Page 50 of Exposed Ink

“I want to live again.”

* * *

“Areyou sure you want to do this?” Mom asks the next morning.

“Yes, I’m sure. I don’t want to sink back into that dark hole, and getting out and staying busy will hopefully help prevent that.”

Speaking with Julia confirmed what I’d already known and not wanted to admit—I’ve developed feelings for Shane, but more than that, I’m ready to move forward. And I plan to focus more on that … after this week is over.

“Okay.” Mom smiles. “Then, let’s go.”

When we arrive at the health club, we rush straight back to the studio where the yoga class is being held since it’s about to begin and grab a mat. I haven’t done any classes yet since I started coming here, but my mom loves the yoga class and mentioned it’s a good stress reliever, so I figured since I don’t have any clients until this afternoon, I’d check one out. At this point, I’ll do anything to get through this shitty week.

I’m getting situated when the instructor announces the class will start shortly, and I whip my head around to find where the voice is coming from because I would recognize that voice from anywhere.

“Isn’t that …” my mom begins.

“Holy shit.”

I glance at my mom, then back at Shane just as his eyes meet mine. They quickly widen in shock, but when they drag down my body and back up, meeting mine for a second time, they’re filled with lust. It’s then I remember I’m dressed in leggings and a tiny sports bra that leaves little to the imagination. And if looks could give orgasms, I have a feeling I’d be screaming out Shane’s name.

“Jesus,” Mom whispers. “I knew the man had a crush on you, but holy hell.” She dramatically fans herself. “I had no idea the chemistry between you two was so hot that it could set this place on fire.”

“Mom!” I hiss. “What are we, in high school? He doesn’t have a crush.”

Mom shrugs, Shane smiles at me, and I wave awkwardly, which makes Mom laugh, and in return, I glare at her.

“Sorry.” She laughs again. “It’s just so cute.”

“It’s not cute,” I grumble even though it is in fact kind of cute.

Shane goes about introducing himself to those who haven’t met him before. Apparently, his brother and his brother’s wife—Eric and Katie—own the health club, and while he usually teaches other classes like boxing and cardio, he is fully trained to teach yoga.

“Is Katie okay?” one of the women in the front asks.

“Yes,” Shane says. “But she woke up this morning feeling a bit sore and asked if I could take over her class. She’s hoping to come back later this week, but with her due soon, she’s taking it day by day.”

“Katie’s so sweet,” Mom says. “I’ll have to send her a little pick-me-up. She’s having a little girl.”

I wait for the pain to come, and it does because I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t ache for my baby girl, but another emotion also makes an appearance—hopefulness. Because for the first time, I can see it—getting pregnant again, carrying a baby, feeling him or her growing in me. I loved being pregnant, and I couldn’t wait to be a mom.

I glance at Shane, and he smiles softly, and images of him doting on me hit me. We’re obviously nowhere near the creating-a-family stage in our relationship—hell, are we even in a relationship? But the fact that I can visualize a future with Shane and a baby has my heart swelling.

“All right, ladies,” Shane says, snapping me from my thoughts. “Let’s do this.”

The yoga class is only an hour long, yet it feels so much longer than that. Between Shane eye-fucking me, my mom noting the way Shane is eye-fucking me, and me trying and failing not to eye-fuck Shane right back, when the class is over, I’m hot and sweaty and turned on.

Mom says she’s going to shower at home, but since the shop is right next door, I brought my clothes with me so I could shower and get dressed here.

But before I get to the women’s locker room, a hand wraps around my wrist and pulls me through a door markedPrivate. When I spin around to see what’s going on, I’m met with Shane’s body pressed against mine.

“Do you have any idea how hard it was to instruct a class to do the downward fucking dog with your ass wiggling in the air?”

My thighs clench at his admission, and I thank the bra gods that my sports bra is thick enough that my nipples won’t poke through the material.

“I’m pretty sure rule number one for teaching at a health club is not to eye-fuck your students,” I sass.

Shane growls—legit growls—into my ear. “Oh, Sour Patch, I wanted to do way more than eye-fuck my student.” He runs his nose along the side of my neck and plants an open-mouthed kiss to the sensitive area just under my ear. “Tell me I wasn’t the only one imagining fucking you in that position.”

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