Cooper surfaced, his big hand slicking back his dark hair. He let out a long, joyful howl. Alea laughed. Despite everything they had been through, Cooper had kept a smile on his face. It made frowning in his presence damn hard.
In fact, everything was different here. She was different. Relaxed and positive. Happy. And she was ready to shed fear and embrace change.
Her hands went to the back of her bra. Was she really about to bare herself, cast caution aside and see where the moment led? Yes. Her fingers shook, but she managed to unhook the clasp.
Lan sprang up from the water next to Coop. They were waiting for her patiently. But her patience was at an end. She wanted them. But more, she was coming to need them. They'd taught her to be this Alea she'd discovered on the island. This woman cooked, cleaned, and did laundry. She had purpose. This Alea had shed her past here and now refused to let the past rule her life anymore. This Alea knew what she wanted.
Her men.
This island was her haven. Being here with Lan, Dane, and Coop had opened her soul. With a deep breath, she pulled her bra off.
A big smile broke across Landon's face. "You coming in, darlin'?"
"Join us, Lea!" Cooper shouted.
She let her bra drop, and as quickly as she could, she shoved her panties down her hips, then off her legs. God, she was naked. She was completely naked. Alea shivered but not in fear.
"Hey now, gorgeous." Cooper made his way to the side of the pool with a leer and pulled himself up to reveal his chest. "You're a damn beautiful sight."
Landon edged toward her, too, with a hot stare. "Holy shit." Then he frowned. "Sorry. I lose my head when I see something that beautiful."
They genuinely thought she was beautiful? They'd spent days telling her so. They'd shown her with their hands and their kisses. They seemed determined to make her believe she was gorgeous. It wasn't easy after her captors had told her repeatedly how ugly she was and how little she was worth. But those pigs had been criminals, horrible human beings. Dane, Cooper, and Landon were heroes. Why should she listen to assholes more than true men?
That rationale made logical sense, but sometimes emotions-fears-weren't logical at all. She was realizing that it was going to take time and patience to break through those barriers.
She forced her hands to her sides and walked to the edge of the pool. Without clothes-even the little bit she'd been wearing-made her feel so naked. She was more aware of the air on her skin, the cool grass at her feet, the perfume of the flowers, of just how alive she could be.
All she had to do to let herself truly be a part of everything was take one simple step.
Alea closed her eyes and turned her face up to the sun, letting it warm her skin. Then she stepped off into the void.
Water enveloped her, surrounding her utterly in warmth. She opened her eyes, shocked that she could see everything in the crystal water. Life surrounded her. Fish swam all over the pond, both alone and in small schools. A turtle with its eyes open observed the humans as it swam by. Alea watched, drinking in the sight of nature teeming. That was what she wanted-to be wide awake and alive. Unafraid.
With a smile, she broke the surface, and tropical air caressed her skin. She smoothed her hair back and sank into the moment. She'd been missing this, a deep awareness of every moment. Life would always be filled with hope and sorrow, thrill and pain, fear and bliss. And love. It was impossible to truly understand love without knowing those other emotions, without enduring loss. Everything seemed so clear now.
As she'd grown up, she'd been focused on the future. Since Colombia, she'd almost drowned in the fear and self-pity of her past. She'd damn near let it kill her. Now, she wanted to be in this moment, to forget yesterday and tomorrow, just live for now.
Landon and Cooper both dove under the surface, making their way to her. She knew exactly where they were headed and smiled. They wouldn't leave her alone. Never.
Then one of them wrapped a hand around her ankle. A joyous little scream left her mouth before they pulled her under with them. How long had it been since she'd trusted someone enough to play? To just laugh and be? She kept her eyes open, and Cooper floated in front of her, his mouth looming closer to her own. They kissed in a sweet, if wet tangle of lips while the fish swam around them, and Lan's arms circled her from behind.
They let her go and bobbed to the surface. Landon smiled as he waded around her. "Hey, I want one, too."
Of course he did. She had to treat them all equally or jealousies arose. Her aunt had taught her that. Her aunt had juggled four husbands, and she'd talked to Alea about her marriage in order to prepare her niece for the future. Her aunt had always preached loving all husbands equally because each possessed different traits that completed her. Being the center of her husbands' world had been an honor and a blessing, according to her. Alea understood now.