Heat stirred low in Jace’s belly. He shot her a wink as Naomi continued.
“I’m going to direct you in a few basic exercises that will allow you to deepen your connection, explore one another, and have a few laughs along the way.”
Jace slid a hand over Amy’s arm, her skin like warm silk. “Sounds good to me.”
The small huddle was interrupted when a pair of steepled hands cut a space between Amy and Jace. “Can you guys not hear me? The countdown is on. We’re live in five. Come take your places.” The man took a step back and eyed Jace up and down before casting a disapproving look toward Amy.
His hair—a cross between light blond and red— showed signs of early thinning. Strands stuck together in gelled spikes while plenty of scalp showed beneath. A scalp that was sweating profusely.
Jace gave Nick a pointed look and rested a hand on Amy’s back. “You ready, babe?”
Amy pinched her lips around an audible laugh. “Sure, hon. Let’s do this.”
“Aw,” Naomi crooned. “You two are going to be perfect.”
They hurried back into the studio and weaved through an array of flashing, blinking, cord-dragging equipment to where two mats lay side by side on the wood floor.
“Get them seated on the mat and kneel beside them, please,” Nick suggested. “We’re set up to shoot low for now.”
Naomi directed Amy and Jace to sit with their legs crisscrossed. “Pay attention to your breathing as we wait,” she suggested before seeming to take her own advice. Face calm, she pulled in a slow, deep breath. Perhaps she was nervous. Amy said those who’d agreed to be on the show with her had backed out over nerves. For Jace that wasn’t an issue. He was more concerned with discovering the face behindTaker104.
A camera floated in on them like an animal on the prowl. Jace had to remind himself not to look at the attached monitor, which showed the news team preparing to introduce theAverage Amysegment.
“Sixty seconds,” Nick barked. He threw his hands in the air to gain further attention in case his announcement hadn’t done the trick.
Jace could hear the audio faintly through Amy’s earpiece. “Oh, and what do we have here?” the anchorwoman said in an accusing tone. “Looks likeAverage Amyhas a not-so-average hunk on her arm for this one.”
“Well, that’s because she’s tryingcouples’yoga,” her co-anchor explained. “In order to do that, I assume she needs a partner.”
“I wonder if I could get my husband to do a couples workout with me,”
the anchorwoman said.
“He’ll probably want to know what he can expect,” the man replied. “Couples’ yoga is gaining a whole lot of popularity, which raises the question: Is this the type of activity the averageJocould take up and enjoy?”
“Our one and onlyAverage Amyis at Naomi Tollard’s personal yoga studio to answer that question for us. Amy, are you and your partner ready to downward dog your way into fitness?”
“Definitely, Jim. I’m here with a yoga expert on one side, a retired Navy SEAL on the other, and I’m determined to keep up somehow.” Amy turned to Naomi. “I have a feeling that with this seasoned instructor, I might actually stand a chance.”
Naomi wasted no time positioning Amy and Jace back-to-back on a shared mat. “See how you’re not quite touching?” she asked once they were into place. “Let’s fix that. Scoot back until you’re flush like this.” She clapped her palms together.
“Uh oh,” Amy said, “you mean we’re going to have totouch?” Her tone was playful now.
“Indeed,” Naomi assured. “Lots of touching.”
Jace moved back and straightened up until he could feel Amy’s solid back, warm against his.
“There,” Naomi encouraged, resting a hand on his shoulder. He could tell she did the same with Amy, since the action pressed them even closer. “Now,” the woman continued, “close your eyes and start with some deep breaths, nice and slow.” She demonstrated with a long, audible inhale. “In… and then out. Pulling in… and out. Jace, pay attention to the rise and fall, the expansion of Amy’s ribcage against yours as you breathe as one.”
Shortly after his eyes closed, a soft, tinkling music chimed while the sound of ocean waves lapped in the background. Jace focused on Amy breathing, the ebb and flow accenting the pressure of her warm figure against him.Thisis what he needed to protect: the life-flowing breath that moved through her. The faint rhythm of her thumping heart, present only at the peak of each inhale.
She seemed so delicate in the moment, so gentle. So innocent in a world of corruption. He would shield her from that too, as best he could. But he couldn’t hide too much from her either. What was necessary for her to know, he’d tell her.
He was surprised to find the instructor was right—the simple exercise deepened their connection. Created a sense of intimacy, despite the fact that they were on live TV.
“I’m not gonna lie,” Amy said in a dreamlike voice. “I’m liking this already.” The words rumbled through her ribcage and his, and heaven help him, Jace was liking it too. Very much.
Naomi chuckled. “I’m glad to hear that. Now we’re going to add a step. Let’s have you each reach back with your right hand, and simply tuck it into the bend behind your partner’s knee. This gives you a little twist action while adding another layer of touch in your connection.”
