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He couldn’t see her face, since she was turned the other way, but he heard her when she said, “Just go as far as you can. Rest the inside of your knees on your elbows and try to lift off.”
Taking stock of the other people in the room, he noted that the other man and the petite blonde had managed the move, while a redhead and a Chinese woman couldn’t seem to get themselves off the floor. Knowing he wasn’t alone in the struggle made him bold enough to give it a shot. He wiped his palms on his shirt then dropped them to the floor and shifted his weight as Kat had said.
For all of two seconds, his feet left the ground, then his arms gave way and he fell onto his ass. Hard. Pain jolted up his tailbone. It faded quickly, only to be replaced by embarrassment as he heard the unmistakable sound of a giggle. He looked around. The redhead was laughing at him. His cheeks heated. Why would anyone subject themselves to this forfun?
“Don’t worry about it,” Kat said. “We’ve all been there. You’ll get it eventually.”
Would he? He wasn’t so sure, and he was over this. He’d given it a try, and as far as he was concerned, that was that. “I’m going now.”
“Hold up. We’ve barely started. Unless you hurt yourself…” She sounded concerned.
“No.” Only his pride.
But then, he wasn’t a gym-goer. He didn’t lift weights or attend boot camp. The closest he’d come to yoga was when he’d slept with a pilates instructor in his second year of university. He was a runner. Occasionally, he ran with a partner, but usually he ran alone. He wasn’t cut out for group fitness classes. All of these people watching him. Waiting to laugh if he failed.
“You’re doing fine,” the Chinese woman murmured as they moved into a plank, something he could do without screwing up since his core strength wasn’t bad.
“Thanks.” Was he supposed to tell her that she was, too? He didn’t know the right etiquette.
From the plank, Bex explained how to step up into a standing fold. While Sterling was miles away from touching his forehead to his knees, he managed the transition just fine. When she instructed them to straighten and lift one foot from the floor, planting it on the inside of the opposite thigh, his sense of balance was challenged. He wobbled back and forth, trying to steady himself using the stable leg, determined not to give up. He wobbled again, but gritted his teeth and kept his feet where they were. Beside him, Kat stood completely still, her spine straight, palms pressed together in front of her chest. Her eyes were closed, long lashes fanning over her cheeks, inky hair spilling down her shoulders.
God, she was beautiful.
And just like that, he tipped, landing on his hands and knees with a thud. There was a collective intake of breath. He picked himself up, grabbed his drink bottle, and stalked from the room before anyone could say a word. His knees throbbed, but his pride stung worse.
“What a fucking great way to start the day,” he muttered, his tongue curling around the curse word, as he didn’t use them often.
Back in his room, he showered and shaved—because regardless of what Kat said, he was here for business, and businessmen presented themselves well—then retrieved his navy suit from the wardrobe, dressed, and went to find breakfast.
