“Grab your workout clothes. I’m about to show you all the ways I can bend you into a pretzel.”
“I thought I was the one doing the bending?”
“Equal opportunities, Leo.” She winks and walks out of the bedroom, Nila hot on her heels.
Ten minutes.
That’s all it takes for me to question all my life choices as I lie flat on my back on a yoga mat in the garden, staring up at the sky as the sun starts to rise over London. The birds all chirp around me. The setting is so peaceful and tranquil surrounded by Ria’s stunning plants that I shouldn’t be feeling like I’ve been run over by one of London’s famous red buses.
“That’s not right, Leo,” Ria mocks from her ridiculous pose next to me. Seriously, how has she done that?
“I’m not sure what you’re doing is right either.” She gives me a wry smile and releases her leg effortlessly before bending her body, resting her palms flat on the mat.
“You’re supposed to clear your mind and flow through the movements. Stretching out your spine.” Twisting her head to the side, she smiles. “Come on, try again.”
“I’m able to say no to literally every other person in the world, but not you. Oh, no.” Rising to my feet, I mimic her pose but groan when I try to reach the ground without bending my knees. “Oh, no, for you I’ll willingly put myself through torture and call it relaxation.”
“Wow, this must be what it’s like training with Deeks. Never did I think I’d see the day that Leo Brent would be grumpy,” she mocks, slowly lifting her chest until her hands leave the ground and she stands, bending her body into the pose that I’m supposed to be trying to copy.
“I’m not grumpy; I’m in pain.” I try and fail to copy her, wobbling on my heels until I spectacularly fall back onto the mat. “I think I’ll stick with lifting weights.” Nila pounces onto my chest, and I give her chin a tickle. She gifts me with a loud purr but digs her claws into the thin material of my T-shirt, causing me to hiss. “Christ, are all the women in my life trying to cause me physical pain today?”
Ria laughs and bends backward, lifting her leg over her head and looking at me, a devilish glint in her eyes. “What was it you said to me? Pain can give way to pleasure.”
“Yeah, no, that’s not for me.” Tilting my head to the side, I continue to watch her. “I have no idea how you thought I would be able to do that.”
“This is just a beginner pose.”
“I honestly never thought you, Ria, of all people, would lie to me, but here you are lying directly to my face.”
She giggles, effortlessly moving to hold a different position. “Okay, this might be more advanced than I let on.”
“I didn’t have you down as a cruel woman.”
“Not cruel, just a little devious.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“I’m sure you’ll survive."
“Only time will tell.”
“Going to try again?” She holds a new position, her chest pushed up to the sky, and I watch as all her muscles flex to keep her in place.
“I’m more than happy to admit that this isn’t a sport for me to partake in.” Rolling onto my side, I trace her exposed clavicle, loving the small gasp that escapes her, but she remains in position. “But I’m very happy to be a spectator.”
Unfurling her body, she rises to stand with her hands on her hips, and she looks down at me. “Want me to put on a show for you?”
“I would absolutely want you to put on a show for me.” I grin back, standing, with Nila tucked into my chest. “But how about I make us breakfast while you find your Zen.”
“Convenient how the kitchen window is overlooking this exact spot.” She tilts her face up to meet mine.
“I guess I’m just lucky.” Wrapping my arm around her, I pull her into me and drop a kiss to her lips. “In more ways than one.”
“Smooth,” she mumbles against my lips. “Now go watch like a creeper.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“There is a Mr. Lucas in reception for you, Mr. Brent,” Rebecca, my assistant, says from my open office door. “I did tell him that you’re extremely busy and as he doesn’t have an appointment that you may not see him, but he was quite persistent.”
