Her bare foot tapped on the sand. “Fine. I want to save your life.”
“I want to save yours in return. Take off the clothes, Princess.”
Her eyes rolled. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You’re cold, Lea. You’ve got goose bumps all over your skin. It’s going to get worse as that sun goes down.” He and Dane had already talked about the fact that, after sunset, the temperature would drop. The blankets wouldn’t have had time to dry out. Alea needed to sleep close to the fire, and she would need body heat. But none of that would help much if she wasn’t dry first.
She frowned. “I’m not walking around here naked.”
Just a little give. That was all he needed. “Your panties and bra will dry a lot faster if you strip out of everything else.”
She turned around, and for a moment he thought he was going to lose. Then she tossed the first aid kit his way. “All right, damn it. Don’t expect me to be gentle.”
With jerky, slightly nervous motions, she tore into the buttons of her shirt. Once she’d undone them all, she shrugged the garment off and settled the heavy fabric over the clothesline before she shoved at the waistband of her skirt. She was wearing a plain white cotton underwire bra and panties, but plain didn’t begin to cover just how gorgeous she was.
Fuck. She had curves for miles. She was built to please a man, and he damn straight wanted to be that man. Well, one of three. Somehow the whole near-death experience was making it way easier to realize that they might not have time to waste. Tomorrow might be now. If they wanted her, they were going to have to find just the right way to take her.
And they’d do it together. Coop knew he wouldn’t have survived without his brothers. Without the three of them, Alea would have died or she would have been stranded alone. They wouldn’t have the bounty of supplies they’d gathered without Dane and Lan. And god bless him, Lan had fought that vicious current to bring all of those necessities to the island. They could survive quite nicely for a while because everyone had done their part, including his sweet Alea. She’d calmed quickly and figured out their coordinates, then settled into the cockpit to help him land, and he was in awe. She seemed to soak up and retain most everything that anyone had ever taught her.
The four of them made a damn good team. If they were lucky, they could make a fine family.
Alea turned, a blush high in her cheeks. “Fine. Now I’m almost naked.”
“It covers more than most bikinis.”
“I don’t wear bikinis,” Alea said.
Dane was suddenly at his side. There was a happy, hungry look on the big guy’s face that only happened when he got around Alea. “I just thought I should help.”
Yeah, right. Dane wanted to get as close to the candy as he could. Not that Cooper blamed the guy, but he’d been the one to unwrap the treat.
“Your help isn’t required, but thanks for playing.” Coop made a sound like a rude game show host’s buzzer. Then he turned back to Alea. “Did you learn to swim as a kid?”
She frowned. “Yes.”
“Did you swim as a teenager?”
“Sure. I was as rambunctious as any other kid. Bezakistan gets too hot in the summer to play outside much, and I didn’t like being trapped indoors all day. My aunt and uncles took us to the shore at least once a year, so swimming was a necessity.”
“But you don’t swim now?”
Alea got on her knees in front of him and opened the little kit. With an air of “whatever,” she started digging out the instruments of his torture—little cotton balls and packs of antiseptic. “Not much anymore.”
“It’s good exercise, and you’re right about the summers in Bezakistan. So why did you stop?” Cooper asked.
“I don’t know.” She seemed to want to look everywhere except at him. She focused intently on dabbing the cleaner on a cotton ball.
“When exactly did you stop?” Dane asked in that deep voice, his Dom voice. Cooper knew his buddy meant business. “No lying.”
Alea shrugged. “A couple of years ago. Hold still.”
She pressed the cotton ball to his cut, and he nearly came out of his seat. Damn it, that burned. He cursed, and Alea’s lips turned up.
“Really, you big baby?” she mocked. “You’re a SEAL?”
Yeah, he got that a lot. He touched the tat on his left arm. It was a SEAL tattoo of an eagle clutching a rifle, anchor, and trident. “I even have the tat, baby. But I’m out of the Navy now. I don’t have to suck it up anymore.”
Dane huffed. “You didn’t suck it up then. I was with you in Kandahar. You took one measly knife to the gut and whined about it for hours.”
Alea gasped. “Someone stabbed you in the stomach?”
He pointed to the nice little scar on his right side. “Yep. And I was very heroic. I saved three kids and stitched up some soldiers before I finally lost consciousness in a very manly fashion.”
“He face-planted on the street,” Dane clarified, then turned his attention back to Alea. “So you stopped swimming after the abduction. Why? The warm water and solitude should have been relaxing. Did you quit so you could avoid bathing suits and hide your body?”
