Chapter 6: First Day Nerves

Monday morning arrived faster than anticipated. I brushed my chestnut hair into loose waves framing my heart-shaped face, selected fitted jeans that accentuated my athletic frame, and paired them with a crisp white and navy button-up. My favorite flats completed the look—professional without trying too hard. Orientation would take a few hours, after which I'd have the rest of the day to myself.

Driving toward FaunaSphere Dynamics, I reflected on everything since arriving in California. The guys had kept their distance since my conversation with Carl, but something in the way they watched me sent electricity down my spine—their gazes intense and unrelenting.

Pulling into the company parking lot, I hurried toward the company door and saw Jessica sitting not far away, her vibrant red curls bouncing with energy.

"Lina!" she called cheerfully. I smiled, noticing two women seated with her.

"Sorry I'm late. Traffic was backed up for four light cycles," I explained, sliding into the chair beside her.

She pushed a coffee toward me. "Oh my God, this is divine," I hummed after the first sip, making the women giggle.

"Lina, meet Clara and Scarlett," Jessica said. "Clara's been with FaunaSphere for two years, and Scarlett just joined this year like us."

"Lovely to meet you both," I said, wiping foam from my lip.

"You as well, sweetheart," Clara replied with a lilting Southern accent, her coffee-colored skin glowing under the café lights. "Jessica mentioned you're both from Alabama. Small world, isn't it?"

"Definitely," I agreed before turning to Scarlett. "Where are you from?"

"New York originally," she replied, her platinum blonde hair contrasting with her green eyes. "I miss the energy of the city, but I'm loving this California sunshine."

We chatted about our backgrounds until orientation began, then followed the crowd touring the campus.

"Hold everything," Scarlett suddenly whispered, grabbing my arm. "Who are those Greek gods in human form?"

Following her gaze, my breath caught. There stood Ara, his six-foot-three frame towering over most, dark hair swept back from a face that belonged on magazine covers—sharp jawline, full lips, and eyes so intensely blue they seemed unnatural. Beside him, Devin and Barry climbed out of a truck, the twins sharing the same broad shoulders and athletic build. I couldn't help but groan as women around us practically melted.

"Those," Jessica announced with a knowing smile, "are Lina's new housemates."

Clara and Scarlett turned to me in shock. "You're living with those horsemen?" Clara asked incredulously.

"Horsemen?" I laughed, ignoring the flutter in my stomach. "They're my stepmother's godsons. Believe me, the charm wears off quickly when you're sharing a kitchen."

"I wouldn't mind sharing more than a kitchen," Scarlett murmured, eyebrows raised suggestively. "That tall one looks like he could bench press a car."

"And probably has the ego to match," I replied, causing them to burst into laughter.

"Come on," Jessica nudged me. "You can't tell me you haven't thought about it. Those eyes alone would make anyone weak-kneed."

"Maybe they're easy on the eyes," I admitted, heat creeping up my neck, "but trust me, their personalities need serious work. We barely manage civil conversations."

"Who's failing at civil conversation?" a deep, honeyed voice inquired from behind. The sudden silence from my friends told me everything before I turned around.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I faced Ara and Devin. My heart betrayed me, skipping several beats as Ara's gaze locked with mine. For a moment—just a split second—I could have sworn a glimmer of gold flashed around his pupils. Devin crossed his arms, the movement accentuating his muscles, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"No one you need to concern yourself with," I replied coolly, fighting to keep my voice steady despite the warmth spreading through me.

Ara's lips curved into a devastating half-smile as he leaned closer, his scent—pine and something wild—enveloping me. "You wound me, Lina. And here I thought we were becoming friends."

"Friends?" I scoffed, stepping back. "Is that what you call ignoring someone until it's convenient to torment them?"

"Torment?" His eyes widened in mock hurt, but I caught another golden flash beneath the blue. "I prefer to think of it as...dedicated attention."

"Well, your attention is neither needed nor wanted," I said, motioning for the girls to follow. I refused to let him see how his presence made my pulse quicken.

"Lina, you're absolutely—" Jessica began before her words dissolved into a gasp.

In one fluid motion, Ara had circled behind me. "Not wanted?" he murmured close to my ear, his breath sending shivers across my skin before his hands found my waist. "Your heartbeat suggests otherwise."

Before I could process his words, I was airborne, effortlessly lifted over his shoulder. The sudden contact sent jolts of electricity through every nerve ending. "Put me down this instant!" I demanded, my voice embarrassingly breathless.

My body betrayed me, hyperaware of every point where we touched. Through my haze of confusion, I felt his muscles tense beneath me before I suddenly found myself pressed against a wall, caged between his arms. The playfulness had vanished from his expression, replaced by something primal.

His eyes, now definitely ringed with gold that seemed to pulse with each rapid breath, searched mine with an intensity that paralyzed me. "Ara..." I whispered, unable to form coherent thoughts with him so close.

"Ara!" Devin called sharply as he approached. A sound rumbled through Ara's chest—something between a growl and a sigh that vibrated against me.

"What are you doing?" I managed to ask, transfixed by the swirling gold now overtaking the blue in his eyes like a solar eclipse.

Instead of answering, he leaned toward my neck, inhaling deeply behind my ear as if memorizing my scent. My skin tingled where his breath caressed it. "It can't be..." he whispered, more to himself than to me.

"Can't be what—" I began, but he abruptly pulled away, the golden light in his eyes flickering like a flame before disappearing entirely.

"Ara," Devin warned, his tone heavy with meaning I couldn't decipher.

Ara stared at me, confusion and something like fear crossing his features before his expression hardened. Without another word, he turned and stalked toward their truck, the tension in his back visible with every step.

Devin shot me an apologetic look before following. I turned back to find the girls staring—Clara and Scarlett in shock, Jessica with undisguised fascination.

"That," she declared emphatically, "was the most electric thing I've ever witnessed."

My skin still hummed where he'd touched me, and I struggled to steady my breathing.

"Lina, are you okay?" Jessica asked gently, concern evident in her voice.

I nodded, forcing a smile. "Fine. He's just... unpredictable."

"Listen to me," she said, her tone suddenly serious. "Be careful around them. Especially Carl. They're not like other men."

"What do you mean?" I asked, but she was already walking away, leaving me with questions that burned as hotly as the memory of Ara's touch.

The guys were definitely unusual—the golden eyes alone proved that. But dangerous? My rational mind dismissed the idea, yet something deeper recognized a truth in Clara's warning.

I'd always played it safe back in Alabama, avoiding complications. It was easier that way.

But as I watched Ara's retreating form, I knew I was already falling into something I might not be able to handle. The thought should have terrified me.

Instead, I found myself wondering when I'd see that flash of gold in his eyes again.