“Excuse me, ladies,” Lukas darted between Susan and me, grabbing my hand. “I need Ivy in the next room.” He picked up my bag and led me down the hall, away from the rest of the company.
I exhaled in relief at the intervention. “Thank you, Lukas, I really didn’t want to have that conversation.”
“Told you we’d come to the rescue. Dem’s going to have to make a speech now that the word’s out.” Lukas squeezed my hand. “Come on, Preston’s waiting for you.”
We entered the second studio to find Preston holding a plank on the floor, every ripple of muscle highlighted across his shirtless body. I took in a small inhale, my eyes drinkingin his magnificent form. My nose strained to catch even a whiff of his scent—damn, these beta blockers were growing annoying.
As soon as Preston saw me, he stood and walked over, taking my bag from Lukas and setting it next to his. He reached into his bag for a shirt, tossing it on quickly before turning back to me.
“How was class?” he asked, those piercing green eyes of his drilling into mine. He stepped closer to me, and his hands brushed a few strands of hair off my face. I couldn’t seem to say class was terrible, so I just gave him a thumbs up, earning a half smile.
“The entire company knows she’s our omega, word's out,” Lukas said, scratching his head as he looked at Preston. “I saved her from Susan, who was about to give her a verbal lashing.”
“Damn. Sorry, Ivy.” His eyes softened before a small smile formed. “You look tense. Long week?”
I couldn’t help but smile too before taking a deep breath in and exhaling to relieve some stress.
“Come on.” He reached for my hand and led me to the center of the room. “Let’s try a few things.”
***
Preston
Standing on the side of the room, I wiped sweat off my forehead as Ivy practiced a few turns on her own. Hope was growing in my mind; every partnering move we’d tried so far had exceeded my tempered expectations. Her turns were smooth in my hands. The carriage of her upper body and core was exceedingly strong, and all the lifts we’d tried together felt flawless.
I kept reminding myself that anyone could do an isolated move successfully. Could she actually dance with grace while maintaining that strength? I’d yet to understand how well she interpreted music, but hopefully I’d have my answer in the next ten minutes.
I glanced over to her, and she tilted her head to me in response. She still struggled speaking to me half the time, which was somehow very endearing. I thought after our date on Tuesday, she’d feel more comfortable around me, but maybe that would just be our thing. Once we eventually bonded, I’d be able to sense her emotions and needs through our connection.
We talked—mostly me—through the choreography, making sure we knew the same version of steps. Once finished, I jogged over to the music.
“You ready?” She gave me a thumbs up, forcing a smile out of me at her silence again. Cute.
I hit play on the music; a lush adagio fromLe Corsairefilled the room. This had always been one of my favoritepieces to dance as a student. The music combined with the choreography evoked a strong sensuality between the dancers, making it the perfect duet to test not only her skills but also her performance quality.
Skipping the short male’s solo entrance, I took my place on my knees, opposite Ivy, waiting for her entrance in the music.
As soon as she stepped up onto her pointe shoes, I exhaled in satisfaction. I could tell right away she had great musicality. The way she moved her upper body, the timing of her feet, even the arch of her back showed how the music flowed through her effortlessly.
With a nervous inhale, I prepared for our hands to connect. As soon as she touched me, lightning zapped right through my arms. I pulled her lifted leg position a little closer towards me than I would with any other partner. She instinctively nuzzled the side of my cheek with hers before I rotated her facing away from me, supporting her in my palms as she arched back delicately against my hands.
Her spine and upper body were fluid yet strong, a perfect combination. Her movements were luxurious, and every time she touched me, more of her rosewater-white chocolate scent hit me, causing my heart to quicken.
I stood up to meet her on the other side for her to step into an attitude position where her leg was curved and lifted behind her. Next came the pirouette; six beautiful turns spunout of her. Yes, she was a great turner, so smooth in my hands. We seemed to instinctively know when to stop the turn together.
Next came a lift above my head. She bent her knees and jumped, and my hands pressed her up over my head as she arched above me; she was so solid and easy to carry. I centered my palm on her spine in one hand and removed my other hand from her waist, not something I’d usually do in just a rehearsal, but she felt so light and easy to manipulate.
The dance continued onward—more turns flowed effortlessly at every moment, lifts were so easy, and every chance she got, she connected with me to add a soft touch, or an extra head lean on my arm, even an intense connection between our gaze. Butterflies were continuing to grow more and more excited in my stomach.
She might not have been able to say a god-damn word to me, but her dancing sang volumes between us. Dancing with her felt like a sensual encounter in the bedroom, so intimate and seductive. I could so easily carve her into any shape I desired, and I knew she’d be like that for me sexually as well. My mind started to tunnel in on her every move.
My hands effortlessly molded around her body as if she were made just for me. They glided along her waist, down her gorgeous legs, up her back. I even let my chest find more contact between us; I would never have done that with any other partner.
I took a deep breath as fatigue set in. Rosewater and white chocolate hit me hard, almost causing me to miss a brush of my arm with hers. She adjusted so fast to the missed beat—remarkable.
The last turn took off—ten clean rotations, finishing in a wrapped position—her leg wrapping around my waist with her foot lifted to reach almost my mid back. Next, I was supposed to separate, lower to my knees and bow, but I didn’t want to let go. Instead, I wrapped my arms around her waist and dropped down to my knees, burying my head into her stomach.
This was so much more than anything I could’ve imagined dancing with my scent-match. There was such an intense connection between us, and we barely knew each other. I knew right then I would never let this woman go.
