THEIR_VIRGIN_PRINCESS (37 page)

“This isn’t something to joke about,” Dane growled.

Cooper sighed. “Buddy, you have to get out of this mood.”

“She almost died.”

“But she didn’t. She’s alive and needs to know that we still
love her. She needs to know that her men will always be here for her.”

Probably. But did she love them? If he could shove his
darker desires down, maybe after a while she would.

“I’m not going anywhere, Coop.” He would be right there
standing beside them when they married Alea, and then he would prove he could
handle being vanilla. He would prove he could find a place in this family. And
not entering the dungeon would only prove now that he was a pussy. Tal was a
Dom. If Dane was going to live in this palace, he had to get used to being
around all the things he couldn’t have.

“I know, but you’re not really here either. You’re just
existing, and it shouldn’t be that way. We’re getting married. We’re having a
baby. This is the time of our lives, and you’re stuck in the past. It’s time to
get you unstuck.” Cooper put a hand on the door.

“Man, you need a key to that.” Tal didn’t just leave the
dungeon door open.

“Not today, I don’t.” Cooper turned the knob and pushed open
the heavy door.

“Holy shit.” Dane stood there for a moment because the
dungeon wasn’t empty. Not at all. Two occupants waited for them, one gloriously
naked.

Alea. His beautiful Alea was bare and standing next to Landon,
as they looked over a tray of jewelry. Not jewelry. Toys. Clamps and beautiful
chains. All lovely things to decorate a submissive with. He felt his cock go
stiff and long, pressing against his slacks as though trying to punch its way
out.

“What the hell is this?” Dane croaked hoarsely.

“Baby, you’re on,” Cooper said. He was obviously in on
whatever this was. He shrugged out of his shoulder holster and put it within
reach, and started to pull off his shirt. “Just like we practiced, Lea. Dane,
lock that door. Piper knows we’re in here, but I wouldn’t want the staff to
walk in.”

Running on autopilot, Dane shut the door, his whole body on
the edge. He locked it because they apparently had something to say, and Coop
was right. They didn’t want anyone walking in.

He stared at the dark wood of the door, unwilling to turn
around and see her again. “Alea, what is this about?”

“It’s about you, Dane.” Her voice sounded slightly unsteady.
“I love you. I want to play with you now and for the rest of our lives. I want
to give you what you need. Cooper and Landon want to play, too.”

“I don’t need this, Lea.” He forced himself to swallow down
a long breath. “We’re fine the way we are.” He would never force her to do
something she didn’t want. “I won’t treat you like your captors.”

The last few days had been about far more than just the fact
that Yasmin had tried to kill his woman. He’d read every article that had been
written about the crash and all the crap those reporters had dug up. Tal had
done a good job of keeping it quiet the first time, but the press had gone
insane when Alea’s plane crashed. Every sordid truth had been detailed. From
her kidnapping to the nastiness of the brothel, to ways she’d been tortured and
the fact that she’d been force-fed heroin.

He couldn’t take her control again.

A soft hand cupped his shoulder. “You don’t ever,
ever
compare yourself to them. I won’t
have it.”

He turned and was surprised at the anger in her dark eyes.
Tears shimmered there, too, but her mouth was a flat angry line. “Lea…”

“Not ever, Dane. They were evil, and you’re so good. You’ve
spent your life protecting people. You gave up your career to save lives. You
are a hero, and I will not allow anyone to make you think less of yourself. I
am so sorry I forced you into a terrible position in front of Talib. I really
do want to marry you. I want
you
. Can
you forgive me?”

Something deep inside him softened. She was standing here,
naked in front of him, her fierce soul finally on display. Yet she was trying
to protect his nasty ass. Though he outweighed her by a hundred pounds, she
looked ready to take on anything that might be a threat. For him. Cooper had
been right. This wasn’t a woman who gave a shit about how much money he had or
his social status. She’d been trying to spare him, but he didn’t want to be
spared. He only wanted her and he wanted her happy and safe and whole. After
years of living the lifestyle, he finally understood. It wasn’t just about
putting her needs before his. It was about putting her first always. She was
the center of their universe. Alea and their babies were everything to him.
They were his future.

