Bending Over Backwards (6 page)

“Would that be okay?”

“Of course.”
Liar.

“Maybe I should get private lessons too. This seemed pretty advanced.” This time he didn’t bother hiding the sexual intent behind the words.

“That’s probably not a good idea.”

“I think I’ve heard that before.”

“Listen, if you’re serious about the yoga, I can set you up in my assistant’s beginner class, or
she
could give you some private lessons,” Jasmine offered. She frowned as she realized that she didn’t at all like the idea of Amanda tutoring Leo in private, even though it was the perfect solution.

“I don’t want your assistant. I want you.” He reached out to touch a curl that had escaped the headband she was wearing.

“Leo, the other night—”

“Don’t say it was a mistake, Jasmine. Don’t do that. The only thing wrong with what happened the other night was that you ran away like a scared rabbit.”

Her eyes popped open wide in surprise.

“I did
not
run away. I left. There’s a big difference, and it was the smart thing to do. We had some fun, and there was no need to make more of it than it was.”

“Really? That was enough for you? You didn’t want more? I did.” His bluntness sent a shiver down her spine. “I do. I want more. Of you.”

Unwanted arousal and temptation warred with common sense and caution as Jasmine blew out a breath, throwing her hands up.

“More what, Leo? More sex? You said you wanted more, but what more could we have? You’re just here killing time until your memory comes back. Then, you’ll go back to your old life. You’d like me to be your plaything in the meanwhile.”

He pursed his lips, rocked back on his heels, as if considering what she said.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen with my memory. Maybe it will come back, but I quit the job, and I think it was the right thing for me, no matter what. Maybe my memory will never come back. I’m sick as shit of thinking about it. Regardless of what happens, right now, in this moment, I want more sex with you, absolutely. Until neither of us wants any more or until things change. And maybe we can also be friends, at least. We’re good together, so why not?”

His honesty startled her. He didn’t try to manipulate her emotionally, cajole or pressure, he said what he wanted. It set her back for a minute. She’d expected more games from Leo. More power plays. But he was putting the ball in her court, and she struggled to find a good reason to shoot him down.

“Because it’s never that simple. You’re only here for the moment. You have nothing at stake. I run a business here. I’m busy, I live here, and I have a reputation to think of.”

And a heart to protect
, she added silently.

She couldn’t risk letting sex turn into something more than sex, not with this man. Usually she was in control of her desire and her emotions, but Leo had made her want him in a way that blew her caution and limits to smithereens. She’d given more to him in one hour than she’d given to many of her other lovers over longer time periods, and that made her wary.

She shouldn’t give in, she knew that. She’d been down this road before. Not with the amnesia, granted, but that was all distraction. Leo was who he was—at heart, he was a player. A power broker. That didn’t change. Sooner or later, it would bear out.

“Listen, I can give you some basic yoga instruction—at the studio—to teach you what you need to know so that you can join any class and not hurt yourself. But that’s all, Leo. That has to be it,” she said firmly, feeling sure it was the right thing to do.

His brown eyes turned a little darker. Disappointed.

“Okay. I guess you have your reasons.” He expelled a breath, clearly hoping she would share them.

She wasn’t about to do that. To let him know that his old life, his shark-in-surfer’s-clothing reality, was her nightmare? The life that she’d seen destroy her family? The one that she’d fought her way back from? No way.

“Okay, good. Let’s set up some times, and then I have to get going,” she said in her most businesslike manner. She wanted to help Leo, and maybe they
could
even be friends, but what happened the other night couldn’t happen again.

That made her sad inside, but it was how it had to be.

Leo walked into the cottage-like studio in the heart of Harwichport around six for his appointment with Jasmine.

The place was charming and homier than he’d expected, with gleaming wood floors and brick walls that toned down what might otherwise be a harsh glare. The front was all window space, but the light was softened with bamboo shading and plants that flourished all along the ledges of the windows.

There was a sound system in the corner, but no music; all he heard was burbling water. Investigating, he found an indoor water feature around a corner of the studio. A separate room that was labeled Meditation Cove on a wall plaque.

He had to admit, he was a little nervous when he’d come in, but the place did have a calming atmosphere. His nerves had nothing to do with yoga, though; it was sheer anticipation of seeing Jasmine. He’d agreed to yoga lessons only, but his hopes were still that she might change her mind about them having more than that.

“Leo, there you are. Welcome.” Jasmine spoke from behind him, and he turned to find her smiling and looking composed.

And she was completely hot in some kind of peach-colored, gauzy bodysuit thing that destroyed his Zen in about two seconds flat.

“Hey.” It was all he could manage in the way of a greeting while trying to not stare at how the material clung to her curves.

The tables were clearly turned. The day before, on the beach, he’d had her flustered, blushing, and if he wasn’t mistaken, wanting.

Now, she was on her own turf, cool and in charge.

Both were sexy—Jasmine was sexy no matter what—though he didn’t care for his own uncertainty. He’d had too much of that in recent months. Looking around, suddenly he felt a little too out of his element.

“Listen, you know, I think maybe you’re right,” he said. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”

She frowned. “I see. Well, that’s your decision, of course.”

She thought that he wasn’t interested in yoga, but only wanted to sleep with her. That this had been a ploy.

She wasn’t entirely wrong. He did want to sleep with her—badly. But the yoga had helped, and he wanted to learn. He’d accepted her decision the day before and told himself that was that. No meant no. But his body wasn’t playing along.

