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.

Chapter Eight

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.

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.