Alea looked down and saw remnants of his semen and traces of her blood on his cock and her thighs. The sight of it seemed to enrage Dane, and suddenly she thought maybe she should be the one protecting Lan.
"No. They were in the pack the current took during my swim to shore, so we don't have any," Lan said calmly. "I explained that to Alea."
"He was carrying so much … " she added.
"Let me get this straight, Lan. You 'lost' them," Dane made air quotes, "so that you can knock her up and cut the rest of us out? Or is Cooper in on your plan, too, and I'm the only schmuck still standing here with his dick in his hand?"
Clearly, she should have waited until Dane was with them, but it had been spontaneous.
Cooper held up a hand and gave an awkward little smile. "Dude, if you'll ratchet down the drama, we're all going to get a turn at knocking her up. She knows we want to marry her and have a family. We're just making sure it will be a shotgun wedding."
"I don't need your jokes right now, asshole." Dane glowered, then turned that nasty stare on Lan. "So when were you going to tell me about this new plan? I'm betting never. Because, oh, you didn't want the big bad Dom touching your pretty princess and scaring her away, right? That's why you waited to fuck her until I was busy."
Alea flinched at the ugly accusation. "It just happened. I-"
Lan held up his hand to her, and Coop pulled her back with a shake of his head.
"What are you saying to me?" Lan challenged, his voice going low and guttural.
She was a little surprised they didn't start beating their chests like aggressive apes. Only minutes ago, she'd felt so languid, sated. Happy. Now all she felt was the weight of the moment. Everything she wanted, everything they all needed could be in jeopardy if she couldn't pull them together.
"I'm saying you had no fucking right to deviate from the plan." Dane was a good two inches taller than Lan and he seemed intent on proving it by looming over him. "We were all supposed to be here with her the first time. But I shouldn't be surprised. You broke from the plan to bring her to the meeting with the Anders brothers, too. Think you're the big smart man making all the decisions now?"
The last of her sated peace dissipated and fury replaced it. "Don't talk to him like that! I belonged in that meeting, so he took me. I wanted him, and he gave me what I desired."
Dane pinned her under an icy stare. He raked that cold gaze up and down her body until she shivered. "I'll bet he did. Did he fuck you good? Is Coop going to back him up now?"
God, his snide tone made her feel cheap. She'd wanted to make love, and they had given her a special memory to treasure. She'd felt special. Now, she just felt like a bone the gentle lab and the rabid hound would fight over. And she felt more than vaguely guilty for something that wasn't her fault.
"It wasn't like that!" she insisted, feeling sick to her stomach. "You're being a bully."
"Shut the fuck up, Dane. Are you even thinking about her?" Cooper rose and dove into the fray.
"All I've done is think about her," Dane shot back. "I'm the only goddamn one of us who thinks with his head at all. You two have done nothing but think with your dicks since the moment you saw her. You tongue-fucked her in a bathroom and couldn't get the job done," he sneered at Cooper, then shifted to Lan. "You took a virgin and a princess on the ground like any ol' hook-up because your cock got hard. You were supposed to treat her right, but no. You just chucked her on the ground and sank your cock in, spewing all your swimmers in her unprotected womb. That's a great first time for her."
"I enjoyed it. It was a great first experience." Or it had been until Dane had stomped in and made it sound crude with his destructive accusations.
"You weren't here, so you don't know shit." Landon ignored her, too. "I took care of her."
"Dane, you need to calm down, brother." Cooper got in between the other two men, obviously ready to stop them if they threw down.
Lan took a step away, his gaze tangling with hers and now full of regret. "Lea, I'm sorry. Darlin', let's wash up. If Dane is determined to fight, he can do it with himself. But he's right about one thing; I'm not taking care of you the way I should right now."
When he tried to lead her away to the pool, Alea dug in her heels. It was obvious Dane had a serious problem with what they'd done. Maybe she hadn't understood the "plan" well enough. Maybe they should have talked more first. They were damn sure going to talk now. "Dane, stop being a hothead. I'll get dressed, and we can discuss this like rational adults."