THEIR_VIRGIN_PRINCESS (20 page)

But they showed their affection for her with toe-curling
kisses and slow strokes of their hands. She was so ready to show them her
affection in return.

“Hey, darlin’,” Lan said with a big grin as he entered camp.
“You won’t believe what I found.”

Bananas, obviously. Alea had no trouble believing he’d found
those. Lan had become the provider. He’d managed to fashion a spear from bamboo
and his wicked hunting knife. Besides yesterday’s wild pig, he brought home
bags full of fish every day.

Part of the pig was now roasting over the fire. It was going
to be a nice dinner. She’d already gathered wild tubers to cook, too. Food was
not a problem here with these men around.

Sex was, though. Or the frustrating lack of it.

God, she wanted them.

“Earth to Alea?” Lan shoved the bananas into the small
storage shed Dane and Cooper had built.

They were rapidly turning into the
Swiss Family Robinson
. Dane, it turned out, had a true talent for
tropical architecture. He’d built a little shelter with a bamboo floor and a
roof made of palm fronds he’d woven tightly together, then secured to hold
against the wind. It was the rainy season in this part of the world, and Dane
had known it. He’d made certain she stayed safe and dry. Now, he was busy
building a smoker since a small population of wild boars inhabited the island
and her men seemed eager to put as many as possible in their bellies.

“Sorry. My mind is drifting,” she confessed. “What did you
find?”

He shook his head. “Can’t tell you. You just have to see it.
Come on. Cooper is waiting there.”

She looked out at the beach where Dane was busy gathering
rocks and shells for his SOS message. Four days, and they hadn’t seen a single
contrail stream from a plane. Alea knew that should probably worry her…but
right now being here with them was like the best vacation ever. No outside
pressures. No worries. No expectations. They had plenty of food and water, a
great shelter, and each other. She was seriously beginning to question what
more she needed.

“I’ll go tell him where we’re going. Hang tight.” Landon
jogged out to Dane.

He’d taken to just wearing his boxers and his sneakers. It
was too hot during the day to wear much else. Alea had gotten used to just
wearing her bathing suit or panties and a bra. She wasn’t embarrassed anymore.
The whole experience had been oddly freeing.

Lan clapped Dane on the shoulder with a nod, then ran back
up the beach. He reached for her hand. “He’s going to join us when he’s done.
Come on, darlin’. We’ve been working our asses off. It’s time to take an
afternoon for some fun.”

She followed him into the jungle, the sun disappearing under
the heavy foliage. The men had been exploring and only yesterday had declared
it safe enough for her to walk around. Even so, she hadn’t been allowed to
leave the beach alone. Now, she turned her face up and was mesmerized by the
way the beams of sun streamed in. It was a gorgeous matrix of dewy light and
green canopy. She could hear monkeys rustling and sending out calls to each
other. The jungle was alive. Everything here seemed magical.

Her first night on the island, the sounds had been terribly
familiar, and she’d dreamed she was back in Colombia. When she’d awakened,
sweating and shaking, she’d been surrounded by her three men, all eager to
soothe and reassure. To protect. And they had, every minute of every hour
since.

They’d put her at ease, and now she saw the jungle like a
playground. She was Eve with three glorious Adams.

“You’re going to love this,” Lan assured. “I’ve spent a lot
of time mapping the perimeters. This is the first time I’ve gotten to the
center.”

He’d also made a sort of trail. Alea noticed he’d cut back
the foliage so she could move easily.

Up ahead she heard splashing. The island must be much
smaller than she’d thought. “Is the ocean close?”

Lan shook his head, a huge grin on his face. “No. It’s a
lagoon. Cooper says this whole island must be a volcano, so I assumed the pond
we found would be heated by the lava underneath. Except I can’t remember the
right word.”

“Magma?” she supplied.

His face fell a little. “Yeah, that was it. I’m not great
with information like that.”

She pulled on his hand, forcing him to stop and face her. “I
should get to spank you now.”

“What?” He glowered at her. His blue eyes had turned serious
in a heartbeat.

Just like her, gorgeous Lan had his own insecurities to work
through. In the last few days, she’d seen that they all had their own demons.
Knowing that made it so much easier to relax and be herself around them. “I
want you to stop telling yourself that you’re dumb.”

