Page 41 of Between Takes
Shaun stood, arms crossed, scowling at me. My answer hadn’t helped. It irked Mr Hotshot Know-It-All that he might not have all the facts. Amusement teased my mouth, but I bit my lip to hold back a smug smile.
“Honestly. I did a bit of gymnastics when I was very young and now I do a lot of Pilates. I’ve always wanted to try this.” My voice rose with excitement. I let the stupid grin I’d been trying to suppress take over my face.
I laughed at the look of horror scrunching up his features. “Are you jealous?”
“What a ridiculous question.” He refused to meet my gaze. Instead, his eyes roamed the room, studying the performers practising their skills. None of them paid him any attention, too focused on perfecting their routines to care about the celebrity in their space.
“It’s not ridiculous if it’s true.”
He grunted and turned back to the silks. He concentrated on securing his grip and started to climb.
“Thank you, by the way,” I called up to him.
He froze and glanced at me with narrowed eyes. “Are you trying to make me fall?”
“Of course not. I just appreciate you trying to help me adjust to a new city.”
“You couldn’t have said this while I was on the ground?”
“And miss out on watching you sweat? No chance.”
Shaun shook his head and continued to climb. I took a seat on the ground and leaned back to watch him manoeuvre his bulky frame into different holds. It was slow going, but my god, the man was a sight to see – hanging in the air held up by nothing but the power of his upper body. He barely shook. I’d joked that he was jealous, but truly, I was the envious one.
I quickly lost track of time, completely absorbed in the exhilaration that came with pushing my body to its limits and learning a new skill. The windows in the converted church were all blacked out and there wasn’t a clock in sight.
We’d started out low to the ground, but as my confidence grew, I’d climbed ten feet or so to force myself to be braver. The more I tried, the more my body shook. When my hold slipped during the last exercise, I wasn’t surprised. I shut my eyes and prepared for the impact of the mat.
I’m proud to say I didn’t scream.
Rather than the soft but painful slap of the mat, I slammed into a hard chest. Shaun grunted as he caught me in his arms and my eyes flew open.
The sounds of the active hall faded as I caught my breath and tried to slow the pounding of my heart. Shaun’s concerned gaze roamed my face and my heart began to race for an entirely new reason. The smouldering look he directed at me struck a match, and something sparked to life inside me. My skin tingled beneath his hands, which flexed against my torso and thighs.
A small voice in the back of my mind reminded me that my sweaty body was plastered against my boss. I shushed it, content to drown in his green eyes. So what if it was inappropriate? He caught me. I didn’t instigate anything.
His head lowered and, ignoring the tiny grain of self-control I still possessed, I licked my lips. His hot eyes dropped to my mouth and mine followed. His breath tickled my face, tempting and taunting me.
Shaun smirked. “If you wanted me to hold you, you could have just asked,” he muttered, our noses almost touching.
His words jolted me from the spell his concern had woven and reality set in. My body stiffened against his hold while my mind went on the defensive. A second longer and I might have taken matters into my own hands and kissed him.
“Thank you for the save, but you can put me down now.”
“Good catch, Mr Martin, but next time, I advise that you let the mat do the work,” the instructor chastised, further shattering the moment.
“I like you like this,” he whispered, completely blocking out the instructor. My stomach flipped at his words, churning with excitement and disbelief. Could he mean what I—
“You’re easier to deal with when you’re off balance. I think I’ll hold onto you for a bit.” Shaun grinned like the egotistical ass he was.
The fragile bubble of excitement burst, and I embraced the sting of disappointment. Hopefully it would protect me the next time I thought about succumbing to his charm.
