Out of Bounds (The Summer Games #2)(56)

She laughed, flitting her dark gaze to Erik and then back to me. “I convinced your coach to take the class with you. Private lessons can make it hard to relax, and I have a feeling Erik could use an hour of yoga just as much as you.”

That wasn’t part of the plan. He was just supposed to drop me off and then leave.

“So you’re staying?” I asked him, curious.

He shrugged but kicked off his shoes, giving me all the answer I needed.

I glanced back to Kira. “Well I hope your class is going to be extra relaxing.” I winked. “I don’t think I could open his chakras with a crowbar.”

She laughed, a light sound that filled the small room. “Seems she knows you pretty well already, Erik.”

He shook his head. “Hardly.”

His response might as well have been a slap to the face. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as his hand hit my lower back. He pushed me in the direction of the studio, not as a form of connection, but because he genuinely wanted me out of his way. Brilliant. This will be so fun.

The studio was dim, lit with twinkle lights around the perimeter of the room. Of the four walls, two were completely covered in mirrors, one was painted black, and the other had floor-to-ceiling windows leading out to the street. Loose, sheer curtains hung over the windows, hiding us away.

“Wow, it’s hot,” I said, pulling my shirt away from my skin to get some airflow.

“It’s a heated studio,” he said, meeting my eye in the mirrors. “It should be over 90 in here.”

“90 degrees?” I groaned as I headed for the set of cubbies lining the black wall. I pulled my t-shirt overhead and wrapped my silenced cell phone inside it. When I turned, Erik was accepting a black mat from Kira.

He unrolled it in the center of the room and Kira dropped the one for me a foot away from it.

“You should probably give him more space than that,” I said, walking toward them.

She laughed. “This is good. I prefer students to feel the energy around them. You’ll hear each other’s breaths and it will help each of you in your own practice.”

I was pretty sure the lavender essential oils had gone to her head. I’d never be able to relax with Erik that close to me.

And that was before he took his shirt off.

Which he did.

While I watched his reflection in the mirrors.

His tight muscles coiled and stretched across his back as he stuffed his shirt into the cubby beside mine. When he glanced over and noticed me watching him, I pulled my gaze away so quickly I nearly pulled a muscle in my neck.

Kira told us we’d start our practice at the top of our mats with our hands by our sides and our eyes closed.

She hit play and soft music started streaming through speakers around the room.

“I want you both to take a big breath and hold it in…” She walked around us, floating around the room so that with my eyes closed, I could never be quite sure where she stood. “Suck in a little more breath and then slowly exhale.”

I followed her instructions, aware of Erik’s breath beside mine. I stretched my arms out wider and bumped into his hand. He moved away faster than I could.

“The point of this practice is for you to learn to trust your body. Usually in yoga, we keep our eyes open while we work through flows, but today, I’m going to challenge both of you to keep your eyes closed as much as possible.”

She led us through another set of breathing exercises, and I felt woozy standing at the top of my mat. With my eyes closed, I was disoriented. The heat was already getting to me and we hadn’t even started. That’s a good sign.

“Brie, you know how to use your body. It’s powerful and strong and beautiful, but if you don’t trust it, then all of that goes to waste,” she continued. “Inhale again and slowly fold over to touch your toes, keeping your eyes closed.”

She walked around us. I could hear her feet on the soft floor as she stepped up and slid her hand down my spine. I kept my eyes closed as goose bumps bloomed down my arms. She massaged my muscles, soothing the pain she was causing by pushing my chest closer to my shins.

“Good Brie,” she said, stepping back. “Now, keep your eyes closed and rise again. We’re going to work through a few sun salutations and you’re both going to break a sweat. If at any time either of you needs to open your eyes or go into child’s pose, I encourage you to listen to your body and let it lead your practice. However, when you hit that wall and you think you’ve had enough, I want you to take a deep breath and push yourself just a little further.”

The music picked up, mixing with her words as she continued pushing us through poses.

“Exhale. Lower. Inhale. Up dog.”

With my eyes closed, I could feel Erik’s presence next to me more than ever. I could hear his heavy breaths. I could sense him standing strong beside me, working through the poses in time with me. Kira led us through another flow and beads of sweat started rolling down my arms, sliding across my stomach and dropping onto my mat. I peeked my eyes open to see them starting to pool below me, proof of my body’s exertion.

“Good, step or hop to the front of your mat. Inhale. Halfway lift. Exhale.”

We made our way back to standing at the top of our mats and she continued talking, swiveling around us and adjusting our poses. Her hands were so sure on my body, confident of where to touch and where to guide.