when the fun stopped. She tried to concentrate on the bruising pleasure he wracked from her body and told herself it would be enough. If only she hadn’t learned to look past his gruff, crude, annoying exterior and see the real man underneath.
A man who her friends liked. A man who showed up to have dinner with her neighbor and Poppy with a smile on his face. A man who helped with a dog he didn’t care for. A man who had told her in a casual way he’d made a drug bust at Bluebird and shut down a dogfighting ring in the process. He hadn’t given up investigating the house, even though everyone else had. When Anthony called her, telling her that a variety of shelters and the Humane Society were stepping in to help with the dogs, she’d turned to Stone with tears in her eyes and thanked him.
He just shrugged and told her she could make it up to him in bed.
Arilyn took a deep, calming breath and refocused.
“I’m going to take you through a demanding yoga routine. It’s commonly known as hot yoga, so we do the workout in a set temperature of one hundred degrees. I’ve placed water bottles by your side and checked with your respective physicians to be sure each of you is in proper health.”
Luther spoke up. “How is this supposed to help with anger?”
“Funny, I was gonna ask the same thing,” Stone drawled. “Sure this isn’t just a way to punish us and get your kicks, Teach?”
She narrowed her gaze, but his dancing eyes told her he was deliberately baiting her for a show. She smiled at Luther and ignored her lover. “Hot yoga is a great way to break down both your body and mind. We’ve been studying barriers and mental blocks that keep anger suppressed. Any exercise is excellent, but this is particularly cleansing. You’ll be uncomfortable, and when your mind fights, anger can take hold. The mat is a safe way to practice all the scary things in life, master them, and move on.”
Luther nodded. “Thanks. I understand better now.”
“As for you, Officer,” she said, tone hardening, “do your best to keep up.”
Eli snickered.
“Let’s begin.”
The routine was long, hard, and messy. She kept her attention on all three men, making sure they weren’t experiencing any health issues or emotional blockages that sometimes radiated through such a cleansing process. She was surprised at the loosening of Stone’s hamstrings and biceps during the transitions. Funny, it was almost as if he was doing something different. His body was more relaxed and limber than before. As she moved into Downward Dog, Stone tossed off his tank. The sight of his bare chest gleaming with sweat, muscles bunching as he moved, caused her to miss a step and almost fall on her ass.
By the end of the session, she was wet in many places.
They completed circle time and broke for the weekend. Luther and Eli chatted with her awhile as Stone helped stack the mats in the corner. He checked his phone and waited for them to leave. Finally, the room was empty.
Her heart pounded. Her skin prickled with awareness. He stalked her slowly, those lush lips twisted down in the familiar sensual sneer that made her hot. “Slade warned me about your tendency to torture men with hot yoga. You enjoyed that, didn’t you?” he asked.
She took in his hard, sweaty body and smiled with promise. “Slade is right. And yes, I did enjoy it.”
“Payback’s a bitch, little one. Everything you do to me in this room will be done to you later on. In private.”
Her gaze deliberately raked him from head to toe. She dragged her tongue across her bottom lip as if imagining his taste. He growled low in his throat in warning.
“You’re a lot of talk, Officer,” she answered coolly. “Not much action.”
Sexual tension squeezed between them. Arilyn tried to keep up her demeanor even though her core throbbed painfully and her nipples begged for release, hardening with anticipation. Excited to see what he’d do, she studied him in silence, the obvious challenge in the air sparking like an electrical current gone crazy.
“I’ll be at your place by eight tonight. Then you’ll get your action. And your lesson.”
Disappointment cut through her. She craved his kiss, his touch, but as if he knew what she wanted, he dropped one eyelid in a wink and sauntered out the door. “What if I’m busy?” she called out.