I wish with all my might that I had my camera.

I walk up behind him and kiss his back, wrapping my arms around his middle. I love holding him like this.

“Did I wake you?” he whispers.

“No, I woke up because you were gone.” I kiss him again. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just couldn’t sleep.” He turns around to face me and leans his hips on the railing, wrapping me in his arms. His face is bathed in moonlight, his eyes gazing intently down at me.

“How are you?”

“Lonely. Come back to bed.”

“Okay,” he whispers and kisses my forehead. “I see you’ve borrowed my shirt again.”

“It’s a nasty habit of mine.”

“That’s okay you can return it to me upstairs.” He scoops me into his arms and I laugh as he carries me back to the bedroom.

Chapter Twenty

I’m surprised to wake before Luke.

We have to be at yoga in an hour, but I can’t resist lying here and watching him sleep.

The early morning light filters in through his floor to ceiling windows. I love his large bedroom with its large-scale furniture. The bed is enormous, the white sheets feel like Egyptian cotton and they are soft against my skin.

Luke lies on his back, one hand flung over his head. His face is soft in sleep, his morning stubble so sexy along his jaw, and his usually messy hair even messier than usual.

And he loves me!

I saunter into the bathroom to answer nature’s call, and when I walk back into the bedroom I pick up the scattered clothes, shoes and hairpins from last night, a huge grin plastered on my face.

I notice one of my small suitcases is sitting on a chair near the windows, and I make a mental note to thank Jules.

I am happy to find my yoga gear, fresh underwear and other casual clothes and toiletries, including a toothbrush, all new, in the suitcase. I decide to unpack and settle in a bit. If he wants me to move back out, fine. If he wants to move some stuff into my place, that’s fine too.

I add my toothbrush and a stick of deodorant to his vanity and a bottle of body wash and shampoo to the shower.

Jules must have gone shopping for all this last night, and I not only mentally thank her, I plan to surprise her with a special treat.

I leave the clothes in the suitcase, but pull on my yoga gear and look back over to the bed.

Luke’s still asleep, and we still have plenty of time, so I leave him be and head downstairs to make coffee.

I poke around his kitchen, opening espresso-colored cabinets, and finally locate the coffee and maker, get it set to drip and find some mugs as well. As the coffee perks I open the French door out to the deck and step out to enjoy the view of the beautiful Puget Sound and take a deep breath of fresh air.

It’s a beautiful day. The sky is a brilliant blue, as the morning sun is up fully and shining on the deep blue water. The ferry is gliding gracefully toward Bainbridge Island. Seagulls fly over the water, and the breeze is blowing gently through my hair. It’s a glorious day.

“I thought you weren’t a morning person.”

I spin at the sound of his rough, sexy voice. He enfolds me in his arms and hugs me close.

“Good morning, handsome.”

“Good morning, baby.”

Leaning my head back, I grin up at him. “I’m making coffee.”

“So I smell. Thank you. Why didn’t you wake me?” He kisses my forehead and takes a deep breath.

“You looked so peaceful, and we’re in no hurry.”

“You unpacked.” I lean my head against his chest, avoiding his gaze.

“Yeah, I can repack if you’d rather I didn’t leave my stuff here.”

He grips my chin in his fingers and tips my head back, brushing my lips with his in a kiss that makes my toes curl.

“I like having your stuff here. Leave it.”

“Okay.” I smile shyly at him. “Let’s get some coffee.”

***

“Are you ready?” I grin at Luke, who’s now dressed in loose, black basketball shorts and a tank top. He looks fantastic.

“As I’ll ever be.” He looks nervous and my heart melts.

“You’ll be fine. Just remember what I said, go at your own pace, and stretch only as far as is comfortable. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t get hurt.”

“Okay.” I know he thinks this is going to be a piece of cake. I have no doubt that he’s in excellent physical condition, but yoga is more physically demanding than most people realize.

I unlock the studio and usher him in.

The glass windows are all frosted so people walking by can’t stop and stare.

There are mirrors covering one whole wall with a barre mounted to it for the afternoon ballet class, and yoga mats rolled up and stacked in a corner. I walk over to the sound system and choose some calming music.

“Okay, let’s grab our mats. Clients will start trickling in soon.”

“How many people usually attend this class?” I can sense his unease about being recognized.

“Only about eight or ten. It’s a small class.”

He nods and we spread out our mats, me in the front of the class by the mirrors, and him in front of me. Clients walk in and grab mats, spread all over the studio. No one even pays any attention to Luke and I see him relax. I smile at him reassuringly and he winks back at me.

“Okay, everyone, let’s get started.”

For the next hour I lead the class through the series of poses, varying my poses to accommodate

both

novice

and

experienced clients. I typically lose myself to the music and the flow of the yoga itself, but I can’t help but be distracted by Luke and his strong body.

He’s more flexible than I gave him credit for and he’s graceful. And watching his toned body move and flex is a delight.

He’s watching me too, with more interest than just to see which pose I’m moving in to. When our eyes meet the heat is unmistakable and I know I’m turning him on as much as he’s turning me on.

I can’t wait to get him alone.

I’m in the downward dog pose and I turn to look out over the class, and see that Luke’s gaze is on my ass.

I smirk.

Finally, class is over and I’m so turned on I can hardly see straight. The clients all wave goodbye and shuffle out to get on with their day and finally Luke and I are left alone. He walks over to the door and flips the lock and my heart does a big ol’ flip in my chest.

“Is there another class in here this morning?” he asks.