THEIR_VIRGIN_PRINCESS (19 page)

“There are as many ways to play as there are players,” Dane
shot back. “We don’t have to follow any rules except our own. Now kiss him. I
want to watch.”

The idea of Dane watching her as she kissed Landon made her
heart pound in a sultry rhythm. She’d been kissed before by men, yes. But she’d
never been the aggressor.

Men?
Hah. She’d
dated boys. Not a single one of her few boyfriends had been as masculine as
Landon or Cooper or, oh god, Dane. They were big and broad and hard. They oozed
testosterone. They had protected her today. They had made sure she was
comfortable and safe and warm. They always would.

No, she’d never dated even one man before. Those rich boys
had been cultured, some even really intelligent and interesting. And she would
bet they would have panicked and screamed like girls the second they realized
the plane was going down. They wouldn’t have put that much time, energy, or
thought into making sure she lived. Hell, Coop had all but volunteered to
commit suicide by palm tree just to put the plane down in a visible location
that might give the rest of them a better chance at being rescued.

And Landon… She stared up at his stony face, his gorgeous,
sculpted mouth. His lips were thick and perfectly curved. His cheeks already
had a sexy growth of beard. And his blue eyes were so hopeful.

Kiss him.
She
wanted to. She could even feel blood rushing to her nipples as she thought
about it.

With a little smile, she leaned in and brushed her lips against
his, getting just a hint of his warmth and the firmness of his lips before she
pulled away.

She’d done it! She’d kissed him. And she wasn’t stressed or
traumatized. He hadn’t pounced on her or…

“You can do better than that, Princess,” Lan challenged.

“Yeah, you aren’t going to make him crazy with that little
kiss.” Cooper was watching, too, over her shoulder. He’d gotten to his knees
behind her. She could feel him almost touching her. What would it be like to
have his hands on her hips? Or her breasts, teasing her nipples as she kissed
Lan?

Her whole body flushed with heat at the thought.

Alea leaned toward Lan again, determined to make him—and the
others—a little crazy. She could do it. She’d survived a damn plane crash. She
could survive being touched and touching in return.

Lan’s eyes drifted down to her breasts. He liked them. There
was no mistaking the way his cock got hard because he was only wearing his
boxer briefs and the fire illuminated his thick length. Yeah, she was already
getting to him.

Alea brushed her lips against his again. But this time,
instead of backing away, she pressed in, allowing her hands to cup his face.
She loved the rough feel of his whiskers against her palm as she inhaled his
scent, tested the firm softness of his mouth, acquainted herself with her body
being so close to his.

This was nice. So nice. She was getting warm and relaxed.

“Use your tongue, Lea.” Dane’s command guided her from
somewhere near the fire.

Her tongue.
Heat
surged through her belly…and arrowed lower. No denying that she wanted to know
how he tasted.

Alea ran her tongue across his bottom lip and felt his whole
body shiver as his lips parted. Then she curled her tongue around his shyly and
drank in his flavor for a heady second. Oh, she felt lightheaded, but as she
eased away, she realized that she had power over him. Dane was right. She
wasn’t out of control. Quite the opposite.

“Hey, it’s my turn,” Cooper said. “I want a good-night kiss,
too.”

“Go on or he’ll whine all night long,” Lan whispered against
her lips.

Good-night kisses. If she started allowing them, would they
want them every night? Would they want more? The thought made her shiver.

She turned to Cooper. He held himself just a bit apart,
giving her space, the same way Lan had. She moved closer to him and cupped his
face, too. His hair was so short, but when she ran her hand across it, she was
surprised at how soft it felt. She bumped her nose against his before finding
his lips.

As they touched, a little spark sizzled over her lips. As she
opened her mouth and his followed suit, their breaths meshed, their tongues
tangled. Coop wasn’t quite as good at being passive and patient as Lan. He
surged in, wrapping a hand around her shoulder, as he tilted his head and went
deeper. Alea stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. A big zing followed. He was
potent. And she couldn’t deny that it was nice to be close to them.