He frowned at her. “Lea, I’m pathetic if I can’t be honest
with myself.”

“The same way I’ve always been ‘honest’ about my fat ass?”

“No, that’s just gorgeous, darlin’.”

“Well, I think you’re smart.” She went up on her toes,
pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “But you need retraining, too.”

“C’mon… I’m not as smart as Cooper and Dane.”

“That’s crap. You may not have read as much, but you can fix
that over time. Just don’t say you’re not smart. In fact, I happen to know you
can be a manipulative bastard.”

“Really? You think so?” A smile broke out on his
ridiculously handsome face.

“Absolutely.” She ran a hand across his chiseled cheek. It
was so much easier to touch them now.

“Fine. I’ll try not to talk about it again.” He leaned over
and kissed her swiftly before they started back through the foliage.

And then Alea saw the reason he’d made her trek through the
jungle. Before her was a gorgeous pool of clear water. Cooper stood on a rock
fifteen feet above the water, not wearing a single stitch of clothing. He put
his hands over his head, every gorgeous muscle in his body on display. He was a
thing of beauty. His cock hung out, long and thick even relaxed, his testicles
heavy.

From where she stood, Alea watched as he executed a perfect
dive and disappeared beneath the blue surface with a splash.

“You’ll love it, darlin’. The water’s fresh and so warm.”
Landon toed out of his sneakers and scrambled up toward the rock from which
Cooper had dived. “Come on. Let’s have some fun.”

She watched as he shoved off his boxers and dived in.

As Lan surfaced, she looked around in awe. This was paradise.
Beams of golden sunlight shone down on the crystal water. Black volcanic rock
formed the edges of the pool, but the water looked inviting and deep. A soft
bed of grass surrounded the lagoon, and flowers made a colorful landscape just
beyond. This little nugget of paradise was utterly perfect.

Cooper surfaced, his big hand slicking back his dark hair.
He let out a long, joyful howl. Alea laughed. Despite everything they had been
through, Cooper had kept a smile on his face. It made frowning in his presence
damn hard.

In fact, everything was different here.
She
was different. Relaxed and positive. Happy. And she was ready
to shed fear and embrace change.

Her hands went to the back of her bra. Was she really about
to bare herself, cast caution aside and see where the moment led?
Yes
. Her fingers shook, but she managed
to unhook the clasp.

Lan sprang up from the water next to Coop. They were waiting
for her patiently. But her patience was at an end. She wanted them. But more,
she was coming to need them. They’d taught her to be this Alea she’d discovered
on the island. This woman cooked, cleaned, and did laundry. She had purpose.
This Alea had shed her past here and now refused to let the past rule her life
anymore. This Alea knew what she wanted.

Her men.

This island was her haven. Being here with Lan, Dane, and
Coop had opened her soul. With a deep breath, she pulled her bra off.

A big smile broke across Landon’s face. “You coming in,
darlin’?”

“Join us, Lea!” Cooper shouted.

She let her bra drop, and as quickly as she could, she
shoved her panties down her hips, then off her legs. God, she was naked. She
was completely naked. Alea shivered but not in fear.

“Hey now, gorgeous.” Cooper made his way to the side of the
pool with a leer and pulled himself up to reveal his chest. “You’re a damn
beautiful sight.”

Landon edged toward her, too, with a hot stare. “Holy shit.”
Then he frowned. “Sorry. I lose my head when I see something that beautiful.”

They genuinely thought she was beautiful? They’d spent days
telling her so. They’d shown her with their hands and their kisses. They seemed
determined to make her believe she was gorgeous. It wasn’t easy after her
captors had told her repeatedly how ugly she was and how little she was worth.
But those pigs had been criminals, horrible human beings. Dane, Cooper, and
Landon were heroes. Why should she listen to assholes more than true men?

That rationale made logical sense, but sometimes
emotions—fears—weren’t logical at all. She was realizing that it was going to
take time and patience to break through those barriers.

She forced her hands to her sides and walked to the edge of
the pool. Without clothes—even the little bit she’d been wearing—made her feel
so
naked. She was more aware of the air
on her skin, the cool grass at her feet, the perfume of the flowers, of just
how alive she could be.

