was in no hurry to go to back to civilization. He kind of loved island life.
She giggled, actually giggled, and turned her body into his, one leg tangling between his, the intimacy doing strange things to his heart. “I think you’re all just permanently aroused, but I love it.”
He was glad because they were all on her at least twice a day. He kissed her, relaxing because eventually Mr. Happy would get what he wanted, and Cooper was damn straight content to just lay with her for a minute or two. “I think Dane wants to play with his flogger tonight.”
Dane had built a Tropical Dungeon. He’d been busy, using their knives and his constructed weapons to build their shelters. Shelters. Because Dane wasn’t happy with some craptastic Survivor hut. No. Only the best for his former CO. He’d managed to put together a sleeping shelter with luxurious pillows and blankets they’d saved from the plane, a shed for food and water storage. And he’d found a cave in the inland that he’d tricked up so they would be comfortable during storms. He was the MacGyver of island living.
And Lan was the provider. The dude could kill shit. He had a freaking sixth sense when it came to hunting and fishing. Their bellies were full every night thanks to him.
Cooper was proud to be the workhorse and the medic and the all-around Alea whisperer. He’d once wondered what role he could play in this family, but he’d discovered that he was the peacekeeper. When the other two didn’t know how to talk to their woman, he was the one they turned to. They were all way better now, but there were still points of contention.
She still wasn’t ready to handle them being on top of her, and there were still plenty of acts that set her mind spinning back to her captivity.
Alea rose up to one elbow, looking down on him. Damn, but she was sweeter though. “What do you think the flogger is like? I don’t know much about it. I’ve heard the word, but I don’t really know what it means. I know sailors used to get flogged on occasion.”
He had to smile. “It’s not quite the same, baby.”
“Is it like getting whipped?”
He didn’t want her to worry. They were trying to move her slowly into the BDSM fun. “Not at all. There are a lot of different kinds of floggers, but my personal favorite is deerskin. It’s soft. We can have another one made at some point. But before we would ever play around with it, we would let you touch it, get to know it. It wouldn’t hurt. It’s more like a massage, but it can get you into subspace.”
Her gorgeous dark eyes rolled slightly. “Yeah, you guys like me there.”
“Do you like it there?”
Her head came back down, resting on his chest, the sun shining down on their bodies. “You know I do. It’s very relaxing. Who knew that I would find a spanking ultimately relaxing?”
But spanking hadn’t exactly achieved what they wanted it to. They’d been trying to get her to open up, to talk about what had happened during her captivity. It wasn’t some perverse curiosity. Until she talked about it, she couldn’t really heal, couldn’t move on.
Cooper wasn’t dumb. This idyll in paradise was a complete break with everything she knew, everything that weighed on her and dragged her down. It was easy to throw off stress about tomorrow here because she didn’t have to worry about being a princess or the press or family obligations. She could be their island lover. He got that, but they had to think about the future.
They had to think about what happened when they were back in Bezakistan. If they got back to Bezakistan.
She nuzzled his chest. “If I relax anymore I might die. You guys won’t let me do anything.”
“Because we love to take care of you.” He rubbed his hand along her back, down to her ass. He loved her ass. She’d been wearing the plug for a couple of hours every day, going up to a bigger plug twice now. She was almost ready to take them. God, he couldn’t wait. No matter how many times he’d gotten inside her, every damn time seemed like the first.
“I think it’s because I ruined the conch that second night. No one will let me near the fire. I can learn, you know.”
She was a horrible cook. Seriously bad. Like had a curse on her bad. “Baby, I like to cook. Don’t take that away from me. Here, come give me a kiss.”
She’d gotten good at fishing with Lan. He was even teaching her to throw a spear, and she’d become the freaking queen of weaving together palm fronds for their ever evolving roof, but he wasn’t letting her near their food.
“Fine, but we’re going to talk about this,” she said, getting to her elbows and bringing her mouth close to his. He loved the husky quality of her voice. She gave in to pleasure so easily now.
But he hated the boundaries that were still between them.
He lay back, letting her take the lead when every cell in his body wanted her flat on her back with her ankles around his neck, screaming out his name.
She leaned over and kissed him, her tongue running along his bottom lip as she reached for his cock. Her small hand played with his balls, cupping them and rolling them before she stroked up his length and let her thumb swipe across the head of his cock.
Fuck, she was getting so good at that.
He brought his hands to her hair, tangling them in her damp strands and holding her mouth to his so he could settle his tongue in. This was what he loved. She softened beside him. He started to roll her on to her back. Little bits at a time. Ease her into it.
She pushed back. “No. Not like that.”
Frustration started to well. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t take her any way she would have him. It was that she wasn’t even trying to push past her fears. “Lea, baby, can we just try?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like it. But you like this.”
She kissed his throat, an obvious attempt to deflect the problem.
“I want to talk about it.” He really did, but he adored the way her mouth was covering his skin, her hands running across his muscles.
“I want to make love.”
“Lea, how are you going to take all three of us if you won’t let anyone on top of you?” He forced himself to sit up, his erection complaining mightily, but this was an issue they needed to address.
She frowned, sitting up and back on her heels, that ‘imperious princess’ look on her face. He wondered if she’d been taught that look, the one that let everyone know she was royal and they were not. “If you aren’t interested, I’ll go find Lan.”
