With a great effort of will, I concentrated on Ollie's instructions and on attaining a relaxed and thought-free state of mind. Ollie might've been young, but he led our yoga session with all the composure and patience of someone much older. By the time we got to the headstand pose, I'd stopped thinking at all. Serenity took over, and I let myself enjoy the sounds of nature around us—the singing of birds, the whisper of the breeze fluttering through the trees, the gentle intonations of our teacher.
I was vertical and upside down when I noticed Eve hovering at the lawn's edge.
She watched me, her head tilted to the side, her lips curved in a slight smile.
Only a few of us had attempted the headstand pose since it was an advanced move. Maybe I wanted to show off for Eve, because I found myself lifting one hand to wave at her. Held up by one arm, I began to teeter just a little.
Eve's eyes widened. Her mouth fell open.
I dropped my hand back onto the mat before I tumbled over, an outcome that wouldn't impress Eve and certainly wouldn't make her want to crawl into bed with me. Still, I was never above showing off to impress a woman.
"Okay," Ollie said, his voice a bit strained from holding his headstand, "time to ease out of it."
Moving slowly, I bent my knees and pulled them down toward my chest, then lowered my toes to the mat and rolled into a kneeling position.
Eve clapped and grinned.
She definitely looked impressed.
I waved to her again and probably smirked, though I resisted the urge to run over there, throw her over my shoulder, and cart her off to the nearest private spot, indoors or out.
The second Ollie announced the session was over and thanked us for attending, I sauntered across the grass to Eve.
"Wow," she said, "you've got the strength of a superhero."
Her compliment made me smirk again. "I appreciate the comparison, but I can't lift a building with my bare hands."
"I'm thinking you could if you really wanted to." She stretched out a hand to fondle my biceps. "You've got some powerful muscles."
Her voice had turned huskier, infused with sensuality.
Mission accomplished. I'd impressed Eve.
"Hey, Val!" Ollie called out.
Eve's hand lingered on my arm, but I tore my gaze away from her to glance back at Ollie.
"Forgot your mat," he shouted, pointing at the one I'd abandoned.
"Sorry, I'll get it." I asked Eve, "When will I see you again?"
"Dinner, probably. I've got work to do, and I need to get back to the drowned guest room. Had to get a tape measure from the house for Quentin."
That's when I noticed the tape measure she held cupped in one hand, almost hidden inside her curled fingers.
"Do you practice yoga?" I asked.
"Yes, but not in public." She gave my biceps a squeeze, her gaze trained on my arm. Her tongue slipped out to moisten her lips. "And not in the nude."
"We should have a private session, just the two of us. I can help you master the one-handed headstand."
She pulled her hand away from my arm and met my gaze. "I'll see you later, Val. Have fun with the other guests."
I enjoyed the view from behind as she sashayed toward the guest house door.
After rolling up my yoga mat, I headed into Eve's house and down the hall to my room. I checked my phone for messages, discovering I had one voicemail from Wendy Yu. I groaned. The last thing I wanted to do on my vacation was talk to my agent, but I never ignored phone calls, emails, or texts.
I dialed Wendy's number.