She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and loved the groan
that came from deep in his chest. Then she nipped at him again before pulling
away with a teasing grin.

Alea stood up, perfectly satisfied with this little
experiment so far. But she had one more man to go.
Dane.

Gulping down nerves, she walked to the fire, her feet
sinking deliciously into the sand. It was funny how much more aware she was of
everything now. The night suddenly wasn’t cold, but rasped a nice cool breeze
over her skin.

Dane watched her, his gaze warm as she halted beside him.
“Is it my turn, baby?”

She nodded, putting a hand on his chest. He was perfectly ripped,
every muscle gloriously hard. His face had no give. And somehow, without a
word, he demanded that she try her best, give as much as she could. For some
reason, she found herself wanting to please him.

“Go ahead.” He spread his arms wide, giving her full access.

Alea had a suspicion that he wouldn’t give her this much
leash often. She’d better enjoy exploring and setting the pace while she could.

Searching up into Dane’s blue eyes and finding a gentle
understanding under his hunger, she leaned against him and kissed him, not
waiting this time. She drew her tongue along his plump bottom lip, and he
remained still beneath her, letting her control everything. How far would he
allow her to go?

She pressed harder, but his lips stayed closed.

“Open your mouth,” she whispered.

He obliged when she kissed him again, giving her access. She
hoped she was doing it right. She rubbed her tongue against his, curling and
sliding. He played along, but he was largely still beneath her.

Alea stopped and backed away.

“What is it, Princess?” Dane asked.

“I want you to kiss me back.”

“I moved with you.”

She shook her head. “No, you—”

But he had. Yes, it was reassuring to have all the control,
but she wanted him to respond. She wanted him to truly want her and to prove it
in his kiss. Even twenty-four hours ago, she wouldn’t have been able to imagine
needing him to kiss her. Now she ached for what he held just beyond her reach.

“What I mean is, I think I’d like it more if you kissed me.”

“Do you really want me to kiss you?” Dane asked. “Because I
won’t keep my hands off you. I’ll take control. Just a kiss, Lea. It won’t go
any further than that. I’ll kiss you and hold you. And then we’ll go to sleep.”

He was baiting a trap. She sensed that he’d push a bit
beyond that…but she was alive after a harrowing day. And she realized that for
the first time since Cole Lennox had pulled her out of that brothel, she wasn’t
terrified. Somehow, kissing them made her feel like she was taking control of
her life again. Doing what
she
wanted, not what fear allowed her. No way would she stop Dane now. She wanted
to know what it would be like to kiss him.

“All right,” she murmured.

He sat in the sand and leaned against the tree, then patted
his lap. “Sit here.”

If she did, so much of her would have to touch so much of
him. He’d maneuver them into a position that ensured he was in control. But she
knew Dane would honor his promise. Just a kiss.

“It’s all right, Lea,” he said, that hard tone to his voice
disappearing. “Let’s just get some rest. You sleep between Cooper and Lan.
They’ll keep you warm.”

She’d been such a coward and she was through with it. They
had been nothing but kind to her. She didn’t have to be afraid of them. They
were all alone on an island. No pressures, no reporters, no threats. Right now,
they didn’t know everything in her past. Maybe they never would. This was her
clean slate.

Someone would eventually rescue them, but maybe she could
take this time and enjoy it. She could be their Lea just for a little while.

She scooted on to his lap and felt his erection right
against her hip. Dane Mitchell wanted her. That was all that mattered tonight.

Dane’s expression changed, turning hard and dominant. He
reached up and touched her face, brushing across it with his fingertips as
though trying to memorize the feel of her skin. Alea had to swallow down a gasp
as his hand trailed down her neck to her chest.

“I’m going to touch your nipples.”

She nodded and felt them tighten before his fingers even got
close. They strained against the cotton of her bra, trying to meet him halfway.
While his right hand traced the hard points and a soft sigh escaped her, his
left wound around her waist, clutching her hip.

And she wasn’t freaking out because this was Dane, the man
who had risked his own life to save hers.