“Wait, I’m sorry. You’re right. Cold feet, I guess.”

Her shoulders loosened, and she nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be offish, it’s just been a long day.” He noticed the traces of fatigue and the lingering strain in her expression.

“Listen, if you’re too tired, we can reschedule. I got a lot from the class yesterday, and—”

She put her hand up. “No, this is fine. Most days are like this. I’m used to it. You’ll be doing most of the work, anyway.”

He saw a flash of heat in her eyes before she looked away. So maybe her thoughts weren’t completely businesslike, but Leo was determined not to take advantage. That didn’t mean he’d given up, but he had another idea in mind. Jasmine thought she knew him. For some reason, she looked at him like there was a check in the column of
All Figured Out
.

So he planned to surprise her. First, he had to spend a little time with her so that he could know how to do that, exactly.

“Come over here. You can borrow a mat for now. I could sell you one to take home, though they’re cheaper at the local discount store.”

Leo laughed. “Some businesswoman you are,” he teased. “That’s not a great way to make a profit.”

“It’s not all about money. I sell high-end mats. For beginners who aren’t sure yet, it’s better to spend twenty bucks or less on something that’s not a huge investment when they might quit.”

He nodded. Her advice made sense, and told him more about her than she knew. That she looked out for her students, that she was honest, and that on some level, she also expected people to quit. To bail.

Not only in their choice of exercise, Leo surmised.

“I’m going to guide you through a very easy session, something that will focus on opening up your shoulders and chest, but will still give you an overall effect for your entire body.”

He took his running shoes off and stood on the mat as she instructed, admiring her expertise. She was clearly tired, and yet she paid close, detailed attention to every move he made, correcting him without making him feel foolish.

Leo found his focus was directed by hers—he really did want to learn this—and soon he was totally caught up in mastering the moves. Timing them with his breathing was difficult, especially when Jasmine touched him. That set his blood and pulse racing.

“Do that sequence for a week, no more than once a day, and see how you feel,” she instructed, glancing at the clock. “Then we can move on to the next set of poses.”

Leo frowned. “That’s all, for a week?”

She nodded. “You don’t want to take it too fast. You’re in pretty good shape, your injury aside, but you can hurt yourself if you push too hard.” She walked away from him to turn the sign on the front door to
Closed
.

She stood there, her hand on the door as if waiting for him to leave so that she could lock up. Then, out of nowhere she sagged, her knees giving slightly, her body going slack for a second before she caught herself. Leo crossed the room as if to catch her, but by the time he reached her, she seemed okay.

Though she was very pale. The shadows under her eyes had deepened and her irises seemed bleary.

“Have you eaten?”

She glanced at the clock again. It was about quarter to eight. She’d spent more time with Leo than she’d intended. People still walked past on the sidewalks outside, getting ice cream and enjoying the evening in the waning sunlight.

“Not since breakfast. I had a protein bar at lunch, but I guess my blood sugar is low.”

He knew that breakfast for her was well over twelve hours before, considering how early she started her day.

“Close up and let’s get you some food.”

Her head snapped up, and she stepped away. “I’m fine, Leo. Just hungry. I need to get home and I can eat then.”

“You can’t drive—what if you passed out again?”

“I didn’t pass out,” she said irritably, glowering at his
Oh, really?
look.

“Let’s go find something to eat. I’m hungry too. My treat—you let me stay in class this morning for free. And you made me cookies.”

She looked like she would like to argue, but then the energy for it visibly abandoned her.

“Okay, sure, yes. Let me change and get my things. There’s a fish place where we can get some food and eat outside.”

“Sounds good.”

Leo waited, and when she emerged a few minutes later in a white crop pants and a tank, he tried to ignore how the clothes hugged her curves, and what those curves felt like under his hands.

Right now, Jasmine needed someone to take care of her for a change, and he had a feeling no one had taken on that role for some while. Inexplicably protective, he put a hand at the small of her back as they walked, heading toward the fish stand.

Taking care of Jasmine was a role he would be more than happy to take on.

Chapter Six

Jasmine nearly groaned out loud at the sheer ecstasy of the rich taste of the tartar sauce and ketchup that she had slathered on her fried fish. She rarely allowed herself such an indulgence, but she was starving and the greasy, fatty delight had called to her, irresistible.

Leo grinned as he watched her lick her fingers, digging through his large plate of fried scallops with equal enthusiasm. French fries were piled between them, and she’d gotten a vanilla milkshake.

If any of her students saw her, they would be shocked. Jasmine was a very lapsed vegetarian, though she tried to make a stab at eating well most of the time. But eating well meant something different at different times, as Leo had aptly pointed out.

“Oh God, so good.” She stilled when she saw the banked heat in his eyes. She’d murmured words almost exactly like that, in the same breathless tone, a few nights ago. With him.

Then he smiled, and the awkwardness disappeared. He was being sweet. Friendly, considerate, and not at all acting like a player.

He was acting like a friend.

Jasmine appreciated it. He’d been focused and sincere in his yoga lesson, and he’d been a gentleman through dinner. He’d even paid. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had bought her dinner.

Taking a breath, she looked at the people walking by, enjoying the summer evening. Normally, she would be home, preparing for the next day, getting ready for bed by now. Alone.

“Thank you, Leo. This fattening feast was absolutely lovely,” she said, offering a smile.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you showed me this place. I have a feeling I’ll visit here pretty frequently—these scallops are amazing.”

“They looked it. Maybe I’ll try them next time. New England has such fresh, wonderful seafood.”