Hope suppressed her laugh. Now was not the time to be giggling and flirting. This was supposed tobe a Zen moment.
His lips twitched when he whispered, “Should I strip down?”
Nobody else was naked. She hadn’t had a chance to run her naked yoga idea past any of the execs. “Completely up to you. If you’re unaware, anything goes on this resort,” she teased softly, trying not to disturb the rest of the students. “I doubt anyone would be shocked by you doing a Warrior’s pose in the buff. However, they might be scared to see your monster. I’m not talking about the one on your arm.”
He snorted softly. “I have no idea what a Warrior’s pose is but I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“Even if you take nothing else off”—she pointed to his feet—“you have to remove your shoes and socks.”
“Oh, so you’re into feet? I have pretty nice ones.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Are you exaggerating about that the same as your cock?” she whispered.
“You can be the judge.”
She wasn’t into feet, but his ass when he bent over to remove his sneakers and socks got her stamp of approval.
“Okay, get into the same pose as everyone else.” Since he was a complete beginner, she stepped back and waited for him to get set up so she could correct his form.
And, boy, did he need help.
“Do you mind if I touch you?” she asked softly once he got into place and attempted the very simple pose.
The way his deep voice rumbled “Be my guest” caused a flurry of warmth to spiral through her and land at that recently neglected spot between her upper thighs.
She tried not to linger as she adjusted his alignment, but he was tense and she had to keep whispering, “Relax. Loosen your muscles. Don’t lock your joints.”
The man needed a lot of work, but at least he had shown up. That was more than most people.
However, it turned out that she had to correct his form for every pose. Was he doing that on purpose?
The more she put her hands on him, the more heated his eyes became.
Cam appeared athletic. He probably stuck to doing more “manly” exercises like lifting weights and maybe even running. He was a former cop, after all, and the cops she knew all thought they had to appear “alpha,” even when they weren’t.
Toward the end of the session, she announced, “Now for the best part. Savasana, or Corpse pose.” That got a few quiet chuckles. “Lie in a comfortable, neutral position on your mat. Lengthen your body from your neck through your tailbone, open across your chest, and move your shoulder blades away from your spine. Let gravity help with the rest. Allow your body to feel heavy; let go and sink into the mat. Close your eyes. Notice your thoughts without getting attached to them. Take this time to recalibrate and reset. Your body—and mind—deserve it.”
Amazingly enough, that was one pose that Cam didn’t need help with, so she shut up and sat cross-legged on her own mat to keep an eye on the class. She grinned when, after a couple of minutes, a few soft snores met her ears. It was inevitable that at least one person always drifted off during the last pose since everyone was so relaxed.
Five minutes later, Hope pressed her hands together as if in prayer and said softly, “May there be love in your heart, peace in your thoughts, and joy in your words as you carry on throughout the rest of your day.”
Her students rolled to their sides for a minute or two, then slowly rose to their feet. She was pleased to see howchill everyone appeared. Even the people who might end up bound and whipped with a crop later today.
“I hope to see some, if not all, of you in the future.”
When the rest of the class filed out of the event hall, Hope began wiping down the mats, rolling them and stacking them on the cart to put them away. She really needed to sit down with Dayne or Dylan and see if they’d be willing to invest in some desperately needed yoga equipment, like straps, blocks, and bolsters.
The only person who lingered was Cam. Once he pulled on his socks and sneakers, he went around rolling up the mats she hadn’t gotten to yet and brought them over to the cart.
She thanked him.
“I never expected it to be such a workout.”
Hope smiled knowingly. “Used some muscles you never knew you had, did you?”
“Yes, and I regularly use the resort’s gym and pool. Sometimes I even take my bike out or go for a run on the trails, even though running isn’t my favorite.”
Just what she figured. “You might be sore tomorrow. While yoga is low impact, you’re holding poses when your body is used to movement. If you’re unaware, the muscle contractions result in microscopic tears to the tissue. Your muscles, tendons, and fascia will grow stronger as your body repairs itself. If you keep coming to my classes, I promise you’ll start to feel the benefits. Why do you think some professional athletes do yoga? Even football players.”