He cupped the nape of her neck, pulling her forward. “Put
your hands on me, Lea.”

There was something about his deep, rich voice that had her
fingers moving to his chest and stroking him. She rubbed her palms over his
muscled shoulders as he brought her closer and pressed his lips to hers.

His hand slowly fisted in her hair, every movement precise
and slow. She wasn’t startled. Once she reminded herself that he wouldn’t hurt
her, she let go of the fear. Then he was drugging her with long, slow kisses,
leading her closer and deeper. God, he smelled like a man, musky, potent. She
couldn’t stop herself from melting.

When his tongue licked along the bottom of her lip and she
opened for him, he invaded, sliding against her. Over and over, he dipped
inside her mouth, taking possession, as his fingers toyed with her nipples.
Heat pooled low in her gut. She gave herself over to the moment, moaning
softly, arching her breast into his hand.

Then suddenly, Dane leaned away. He dropped one last, chaste
kiss on her lips. “Time for bed, Princess. Lay down on your belly, and let Lan
and Cooper touch you for a while.”

“What?” It was over? And she was supposed to do what?

Dane moved, shifting her off his lap and standing up. He
held a hand out to help her up. “It’s part of your training. Or rather it’s
part of your retraining.”

“I’m being trained?” She was a little unsteady on her feet
as Dane led her back to Lan and Cooper.

“Yes, you’re being trained to accept love and affection. Lay
down. They’re not going to do anything except stroke and rub you until you
relax.”

Landon and Cooper had made a place for her between them. She
was the only one with a “bed.” They had saved the cushions from the plane and
laid them out so she would be comfortable. They would sleep on the sand. She
had argued with them, but to no avail. They wanted to know she was comfortable.

And now they wanted to touch her. To retrain her. To teach
her to accept their hands on her body.

Alea settled down, aching to be with these brave, honorable,
sexy men, too. She wanted to leave her fears behind and just give herself over
to these men she was falling for.

Cooper took a foot in his hand, cradling it in his own,
warming her. “I give a damn fine foot massage.”

He started to rub, and Alea couldn’t stop the groan that
came from her throat.

Landon’s fingers found her scalp and started to rub. “Go on
and get some sleep, baby. We’ll protect you all night long.”

Her body relaxed, and Alea gave over to the heavenly contentment,
reveling in the fact that she didn’t feel a bit of fear.

Her last thought as she closed her eyes and drifted away was
a sweet one. She’d held the title of ‘princess’ for years, but this was the
first time she’d really felt like one.

Four days later, Alea watched Landon emerge from the jungle
with a huge branch of green bananas slung over his rippling shoulder and
realized she was in lust.

The guys kissed, cuddled, and touched her at every turn.
They murmured endearments in her ear. They whispered enticements against her
lips. Every night, they stroked her and curled protectively around her until
she went to sleep. It was like a fantasy.

And they were slowly killing her. Death by sexual frustration.

She often awakened with one’s hand cradling a breast as he
buried his face in her neck. Another would have his hand cupping her mound as
he pressed his hard cock against her backside. But no one fondled her long
enough to release the orgasm now constantly bubbling inside her. They’d primed
her body repeatedly, and she felt ready to explode. Just being near them—even
looking at them—aroused her. Yes, she’d made them promise to take it slow. But
“slow” had become its own form of torture.

Alea sighed, watching the way Lan’s body moved. He was all
strength and masculine grace, from his bulky shoulders to those legs that had
been chiseled by hard work and pure grit. His hair was growing out already,
though he took care of his beard every day during what she now called “Hot Guy
Beach Bathing.”

All three of them would get in the shallows and wash
themselves, their strong hands coasting all over those muscles with the soap
they’d made here on the island by straining boiling water through ashes and
collecting the lye, then mixing it with the melted fat from a pig Lan had
caught. They’d tossed in a collection of clean-scented herbs from the island,
and it wasn’t bad. In fact, the process had fascinated her, but not as much as
watching them shave themselves and shove each other around in the surf. For
some reason, men seemed to show their affection for each other with curses and
punches.