All she had to do to let herself truly be a part of
everything was take one simple step.

Alea closed her eyes and turned her face up to the sun,
letting it warm her skin. Then she stepped off into the void.

Water enveloped her, surrounding her utterly in warmth. She
opened her eyes, shocked that she could see everything in the crystal water.
Life surrounded her. Fish swam all over the pond, both alone and in small schools.
A turtle with its eyes open observed the humans as it swam by. Alea watched,
drinking in the sight of nature teeming. That was what she wanted—to be wide
awake and alive. Unafraid.

With a smile, she broke the surface, and tropical air
caressed her skin. She smoothed her hair back and sank into the moment. She’d
been missing this, a deep awareness of every moment. Life would always be
filled with hope and sorrow, thrill and pain, fear and bliss. And love. It was
impossible to truly understand love without knowing those other emotions,
without enduring loss. Everything seemed so clear now.

As she’d grown up, she’d been focused on the future. Since
Colombia, she’d almost drowned in the fear and self-pity of her past. She’d
damn near let it kill her. Now, she wanted to be in this moment, to forget
yesterday and tomorrow, just live for now.

Landon and Cooper both dove under the surface, making their
way to her. She knew exactly where they were headed and smiled. They wouldn’t
leave her alone. Never.

Then one of them wrapped a hand around her ankle. A joyous
little scream left her mouth before they pulled her under with them. How long
had it been since she’d trusted someone enough to play? To just laugh and be?
She kept her eyes open, and Cooper floated in front of her, his mouth looming
closer to her own. They kissed in a sweet, if wet tangle of lips while the fish
swam around them, and Lan’s arms circled her from behind.

They let her go and bobbed to the surface. Landon smiled as
he waded around her. “Hey, I want one, too.”

Of course he did. She had to treat them all equally or
jealousies arose. Her aunt had taught her that. Her aunt had juggled four
husbands, and she’d talked to Alea about her marriage in order to prepare her
niece for the future. Her aunt had always preached loving all husbands equally
because each possessed different traits that completed her. Being the center of
her husbands’ world had been an honor and a blessing, according to her. Alea
understood now.

She put her arms around Lan. How had she ever shunned them?
She’d wanted them from the moment they had walked into her life. At one time,
she’d been too afraid to take them. Here, fear was no longer a necessity. It
wasn’t even an option. Right here and now was heaven.

His lips parted hers, and Alea allowed his tongue to invade
and seduce. He made her melt. Once, she’d been frightened of an embrace that
pressed her breasts against his chest. Now she reveled in the sensations, their
closeness. He clutched her hard in return. Every day, her men wrapped her up a
little bit tighter, a little bit longer. Each moment, each embrace, slowly
coaxing her trust.

When Landon released her, he laughed, the sound deep with
joy. “I fucking love it here.”

Then he disappeared under the surface. Cooper winked at her
and disappeared, too.

And the game was on. She couldn’t help the giggle that
bubbled up inside her like champagne. She swam, the water flowing around her,
caressing every inch of her skin. She felt in harmony with nature as she played
with her men and worshipped the sun that gave life to them all. For the first
time in years—maybe ever—she was brilliantly, vibrantly alive.

Finally, she made her way to the far end of the pool and
pulled herself onto the grass. Smiling in contentment, she lay flat, the air
and the sun caressing her skin. She watched birds fly overhead as if they
didn’t have a care in the world.

“Are you tired?” Landon asked, now standing over her.

Somehow it felt right to be naked here with him, seeing
every inch of his body glistening and wet. Alea propped herself up on her
elbows. “No. I feel great.”

Landon sank to his knees beside her as Cooper continued
splashing in the pool. “Are you hungry, darlin’? If you are, I can find you
some food. Just give me a minute.”

He would do it. He would figure out a way to fish without a
pole or just catch the little creatures with his hands. Or he would grab the
turtles and make soup. Landon always found a way to fill her belly. But that
wasn’t what she wanted him to fill right now. “I’m not hungry. Or thirsty,
before you ask.” She took in a deep breath, paused…and let the rightness of the
moment slide over her. “Landon, I want you.”