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.”

She shifted on the floor, moving forward and finding her position on her hands and knees, her hair hanging down around her.

“Yes, my Master,” she breathed, emotion choking her voice. “And I deserve some discipline for the other day. It was never about not loving you all. I love you so much. I ached the whole time we fought. I should have trusted you to be strong enough to stand with me. I should have trusted us.”

“Why? What have you learned?” He wanted to hear it. He wouldn’t believe it until it came from her lips.

“I should have turned to you because families face hard times together. Because my problems are your problems. We share everything. The good and the bad. I promise you, I will never push you away again. I will cling to this relationship because it’s my life.”

A well of peace opened inside Dane’s heart. He’d waited his whole life for those words with these people in this one place where he belonged. He let go of the leash he’d kept himself on forever. “Never again, Lea. You will never place me in that position again because I will do the same thing. I will fight back and I will fight dirty because you belong with us.”

“This is where we all belong,” Cooper said, running his hand across her back, worshipping her skin with his own. “Do you know how beautiful you are?”

“You’re so gorgeous.” Landon touched her hair, skimming it with his fingers. “I love you like this. You’re pretty in those gowns and stuff, but I always think of you naked and kneeling.”

Dane walked around to her back, enjoying every inch of the view. Her spine was straight, her knees splayed wide so he could just start to see her pussy. It pouted between her legs, glistening with a light coating of her juice. That peach would be even riper and more ready after he was finished. “Gentlemen, let’s get started. We all need to know how to spank this ass. Landon, you start us out. For now, it’s a count of twenty.”

Landon didn’t hesitate. He moved to her backside, getting on his knees and bringing his hand back. He proved he’d been listening on the island. He used the flat of his hand on the fleshiest part of her ass. A loud smack reverberated through the room. He loved that sound and the way Alea gasped, her whole body flushing beautifully. She held herself still. Her hair moved, and he could see the way her shoulders shook as the erotic torture continued. Lan smacked her ass again and again. Dane walked over so he could watch. He loved the way her flesh moved under Lan’s hand, the color turning a pretty pink.

“Hold your hand on her ass. Let the heat sink in.” He needed to teach his partners so they would always know how to discipline their sweet sub. “Let me show you.”

Lan immediately stepped back, allowing Dane to move into place. They moved almost fluidly, and it sent a wave of calm through Dane. They could do this. The Dom in him was possessive, but it was easy now, because Alea needed Cooper and Lan. And he needed them, too. This life he was embracing would be extraordinary because he got to share it with his friends.

“Make it a quick smack, then a slow burn.” After five quick smacks to that round ass, he let his hand grip her, feeling the shudder go through her. And he could smell what getting naked and kneeling before her Masters had done to her. The musky spice of Alea’s arousal tightened his cock and made him crazy. He wanted to mount her and shove his cock deep, taking her over and over until he’d imprinted himself on her, but that wouldn’t serve his purpose. Patience was required. Patience would make the pleasure so much more stronger, would bond them all together. “Are you all right, baby?”

“I’m getting my ass smacked, Dane. All right is a weak description.”

He loved her bratty mouth because it just made it all the easier to discipline her. “That’s another ten.”

“Dane,” she pleaded, her head turning back. “Dane, I’m already dying here.”

It was time to really begin her training. She needed to learn patience as well. “You keep your eyes to the front unless I tell you otherwise.”

Smack. Smack. Smack. Smack. Smack.

He held his hand tight to her flesh. She was turning a glorious shade of pink, and he could feel the heat radiating from her flesh.

Cooper got to his knees on the other side of Alea. “Let me help.”

And Landon could start getting things ready. It seemed to have been his role in this plot. Dane couldn’t be angry about it. It had been a huge gift his partners and their woman had given him.

“Landon, find a proper pair of clamps. I think we should dress our little sex toy before putting her to good use.”

Alea’s little moan let him know she was okay. There were still so many things that could trigger bad memories for her, but they wouldn’t know how far they could go without pushing her boundaries. He nodded at Cooper, and they took turns smacking her ass, finding a rhythm. Alea swayed slightly and the throaty sounds that came from her mouth went straight to his dick.

When he finally counted thirty, her head had dropped, shoulders relaxed, and she simply swayed with every slap to her ass. She wasn’t fighting or struggling. She was floating on pure sensation. She was right where he wanted her.

“Such a good sub,” Dane muttered, allowing his hand to stroke her hip. He leaned over and placed a kiss on the small of her back. He wondered how pregnancy would change her. She would be so beautiful, all round and soft and filled with their child. He would coddle her and spend his days rubbing her feet and her belly. Yeah, he was looking forward to that. “I think a good submissive should get a treat.”

His fingers trailed down and found the soft flesh of her pussy. It was engorged with blood, a flower in bloom. His fingers slid easily around her labia and around her clit.

“Dane, Dane. It feels so good. I’m so aware. I can feel everything,” she said on a moan.

That was the whole purpose of the spanking. He’d forced her out of her own head and left her no choice but to be in the moment with them. A woman as smart as Alea could sometimes get lost in her thoughts and worries and be unable to connect with the intimacy of sex. Especially given what she’d been through, Dane wanted her wholly in the moment. In this dungeon, there was no room for anything but them. There was only pleasure and erotic pain and the deep connection between lovers.

She whimpered a little as he brushed against her core.

“Do you want a cock up this pussy?” He loved dirty talk, but he’d hesitated until now, worried it would send her back to a bad place.

Not this time. She thrust her backside toward him, trying to lure his fingers deeper. He immediately pulled back and smacked her ass again.

“Dane, please.”

He loved hearing her plead. It showed him just how far they would come that she felt safe enough to play this way. It gave him so much peace and made him feel powerful. “No, Alea. You’re not in control here. I believe I mentioned there would be a point when I took the power back. Well, tonight is the night, my love. You’re going to be sweet and obedient. Only then will you have pleasure like you’ve never known. But not until we’ve had our fun. Now, on your knees. I believe Landon has found some pretty clamps to decorate your nipples.”

Landon walked up carrying two pretty ruby clamps. He approved of the choice. He could control just how tight they got, making them bite into her nipples but not so tightly she would be in danger of real damage. Lan turned them over and he held them up as Cooper helped Alea get to her knees, her lovely body flushed with frustrated arousal. That was just how he wanted her. He moved to the front and showed her the dangling clamps.