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.
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.