The rest of the room gets into the position of preference. Some straddling, others sitting beside their partners, while Nora is standing frozen in place. I can feel her anxiety as she stares down at my bare back. I’ve never really recognized someone else’s emotions so strongly before. Maybe it’s all the zodiac crap that’s slowly going to my head. Or maybe it’s just her. But damn, it’s a potent thing. I feel like I’m drowning in her, and I’ve only kissed her twice.
I’m a selfish bastard, though, and wait for her to decide what she wants for herself instead of letting her off the hook by suggesting the opposite of what I really want.
Which is her. On top of me.
Naked.
I shift my hips to get comfortable when I know there won’t be any relief until I can find some alone time after this. Or we finally just give in and take a nap together.
Unable to help myself, I glance up at her as she hovers over me.
With a smirk, I tease, “Any day now, Pretty Girl.”
There’s a moment of hesitation before she finally gives in and places her feet on both sides of my hips. The heat from between her legs practically brands my lower back as she sits down on top of me.
I squeeze my eyes shut and bask in the exquisite torture before releasing a slow breath out of my mouth.
Don’t roll over, Gage.
“Alright, ladies. Now that we’re all in position, I want you to pour a bit of the oil into your hands and rub it into your palms. This will help heat it up a little bit so that it won’t feel so cold against your partner’s back.”
Shifting against me, Nora reaches for the bottle, and my muscles tense beneath her.
You’re playing with fire, babe, I want to shout, but I bite my tongue. I’ve never been so close to coming in my board shorts before, but my restraint is seconds from snapping.
When a loud squirting sound breaks the lust-filled ambiance, my body rumbles with laughter beneath her, grateful for the opportunity to release a bit of the tension.
She smacks my back, giving me a turkey, which only makes me laugh harder.
“Ouch!”
“Don’t laugh at me!” she admonishes before snapping her mouth shut when the instructor gives her a dirty look.
“We want everyone to feel safe in this environment, ladies. Please do not break your partner’s trust by hitting or scratching them.”
“You can scratch my back anytime,” I counter to help ease Nora’s embarrassment. “Oh, and she knows I like it rough.”
The instructor purses her lips but doesn’t encourage me any further. “We will now start with the same circular motion but will add a little pressure by keeping our elbows locked and leaning into the movement. Once you’ve mastered this, I’d like you to draw your hands out from the spine to their sides. Understand?”
Nora digs her thumbs along the tight muscles on both sides of my spine before using the heel of her hands to spread out from the center of my back and to my sides, just like the instructor mentioned.
I groan. Probably a little too loudly because it’s followed by a soft chuckle from Nora.
Leaning forward, her mouth grazes the shell of my ear as she asks, “Does that feel good?”
“You have no idea.”
She rolls her hips into my lower back, torturing me on a whole new level while repeating the massage technique from seconds before.
“I beg to differ,” she breathes.
“Now, we’re going to work on a technique called longitudinal gliding,” the male instructor explains. The buzzing in my ears is too much for me to pay attention to anything else, and I pity Nora for needing to focus on his instructions when I get to just lie here and get lost in her touch.
By the time the class finishes, I can’t get up. Well, not without looking indecent, anyway.
“How you doin’ down there,” Nora teases as the class empties and leaves us dangerously alone together.
Pressing up onto my elbows while keeping my hips firmly against the yoga mat, I mutter, “Oh, ya know…just great.”
“So, how’d I do? Do you feel relaxed?”
“Actually, I feel a lot of pent-up frustration right now. You?”
Her face lights up with amusement, which only fuels the fire. “I feel all loosy goosy, thanks to you. Maybe I need to keep working on my technique, though. I mean, if you’re not feeling very satisfied….”
“Yeah. You should definitely work on that. I’d be happy to let you practice on me. We could always go to my room….” I let my voice trail off. I don’t want her to feel any pressure from me, but I also want to make it clear that I’m game if she is.
“Don’t hate me, but I’m going to have to take a rain check on that. The next session is in thirty minutes, and I want to change into something other than my swimsuit before it starts.” She has the decency to look sheepish as she turns me down. Amused, but sheepish. “Want to meet me in thirty minutes?”
“Yeah, sure.”
She offers her hand to help me up, but I wave her off. “Nah. I’ll just sit here for another minute. Thanks, though.”
Laughing, she covers her face before nudging my T-shirt toward me. “Gotcha. Well…I guess I’ll just see you in a few. Do you know where the next session will be held?”
I shake my head.
“It’s in the same room the keynote speaker was in last night.”
“The room with the open bar?”
“Yup.”
“Alright, I’ll see you there in thirty.”
“Perfect. And uh…”––she motions to my prone position while scrunching up her bright red face––“I’m sorry about…that.”
“Sure, you are. Are Cancers known for enjoying the torture of innocent victims, or is this more of a Nora-specific trait?”
“Innocent, my ass,” she counters, placing her hands on her hips. “Besides, you started it. Your hands are magical, Gage.”
With a
