the next morning so that he could get up, go for a run to burn off energy, and then shower and be ready to meet her at her studio with a dozen other women.
He’d rather be alone with Ariana. At least in her class, he’d get to see her in her element and really get to know what she did best. She wouldn’t have a following if she wasn’t good at what she did.
Dillon fell asleep, only to be wakened what felt like a few minutes later when his alarm went off.
He rolled out of bed, slipped on his shorts and running shoes and went out into the early morning Austin downtown district. He jogged for three miles, moving through the streets dodging delivery vans and feeling the heartbeat of the beautiful city for what felt like the first time in a long time.
When he returned to his condo, he drank coffee and let his body cool before ducking into the shower. With thirty minutes to spare, he headed to the west side of Austin to Ariana’s Zen studio.
Before he’d met Ariana, if anyone would’ve said he’d be going to a yoga class, he would’ve told them they were high on something. Yet, here he was pulling up to her studio along with the dozen women who paid her to lead the class. Hell, if he liked the effects of the exercises, he might just join them every Sunday. Sunday happened to be the only day he could reasonably attend on a regular basis.
He could imagine his brothers’ reactions to his announcement that he’d be attending yoga classes on Sundays. Dillon didn’t care. His brothers had to have something to pick on him about. But when shit hit the fan, they would always have his back—but not just his brothers. Emma was even more of a force to be reckoned with when someone threatened her family or friends.
Dillon held the door for all the gray-haired women, finally entering after the last one went inside. They all looked at him and smiled as they passed him going through the door.
One winked, said “Hubba Hubba” and pinched his chest. “Ooo…those are real,” she murmured, and then walked away giggling.
He just smiled politely at the woman and refrained from engaging. He wasn’t there for them. Dillon had come to see…
Ariana stood in front of the class, dressed in a black form-fitting tank top and yoga pants. Her feet were bare, and her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, high on the crown of her head.
She smiled at him then turned her attention to the ladies in the class.
Dillon took a mat from the stack in the corner, like the ladies did, but chose to position his at the very back of the room.
For the next hour, Ariana led them from one pose to another, holding the poses for what felt like an excruciating time before releasing them.
The older women in front of him tried on occasion to help him get the poses right, but he shook his head, pressed his finger to his lips and pointed to the instructor.
The ladies nodded and went back to posing, which they did much better than Dillon. He told himself they’d had many years of practice. That this was his first time, and he wasn’t sure if he’d do it again. By the time they finished up, he was certain he’d pulled a muscle in his calf and another in his gluteus maximus…hell…in his ass. He carried his mat to the corner, limping slightly.
“Congratulations,” a voice said from behind him. “You made it through your first yoga class.”
He turned to find Ariana standing behind him, looking like she hadn’t broken a sweat, whereas he needed another shower. “Thanks. I have a new appreciation for the art.” He rubbed his hand over his right butt cheek.
“It looks easy, just a bunch of poses, but when you hold them for so long, it exerts pressure on the muscles, strengthens them and helps tremendously with balance. It also improves flexibility and helps to prevent back pain. As well, yoga inspires mental calmness.”
“I feel calm already.”
When the last client exited the studio, leaving the two of them alone, Dillon pulled Ariana into his arms and tipped up her chin. “I haven’t stopped thinking about this since I left you at the coffee shop yesterday.” He captured her lips in a gentle kiss that grew more insistent.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressed her hips to his, her breasts to