Page 7 of Craving You

“Okay, first of all, relax. I’m not accusing you of anything, but you have to realize this has the potential to be awkward if Hailey ever comes to visit. The Donovans are a huge family and they’re all very close. The last thing I want is for anyone to feel like they can’t come and visit because my younger brother couldn’t keep it in his pants for the weekend.”

Grinning, he took another sip of water. “What can I say? I’m very appealing.”

“Max…”

“And so was she,” he added with a wink. When he noticed his brother still didn’t look amused, he sobered. “Look, we’re all adults, Marcus. We didn’t spend a whole lot of time talking about all the what-if scenarios if she ever came to visit. That wasn’t what the weekend was about. So if you’re looking for me to give you some sort of definitive answer to any of this, I don’t have one.”

Muttering a curse, Marcus raked a hand through his hair. “Look, you have to understand where I’m coming from. I spent a lot of years screwing things up for Billie and me, and I certainly wasn’t her family’s favorite person. The last thing I need now that we’re married and deliriously happy is you making problems for her family.”

“Would you please relax?” he said with a laugh. “No one’s making problems, okay? Trust me, I would love to see Hailey again. I’ve been kicking my own ass for not getting her number and at least trying to keep in touch. She’s a great girl and I think if we’d met under other circumstances, I would have definitely asked her out and not…you know…slept with her right away. We could have taken our time and gotten to know each other. But you know how weddings are, right? Sometimes you get all caught up in the whole thing and…”

The frown on his brother’s face spoke volumes.

He had no idea how weddings were.

Time for a new tactic.

“I’m not going to apologize for what happened, and—like I said already—it’s no one’s business. If Hailey came to visit, I’m sure everything would be fine. How often does that happen?”

“Um…not…very?” Marcus slowly replied, but he didn’t sound the least bit confident.

“Do us all a favor and stop looking for trouble. Chances are it will be years before Hailey Donovan comes to visit. In the meantime, can we please go up and have a glass of wine and maybe something to eat? Dinner already smells delicious, but I’m sure Billie has some appetizers ready. She knows Dad and I love to snack.” Grinning, he stood, and so did Marcus.

“I guess you’re right. Obviously, I’m just trying to do damage control preemptively.”

They headed toward the stairs and slowly made their way up to the kitchen. “You have nothing to worry about, bro. It was just a weekend. Nothing more. But if it would make you feel better, get me Hailey’s number and I’ll call her and make sure everything’s cool. It’s no big deal.”

“I don’t know if it needs to come to that, but good to know that you’re not going to blow her off completely.”

Damn. He was this close to having a legit excuse to get her number, but maybe his brother wasn’t the key to that. Billie. He’d definitely ask Billie. Hopefully after dinner while he was praising her cooking, he could squeeze that question into the conversation.

And maybe find out if there was a possibility of Hailey coming to visit sooner rather than later.

Suddenly, dinner wasn’t the only thing he was looking forward to tonight.

Chapter Two

“Take a deep breath in through your nose, and exhale gently through your mouth.” Hailey followed her own instructions as she closed her eyes and relaxed. Only…

What the hell is that smell?

Peeking out of one eye, she glanced around her studio to see if anyone noticed it too. No one was making a face, so it had to just be her.

“On your next inhale, reach your arms overhead…exhale, fold forward.” Again, following her own instructions, she slowly bent forward, but the powerful aroma of the incense nearly choked her. The yoga instructor in her told her to just breathe through it, but unfortunately, it was the breathing that was making her nauseated.

Note to self: throw out the frankincense after class and choose a new scent ASAP.

Not that it was going to help her for the next forty-five minutes, but she’d just have to power through.

Moving through the next few poses, she put her focus on all of her other senses. “Notice any sensations in your body—what feels good, and what doesn’t?” she gently asked, moving into a reverse warrior. When she was finished, Hailey straightened and continued to guide her students as she walked around adjusting their positions and offering encouragement.

It wasn’t until the final five minutes that she went back to her spot at the front and joined them in some restorative yoga poses—gentle twists, forward folds, and backbends. “Let go of any tension and allow yourself to just be.” After a couple of deep breaths, she opened her eyes and smiled serenely at the group. “Gently bring your hands to your heart center and bow your head in gratitude.”

A moment of silence later, they were done. Her first thought was to go and douse the incense, but she bided her time as she chatted with her students and slowly ushered them toward the door. It took almost fifteen minutes for the studio to empty, and once it did, Hailey grabbed the offensive stick, tossed it in the restroom sink, and turned on the cold water. “Good riddance.”

It had been a few days since she took her first pregnancy test, and it seemed like things were starting to bother her senses. She didn’t have morning sickness, but smells were definitely becoming an issue.

“Or maybe I’m just being weird and telling myself these things,” she murmured as she grabbed her stuff and headed for the locker room to change. Today had been another full day of yoga classes and it’s the way she preferred it. But now that her last class was done, she was more than ready to head home.

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