“Laney, I’ll take Riley down with me.” Ahh, please do. “Pop her under a free trial,” he said and handed her a neat stack of change for himself. Something fluttered down through mystomach. Okay, please don’t tell me I now find his change piles erotic?
Yup. I’m officially a loser.
Dax led me down a long corridor and pushed open the door to a large open room with beautiful varnished floors. I wondered what wax they used…
A sandalwood smell wafted to my nose, and I looked around trying to place it.
“Incense at the front,” Dax pointed out.
At the head of the room was a small altar with flowers and a strange brass statue of someone with a lot of arms standing on someone else.
“Don’t worry, that’s about as hippy-dippy as it gets,” he said with a crooked smile, though it didn’t entirely reassure me.
The room was gradually filling up, mostly with women, but I noticed a few men too, rolling out colourful mats and setting up bolsters. I spotted Harry in the back corner; he gave me a polite wave before disappearing under a blanket. Everyone looked like they were getting ready for bed.
Okay… maybe I could like yoga.
“Is this something you want to do alone?” Dax asked, like I was about to undergo therapy—or a colonoscopy. Probably referring to the meltdown I’d had the other night when I’d insisted he butt out. I hadn’t even meant it.
I shook my head.
“Good. I’ll show you my favourite spot.”
His hand brushed mine, and sparks flared up my arm, prickling warmth into my skin. He led me to a corner space against the back wall.
“It’s closest to the kitchen—for coffee and cookies after. The wall’s good for leaning if you get tired of lying down. And you won’t feel like you’re on display if you’re having a moment.”
A moment?
“So there’s no moving in this class? No downward dog?” A crease formed between my brows. Relief and disappointment battled in my chest. I mean, I was less likely to make a fool of myself lying down, but I’d pay good money to see his downward dog.
He laughed and shook his head, pulling a couple of mats from a basket, rolling them out for us.
“Nidra means sleep. No movement here.”
I sighed. “Good, because I was wondering how I’d stop myself from looking like the Tin Man from theWizard of Oz.”
“Oh, I never said you didn’t need to be flexible.” Mischief filled his eyes. I swallowed and tried to remember how to breathe.
He chuckled again before tapping his temple with a finger.
“In here,” he winked.
Did Dax Holmes just wink at me? Yup. I sank onto my mat, mimicking the other horizontal humans before I turned into an actual puddle. How did people relax in a room full of strangers? I couldn’t figure out how to keep my eyes closed. What if someone snuck up on me?
I sat up again just as Dax returned with a few thick bolsters and some woollen blankets. Now if only we had some beer…
“I’ll set it up for you this time,” he said, folding one blanket at the top of my mat and another at the foot. “Next time you’ll know what you need and how you like it.”
I swallowed, disappointed that his innuendos seemed lost on him. Heat filled me as I watched him lie down, arms stretching overhead, his t-shirt lifting just enough to expose a trail of hair beneath. Those trousers huggedeverything,and I was genuinely disappointed when he tucked himself up with one of the blankets.
“I couldn’t close my eyes or lay down for the first four,” he looked up at me as he thought back. “Don’t feel weird if you can’t.”
I nodded at him, pulling myself back towards the wall so I could stay sitting up. This really was a good spot. The teacher wasn't here yet, but everyone was lying down. Many with their eyes covered with a sweatshirt or blanket and all waiting devotedly. It was strange. If Dax hadn’t been here, I would have left by now. It seemed like a bizarre group adult sleepover where no keys were added to a bowl at the beginning, and I couldn’t see the appeal. I tried to close my eyes like everyone else, but I couldn’t help peeking out of my drooped lashes at Dax. I wanted to slip under that blanket with him and feel his body against mine as I breathed in his scent of pine and vanilla. I nearly imploded on the spot as he cracked an eyelid and grinned at me. I hadn’t said that out loud… right?
“Good evening, everyone. Sorry I’m late,” came a soft voice.
A young woman with long, sandy-coloured beach waves entered barefoot, wearing black leggings and a slouchy green jumper that hung off one shoulder. Bells on red twine jingled around her ankle as she moved, sounding exactly like I’d always imagined a fairy would. I was pleased to see that some of my assumptions about tonight weren’t groundless. She looked exactly as I imagined a yoga teacher would, and her voice was calm and syrupy. She crossed her legs on a bolster at the altar and connected her phone to a small speaker. Soft instrumental music drifted into the air.
