Page 15 of Riding Pine
And my car isn’t heading home. It’s heading towards his studio, and maybe that makes me a stalker, but I want to see him again. After parking in the lot across the street, I notice a stream of people exiting the studio. His class must have just ended. Jogging across the street, I nod at a few ladies as they exit the building and slip inside.
I don’t immediately see Ben, but he exits his office and stops when he notices me.
“If you keep showing up unannounced, I might think you like me, Lukas.” Ben smiles, and that dimple pops as he locks the door behind me. “I know you think locking the door means I’m about to get naked.” He stretches up and I bend closer, hoping for a kiss, but he shakes his head. “I want to practice a routine, and you’re free to watch.”
He spins on his heel and walks over to the main studio room. I’m not ashamed to admit my eyes remain glued to his ass. Yoga pants and his ass are my new favourite thing.
“Lukas?”
I snap my gaze up, and Ben laughs as he turns around. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone as horny as you. Except me, I mean. I can practically smell it on you.” He gestures to a yoga mat on the floor. “Have a seat and watch your private show.”
Ben says nothing else. He connects his phone to a Bluetooth speaker while I try to get comfortable on the mat. I really should do some yoga with him. Extra flexibility in the hips would go a long way in preventing injuries on the ice. Maybe if I pitch the idea as a training session, he’d go for it.
The music snaps me out of my yoga sex fantasy, and this time, he’s not doing a slow, sexy routine. This is fast and electric. His lithe body dances with the silk while he’s suspended upside down as he spins with an arched back to the popular dance music. Ben’s face is concentrated on the intricate moves, but it’s also full of joy.
He’s smiling and holding poses while making it look so easy.
It’s only a two-minute routine, but at the end, he does the splits upside down, making my mouth water, before he gracefully pulls his legs back up, flips and glides out of the silk to land on his feet.
His skin carries a sheen of sweat as he stands on the floor next to the silk and bows as I clap and whistle.
“That was fucking fantastic, Ben. Wow.”
“Thank you. I appreciate having a real audience. You might only be one person, but you’re still an audience.”
Ben walks to the small table in the corner and grabs a water bottle. He swallows a long drink while I step closer to examine the colourful material he works with.
“How did you learn to do this?”
He cocks his head and reaches for a towel to wipe his brow. “When I was a kid, a woman at my gymnastics club told me aboutit. I found a studio offering classes, and I was hooked. Then I joined the circus.”
“A real circus? Like…with animals and shit?”
He smiles and shakes his head. “No animals. Just acrobats. It was the best job I ever had.” Ben unfolds a ladder and places it next to the silk. His normal snark and flirting have vanished, and a heaviness sits around him. He hooks the silk to the ceiling before climbing back down. “So yeah, I was in the circus for ten years. Now I’m here teaching yoga and pole fit and whatever else middle-aged women like to do for exercise now.”
Ben smiles, but it lacks his joy from a moment ago.
“You’re still amazing at this. Why did you quit?”
Ben remains silent for a beat. “I didn’t. Got caught fucking the boss on stage after rehearsal.”
He stares at me with a glint of defiance in his eyes. My dick might be the one driving my thoughts concerning Ben, but I’m astute enough to notice the weight of his honesty.
“I’m certainly not judging you for that, Ben. You don’t need to explain, but I’ll say this: it’s their loss.” Which I mean completely. He’s an incredible performer, and we’ve all made mistakes.
“You’re just saying that because you want to get in my pants.” He smiles again, and I laugh at his forwardness.
“I mean…yeah. I was supposed to go home, but my car came here instead.”
“Is that so?”
It feels like I’m under a spell. One that makes me lust after this man with a thirst so strong it can never be quenched. “Yeah. I think I’m addicted to you.”
Ben slides his hands up my chest and links them together behind my head. He presses on his tiptoes just to stretch towards my lips. “Well, I’m not opposed to being the one to satisfy your craving, Lukas. Not one bit. In fact…”
He drops to his knees and stares up at me with dark eyes. “I—”
Ben’s phone chimes an alarm, and his face drops. “Shit. I can’t ignore that.” He rises to his feet and checks the time on his phone. “I wish I could let you rock my world again, but I have a meeting I need to get to.”
