"Are they angry with us again?" Dane asked with a grin as he ran one finger over her hard nipple.
She immediately crossed her arms over her chest, blocking him … though he could see some great cleavage. "I'm just cold."
Cooper opened his arms wide. "Come here, baby. We can warm you up."
Another blush stole across her face. "I liked it better when you were all moody and standoffish."
Dane shook his head. "That didn't work out for us, so we're trying something new."
"Shouldn't we be worried about survival?" Alea asked, turning away.
"Baby, you won the lottery. You went down with three former Special Forces soldiers." Cooper stood. It was completely reasonable that she was scared and wondering about the basic necessities. What did a princess know about survival training? He wanted to hold her, but she might be scared that his dingus would likely make another appearance. "We've done this before."
"Hell, yeah," Dane added. "And we've done this in far worse circumstances. This is practically the Ritz compared to that time we got stranded in the Dashti Margo. We were tracking some Taliban scum. We took care of them, but our Humvee got blown to smithereens."
Cooper shook his head. "Taken out by an RPG. Damn, we moved fast to get away from that one. Good times, man."
"It sounds horrible." Alea had turned to face them again, still valiantly trying to cover up.
"It was absolutely awful," Cooper admitted. "We spent ten days in the desert until we were located and someone sent transport. We survived with virtually no supplies while hostiles were shooting at us. We'll survive this, baby. Living here will be a cakewalk. A little vacation." He caressed her arm in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture, trying not to think about how soft she was and how good all that would feel up against him. "We left word with your cousins that we were traveling with you. We didn't bother to mention the whole sneaking away part, but they know when to expect the plane to land. They'll send out search and rescue."
She sniffled a little. "It's a big ocean."
"In water this clear, the plane might well be visible." Dane said. "And they're patient men."
Tears formed in her eyes, and she looked down at her bare feet. "I did this to us."
Oh, damn, she couldn't think that. "No, you didn't." He couldn't restrain himself a minute more. He walked up to her. "I want to hold you. Can I, please? Can Dane and I give you a little comfort? It's been a hard day. Let us reassure you that it's going to be all right." When she hesitated, he joked, "I promise to keep the beast in my boxers."
She rewarded him with a little laugh, then nodded. "I'd like that. For the most part, it's been a long time since I let anyone hold me. I want to try."
He eased forward cautiously, letting her observe his every move, giving her plenty of time to object. She was a little like a wild deer he wanted to feed from his hand. One wrong move and he could spook her.
"My hand is going to touch your waist, Lea," Dane said before settling in behind her. "You can lean back against me any time. You're cold. You need to get warm. We'll settle you by the fire, then have a nice dinner. Relax and know that we're going to take care of you."
Cooper slowly wrapped his arms around her. She trembled for a moment, then sighed as though she appreciated the heat their bodies generated.
Once again, he appreciated how soft her skin was and how sweetly she fit against him. "Consider this a break from civilization. You wanted one, right? Here you go. No reporters. No one who needs your attention. Well, besides us. No one is going to ask you to make appearances or to go to balls."
"No curious people who look at me with pity," Alea continued.
Coop wanted to take exception to that, but now wasn't the time to argue with her. Making her laugh seemed to work so much better. "Nope. You just have to worry about us ogling you. All the time. Every day. Every hour."
Sure enough, she laughed. "You guys are crazy."
Dane had his cheek against her hair. "My main goal in life is to convince you that we're not. At least not completely."
"How can you not be mad at me? I'm the reason you're here," she admitted in a whisper.
"I think I speak for all three of us when I say we wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Cooper replied. "If I wasn't with you here, I'd be going out of my damn mind with worry. But cuddled up with you … It's all good. Alea, this wasn't your fault."