Chapter 10 #2
When I faced toward Ivy on the left side, I could see the same effect in her as well. There seemed to be an extra stretch of the line, a push for a higher leg position as well, even an extra softness throughout her neckline.
After an hour, we finished barre and moved to stretching in the center—sweat rolling off our bodies.
I finished class with a nice cooldown full of a few yoga poses to help stretch us out, catching brief glimpses of her body moving through my positions.
Once done, we both lay breathing lightly on top of our yoga mats, tired but also refreshed from the workout.
“I made it through,” I laughed to myself. “No ballerinas were attacked today.”
“Actually, I found your scent very motivating during class,” she said as she sat up from the floor.
“Yeah, I know what you mean. I noticed that too.” I took one more big breath of air before sitting up myself.
My mind drifted to thoughts of performing together in the future while she looked at me. “I’ll have to soften my upper body line a bit to match yours. You have a better flow than I do…”
Suddenly, two hands were framing my face as a pair of lips pressed against mine.
Her lips.
Ivy was kissing me.
I sat stunned, my heart beating wildly while she released my face and sat back, looking at me playfully.
“You kissed me…” I stammered, shocked.
She beamed brightly at me as she nodded excitedly, a blush spreading up her neck.
I reached around her back and pulled her into me tightly, crashing my lips down on hers.
So sweet and soft. Her lips ignited a passion inside me that I’d been fighting to keep down since the moment I laid eyes on her.
Her mouth parted open, letting my tongue sweep inside.
Her kiss was heavenly, and her body melted against me—so soft and supple, her chest pressed up snugly to mine.
A soft moan escaped from her as my hands moved up her back, aggressively pulling her into me. I wanted more badly, and my arousal was suddenly through the roof.
Don’t go too far…
Releasing the kiss, I jerked back trying to steady my heavy breathing. My eyes connected with hers as I repeated myself. “You kissed me!”
“Oh god, was there a correct order to kiss each of you?” Ivy’s eyes grew wide. She reached for her lips, touching where ours had just melted together.
I let out a laugh. “No, only the bonding has an order. Dem has to go first.” After a slight pause, I asked. “Am I the first mate you’ve kissed?”
She nodded again and gave me another quick kiss. Each kiss sent a shot of desire running rampant through my body.
“We’re kissing now!” I knew there was a big, stupid grin on my face, but I didn’t care. My mind was racing a thousand miles a minute on what this meant for the pack. “We shouldn’t kiss in front of the others until you’re ready for them, too. We don’t want to create pack jealousy.”
“Okay,” she beamed, kissing me again on the lips. I was pretty sure I’d won the lottery, each kiss sent my stomach twirling with butterflies. For some reason, I kept talking in between kisses.
“We shouldn’t kiss too much either…”
Another kiss on my lips.
“But don’t stop kissing me.”
Two more kisses with a bit more tongue.
“You have a knack for sending me right to the edge with everything you do.”
My hands were racing up and down her arms as I leaned in to rub my cheek against hers. If we were kissing, she’d probably accept me scent-marking her more.
She softly giggled as I talked and rubbed against her.
I could tell she wanted to kiss me again, but was now holding back.
I pulled her into me for another passionate kiss, trying to capture the taste, the touch, the sounds of her soft moans.
I’m sure she felt my growing arousal as I pressed up against her body.
The sweet, subtle scent of her arousal was becoming apparent, too, as we held each other tightly, her hands bracing my head while my tongue stroked farther into her mouth.
Of all the things I imagined happening today, this wasn’t it. The feel of her lips against mine, her body pressing against me, and the fact that I was her first…
I paused, pulling back, as my heart pounded in my chest.
“Now I’m at the edge…where’s that cold water?”
I reached behind me blindly, grabbed the cup of water, and poured a bit into my hand before splashing some on my face. This cup was not big enough for me.
***
Ivy
The memory of kissing Preston earlier lingered while I sat in the passenger's seat next to Demetrius. After Preston and I had finished in the studio, I’d sadly gathered my things and prepared to head home.
Preston’s reaction to our kiss played over and over again in my mind. His surprised expression and stammering made me giggle. And those kisses—wow. There was so much passion in him, and I wanted to explore it thoroughly.
One thought kept tugging at me—balance. Didn’t I need to find a balance between the four to create harmony in the pack? Wasn’t that what omegas did?
Preston had seemed larger than life when I first met him, but now, being comfortable with him was growing easier every day; our language was dance, and the passion between us spun out of control quickly.
Lukas had such a fun, playful side. I wanted to spend more time alone with him to get to know him better. He was so smart, always calculating, and quite hilarious. Something told me he’d find a way to kiss me soon.
Isaac was chaos and creativity incarnated into a sexy body. I felt more like I was being stalked by a predator than needing to get to know him better. I had no doubt our chemistry would bloom when the time was right.
Demetrius, on the other hand…he continued to baffle me, and still seemed the most reserved, though he was beginning to soften.
Being with him felt like navigating a maze—I kept looking for the right turn to bring us closer.
We also had the widest age gap between us, almost ten years.
While I was comfortable with it, maybe he wasn’t.
We were currently alone in the car together, but this didn’t seem like the right time for any deep conversations.
“Any ideas on where you’d want to go dress shopping on Tuesday?” he asked me while shifting lanes.
“I’m still getting familiar with the area, so I’m not really sure. How formal is this event?”
“It’s listed as semi-formal, but some people go all out.” Demetrius paused for a moment before continuing. “I think I know a place we can go.”
“What is this event for?” I asked curiously.
“It’s a fundraiser for the State Arts Society Council. With our company being one of the main benefactors of their funding, we must make a great public appearance.”
“Do you enjoy attending these events?”
He laughed softly to himself, his low voice humming through me.
“I used to hate them. I felt very out of place, like I didn’t belong, especially when I first founded the company.
Now, I’d say it’s more like a skill one needs to understand and master—socializing and fundraising.
I use these events to perfect that skill for the benefit of our dancers. ”
“That makes sense,” I replied. “You’re always putting everyone else’s needs above your own. It’s very selfless and caring towards those you’re in charge of. I admire that.”
He drove in silence for a brief moment before replying. “Thank you, I’m pleased that’s how you see me.”
Our eyes connected for a split second before he looked back on the road.
“Ivy, I feel we’ve not really had a chance to connect deeper yet. I hope you know that’s not a lack of interest on my part. I just want to make sure the pack’s taken care of.”
“I get it,” I said, then added. “But won’t taking care of the pack be my job eventually? Will I be in your way?”
Slightly surprised, he quickly glanced at me before returning his attention to the road. “No, you’ll be a godsend. You already are, and I love that you're already imagining your role with the four of us. I’ll be so thrilled to have you…well, it’s the omegas place to balance, for sure.”
Switching topics, we discussed the logistics of the event before finally arriving at my apartment.
Demetrius helped me out of the car and escorted me up to my apartment, softly brushing his hand against my lower back.
We briefly paused at my door, his hand caressing my cheek as his eyes gazed over me.
“Have a great rest of your day, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning right here,” he said, kissing my forehead. He waved to me before leaving down the hallway.
I slowly walked into my apartment, shut the door, and locked it behind me. Leaning against the door, I tried to hold onto the warmth of his touch, but it slipped away too fast.
Inside my apartment, there was no hum of voices in the background.
No scent of food. No bursts of laughter.
Just white walls and a ticking clock. As I looked around the sparsely decorated apartment, all generic looking, void of any personality, a thought grew louder and louder in my head that I couldn’t seem to push away.
It’s lonely here.