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She sat up and stared at him, illuminated by the fire. He had a bland, somewhat expectant look on his face, but she was starting to really know him. His anxiety revealed itself in the hard line of his shoulders, in the stiff way he held himself. “What if I’m not submissive?”
And just like that, his body relaxed, and the teasing Dom was back. “Oh, you are. ”
“Maybe I want to be in control. Maybe I need it after what happened to me. ” How would he handle that?
A smile softened his face. “You’ll always be in control. That’s the great misunderstanding about the lifestyle. The submissive can stop the scene at any time. Any play is meant for your pleasure. Any rule is meant to protect you, build trust between us, and lift you up. It’s why I won’t listen to you talk badly about yourself. I’m willing to spank you over that so you’ll remember. Even if you hate me, I need you to believe how amazing you are. ”
She didn’t necessarily understand, but she was pretty sure she couldn’t hate him. Ever. “We have to go slow with the whole play thing, Dane. I might never be able to handle it, especially the bondage. Being unable to move…it scares me. ”
Which meant she might never be able to please him.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay. We’ll go as slow as you need,” Dane assured her. “Trust isn’t an overnight process. We’ll take it one baby step at a time, if that’s how it’s got to be. For now, I want you to kiss Lan slow and deep. He’s going to sit back and let you have your way with him. ”
Lan smiled at her, placing his hands behind him and using them for leverage as he tilted back. The move left his big chest on display. “I’ll keep my hands to myself, darlin’. ”
She rose to her knees. Her having control while she had her way with Lan confused her. “That doesn’t sound terribly submissive, Dane. ”
“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.