Do I think he’s good-looking? Yes, of course.
He’s moody, a practical joker, and more so, he’s stubborn as all hell. But the icing on the cake is that he can’t makeup his mind on anything. So, while there’s a definite physical attraction, I don’t think I can deal with someone who can’t commit. Ryan may make my heart flutter and my stomach giddy, but there could never be anything more.
The clearing of a deep, gravelly throat breaks me from my thoughts.
“You okay there, sunshine?” Ryan asks, balanced effortlessly in the Firefly pose as I look up at him.
I can’t help but smirk, surprised he’s actually pulling it off, and take a deep, centering breath.
“I’m good, but stay like that. I need to stream this,” I tell him, pulling out my cell and starting a live feed. “Week two of the live feeds from the Recovery of Ryan yoga workshops. As you can see, Ryan is doing exceptionally well in his Firefly pose…” Just as I say that, Ryan grunts, his arms tremble, and he collapses, his ass slamming onto the mat with a giant thud. As my finger moves to stop the live streaming, he suddenly breaks into a bellowing laugh. My shoulders slump, and a wave of relief washes over me.
Lara rushes over and helps him to sit up while she giggles with him.
“You okay?” I call out.
Ryan looks over at me and gives me two thumbs up. “I’m good. Lara told me not to do that, but you know me, I never listen. Hope it was entertaining?” he asks, and I shake my head.
“Terrifying, more like it,” I reply while I watch the comments coming in about how hilarious Ryan’s incident was.
He smirks wide. “You know me, never know if I’ll make you laugh or scream. I like to keep you on your toes.”
I roll my eyes and keep streaming as Lara instructs him to do a much more subdued Side Plank pose. The muscles in his arm bulge, holding his weight as he keeps himself up on the side and reaches for the sky with his other arm. I bite down on my bottomlip as I take in all the curves and features of his toned biceps. He’s definitely been working on his arms, and I clench my thighs together to dull the ache that’s forming between them.
When Lara instructs Ryan to end his pose, I pause the live feed and shake my head slightly as his muscles relax. He sits cross-legged on the mat, taking in a few calming breaths.
Hell, I need a few hundred calming breaths.
Ryan in a tank top and sweats shouldn’t be doing anything for me, but seeing him here, his arms bulging with a slight sheen of sweat defining each one, definitely makes my mind think things it absolutely should not.
“Okay, Tillie, you ready to get it on with Ryan?” Lara asks.
“Excuse me?”
“You ready for couples yoga?” she asks.
Ryan looks at me, raising an eyebrow, and I clear my throat with a single nod.
“Ah, yeah… sorry. Don’t know where my head’s at today.” I walk over and take a seat in front of Ryan, with my knees just touching his. Warmth radiates through my legs at the thought that I’m touching him, and I have to try to rein in my mind.
Get a grip, Tillie!
“Okay, so this week we’re going back to basics and working on strength. Ryan, I’m going to get you to do a handstand against the wall, then Tillie, you will do one right up against Ryan, facing him, leaning your body against him, and you’ll both stay up for as long as you can,” Lara suggests, and we both furrow our brows.
“Won’t that mean our faces are like right against each other?” Ryan asks.
Lara smiles. “Yes, your faces will be facing each other and together. This is a very intimate pose, generally for couples, but I know you two will be fine. You seem great together and comfortable around each other enough to pull it off.”
I swallow hard as Ryan shifts, clearly uncomfortable at the thought of being so close to me. My breath hitches, and the familiar ache is back. Clenching my thighs together does nothing to ease anything this time. If I don’t get my shit under control and stop letting him affect me so much, he will be able to sense what he does to me.
“Okay, Ryan, up you get,” Lara instructs, slapping his shoulder. “I’ll help you, once you’re up, to get yourself against the wall properly, and then I’ll help Tillie position herself against you.”
His whole body tenses as I stand, and he looks at me, his stare harsh, but he shows no other sign of being uncomfortable. His strength is so masculine that it sends tingles down my spine as his legs flip up into the air in a handstand. Lara grabs his legs and moves them back against the wall while his hands shimmy along the floorboards, taking their place. His face slowly turns a shade of red.
“Okay, Tillie, you’re up.”
I walk up to Ryan and face him, my body shaking with nerves about how this might go down, but I’m not going to show him that I’m tense.
“Okay, bend into your handstand, Tillie, and I’ll lead you into position,” Lara announces.
