“I’ll join,” I say, feeling like an asshole.
Aro waves me forward, directing me to the gym connected to the indoor pool, and I instantly regret agreeing to something without asking questions the second we step inside.
“What the fuck is this?”
“Yoga,” Aro says as he stretches his arms over the top of his head.
“How long have you idiots been doing yoga?”
“Weeks,” Ugly answers as he squats and rocks back and forth. “It’s a hell of a workout.”
“And it calms the mind,” Slick says with a smile a little too knowing for my liking.
Thumper and his woman, Cara, enter, followed by her sister and Apollo.
“You look like you want to run away,” Slick says. “It’ll be fun.”
Thumper grumbles but snaps his mouth closed when Cara swats him in the chest.
“A deal’s a deal,” he says, a wicked grin on his lips.
Cara blushes, and I can imagine what kind of barter they made for Thumper to be willing to do yoga.
“Everyone ready?” Slick asks as she makes her way to the front of the room.
Aro follows quickly, taking up the last spot on the first row like an excited kindergartener lining up for recess.
I go through the motions, realizing very quickly that I don’t have the range of motion I thought I did. I keep my eyes on Aro, who happens to keep his eyes glued to Slick’s ass so hard he misses several transitions.
She rolls her eyes when she notices where his attention is trained, but instead of him looking away or issuing an apology, he throws a wink in her direction.
I want to shake him, to tell him that trying to hook up with another teammate is a very bad decision, but what the fuck do I know about any of it?
My muscles ache in a way I’m not familiar with after the session is done, but Aro stops me before I can head toward my room.
“I need a shower,” I argue.
“You need a beer. You’ll get a minute into your shower and have nothing but cold water. The couples that do yoga spend a lot of time getting clean.” A slow grin spreads across his cheeks, and I know I should smile right along with him, but it’s just a reminder of how I haven’t been spending my days these last several weeks.
We just got back yesterday from a trip to Central America. What was anticipated to be a long mission only lasted three days. I’m already ready to head out again. Being so close to Sylvie and actually staying away from her has been an ongoing struggle, and I know I’m losing the battle.
“You said a beer,” I remind Aro as he reaches for a bag of potato chips in the pantry.
“Gotta fuel this machine,” he says before stuffing a handful in his mouth.
“Neanderthal,” Slick mutters as she enters, handing me a bottle of water instead of the promised beer.
“Wanna come back to my cave?” Aro asks, but the delivery isn’t as smooth as he probably intended because chip crumbs spray out of his mouth.
Slick doesn’t immediately reject his suggestion which only confuses me further. “Have you upgraded from crayons to paint on your cave drawings?”
Aro looks confused for a few seconds, swallowing his mouthful of chips. “I now use my magic wand to paint the walls.”
Slick looks just as disturbed as I feel.
“Wait,” Aro rushes out. “I didn’t mean it that way. Wait. Let me explain.”
I laugh as Slick makes a hasty escape from the room.