“I forgive you. Alea, baby, I love you. I don’t need this. I
know I’ve been a little aloof, but you just answered every question I had.
We’re okay. Let’s get you dressed and go back to our room, and I’ll make love
to you properly.”

With all the gentleness she deserved. He would let her make
the pace and only take what she was willing to give. He could handle it.

“Properly?” She frowned his way. “That sounds boring, Dane.
I want you, especially that dirty, nasty side you’ve been trying to pretend
doesn’t exist.”

Dane sighed. She seemed determined to not make this easy on
him. He felt his whole body tighten. “Lea, you don’t understand what you’re
asking for.”

She took a step back, and he missed the heat of her body.
“Yes, I do. I was on that island. I know what you want. I can handle it, Dane.
I can more than handle it. I want it. I crave it.”

She was so fucking gorgeous. Her whole body was a fucking
temple, and he worshipped it. From the pitch black of her hair to her round
breasts to the sweet curve of her belly and the flare of her hips. He loved her
fucking feet. He usually didn’t give a shit about feet, but hers were so sweet.
He always had the craziest impulse to rub them and kiss them because they held
her up and moved her along beside him.

“Lea, after everything you’ve been through, you don’t need
my damage.”

“It’s not damage, Dane. It’s part of you, and I damn well do
need it. I wouldn’t be where I am if you hadn’t pushed me.”

Tal had said that Alea needed him most of all, especially
his Dom side. Maybe…the sheikh had been right.

“Do you know what I did today?”

His heart was aching because she was everything he wanted in
life. “What?”

“I set up an international agency to fight for women’s
rights across the globe. I made plans to meet with women who were taken at the
same time I was so we can talk and make plans so that what happened to us stops
happening to other young women. I became more than a victim. I became a force
that those who took me and everyone like them will have to deal with.”

Damn, those tears were starting again. He’d looked at her so
long ago and he’d known what she could be. This warrior in front of him was the
woman that girl had become. She could change the world if she set her mind to
it.

“Lea, baby, sometimes bad shit happens to the right people.
It sucks and it’s horrible but those people can fix things for everyone else.
You’re that person. You can stand up for everyone else. This is why it happened
to you.” He hated that she’d gone through so much pain, but she had an
opportunity to make the world better. He’d spent years fighting in wars, but
Alea was the one who would truly fight the good fight. And he would be right
there, protecting her.

She stared up at him, her eyes so passionate. “And this is
why everything that happened in your childhood, with the Navy, and with your
wife happened to you. Dane, can’t you see that? These roads we’ve traveled,
they were hard and rough and they made us the people we are. They brought us
here—together. I couldn’t have become this person without you, Landon, and
Cooper. And this damage you’re talking about…you endured and grew because of
it. It’s your strength. Damn it, Dane, it’s
our
strength.”

She took a step back and sank to her knees in a perfectly
graceful move down to slave position, her knees splayed wide and her palms up.
The black waterfall of her hair reached to her breasts, the ends almost
tickling her nipples. She squared her shoulders. The deeply submissive position
left her pussy and her breasts on glorious display. Her nipples were erect,
pointing his way, as though trying to tempt him to lick them and suck them into
his mouth. And her pussy was a jewel, gold and pink, with just a hint of the
arousal he wanted to flow from her.

Landon walked up to her left side, and Cooper to her right.
They had both shucked their clothes and each one only had eyes for Alea. They
were staring down at her, longing plain on their faces. They were ready for
some playtime with their fiancée, their woman, the center of their goddamn
whole world.

“We all want this,” Lan said.

He hadn’t counted on the fact that he wasn’t the only one
who needed this.

“None of us would be here without you, buddy,” Cooper said.
“It’s time to claim our sub.”

Their submissive. Such a misnomer. Submissive. Dominant.
They were just words to describe a truth. In the end, they were just men in
love with a woman. It was just another way to express the fact that he was
crazy about her and he’d do anything to show her.

“Do you need this, Alea?” This had to be about her. At some
point, his world had shifted and his own needs had taken a backseat.

