I looked each in the eyes: Isaac with his raspberry coulis and vanilla, Preston with a rich smell of chili chocolate and burnt caramel, Lukas with lemon sugar and shortbread, before returning my gaze to Demetrius with his dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans scent.
“Yes,” I replied softly, my breathing growing heavy. “You all smell so wonderful.”
“And do you agree to be courted by us?” Demetrius asked, as his hand tenderly caressed my cheek. There was astrategic softness to the way he touched me, as if knowing the right amount would sway me completely.
The silence of the room stretched as four sets of eyes intensified on me. I shifted my focus from one man to the other, each handsome in his own unique way, all looking at me longingly. Was I really about to sign up for this? This all had to be a wild reality show.
I considered the potential of rejecting them, but a huge pain shot through my chest. Despite how awkward and uncomfortable I felt in this moment, I instinctively knew I was supposed to be with them.
Reconnecting my gaze to Demetrius, I slowly tilted my head forward in agreement, earning an exhale of relief from everyone in the room.
“Good.” Demetrius smiled in satisfaction. His smooth, velvety voice sent another shiver down my spine. “There’s a lot we need to figure out.”
“How will I keep dancing with all this?” I asked as I looked around at their growing desperation.
Lukas rushed to hold my hand, kneeling in front of me. “No one’s asking you to stop dancing. It’s our job to figure everything out for you.”
“You were cast in the corps for the first ballet; you can still do those roles. No one but the four of us are unattached alphas in the company.” Demetrius brushed a few loose hairstrands off my face. “The bigger issue will be the four of us trying to work around you before we’re bonded.”
My shoulders tensed upon hearing the word bonded, something I hadn’t even considered yet. Oh god, there would be bonding and nesting. How did I do all this?
“No one needs to mention that,” Isaac said as he waved the thought away. “Let’s just have fun courting for now.”
I gave Isaac a thankful smile, relaxing a bit at his words. It’s not like we’d be bonding tomorrow, no need to panic just yet.
“I need to dance with you—soon.” Preston stepped forward. His eyes looked at me so intensely, as if he could see into my mind. “When you’re ready, after class, meet me in this studio. What duets do you know?”
My heart quickened as I thought. It was so hard to talk to him with his intense green eyes. He was the leading male principal dancer of the company, and he wanted to dance with me. “Um…all the main classics…mostly,” I managed to squeak out. I had no idea how I'd be able to hold my own next to him.
“Le Corsaire, Act Two, bedroom pas?” Those intense eyes burned brightly into mine, as if daring me to say anything but yes.
“Yes,” I breathlessly replied, earning a satisfied smile from him that melted my heart.
I closed my eyes and tried to take a deep breath, but with the five of our scents intertwining together, I failed to clear my head. “I know there’s a lot of heightened emotions right now. I just ask that we take this slowly moving forward. I have no idea how to be an omega.”
“Of course, we will move at whatever speed you feel comfortable with,” Demetrius said in agreement, his rich velvet voice sending another shiver down my spine as more perfume drifted from my skin.
The intense looks I got from each guy told me slow was not what they’d prefer. Their scents were all over the room, in my clothes, and on my skin, edging me closer and closer to losing control of myself. The eagerness in their eyes was quite apparent, and my mind battled between being terrified of losing control and wanting to tear my clothes off with lust. I felt like prey being stalked by four predators.
I stood up, needing to stop before I did something regrettable. “I think I should head back to my apartment. It’s been a long few days, and I have all these new, weird sensations I’m trying to grapple with. This is a lot to take in.”
All four stood up as tension filled the air again. Clearing his throat, Demetrius ushered everyone to back off. “She’s right, it’s a lot for all of us. Let’s walk you back to your apartment. The nice thing about the temporary housing is it’s right across the street.”
As we walked towards the studio exit, Isaac took my hand, gently kissing my knuckles. “Don’t walk around by yourself.” Another little shiver ran down my spine. Any more shivers tonight, and I would fall into a seizure of desire.
Preston reached for my other hand. “I made you dinner, will you eat it, please?”
“I…yes.” That’s all I could manage to say to Preston.
“Preston likes to contribute as our resident chef,” Demetrius stated while leading me to the door. “He spoils us with his delicious meals.”
Lukas walked backwards in front of me, talking very excitedly. “I was probably so annoying, taking pictures of you on Monday during class, I just couldn’t take my eyes off you.” He pulled a print from his backpack and handed it to me. “Here’s a beautiful one of you mid-jump.”
Gasping, I took the print from him. “Wow! Your timing at the top of the jump was perfect! Thank you!” He beamed at the compliment, adding a few chassés as he continued to walk in front of me.
We reached the doorway where, around the corner, Dr. Laughlin was leaning against a wall, waiting patiently.
“Well? How’s everything going?” she asked, arching her brows curiously. Her eyes searched mine for signs of hesitation.