Crap! Cooper bit back a protest. He’d just gotten Alea to strip down to her skivvies and he’d been trying to make her nice and comfortable. Did Dane really have to push her now?
She paused, hesitated, then very cautiously continued to clean his wound. “I suppose so.”
“Why?” Dane’s voice was softer as though she’d pleased him by answering. “Baby, whatever they told you, they were lying.”
Had the fuckwads who’d taken her told her she wasn’t pretty? He reached up and caressed her hair, pushing one side away from her face. It had dried into sexy waves, rather than that stick-straight mane she unmercifully flat ironed every day. “Unless they said you’re the most beautiful woman on the planet, they were lying. Lea, baby, they would have said anything to break you.”
She took a long breath, studying her handiwork on the side of his face, seemingly happy. Then she started looking through the kit again. “They might be liars, but I’ve always had issues with my weight.”
“What issues?” Cooper asked, truly astounded at the thought. “Is it hard to be perfect?”
She snorted slightly. “Yes, it’s so difficult.”
“Alea, I would seriously consider what you say about yourself in the next few minutes,” Dane warned. “I’m willing to listen to concerns, but don’t degrade yourself.”
Her hands balled into fists on her lap. “I’m not a size two. God, Dane, I’m not even a size eight. It wasn’t just my captors. The press hasn’t always been kind.”
Cooper had no idea what dress sizes meant. “Uh, if those are smaller than you, then I’m glad because I want a woman with curves. I want a woman who looks like a woman. Ask most guys. They do, too.”
“Lea, you should damn well know that most women modeling in magazines are far too thin. They might photograph well, but it’s actually unhealthy,” Dane said. “Who idolizes models? Do you think it’s men? No, baby. Mostly women. Porn is a better example of what men like. Those women have hips and boobs.”
Cooper sniffed with disdain. “I only watch the amateur stuff now because the pros have gotten too thin. And I like real boobs.” Alea had real boobs. They were encased in a sturdy bra, but they were totally getting his attention. Soft and round. They would be a sweet handful. And last night, with her distraught…and then his mouth on her pussy, he hadn’t really gotten a good look at her ass. But what he’d seen in the past always looked so damn good. “Not to mention a juicy ass. Love that.”
“Juicy is good,” Dane agreed.
Alea squirted ointment onto her finger and quickly wiped it across his cut. “You don’t have to try to make me feel better. Growing up, I always wanted to look more like Yasmin. Taller. More graceful…”
Dane made gagging noises.
Coop joined in. “No girl looks good with her head that far up her own ass. A bony-looking ass, I might add.”
Alea shook her head and giggled. “You two are so juvenile. Really? She’s blonde and willowy, and she doesn’t have to have her dresses custom made. I had to pay through the nose to get that Narciso Rodriguez gown. They don’t normally make my size.”
“Then they suck. And you look gorgeous in anything you wear.” Coop frowned.
He didn’t normally notice Alea’s clothes. He noticed how her boobs and butt looked in them. And he loved her toes right now. It was kind of freaky, but he wanted to suck on them and rub them. They were a pretty pink.
She slapped a butterfly-style bandage over his cheek and stood. “I think that should prevent infection from setting in. Keep it covered until it closes. And you two don’t have to be nice. I appreciate it. I really do, but I own a mirror.”
“Then it must be your eyesight that’s suffering.” Dane stood beside her. “Cooper is never just nice.”
She shrugged as if she was a bit uncomfortable with their compliments. Or maybe it was the way they stared. Because he couldn’t seem to stop. Her nipples clung to the thin white cotton of her bra. God, he wanted to get those nipples in his mouth. He could suck on them and bite them just the tiniest bit until she squirmed. And begged. He’d really like to hear her begging.
“Of course Cooper is nice. He’s not really interested,” Alea said, then blushed. “You don’t have to try to convince me.”
“I’m pretty sure that was my mouth on your pussy last night,” he pointed out.
And Dane just rolled his eyes. “You really are blind, Lea. His cock is poking out of his boxers. Dude, shove that thing back in.”
Cooper readjusted, but not before he noticed that Alea’s eyes widened at the sight. Her breath hitched. Yes, she was at least a little intrigued.
And they were on a deserted island with absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to be. Sure, they were having to fight for their lives, but Cooper believed in the power of positive thinking. Anything could happen. In fact, he was damn sure hoping everything did happen soon.
“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.”