Page 33 of The Love Position

‘Oh Isaac, this is incredible! I know I’m sounding like a stuck record, but this is beautiful. You’ve got such amazing taste. And the roof extends over the deck so you can still have these doors open if it rains! Ooh! Books!’

Isaac tried to stop smiling, but the effort was too much. He’d never experienced such pride and pleasure in his own home. Gathering a pile of sheepskins and pillows, he took them onto the deck as Sophia continued her monologue.

‘I’m presuming you made these bookshelves? Of course you did. You can’t pick up something this lovely in IKEA. Ah, the wood feels like glass. And my mother would be proud of your cleaning skills, as there isn’t a speck of dust. Hang on, let me wipe away my finger marks.’

Going to the kitchen area, he refilled her glass.

Sophia sighed happily behind him. ‘I could stay here forever. I mean, of course I won’t. This is a one-off, and I promise your secret is safe with me. What happens in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hobbit house stays in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hobbit house.’

Turning, he passed the drink to her. ‘I like the new name.’

‘What was the original house called when you bought it?’

‘Shady Acres.’

She drank the water and put the empty glass on the side. ‘That sounds like the name of a West Country rapper.’

A laugh burst out. ‘I love it.’ He held her gaze, their smiles filling the space between them. ‘I’ve never seen you this happy before.’

Her expression cracked, and she took a shallow breath. ‘It’s been a tough year.’

‘There. Your breathing just changed.’

‘It did?’

‘Yes, you’re breathing from the upper chest, not the abdomen.’

‘Oh.’

The sunshine left her face and the clouds returned.

‘It’s alright. We can fix it. Do you want to start now?’

She nodded.

‘Okay. I’ve set up on the deck.’

Sophia followed him out and sat opposite him. Her thick brown hair was tied in a bun, but a few loose curls hung down, grazing her shoulders. Isaac wanted to feel them between his fingers, brush kisses across her skin, hear her whimper with desire.

This is a bad idea. A very bad idea.

She was looking uncertain again, chewing on her bottom lip.

Just focus and do your job.

Placing one hand over his belly, he put the other in the centre of his chest. ‘We’re going to start by looking at gentle abdominal breathing, activating the diaphragm and not the rib cage.’

He risked a glance up. Sophia was staring intently at his chest.

Please don’t get hard.

He cleared his throat. ‘If you put your hands on your body like I am, I want you to see if you can breathe in and out through your nose, with only your tummy moving.’

She tried, but her movements were jerky and uneven.

‘I’m sorry! I’m really trying.’

‘You’re doing great.’

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