The adult side was erotic, but also full of beautiful sculptures, large-scale paintings, and some thought-provoking pieces.
Isaac led me from painting to painting, pointing out every erotic piece as he whispered in my ear. He constantly touched his hand gently on my shoulder as he nuzzled gently against my neck while he whispered in my ear. I loved all of it so much, but it was slowly melting my restraint. His lips looked ready to kiss. I wondered if he’d be surprised if I just kissed him here…
Sensing I needed to calm down a bit, I left his side and looked to Demetrius, who was staring at a picture of a sailboat facing down a huge storm.
“Do you like this painting?” I asked as I approached him.
“I do,” he replied, his hands crossed behind his back. “This painting makes me think of us with you joining the pack.”
I analyzed the picture further. “Am I the storm?”
“No, not like that.” He quickly tried to correct his thoughts. “You and the company.”
“We’re the storm about ready to hit you?”
He sighed with a laugh. “I’m not being very articulate. You’re in the boat with us, and the storm is everything else about to hit us once we announce you as our scent-matched omega to the ballet world.”
“Oh,” I said, looking further at the storm. After thinking through his thoughts for a moment, I added, “At least you don’t view me as the raging storm coming to destroy your boat.”
He turned to me and gently caressed my cheek with his hand. “Quite the opposite, in fact.” His touch against my cheek was so tender. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation, breathing in his dark chocolate and roasted coffee bean scent. The moment lasted for just a few seconds before Isaac approached us.
“I’m getting hungry,” he said.
Opening my eyes, I looked at him. “Hungry for food, right?”
“Food too,” he said with a wave to me. “Should we get some food outside?”
“Lead the way.” Demetrius gestured us forward. He placed his hand at the small of my back, sending that needed warmth throughout me. Isaac held my hand on the other side, and together we made our way outside to the food court.
“Is everyone okay with some hot dogs? I’ll go get us some food,” Isaac said, leaving Demetrius and me alone at our standing booth. Silence settled between us as we waited at the table. My mind searched for something to say when he broke the awkwardness.
“Ivy,” Demetrius said. “We were planning on having a barbecue at our house this Saturday. Would you like to come over, maybe get a tour of the packhouse, hang out, and relax a bit?” He leaned against the table, looking at me with a hint of hopefulness in his eyes.
“I’d love to. Could give us all a chance to get to know each other more, too,” I said. I was very curious how the pack lived together, plus I found myself wanting more and more time with each packmate. My initial resistance to all this seemed to be slowly fading away. “Do I need to bring anything?”
“Nope,” he shook his head as a small smile emerged on his face. “How about I pick you up at eleven?”
“That works for me,” I said before shaking my head. “I’m sorry. I feel like a mooch making you drive me. Maybe I should invest in a car soon.”
“There’s no need to,” he shook his head as his expression turned serious. “The pack owns four different cars, plus I…” His thought trailed off as he covered my hand with his. His rich, brown eyes lifted as he looked at me. “I like to drive you around. It fulfills this alpha need to take care of you. Stupid, I know.”
I laughed a little. “I get it. I’m supposed to enjoy being pampered as an omega.”
Tilting his head a bit, he looked at me more closely. “Well, do you?”
I sighed. “It’s hard to go from being self-sufficient to suddenly very reliant on people.”
“Hmm.” He grinned at me. “Sounds like we need to do a better job of pampering you.”
The cool night air breezed by, sending a shiver through my body. I tried not to look like I was cold, but quickly I saw Demetrius take off his jacket and wrap it around my shoulders.
“I’m fine,” I lied, not wanting to inconvenience him.
“You think I'm giving you my jacket because you're cold? That's way too cliché. I’m too hot, and I just want you to carry my jacket for me,” he shrugged, lowering my arms and placing the jacket on me.
“Oh, I see, just using me,” I laughed as I inhaled his jacket. It was absolutely covered in his scent, which was very intoxicating to me.
“Did you have fun tonight?” he asked, gently rubbing my back underneath his jacket. I was pretty confident I’d never get tired from the feel of his hand on me.
