Their Virgin Princess (Masters of Ménage #4)(31)

"You keep things spartan." Cooper set his kit on the bed and opened it with a flick of his wrist. "Are all your parts still working?"

"I don't know. Strangely enough, I haven't had a chance to use my balls since you decided to shove them halfway up my ass."

Cooper chuckled. "Well, you were trying to kill me at the time. How about we just call it even?"

That was fine by him. "I guess we all made mistakes tonight."

A calculated expression crossed Cooper's face. "Or we all did the right thing, and we were just wrong because we didn't do it together. I think I was onto something tonight. She was interested. Maybe not in me in particular, but she was curious about sex. She needs to experiment. We need to set ourselves up in some intimate situations with her." 

"What? Like walking in on her while she's buck naked?"

"Hey, I didn't plan that. I really was trying to check on her."

Lan shrugged. "Maybe I'm just jealous. So she really did respond? I was a little surprised she let you see her naked. Did she fight you?"

Coop shook his head as he pulled out a couple of bottles and some washcloths. "Not really. She gave me a weak 'go away' before things got really heated. I know what a woman looks like when she's aroused. She wasn't afraid. She was inquisitive and hot. And she enjoyed having her pussy loved on."

God, he really was jealous of Cooper now. "So she responded."

"Yes, she was moaning and shoving her cunt at me. She wasn't scared, not until I wrapped my arms around her. That's when she screamed. I wasn't hurting her, Lan. I was trying to get closer."

Damn it. He hated being a reasonable man. He slapped at Coop's arm, a brotherly show of affection. "You probably didn't do anything I wouldn't have in your situation. If I had the chance to get my mouth on her, I would. It just makes me worry that she's never going to be ready for what we want to give her. And if she can't handle one man, what about three? If you holding her was too much, how the hell will she ever handle Dane?"

A part of the submission Dane needed fell squarely into the bondage category. Lan had watched Dane with more than one submissive. He took their needs very seriously, but those women had always needed what Dane had to offer. Alea would be terrified.

"I think the key is to experiment," Coop went on. "We need to retrain her. Her captors did a number on her. But she can never have a normal life if she can't accept love and affection, or enjoy sex. Are you willing to let her live that way just because you're squeamish?"

Put like that, it seemed like a cowardly thing to do. "I get what you're saying, man. I just don't know that she wants me."

Cooper groaned, his eyes rolling. "You have got to get over the insecurity thing. She wants all of us. She wants the whole ménage thing, or at least she did when she was a kid. I was doing a sweep of the palace the other day and I wound up in the library. Did you know Talib still keeps everything the way his fathers left it? Including the pictures taped to the wall. One of them is Alea's. I would bet she was about eight or nine when she drew it. It's of a woman with dark hair and three men. And the title of the picture is 'my three husbands.' I think we could be those men for her."

"I'm in." Lan didn't hesitate.

Cooper was right. If they loved Alea, they had to be willing to risk everything to make sure she could enjoy life again, even whatever shot they had at a relationship with her. "So how do we get ourselves into … what did you call it? Intimate situations?"

It would be damn near impossible here. The palace was filled to the brim with people and would be for weeks to come because of the coronation. Between family, friends, and visiting dignitaries, Lan wasn't sure when they would get more than two moments alone with her.

There was a short knock on the door, then it opened. Dane's large frame filled the doorway. "Hey, I came to check on Lan."

"Jeez, guys, my balls still work." He hadn't gotten hit that hard. Not that he'd admit, anyway.

The corners of Dane's mouth curled up wryly. It was good to see him smile for once.

"I'm glad because, unfortunately, your balls are important to my plan. But once we put the plan in motion, we all need to watch our balls, guys."



       
         
       
        

Thank god he was joking. After what happened earlier, Lan had been worried Dane would turn into a morose asshole, and there was only room for one of those on the team. He'd taken that place a long time ago and he wasn't giving it up. "Does this mean I'm not fired?"