A slow grin curled his lips. “You're staying around here, then?"
Danika blinked at him, mentally kicking herself.
"Yes,” she mumbled, returning her attention to her project and staring at the paper hard to will her brain to function on a level above ‘female in heat'. The thought had no sooner flickered through her mind than she realized a good part of her jitters was exactly that.
It stood to reason, she excused herself. They were a damned good looking bunch and they practically wreaked of testosterone. She was a woman, after all, even though that wasn't something she remembered very often.
"Is there a particular reason you don't want to tell us where you're staying?"
Danika felt her face heat again. She cleared her throat, searching for something to say that wouldn't offend.
"We don't bite ... hard,” Con said with a husky chuckle.
"Just a little gnawing here and there,” Jared agreed with a wolfish grin.
"You're scaring her,” Balin said coldly when she sent the two men a wide eyed look.
They were
all
scaring the shit out of her!
Unfortunately, it wasn't fear that coiled in her lower belly, generating heat.
The men tensed at Balin's rebuke—
all
of them. Danika flicked uneasy glances from one to another and finally looked at Balin, who seemed to be the focus of their brooding gazes. He'd tensed, as well, but she didn't think she would've noticed if not for the fact that he was touching her. He looked singularly unimpressed by the fact that the other four men radiated hostility and aggression.
That thought sent a wave of cold through her.
Alphas, she realized, stunned. That was why she felt so uneasy. It wasn't just the testosterone level at the table. It was the fact that she'd instinctively registered that all five men were alphas.
What in the world would bring five such dominant males together?
She dismissed the possibility that she figured into the equation just as she'd immediately dismissed the suspicion that either Con or Jared were actually flirting with her in reality. More likely, given the way they looked, they were just used to toying with whatever female came within their sphere.
"No, they're not,” Danika lied, hoping to diffuse the situation.
Some of the tension eased from Balin. Amusement and something else she couldn't quite grasp flickered through his hazel eyes. “No?"
She offered him a weak smile. “I know they're just being playful."
Dakota snorted, the sound a mixture of repressed amusement and mild annoyance “Con's right. You are clueless, sweet thing,” he muttered in a rumbling growl of a voice.
She made the mistake of whirling to look at him when he spoke and discovered he'd shifted a lot closer than she'd realized. He was close enough she could see his eyes were dilated until she could barely discern the difference between the pupils and the thin, golden brown ring around the outer edge.
Her body, mindless thing that it was, still keyed more to animal instinct than sentient being, reacted with another wave of warmth at the blatant sexual interest in his eyes.
They must have been on the road a long time, she thought dimly, to have any interest in her.
Fortunately, the waitress arrived with their food, effectively distracting the men from her and each other.
"So ... you're not passing through and you haven't been here long,” Balin said almost conversationally as they focused on their food. “Now I'm wondering what could've brought you to this little out of the way hick town."
Danika flicked an uncomfortable glance around to see if any of the local ‘hicks’ had taken exception to the comment. It didn't help her feelings when she noticed a number of people at the surrounding tables seemed to have their ears pricked to listen to the conversation.
She wasn't certain why she got that impression. They seemed to be focused on their food and/ or their dining companions, but the impression resisted her efforts to dispel it with reason. “Work,” she said finally.
His black brows rose questioningly. When she ignored the silent command to continue, he pursued it. “What kind of work?"
"Oh, you wouldn't be interested,” Danika said dismissively, not because she was concerned about telling him beyond a reluctance to get acquainted with an obvious gang member, but because she doubted he was interested or would be intrigued if she did tell him.
"Try me."
She glanced at him in surprise and then looked around at the others at the table, discovering she had their full attention. Finally, she shrugged. “Wildlife management brought me down ... or rather up, I guess since this is north of where I live ... because they seem to be having trouble with wolves and I'm the closest they could get to an expert in that field on such short notice."
Something flickered in their eyes, but it wasn't surprise.
Why weren't they surprised, she wondered?
Maybe they didn't know wolves weren't natural to the area, but surely they still should've been surprised at her vocation?
Jared, who'd leaned around Balin, studied her speculatively, then flicked an enigmatic look at the others. “I suppose from that,” he drawled after a moment, “that you're supposed to observe and report back on whether to send trappers or hunters."
