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“My lady,” he said with a flourish, sweeping me into a twirl that had my hair fanning out around me.
Giggles escaped me as I spun under Lucian's expert guidance. Lena and Zara clapped along, their laughter mingling with mine. Even the usually composed Xavier couldn't suppress a chuckle at our antics.
For the next half an hour, I forgot all about my nerves and reservations. The music enveloped us, and I allowed myself to be lost in its rhythm, in the warmth of Lucian's hands guiding me across the floor. When the music faded, I was slightly breathless and disappointed that the moment had come to an end. Before I could gather my thoughts, I found myself standing before Dominic, his intense gaze pinning me in place.
With a deliberate motion, he brought my hand to his lips, brushing a featherlight kiss against my knuckles. The simple gesture sent a jolt of heat rushing through my arm and into the very core of my being. My heart raced as Dominic held my gaze, his eyes smoldering with an intensity that left me weak in the knees.
Next, Lucian repeated the gesture, his lips grazing my skin with a tenderness that contrasted with the undercurrent of dark fire in his eyes, leaving a trail of warmth in their wake. Then came Xavier. His kiss was different somehow, gentle and tender, and it left me breathless utterly out of sorts, caught in the web of their collective allure. In that moment, I knew my life had taken an irreversible turn, and I was powerless to resist the pull of the Davenport brothers.
Their kisses lingered on my skin long after we said our goodbyes—a tangible reminder of an evening that had shifted something deep within me. The gentle hum of the engine was a mere backdrop to the whirlwind of thoughts swirling through my mind as Lena's car glided through the city streets. My gaze drifted out the window, but the flickering lights and bustling cityscape held no sway over me. My focus remained resolutely inward, replaying the events of the evening on an endless loop, thoughts of Dominic, Xavier, and Lucian entwining like a relentless vine. Their images were imprinted behind my eyelids; every time I blinked, I saw them again—their smiles, their gazes, the commanding aura that surrounded them.
“Looks like someone is smitten with the Davenport brothers,” Lena teased, her voice dancing with mirth.
A warmth spread across my cheeks, and I tore my eyes away from the hypnotic blur of streetlights to meet her knowing gaze. A shy smile tugged at my lips as I attempted to feign nonchalance. “I'm… not,” I said, the words feeling hollow even to my own ears.
But how could I deny the truth that reverberated through every fiber of my being? The Davenport brothers had awakened something primal within me—a longing that both thrilled and terrified me. Their very presence commanded my senses, leaving me utterly bewitched.
It wasn't just attraction; it was an undeniable pull toward them—a yearning that caught me off guard. But they were alphas—billionaires who commanded a global empire—and I… I was an omega whose life had been shaped by others' expectations and whims. Our worlds couldn't be more different. The notion of bridging that divide seemed as impossible as scaling the highest mountain peak.
As Lena's car pulled up to her elegant apartment, my thoughts remained consumed by the Davenport brothers. I moved through the motions of preparing for bed, but even the soothing warmth of the shower could not wash away the memories that clung to me.
The ghost of Dominic's lips brushing against my knuckles lingered, sending a shiver down my spine. I could still feel the firm yet gentle grip of Lucian's hands as we twirled across the dance floor, his touch igniting a fire that had yet to be extinguished. And Xavier… His kiss had left me breathless, a tantalizing promise of intimacies yet to be explored.
As I slipped beneath the cool sheets, their faces danced behind my closed lids. I saw Dominic's intense gaze, Xavier's thoughtful eyes, and the playful glint in Lucian's silver irises. A longing ache blossomed in my chest, and I found myself wondering if our paths would ever cross again. Or was tonight merely a fleeting moment never to be recaptured? A sigh escaped me as sleep began to take hold, my last conscious thought filled with three pairs of eyes that seemed to see me as no one else ever had.
* * *
Barely a month after that mesmerizing night at The Velvet Melody, the echo of my performance and meeting with the Davenport brothers still lingered in my heart. But the revelation that followed had me reeling. I couldn't fathom the words Meredith uttered, her voice cutting through my daze. Engaged? To Dominic, Xavier, and Lucian Davenport? It felt like a surreal twist in a dream, the kind you wanted to wake up from to savor its sweetness just a little longer.
“I must be losing my mind,” I said under my breath, half expecting to shake myself awake. But no, this was all too real. Meredith's grip on my wrist was a vise of reality, her nails digging into my flesh as if to punctuate the gravity of her proclamation.
“You will marry them, Asa. It's your duty,” she hissed close to my ear, her breath cool against my heated skin. I despised how they wielded that word—duty—like a shackle forged from years of obligation and pretense.
I sat before the vanity mirror now, my hands trembling in my lap as Meredith fawned over every detail of my appearance. She applied makeup with an artist's precision but without an ounce of affection. Her voice was a constant prattle about how stunning I would look on the arm of the Davenport brothers—alpha husbands who could have any woman they desired. The nausea swirled within me at the thought, an acidic reminder that I was nothing more than a means to an end in their eyes.
The dress I wore clung to me like a second skin, its delicate lace overlay shimmering with every subtle shift of my body. It was an ethereal garment meant for someone stepping into a fairy tale—not for a girl who felt more like a pawn in a game of chess.
My gaze met my own in the mirror, taking in the sight before me. The dress enhanced the porcelain quality of my skin; its pale hue made my hair seem like spun moonlight cascading down my back. My eyes reflected a mixture of awe and trepidation. For a fleeting moment, I saw what they all saw—the otherworldly creature deemed worthy of such powerful men.
But beneath that beauty lay a torrent of uncertainty and fear, swirling just beneath the surface like dark waters under ice. As Meredith stepped back to appraise her handiwork, I wondered if anyone else saw it—the girl drowning in her own reflection.
I took a deep, steadying breath as Meredith continued her tirade, her words like thorns pricking at my skin, and my fingers curled into the fabric of the dress.
“Remember, Asa,” she said, her voice low and sharp, “you must behave yourself. We can't have you embarrassing us.” Her eyes bored into mine through the mirror, and I could see the warning flickering in their depths. Her grip tightened, a physical reminder of the invisible chains that bound me to their ambitions. “This is your first meeting with your future husbands. You must make sure to entice them.” Her lips curled into a semblance of a smile, but her eyes remained cold. “Should they change their minds about marrying you…”
I felt a shiver run down my spine at the thought, at the lecture I’d received, and an icy trail of dread settled in the pit of my stomach.
She leaned in, her tone laced with an urgency that gripped my heart like an iron chain. “This is our chance to secure a place among the highest echelons of society.”
I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat, my mind racing to comprehend the situation thrust upon me. Once again, I still couldn't believe the Davenport brothers wanted me as their wife.
Meredith echoed my sentiment. “I can't believe the Davenport brothers want you, Asa. It must be because of that night at Evelyn Sinclair's birthday party.” She scoffed lightly, as if the memory amused her. “Though you behaved poorly with your silly laughter, you managed to catch Dominic's eye. Who would have thought such a misstep would lead us here?”
As Meredith prattled on about how this arrangement would elevate our family's standing in high society, my mind drifted to the Davenport brothers.
But why? Why had I caught their attention? Was it merely my ethereal appearance at Evelyn Sinclair's birthday party, at The Velvet Melody performance, or something more?
The memory of that night at The Velvet Melody flashed through my mind—Dominic, Xavier, and Lucian, their intense stares both terrifying and thrilling, stirring something deep within my omega being. I hadn't been able to shake off the sensation, the way their gazes seemed to peel back layers I kept hidden from the world.
