Of all the women he'd met before that he had felt an instant desire for, none of them had made him feel like he'd just hit a brick wall, purely knocking the wind out of him. None of them had addled his wits and loosened his tongue, made him feel like a stupid kid that didn't know which end was up—made him do really stupid things just by looking at him.
Like dragging her into his arms and kissing her until she went all weak and soft and hot.
He should've resisted the urge to kiss her, he thought irritably, mostly because now he was having a lot more trouble getting his mind off of doing a lot more, which meant risking the mission and he damned well knew it. He didn't need that prick, Balin, to tell him that this was a dangerous situation that required cool heads and absolute focus.
It didn't escape him that giving in might also be the last straw for the others. Right now, between Balin, the council, and their own good sense, they were trying to keep their distance, keep cool heads, and keep focused on what they'd come to do. One hint that he'd taken a dip in that sweet little honey pot and the others were going to be all over her.
It wasn't that he minded a fight. He hadn't gotten where he was by accepting second place, but he hadn't been up against a pack of alphas before and he didn't like idea of losing, not when it meant one of the others might walk off with Danika.
It would be better all the way around to keep his distance and wait. When the mission was finished, they'd split and go back to their packs.
Maybe he'd split, too, but not before he'd thoroughly explored everything Danika had to offer and gotten her out of his system.
* * * *
Balin flicked an annoyed glance at Con and felt his anger deepen at the glazed, faraway look that came into his eyes whenever he was still for more than five minutes.
Danika was a distraction that was going to get them killed, he thought grimly.
It almost seemed as if it would be better if they went ahead and did what was on everyone's mind and got it out of their system.
There were a few problems with that, though, he thought wryly.
First and foremost, he knew damned well that it wasn't, couldn't be, that simple. If it had been, he might've suggested it himself—would have. The problem was that he was disinclined to share, and he was fairly certain none of the others were keen on that idea either. At this point Con was the only one overtly willing to challenge him for Danika, but he thought, if it came down to it, Jared and Dakota wouldn't be far behind him. Xavier, he wasn't certain about, but Jared and Dakota were bound to be a problem and he wasn't betting Xavier would stay clear of the battle either.
They couldn't afford to take the chance that territorialism wouldn't kick in the moment any one of them decided enjoying a little fuck wasn't going to create problems, because if it did they'd be too busy fighting each other to take care of the business they'd been sent for.
He thought it more likely it would result in battle than not, not necessarily because they wouldn't be able to resist having a little more once they'd taken the plunge, but he had to admit it could be a possibility given the fact that they'd all instantly formed an unhealthy interest in her. Even if that wasn't the case, though, it was an inescapable fact that they were all alphas—pack leaders accustomed to having things their own way. Whether any of them wanted to pursue her after having satisfied immediate needs or not, it was highly likely the fact that they'd staked their claim at all was going to result in a pissing contest to see, as Danika had put it, which of them was top dog.
He understood the logistics of the council's decision in sending the five of them instead of appointing a single alpha to bring his lieutenants. The reports had been sketchy. No one had a clear
Like dragging her into his arms and kissing her until she went all weak and soft and hot.
He should've resisted the urge to kiss her, he thought irritably, mostly because now he was having a lot more trouble getting his mind off of doing a lot more, which meant risking the mission and he damned well knew it. He didn't need that prick, Balin, to tell him that this was a dangerous situation that required cool heads and absolute focus.
It didn't escape him that giving in might also be the last straw for the others. Right now, between Balin, the council, and their own good sense, they were trying to keep their distance, keep cool heads, and keep focused on what they'd come to do. One hint that he'd taken a dip in that sweet little honey pot and the others were going to be all over her.
It wasn't that he minded a fight. He hadn't gotten where he was by accepting second place, but he hadn't been up against a pack of alphas before and he didn't like idea of losing, not when it meant one of the others might walk off with Danika.
It would be better all the way around to keep his distance and wait. When the mission was finished, they'd split and go back to their packs.
Maybe he'd split, too, but not before he'd thoroughly explored everything Danika had to offer and gotten her out of his system.
* * * *
Balin flicked an annoyed glance at Con and felt his anger deepen at the glazed, faraway look that came into his eyes whenever he was still for more than five minutes.
Danika was a distraction that was going to get them killed, he thought grimly.
It almost seemed as if it would be better if they went ahead and did what was on everyone's mind and got it out of their system.
There were a few problems with that, though, he thought wryly.
First and foremost, he knew damned well that it wasn't, couldn't be, that simple. If it had been, he might've suggested it himself—would have. The problem was that he was disinclined to share, and he was fairly certain none of the others were keen on that idea either. At this point Con was the only one overtly willing to challenge him for Danika, but he thought, if it came down to it, Jared and Dakota wouldn't be far behind him. Xavier, he wasn't certain about, but Jared and Dakota were bound to be a problem and he wasn't betting Xavier would stay clear of the battle either.
They couldn't afford to take the chance that territorialism wouldn't kick in the moment any one of them decided enjoying a little fuck wasn't going to create problems, because if it did they'd be too busy fighting each other to take care of the business they'd been sent for.
He thought it more likely it would result in battle than not, not necessarily because they wouldn't be able to resist having a little more once they'd taken the plunge, but he had to admit it could be a possibility given the fact that they'd all instantly formed an unhealthy interest in her. Even if that wasn't the case, though, it was an inescapable fact that they were all alphas—pack leaders accustomed to having things their own way. Whether any of them wanted to pursue her after having satisfied immediate needs or not, it was highly likely the fact that they'd staked their claim at all was going to result in a pissing contest to see, as Danika had put it, which of them was top dog.
He understood the logistics of the council's decision in sending the five of them instead of appointing a single alpha to bring his lieutenants. The reports had been sketchy. No one had a clear
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