“Lea, we’re not going to hurt you,” Lan vowed. “We’re here to protect you.”
“Among other things.” Dane smiled smugly. “Just wait, man. This is the pain and fear talking. She’ll calm down soon.” He settled back into his chair like he was enjoying the show and waiting to see the next act.
Oh, she was so done with him. Dane thought he understood her? That he could read her mind and guess how she was going to react? Bullshit.
Despite the plane still rolling along the runway, Alea yanked her seat belt off and stood, then grabbed Dane’s hand in hers. She would throw his ass off the plane herself if she had to. She could do it. She’d read about women who got great bursts of strength when they really needed it during a panic. Surely this qualified.
“How far out are we, Coop?” Dane asked as she pulled fruitlessly on his arm.
He glanced out the window. “Looks like there’s another plane ahead of us. I think that’s the prime minister heading home. She’s got three-to-five minutes to try to haul you out of here.”
If that concerned Coop, he didn’t show it. Instead, he leaned his head against the headrest and closed his eyes like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Damn you, get off this plane!” She tugged even harder, putting her weight into the effort. Instead of staring at her like he was bored, this time Dane stood. His massive frame towered over her. He wasn’t smiling.
“Sit down, Alea. We’re going to cut through the rest of this crap and get straight to acceptance. We’re going wherever you’re going. If you would like to stay in Bezakistan, we can do that. As it happens, I think a little time away would be good for all of us.”
“No,” she nearly shouted. “I need time away from everything that distracts and confuses me. That definitely includes you three.”
“Does it now?” he asked, his voice going dangerously low.
He didn’t touch her, but she could feel the heat of his body reaching her, wrapping around her. He was so close. Like Cooper had been close the night before. Alea took a long breath, trying to calm herself, but what she got was a nose full of the delicious, masculine scent of soap and something else uniquely Dane.
“Answer me, Alea. Do you really want to be away from us? Because I think you’re lying. I can see your ni**les. They’re hard.”
Damn it, she should have worn a sweater. She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s because I’m mad. They’re not aroused ni**les. They’re angry ni**les.”
“I’m going to teach you not to lie, Alea. Those are lonely ni**les. Those are aching ni**les. Do you want to know what I’ve got planned for them?” His voice had gone husky.
A hot denial sprung up inside her, settling between her legs, and she wondered if she was fending him off or just baiting the bear. “You’re my guards. You’re supposed to keep my body safe, not touch me. No, wait. You aren’t my guards. I’m firing you right now. You can’t talk to me like that.”
“We are your guards, according to Tal. He signs our paychecks. And I’m going to talk to you this way a lot from now on. We’re not going to let you dismiss us anymore. There’s something between all of us. Chemistry like this doesn’t happen often, and I’ll be damned if I let you keep shoving that aside just because you’re too scared to see where it leads, Princess.” Dane’s voice sizzled over her skin, an unavoidable reminder of the heat scorching through her.
“He’s right. I’ve never felt anything like this.” Landon was suddenly behind her, his voice a hot whisper on the nape of her neck. “I can’t just walk away from it. I want to be around you. With you. Inside you. I want you to work with us to make this whole thing good.”
Alea stifled a moan bubbling in her throat at the feel of them so close. “There’s no ‘thing.’”
She’d meant for that statement to come out in a firm voice, but it just sounded breathy and sensual. They weren’t touching her, but for the first time, she wanted them to. She’d lost it last night when Coop had grabbed her just before… But what if he hadn’t? What if she’d kept her head? What if they took everything really slowly? Maybe she wasn’t totally broken and her body could actually respond if they told her what they planned to do, prepared her mentally first. Maybe.
“There’s more than a little something between us, baby,” Coop said, sitting up now, his previous laziness shoved aside. “It’s real, and we’ve all been dodging it. I’m done with that.”
“I am, too.” Dane’s words sounded like a vow. “So now I’m going to tell you exactly what I want to do.”
The desire shimmering from those blue eyes made something in her belly jump and tighten. If what he had to say was half as hot as his face suggested, she wouldn’t be able to handle it. “Don’t. Please. I’ll sit back down.”
“Ah, we’re back to bargaining.” Dane’s hair was just the slightest bit shaggy, and she loved the way it curled around his ears as he looked down at her. “I think we have another couple of minutes before takeoff, so I’ll elaborate. First, I want to look at your br**sts, Alea. I want you to take your shirt off and show them to me. I want you to cup them with your hands and offer them up.”
She shook her head even as the heat inside her surged. “I can’t do that.”
“He’ll tell you how beautiful they are,” Landon continued. “We all will. We’ll sit and watch them for a minute because none of us will be able to take our eyes off you and your gorgeous, full br**sts.”
“They aren’t. They’re small.” Why was she talking about herself? She should be shoving them away and firming up boundaries. But no, she was standing there and arguing over the size of her br**sts. And practically feeling Dane’s hands on her, even though he wasn’t touching her.
“No. They’re the perfect size, baby. They’ll fit right in the palm of my hand. I don’t think I’ve ever seen br**sts as beautiful as yours. Tell me something, Princess. Did Cooper get his mouth on those ni**les last night?”
She shivered, remembering everywhere Cooper had put his mouth. “No.”
“I barely touched her br**sts. I just ate that pu**y like it was the tastiest treat I’ve ever had.” Cooper edged closer to her. “You tasted so good, baby. I’ve had a hard-on ever since, and no amount of mast***ation satisfies my cock. I want you.”