Page 46 of Hitting the Gap

“Hi there, umm, I have an appointment with Rayne at 10:30 but wanted to drop in on the 9 o’clock hot yoga class. Rayne had said drop in was fine.”

“Absolutely drop in is more than fine. Have you ever taken a hot yoga class before?”

“Once and if I’m honest, it wasn’t my favorite thing, but Rayne suggested it might be good to try before my session with her.” She shrugged. “I’m willing to give it a shot.”

“Jeremy’s classes are fantastic. I think you’ll really like it.”

“It’s a man teaching?”

“Yes.” Jenna studied her for a couple of seconds, then smiled. “He’s amazing. You have nothing to worry about. I think you’ll really like it if you give it a chance.”

Well, that was embarrassing. Now she looked like some judgmental idiot. “Of course. I’ve just never had a male yoga teacher, so it surprised me.” She held up her hand and reassured Shyla. “Pleasantly surprised me. I’m a sociologist, so I just—”

“Bailey?” a male voice said her name.

She turned toward the man. “Brandon? Hi. What are you doing here?” Gonzo’s gigantic teammate was the last person she’d expected to see at the yoga studio.

His full lips turned up slightly as he smirked back at her. “Taking yoga.”

“Right, of course.” She chuckled. “Sorry, I just didn’t picture you as a yoga guy.”

“No? How did you picture me?” His gaze skimmed down her body.

What was happening here? Why did it seem like he was flirting?

“No, I haven’t, I just, umm, what I meant was I assumed you worked out more like Gonzo, with the running and weights and all that. Not this.” She flapped her hand to encompass the studio.

“I do all that as well. But Kia convinced me to do a session with Rayne and now this is part of the routine.”

“Yeah, I’m trying out a class before an energy healing thing with Rayne that Peyton convinced me I needed to try. She got Rayne on the phone last night and organized everything before I had a chance to change my mind.”

The corner of Brandon’s eyes crinkled in amusement as his lip curved ever so slightly, almost like smiling wasn’t something that came naturally to him. “Guess you’ll be becoming a regular like me.”

Bailey wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sure. As you can tell, I’m not really one to workout much.”

Brandon’s gaze swept down her body. “Once Rayne’s gotten at you, you’ll be a lifer like the rest of us.”

“She’s that good?”

“Yeah.” He paused for several seconds. “So, what class are you here for?”

“Hot yoga?” Her voice hitched as she said it.

“You’re not sure?” He chuckled.

“No, I’m sure. I—” She sighed. “I’m just not sure I’m gonna like the class.”

“I hear ya. I didn’t think I’d like it either.” He hitched his yoga mat strap up his broad shoulder, drawing Bailey’s attention to his size. The man was huge. “You ready?” he asked.

Bailey took a deep breath. “As I’ll ever be.” She followed Brandon down the hall to their studio. The sign on the wall said Fire studio. Geez, that sounded ominous.

Bailey stopped at the back of the class and set up her mat. Brandon laid his down beside her.

“You don’t have to hide back here with me,” she said.

“Nah, I always set up in the back. I don’t want to block anyone’s view of Jeremy.”

“How tall are you?”

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