Page 13 of Love In The Air

Her body temperature rose about ten degrees. Throat going dry as she took in all that hewn muscle. The sharp planes and ridges of his pecs and abs entranced her. The dip in his hips, that V shape leading all the way down beneath—

“Iz?”

She shook her head, raising her gaze to his. Heat burned her face, but Chance didn’t seem to notice she was standing there basically eye-fucking him. His head tilted, brow furrowed with confusion.

“You okay?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, um what?”

This was ridiculous! Half the people in here were wearing next to nothing. His near nudity shouldn’t affect her this way. Usually, Iz herself would be wearing bike shorts and a sports bra. Today she’d gone with full leggings and a tank top. Not because of Chance or these weird feelings he stirred in her. Just because it had been slightly chilly this morning.

It wasn’t chilly now. Iz felt like she’d been tossed into an active volcano. All heat and boiling lava surrounding her, ready to explode.

“I asked if you were ready for today?” Chance smiled again, a giddy anticipation filling his eyes. “We’re starting rehearsal on our duo act.”

Oh right, that. Of course, he had no idea her body was lusting after him of its own accord. Stupid body. He was just excited to get in the air. Truth be told, so was she. Now if only she could shove these weird Chance feelings away into a box and toss it in the artic ocean things would be peachy.

“I’m stoked!” She responded, a little too cheerfully if the raise of his eyebrow was any indication. “What size hoop are we using?”

“Jen said she rigged up a 36 inch.”

“36?” She frowned. “Isn’t that kind of small?”

Barely cresting five-foot, Iz used a 34-inch hoop for solo acts, but with two people, the more room the better. Two more inches hardly seemed like enough room for her and Chance’s massive frame.

He shrugged. “I’m sure we can change it to a 38 if the 36 is too small.”

She nodded, not sure about anything at this point.

“Let’s go warm up.”

She followed him through the room, waving to people as they said hi mid-stretch. They made it down to the end of the room where a black untapped hoop hung four feet off the ground. A blue eight-foot mat lay beneath it. Chance moved to the mat and started doing jumping jacks. Iz joined him, following the standard warmup routine Jen and Meg had set out on the first day. They moved through arms, lunges, leg stretches, making their way to back flexibility.

“Partner back arches, people,” Jen called out from the center of the room.

Ugh, she hated those. They were great for back flexibility and stretching the shoulders, but they were also damn uncomfortable.

“You wanna go first?” Chance asked, as he rose to his knees.

“Sure.” Better to get it over with.

She rolled onto her stomach; arm stretched up above her head. The warm press of Chance’s knees cradled her hips as he held himself above her, one leg on either side. He didn’t put his weight on her but hovered over. Then his hands were grasping hers, pulling slowing as she leveled her chest up off the mat.

“Tell me when you’re good.”

She tried to ignore the effect his touch and voice had on her. The tingly sensation running along every nerve. It wasn’t Chance. It was simply her body’s endorphins responding to the exercise. That was it.

She arched her back, stretching her neck and looking toward the ceiling. The pull of the stretch burned, pinching slightly as he slowly lifted, waiting for her to call it.

“You’re going too far, Iz,” he warned. “I’m leveling down a bit.”

Irritation killed some of the butterflies that had been fluttering low in her belly. Every time she thought they were getting along Chance had to pull out his “I know better” voice and kill the vibe. “I’m fine.”

He scoffed. “Pulling a muscle because you overstretched in some weird attempt to prove to me you’re more flexible or some shit is a stupid move. I thought we were done competing.”

They’d never be done competing. She’d be trying to best Chance until the day she died.

“And I thought you were done being a know-it-all, but here we are.”

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