Surprise flickered through her. “Actually, that's pretty much it. They weren't convinced there were wolves. This is a rogue pack—not native to the area and they've never had a problem with wolves. Their behavior is pretty peculiar for wolves to say the least.” She shrugged. “Not that I'm really an expert. I was doing a study on wolves in captivity in the Atlanta zoo. I haven't actually studied them in the wild before ... other animals, but not wolves,” she added quickly before they could get the impression that she didn't have any idea of what she was doing.
She could only describe the expressions on their faces as grim, which both surprised and disappointed her—the grimness. Bored, wouldn't have surprised her. People had a way of looking like they were searching for a polite way to scrape her loose the minute she got warmed up about her studies in wildlife.
"What were you doing the study for in Atlanta?” Dakota asked after an uncomfortable silence had descended at the table.
"Mating,” she said before she thought better of it. “They're concerned—the zoo—that the wolves don't have much interest in it."
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Two
Danika knew, even before she lifted her head self-consciously, that she'd stuck her foot in her mouth. The grins and speculative gleam in their eyes only confirmed it. Animals took mating and procreation in stride. People tended to either be affronted or titillated by such discussions.
"Shy of being watched while they fuck, huh?” Balin observed dryly, although his hazel eyes were dancing with amusement.
"I kind of get off on it myself,” Con said, supplying her with far more information than she wanted.
Dakota's grin was wolfish. “I don't know about that, but it sure as hell doesn't bother me. What about you, Balin?"
Danika glanced at him when Dakota directed her attention to Balin,
not
because she wanted to know.
Balin's gaze moved from Dakota to her, flickered over her with one of those ‘undressing’ looks some men managed to perfect to an art form that should be insulting but somehow wasn't. Maybe because he managed at the same time to convey the impression that he liked what he saw? “I hadn't given it much thought. I'm not sure it would add to my enjoyment, but I'm pretty focused when I'm fucking. I don't think it would detract from the experience."
"I have to agree with Con, it can be a definite turn on,” Xavier put in, sending her a smoldering look that made her squirm in her seat.
"Definitely,” Jared agreed, matching Xavier's heated look and then some.
Struggling for scientific detachment, or at least an appearance of unconcern over the subject matter and her growing discomfort, Danika tried for prosaic. “I was talking about wolves—animals in general aren't ‘in’ to kink. I don't do studies on human behavior."
Balin looked more amused. “Kink, huh? You're an expert on the subject, then?"
In spite of all she could do, Danika felt herself blushing harder. “Uh ... in animals, you mean?"
He chuckled. The husky sound made her flesh prickle in reaction. Worse, she could feel her nipples hardening. Bra? Had she remembered to put one on, she wondered a little frantically?
She wasn't going to look down and find out.
She didn't have to. He did.
From the look in his eyes when he met her gaze again she was pretty sure she'd forgotten the damned bra. That was what came from spending more time wandering around the woods looking for animals instead of around other people!
She
knew
she'd forgotten something when she left the cabin—besides her damned shopping list!
"Well,” she said brightly, changing the subject abruptly and gathering her bag protectively to her chest, “I've really enjoyed meeting you guys. You take care when you get back on the road!"
Balin grinned at her. “It's been a pleasure—We aren't going anywhere any time soon, though. I'll look forward to getting better acquainted."
Danika gaped at him in dismay, aborting her attempt to rise when he didn't show any signs of yielding to let her out of the booth. “You're staying here? In Maynard?"
He shrugged. “For a while."
Danika glanced at the others, half suspecting he'd said it only to unnerve her more than she already was. “Oh. Well, I doubt we'll run into each other. I'm staying ... uh ... I don't get into town much ... won't ... Anyway, it was nice to meet you all,” she stammered, dragging a bill out of her bag blindly and placing it on the table top.
Balin picked it up and calmly shoved it into her shirt pocket.
A jolt that felt almost like an electric current went through her when he brushed her engorged nipple with the back of his hand. She would've dragged it out and put it on the table again but she was afraid that would only prompt him to stuff it in her shirt pocket as he had before, and she thought she might faint. She felt lightheaded already.
"I have to go now. I need to pick up some things before I head out,” she said tightly.
He studied her for a long moment and finally shifted away from her. Jared stood, allowing him to slide out. Danika hurriedly followed, favored the men with a nervous smile, nodded and headed for the door, her ears pricked for any sounds they might follow her. It unnerved the hell out of her when she
did
. Throwing a nervous glance back as she yanked the door open, she saw Balin was hard on her heels.