Page 28 of What I Like About You

“Pretty sure this is more of a solo class, but I think the spa does offer stretching services. Drea would be thrilled to hook you up.”

“What if I want something a little more…in depth…than the spa is willing to offer?” she asked with another shrill giggle. The sound was like nails on a chalkboard to Dalton, and he had no idea how anyone found this woman attractive.

“We're about ready to start. Can you help me round everyone up?” Drea asked, appearing out of nowhere, saving him from having to answer the she-devil.

“Sure thing, sugar,” he said. “If you’ll excuse me, duty calls.” Without waiting for a response, he jogged down the shore to grab Cullen and Leona.

When the three of them returned to where the mats had been set up , he noticed an open spot next to Zara, and his heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t sure if it was coincidence or if Antwan had actually saved the spot, but either way he was thankful. Half a second later, though, he saw that CC had slipped into that spot. His heart sank as he realized that there was no way to ask the model to switch spots without looking like a complete dick. He could see Zara prickle when she realized who was now standing next to her. He knew CC’s presence would only make Zara even more nervous than she already was, and it killed him knowing that his hands were tied. So he did the only thing he could think of and took the spot dead front and center, with Drea on one side, Leona on the other, and CC directly behind him.

Comic relief wasn’t the role he had wanted to play this morning, but if it was what needed to be done, then so be it. So with his game face on, he stood up tall and pointed to Maeve at the front of the group.

“All right, Maeve, let’s get this party started!”

* * *

"Morning,all! And welcome to the first ever Indigo Royal Sunrise Yoga session!” Maeve said, just a little too cheerful for this early hour, in Zara’s opinion.

The thought of skipping had been something she was seriously entertaining last night as she was climbing into bed. If she didn’t show up, then she wouldn’t have to see Dalton. She wouldn’t have to look him in the eyes after that kiss. She had never, ever been kissed like that. She hadn’t realized she could be kissed like that. Dalton had been strong and in charge, all while being gentle and sweet. It was a kiss she’d been waiting for all her life.

Yet she had no idea how to feel about the whole thing. On the one hand, she was on cloud nine thinking about how amazing it was and that he told her it was something he should have done a long time ago. But still, this was the guy who had ripped her heart out, the one who had said those horrible things. His apology last night had been heartfelt, and she wanted so badly to believe what he told her, but there was a part of her that was still skeptical. That was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“If everyone will get into child’s pose to start,” Maeve’s voice said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zara saw a flash of bright orange movement as CC de Milo dropped to her knees and assumed child’s pose. Zara sighed and followed suit, hoping that no one was watching as she tried to maneuver herself into a comfortable position. Yoga had always been something that Zara had felt a little torn about. Even though she knew she would feel good after the class, the classes themselves had always made her feel awkward and uncoordinated, especially since there was always someone in the class who could twist themselves into a pretzel in three seconds flat. Today it seemed the pretzel was dressed like a traffic cone and intent on flirting with Dalton.

“From here, we’ll push into cobra and then up into downward dog.”

Zara had tried to look away as CC sauntered onto the beach and immediately beelined it for Dalton, getting all touchy-feely with him. It was a confidence Zara wished she had. Instead, she’d watched said confidence drip from the waif-thin model as she giggled and bantered back and forth with Dalton. And worse, as he did it in return.

“Let’s hold downward dog for a moment.”

Dalton muttered something Zara couldn’t hear, and Drea fell over in a fit of giggles, nearly knocking Kyle over with her.

“It wasn’t that funny, sugar,” Dalton drawled as Drea righted herself and got back into position.

“From downward dog we’ll roll up and get into warrior pose,” Maeve said, trying to ignore the ruckus from the front row of the group.

“Too bad,” CC muttered, loud enough to be heard. “I was enjoying the view.”

Dalton turned around and simply winked at her, as if he automatically knew she was talking about his ass. The gesture all but knocked Zara to the ground. How could he wink at CC after kissing her last night? For a moment she thought she was going to be sick.

Maybe it was involuntary, she thought. Or maybe he was just trying to be friendly. He was a resort employee, so being nice to guests was a big part of the job description. But a wink? Winks went past nice. They were flirtatious and borderline intimate. You didn’t just wink at random people, right?

As class went on, Zara tried to stop herself from stewing on all of Dalton’s flirtatious actions. That wink had been the only one directed at CC, but there had been plenty of other little comments here and there. And they had all been directed at everyone but Zara. All the parts of her that had felt special and desired this morning were long gone. She was back to being invisible.

When Maeve finally ended the class, Zara took a long moment to remain in Savasana, or dead man’s pose, just trying to let it all go. This was the first time in her life that a yoga class was actually more stressful than relaxing. Taking her time sitting up, she saw that the majority of the group had already headed inside for breakfast. The only people left on the beach were herself, Dalton, Cullen, Leona, Kyle, Drea, Maeve, and of course, CC. Even Antwan had deserted her in favor of the resort’s infamous magic muffins.

CC grabbed on to Dalton’s forearm as she giggled at something he said. As much as that hurt to see, it was when he laughed right back with her that made Zara want to cry. Closing her eyes, Zara fought back the tears that pricked at the corner of her eyes. So much for last night. She should have known she couldn’t trust him.

Forcing herself to her feet, she turned and headed toward the water. The cool water felt refreshing on her bare feet, and the sound of the ocean calmed her some. She couldn’t believe how stupid she’d been to think that just because he’d kissed her that things would change. Maybe she hadn’t learned anything from the last time this happened. She’d let her walls come down so easy last night, and now she knew she had to build them back up again.

“Bite me,” she heard a feminine voice say as Zara walked back up toward the main building.

“Darlin’, why must you taunt me?” Dalton teased. “Your boy toy is standing right there, and you know how he feels about me mentioning our passionate evening together in his presence.”

The group came into focus in time for Zara to see the little blonde Dalton had pointed out earlier stick her tongue out at him before bursting into laughter. She picked up her pace, hoping to move quickly enough to escape being noticed, but she wasn’t that lucky.

“Hey, I figured you’d already gone up to breakfast with everyone,” Dalton said, running up to her. He must have noticed the sour look on her face, because he quickly followed up with, “Are you okay?”