Page 31 of Dark ’N’ Deadly

The dog turned his head and sniffed the air near her candle. He gave a snort that was more of a sneeze, then did three turns on his dog bed before lying down to watch her stretch.

“Don’t like lavender?” Tiger’s sense of smell had to be off the charts compared to that of a human. “Sorry, boy. I need it for my workout.” Although she did feel rather bad. It was his house, after all. Not hers.

Tiger gave a deep, rumbling groan then rested his muzzle between his front paws.

A few minutes later, she was easing into her first pose. Footsteps came from the basement stairs. Bent over at the waist, with her hands and feet on the mat and her butt in the air, her view was upside down. Even from that awkward position, the man was absolutely, freaking hot from his toes to his head. She’d seen him without a shirt before, but then she’d been so concerned about his injuries, she hadn’t been capable of focusing on his extreme level of fitness.

Uber. Understatement.

Long, muscular legs filled out a pair of black sweats. A sleeveless, sweat-dampened white shirt that said FLETC on it stuck to his chest and abs in a way that showed every cut muscle on the man’s upper body. A light sheen of sweat glistened on his thickly muscled shoulders, biceps, and forearms. Normally, sweaty men didn’t do a thing for her. Her perspective on that score had just changed. Drastically.

Day-aamn.

“Why don’t you just rearrange my furniture, too?” he said more than asked in a slightly amused, and very deep, sexy voice.

“I’m doing yoga.” Trying not to drool, she rolled forward, arching her back as she transitioned to cobra then eased back to her starting point.

“I know that,” he said from behind her. “What do you call that pose?”

“Downward dog.”

He chuckled, and Tiger lifted his head. “Seriously?” Now, his tone definitely held humor.

Too distracted to continue, she stood, trying not to stare at all those bulging, sweaty, glistening muscles. “You should try it.”

“No.” He frowned. “I shouldn’t.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” she insisted. “Contrary to what you obviously think, it will make you stronger.”

“If I want to be stronger, I’ll lift more weights.”

“You are such a guy.” She began to laugh, nearly choking when a bead of sweat trickled down his temple to his rock-hard jaw and, from there, slithered down his corded neck. She’d never thought of sweat as sexy before, but now… Oh. My. “Yoga uses different muscles and in a different way, stretching and strengthening them. It also contributes to good, healthy chi.”

He nodded, clearly feigning serious consideration. “A healthy chi is the cornerstone of any good breakfast. Don’t know about the candle.” He wrinkled his nose, the same way Tiger had, then picked up a yellow crystal from the end table. “What’s this?”

“Citrine,” she said. “It harnesses the energy of the sun. Some say it’s the energetic power center of a woman’s body, capable of catapulting her into a leadership role. It’s one of my favorite crystals.”

“Why?” He cocked his head.

“One day I hope it jump-starts my business.”

“What business?” He set the crystal back on the table and crossed his arms, making those deliciously sweaty biceps bulge even more.

“A shop. Something like that little corner store we went into yesterday.” When his brows lowered, she regretted confiding that in him. She was light years from accomplishing her goal, and seeing his skeptical reaction made her self-conscious. “It’s a pipe dream, really. I’m taking online courses to get my MBA.” His brows lowered farther, and she parked her fists on her hips. “What? You don’t think I can do it?”

He made a scoffing sound. “You’re one of the most capable women I’ve ever met. I think you can do anything you set your mind to.”

For a moment, she was struck dumb enough by his words to be completely speechless. She honestly hadn’t known he thought of her that way. Knowing he did sent a warm surge of…well, something through her system.

“And this one?” He picked up her favorite crystal, a rose quartz similar to the one she wore around her neck, only bigger.

“Rose quartz. It not only promotes positive energy but enhances all types of love, especially unconditional love.” Something she’d yet to experience. Someday, perhaps. When all the stars and planets aligned in perfect harmony. In other words, probably never.

Eric rubbed his thumb and forefinger back and forth over the smooth, pale pink facets. There was something so intimate—so personal—about his big fingers caressing her crystal, it made her shiver.

“Can’t you feel it?” she asked. “All that warm, potent energy stroking your muscles and seeping into your bones?” The minute the words were out, she cringed, sorely regretting them. Any conversation involving “stroking” and “bones” in the same sentence…bad choice of words.

His clear blue eyes darkened, becoming turbulent, the way she imagined the Caribbean Sea would look, all churned up by an incoming storm.