“Lan wants to be on top of you, too. We all do.”
She frowned, her eyes turning down. “I don’t understand why.”
“Because it will mean you trust us.”
She softened slightly. “I do trust you.”
“To a point. Talk to me. Give me part of this burden, baby. You don’t have to keep everything rattling around inside you. Just start talking and let it out. It’s a poison in your system until you do.”
Her fists clenched and for the first time in weeks, he saw that icy persona she used to wear like armor. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, and I would thank you to leave it be. I don’t ask you to bare your soul to me, and I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to delve into mine.”
He lay back, hating that cold tone that crept into her voice. They’d made some progress with her body but not her soul. “All right, Lea. You’re right. Go find Lan. I’m going to stay here for a little while, soak up some sun.”
He knew when he’d hit a brick wall. He closed his eyes because he couldn’t watch her walk away.
And yet she didn’t move. Her hand crept back to his chest, her palm over his heart. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. “I’m scared to talk about it.”
There was a crack in that brick wall. Finally. Maybe they’d done more good than he’d thought. He didn’t open his eyes, giving her some cover, but he put his hand over hers. “There’s nothing to be scared of.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Why can’t things stay like this? I like it like this.”
Now he opened his eyes, focused on her. “Things change, Lea. We can’t stop them from changing, but if we really know and love each other, then maybe we can change together. Lots of people start out in love and they really mean it, but that love dies because a couple of years down the road, they’re not the same people anymore. And it doesn’t work anymore because they never really knew one another. I want to know you. I want to know your past and the you right now. I want to grow with the Alea of the future. But I don’t know how we do that if you keep all the doors closed between us.”
A sad smile curled her lips up. “We’ve opened a whole lot of doors, Coop.”
He sat back up because she really had been trying. He caught her mouth with his, a sweet affection. “I know, baby, but this is a damn important door.”
She took a long breath and her shoulders shuddered slightly. “It was hell.”
Oh, crap. He’d kind of thought Dane would be around when she opened up, but he wasn’t going to shut her down. “I know, baby, but it can’t hurt you now.”
“What if some of those doors you want me to open lead to bad places? What if they show you things you might not want to see?”
He didn’t want to see any of it, wished it had never happened, but those months were so important to who Alea was now that if they didn’t talk about it, those memories would become landmines that eventually exploded. “There is nothing you can tell me that will make me love you less, Alea.”
“Sometimes I feel like I should have done more,” she began quietly. “Lots of women died in that place. Why was I kept alive? Why didn’t they rape me? I know that sounds horrible. I’m happy they didn’t, but there’s this piece of me that wonders…”
He stayed perfectly still. She was like a deer he didn’t want to scare off. So beautiful and fragile and ready to bolt at the slightest sign of danger. He kept his voice quiet, tender. “Wonder what, baby?”
“If they had used me the way they did the other girls, maybe it would have been easier on them. Maybe some of them wouldn’t have died. The girl in the room next to me…” Her voice cracked a little, and her hand found his, linking them together. “I could hear her. She was forced to service so many men. So many. They used her until she died. I’m not sure of what, but I know she was dead in her bed one morning a few days before I was rescued. What if I had taken some of her burden?”
Tears made his vision a blurry mess, and he tightened his hand around hers, willing his love and comfort into her. She didn’t need his strength. She was so damn strong. This guilt had to be a heavy burden to bear. “Baby, you didn’t get to make that choice.” And he was so happy she hadn’t been forced to make the sacrifice. “And you have no idea whether it would have helped or not. You didn’t force those men on her.”
“I felt so helpless. So small and meaningless.”
That was the true horror of what those bastards had done to her, Cooper realized. She’d had her identity and her whole worldview torn apart and ground into the dirt. Alea was a woman who had been taught to reach out to people. It had been bred into her bones. Royalty in Bezakistan worked for the country and for their people. Tal, Rafe, and Kade were constantly in the oil fields and scoping out the work at the site of the new green project. Alea’s aunt still visited hospitals, her days filled with charity work. Alea had been born to do the same. Then she’d been forced into a situation where she could do nothing but watch the women around her suffer.
He sat up and forced her to look at him, gently tilting her head up. Tears streaked down her face. “You did everything you could. But you aren’t there anymore…”
Alea turned suddenly, her gaze taking in the ocean. “Cooper, I…What is that?”
A sound like a buzzing, and then a loud splash, followed by another. Cooper looked out over the water and felt his eyes widen. There in the sun and surf was a mirage. It had to be. It couldn’t be a boat coming their way. No. Not a boat because he wasn’t ready. They weren’t ready. He’d just started making real progress with Alea.
“It’s a boat. Oh my god. Someone’s found us.” Alea stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I have to get dressed. We have to find Lan and Dane. I don’t know what to do.”
Now it was getting closer, and he could see two men in the body of the boat, their figures still in the distance. He stood with Alea and hugged her because she was close to panic. He could feel it, see it in the way her body stiffened and her eyes became tight.
She looked up at him. “Make them go away, Coop. Make them go away.”
He held her close, but his heart sank. He couldn’t hold her for long, couldn’t make the moment last because every second brought the boat closer and closer to shore. Reality was encroaching, and they couldn’t meet it like this. They had to find their clothes and get ready for what came next.
Their time in paradise was over.