Her eyes came up, and he saw only truth in them. “I crave
this, Dane. I need you. I want to explore what we found on that island. I want
to make it real.”

It had always been real. He’d just been afraid to trust in
it. Fuck. It was everything he’d ever wanted. More than he deserved, and only a
stupid man would turn it down.

Dane Mitchell wasn’t stupid.

“Eyes down, Alea. And spread your knees wider. Spine
straight. For tonight, the only safe word you need is ‘no.’ Later we’ll come up
with a fun word so we can play all sorts of nasty games, but for now, a simple
‘no’ will suffice.” Relief flowed through his body. He felt like a prisoner who
had just been granted parole. Or a man who had received full forgiveness and
learned that he’d never really sinned at all.

This was his woman. This was his family.

“Landon, I think we should warm our little sub up. She’s
been quite a brat lately. Actually I think she was born a brat, but we can
handle that, can’t we?” Dane heard his voice go deep, and it felt so fucking
good. He pulled his shoulder holster off. His eyes strayed back, thinking about
the door.

“We absolutely can handle her. And relax. We’re perfectly
safe here,” Cooper said as though he could read Dane’s thoughts. “The whole
palace is in lockdown for the rest of the day. I believe Piper and the al
Mussad boys are having a private meeting up in her rooms. Talib doesn’t like to
be interrupted. We have nothing to worry about.”

Dane would always worry about her. He would always need to
keep her safe, but there was a time to let that worry go and to revel in the
love they made. He pulled his shirt off. “I need to order new leathers.”

He wanted to take her to a club. He would take such pride in
showing the world the woman he shared with the best men he knew. He imagined
how beautiful she would be on a St. Andrews Cross, her trust for her men plain
for the world to see.

“I think we all need to order some leathers because the
thought of really topping her is doing something for me,” Lan said. “I think
the dungeon might be the only place where I can be in charge with her.”

Alea frowned prettily. “Oh, it hasn’t felt that way, Landon.
You’re always bossy with me. ‘No, Alea. You can’t have a moment to yourself.
No, Alea, you’re not going to the marketplace.’”

Dane stared down at her. “Every word that comes out of your
mouth makes the orgasm trail that much longer.”

She grinned, obviously misunderstanding.

Cooper snorted a little. “Honey, he means your orgasm is at
the very end of a long trail, not that the trail is littered with orgasms.”

The sweetest pout hit her lips. “I don’t like the sound of
that.”

Still, she put her head down again, regaining her submissive
pose.

“I think we all agree that in the real world, we’ll let Alea
have her say.” Dane fixed his gaze on the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.
“But here, we’re the Doms. We’re her princes and she’s our princess.”

She kept her head down, but there was no way to miss her
slow smile. “You three are always my princes. And I’m ready to do your
bidding.”

Only one thing was holding him back. “Alea, what about our
baby?”

He didn’t want to wait nine months to claim his sub, but he
would. He would wait forever because there was no other woman for him. He’d
gone into his first marriage because it had seemed like it was time to marry.
This was something different. This was worth waiting for. He’d made a mistake
before because there was only one marriage that counted, and that was the one
he fought for, bled for, and lived for. Their Alea. Their family.

“We’ve talked to the doctor, and he understands what is
involved with a Bezakistani marriage,” Alea explained. “Piper is farther along
than I am, and her activities haven’t been curtailed yet. So we’re in the clear
for now. Let’s not waste any time. Love me. I want you all to love me. I need
my men to come to me as the Dominants you are.”

His cock twitched, begging him to jump at the offer. She was
a smart woman. She knew her mind, and she damn well knew what she wanted. He
dishonored her to think she didn’t. She was his and she was ready. “Hands and
knees, Alea. Did you think you could refuse to marry us and there wouldn’t be
some punishment?”

She moved, but not before he caught her smile. “I should
have thought about that, Sir.”

“Master,” he corrected. God, he loved the way that word
sounded. He’d never been anyone’s Master. He’d only ever been a Sir. A Master
was committed, devoted, forever. “You’re about to marry me. I’m your Master. I
won’t ever have another submissive. You are the end-all, be-all of my existence
as a Dom, so give me my due.”