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I groaned. “Daniel…”
“I know, I know. I’ll behave.” He took an earnest bite of his sandwich, but I didn’t buy the innocent act. He’d likely give in to the temptation to flirt again, and I honestly didn’t know how much more I could take.
We spent the remainder of dinner sticking to safe subjects like what the various outbuildings were and what sort of projects Harley needed help with. But even with the bland conversation, there was still an undercurrent of…something between us, an energy that kept surging even during routine tasks like the after-dinner dishes.
Not having a dishwasher was apparently another novelty for Daniel, and he grinned at me as he finished drying the last dish.
“It’s not quite bedtime.” His expression turned thoughtful, and my stomach fluttered, body tensing for whatever suggestion he was about to make. “I…uh…guess I might read.”
Oh. I refused to be disappointed that he wasn’t proposing more togetherness. Relief. I was supposed to be relieved. “Okay. Sounds good. Have fun.”
After he escaped to the loft, I puttered around, making a low fire for the night ahead, starting a list of things we might need from town, and hooking up the Wi-Fi. I used the connection to text an update to Harley and Duncan, but after that, I was still nowhere close to tired enough to attempt sleep.
Luckily, this wasn’t my first rodeo trying to sleep in a strange place with keyed-up energy. I knew what was likely to work, and I started hammering out various variations of pushups.
I was working on a set of tricep pushups when soft footsteps alerted me to Daniel entering the main living area. “What are you doing?”
“Working out?”
“Well, duh.” Looming over me, he gave me a pointed look. He was in a pair of flannel pants that he must have grabbed the night before when I’d had him collect some stuff to take to Duncan’s. “I meant more why right now? It’s getting late.”
“I’m used to squeezing in PT at weird times of the day.” I didn’t like him hovering above me, so I rolled to sitting, then stood. “But this isn’t unusual for me. I have a hard enough time falling and staying asleep. Exhausting my muscles first seems to help.”
“I see.” Lips pursing, he made a thoughtful noise. “I might have an even better idea to help you sleep?”
That internal flutter was back, equal parts dread and anticipation gathering in my gut. “Oh?”
Chapter Twelve
Danny
“Oh?” Cash’s stare was way too damn intense.
I licked my lips. “Don’t say no right away.”
“I’m listening.” Standing next to me, he was also too close. My idea had seemed better when he’d been on the floor. But now he was waiting for an answer, and I had to push past a rush of doubts.
“Bedtime yoga?” My voice wavered like I was asking a question, so I took a quick breath and tried again. “It’s sort of the same as your pushups, but the energy is better for sleep.”
“You want me to do yoga?” A faint pink stain spread across Cash’s cheeks. Oh. He thought I meant like in my garden back home. Oops. My own skin heated, and I was undoubtedly even pinker than Cash.
“Uh. Clothed. Obviously.”
“Obviously.” A muscle worked in his jaw. He hadn’t said no yet, which encouraged me to keep going.
“It really does help with sleep.” My voice was stronger now. “At rehab, they had yoga classes, and I got into it, but then I came home with so many hours to fill. I tried to stick to the routine from rehab, but it was sort of…lonely.”
“I can see that.” Cash raised a hand like he was about to pat my shoulder but dropped it again. Damn. I wanted him to touch me in the worst way, but no way was I about to ask.
“Anyway, I found this yoga teacher online. She has free beginner videos, including ones for waking up and going to sleep and all sorts of other situations. I started using them whenever I got stressed, and somehow I didn’t feel so lonely.” Telling him all that made my back itch and my feet shift. But Cash only nodded sympathetically.
“That’s a good thing. Lucky find.”
“Yeah. Eventually, I’d like to take in-person classes again. But between not driving and not wanting to be recognized, the videos were a good fit. I guess I could have done private lessons, but I wanted to be cautious about who I trusted as I rebooted my life.” It went without saying that my impulsiveness had led to all sorts of trouble in the past.
“Smart.” Even that small amount of praise from Cash made me feel less silly. His expression turned more thoughtful. “Why…never mind. None of my business.”
“No, you can ask me.” Whatever he wanted to know, I wanted to tell him. His approval of my choices felt good and made me more willing to share. “It’s okay.”
