Page 15 of Phoenix Rising

Talking about his former love was a mood killer. “It’s getting late, and we have an early yoga class in the morning.”

“Oh, joy.” Reese deadpanned.

She chuckled as she stood. “You’ll love it.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I’d rather go for a run or head to the resort gym.”

They made their way back to their room, and the closer they got, the faster Audria’s heart pounded. There was only one bed.

As if reading her mind, Reese offered, “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

It was a nice sofa, long enough for his tall frame, but something made Audria say, “We’re both adults, and the bed is big. There’s plenty of room for two of us.”

Thirty minutes later, she regretted her offer as she climbed under the silky covers. Reese was on his side, with his back to her. They’d slept in the same room several times before, but other people were usually around, and they hadn’t occupied the same mattress.

Audria got comfortable, trying hard not to inhale his masculine scent. It would be a long night.

Chapter Five

Reese barely slept a wink all night. It was torture with Audria close enough to touch. He’d freaked her out by telling her he’d wanted to kiss her for a long time. Well, she needed to get in line because he’d freaked himself out. What had possessed him to admit that to her? She was already skittish around him. The restaurant’s romantic atmosphere, coupled with how incredible she looked, had short-circuited his brain. Maybe that sexy perfume she wore had altered the chemicals in his bloodstream. That was his only excuse.

He rolled out of bed first and hit the bathroom. When they had worked together in the past, Reese and Audria would often go for runs in the morning. Their strides meshed, and he treasured the time they spent together. When she resigned, running hadn’t held the same appeal, though he still forced himself to do it.

Since they were starting the day with a yoga class, they wouldn’t be hitting the trails around the resort. He donned his workout gear and shoes before relinquishing the bathroom to Audria.

Not that they didn’t trust the resort personnel, but they locked their computers in their rental along with their real IDs whenever they left the room. After stashing them in the SUV, Audria and Reese walked to the studio. It was a warm, sunny day in Arizona. The temperature was already in the 90s, and the forecast called for it to rise as the day progressed.

“By the way, this is a hot yoga session,” Audria informed him.

“What does that mean?”

“You do yoga. It’s hot.”

“Smartass.” He smiled as she chuckled. “What do they do? Hold it outside in this diabolic heat? It feels like the bowels of hell out here.”

“Baby,” she chastised. “It’s intense, and you will sweat.”

“You’ve done it before?”

“Yes.”

He grunted. Working out was a passion of his, but that didn’t include bending his body into a pretzel while some evil sadist cranked the thermostat to scorching. It didn’t sound fun to him at all.

The studio was in a building off the main street running through town. Reese savored the blast of cool air when Audria opened the door, and they stepped inside.

“Welcome to the Sedona Fitness Center,” a young woman with curly brown hair sitting behind a desk greeted them. “I’m Apollonia. What can I help you with today?”

“Hi, Appolonia. We have reservations for the hot yoga class with Yogi Vishnu,” Audria said.

“Oh, that’s the best class. You’ll love it,” she gushed while sliding an iPad in front of Audria. “Please read the terms and then sign. That will be one hundred dollars for both of you.”

“A hundred bucks,” Reese muttered as he shook his head and handed her his credit card. “Appolonia, one of my cousins came to Sedona, and she loves to take yoga classes. I’m trying to track her down. Have you seen her?” He turned his phone to show her a picture of Paige.

Appolonia took it from him and nodded. “Yes, I remember her.” She handed his phone back. “She participated in two classes about a week ago. Hey, it was the same one you’re taking today. Isn’t that a coincidence?”

“Sure is.” Not really. Paige had circled it on the flyer. “She hasn’t been back?”

Appolonia shook her head, sending her riot of curls dancing around her face. “No. That was it.”

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