Chapter 20
Shawn couldn’t remember why he agreed to this.
He was wearing what he normally wore for a workout: gym shorts and sneakers. The yoga class was taking place on the beach, after all. It would be hot.
He should’ve known it would be mostly tourist women at this class. Then maybe he would’ve worn a t-shirt. Or, at least, brought one. But most men were constantly shirtless around here, especially in the high heat of July.
And a small part of him knew he’d decided to go without a shirt to taunt Willa.
Maybe give her a reason to look at him.
He stood awkwardly in the middle of a group of women on the beach, hands in his pockets, awaiting further instruction. Meanwhile, she was busy chatting with a few of the people here for the class. He vaguely recognized a couple of women sitting on yoga mats a few yards away from him as the friends she’d gone to the bar with from the selfie she’d sent him. He felt the eyes of strangers on him, and his jaw clenched as he crossed his arms and kept his eyes on Willa.
She was wearing her signature yoga outfit—a matching exercise set of leggings and a sports bra. Her auburn hair was pulled into a messy bun, and she was gesturing animatedly in conversation with people. He’d gone over to her place every night this week, and they’d fished for a while before she dragged him into her bed and he sunk so deep into her that he thought he’d never feel this kind of bliss with anyone else. Just last night, she’d crawled onto all fours on her bed before he plunged into her pussy from behind, and he barely lasted two minutes before exploding inside her.
As if sensing his eyes on her, she glanced at him and smirked. Then she checked her watch and clapped her hands.
“Alright, yogis!” she exclaimed, her voice carrying over the sound of waves. “I’m so excited by today’s turnout.”
Shawn looked around. There were about fifteen people gathered around her. Some stood waiting for guidance, while others sat on towels or yoga mats they brought.
“I love seeing familiar faces, so a special thank you to those of you who are back to practice with me today,” she said. “If you need a mat or a towel, I have some extras over here. We’ll begin in a seated position, so feel free to settle in and start taking some deep breaths.”
Shawn walked toward Willa and picked up a towel, then settled on the ground on the outskirts of the group and sat down. He peered at other people around him, and noticing that many of them rested their hands on their knees and shut their eyes, he followed suit.
“As you breathe in and out, soaking up the salty air, begin to set an intention for your practice,” Willa said, her peaceful voice floating over him like a blanket. “Maybe you want to challenge yourself and try something new. Maybe you want to simply honor your body. Maybe you’re looking for peace or contentment. Or maybe you just need to work through your hangover from last night.”
A few soft chuckles carried through the group, and Shawn felt his lips curve up in a slight smile.
“Remember that it’s perfectly okay to skip anything that’s too challenging for your body,” she continued. “While I want you to push yourself, more than anything, I want you to listen to your body and respect what it’s telling you. If you need to just lay on your mat for the entirety of this class, nobody will judge you.”
Shawn felt comforted by her words. He’d never done yoga before—never had any interest in giving it a shot. So far, it was what he expected. Calm and easy. But her words healed something in him—something that told him he needed to do everything perfectly, even at the expense of his own happiness. He doubted there would be anything challenging enough in this class that he’d need to skip it, but knowing that the option was there made him feel better.
Willa began to lead them in a series of poses and actions that he was unfamiliar with, but was actually enjoying. Some of the stretches reached his muscles in new ways, though he had to often look around him or glance at Willa to accurately follow the instructions.
It was fun seeing Willa in her natural habitat, teaching people the thing that had saved her during one of the hardest times of her life. She was confident and kind, grinning through the entire class and going around, gently helping those who were struggling.
But about twenty minutes into the class, Shawn found himself profusely sweating as he settled into downward facing dog. This was the pose he saw her in a few weeks back, where her ass was pointing perfectly in the air. She made it look so easy—even now, she was talking to the class without even the slightest hitch to her voice.
As Willa led the class through a sequence, Shawn struggled to follow along. He could reel in a 100-pound swordfish on a chartered fishing trip without breaking a sweat. But balancing on one foot while extending his other leg in front of him? Holding a plank after doing a myriad of movements he didn’t totally understand? Sitting in a half split, stretching muscles he’d sorely neglected for years?
Willa was right.
This was not easy.
And even though she’d proven it time and time again, it seemed she had more ammunition to showcase his idiocy for doubting her.
“Now, today, I thought we could be brave and experiment with handstands,” Willa said as she came back into downward facing dog. “It takes regular practice to be able to hold a handstand, but it’s worth it. We’ll start with handstand hops.”
Shawn placed his hands underneath his shoulders and looked between his wrists, like Willa demonstrated, before pushing up on his toes and kicking up into a handstand. But he overestimated the amount of strength he needed, and the next thing he knew, the breath was knocked out of him as he laid on the ground in simultaneous embarrassment and horror.
“Nice try,” Willa said with an encouraging smile, standing over him.
He looked around and noticed everyone else doing handstand hops, and a few of them were able to hold a handstand for a few moments. He glanced back to where Willa was standing with an arm outreached, giving him a playful smirk.
“Let’s try again, shall we?” she asked.
He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze before allowing her to pull him up. Then he went back into downward facing dog. She grabbed his hips and pulled them up, and he tried not to focus on the way it felt for her fingers to brush against his body.
“You should bring your feet closer to your hands,” she said, still guiding his hips back. “Now, take a breath. Relax your neck. Relax your face, your jaw. Even your tongue.”
He shook his head, wiggling his neck and loosening the muscles in his face.
“How did you know my tongue wasn’t relaxed?”
She chuckled. “Just a guess. Now, don’t forget to breathe as you push into your handstand. Alright?”
He took a deep breath and nodded. She released his hips and went to stand toward the side.
“Whenever you’re ready,” she said. “I can spot you.”
He took a deep breath, then kicked his way up. He went up slower this time, but his legs still hit her arms as she held him in place.
“Good,” she said. “Now breathe.”
He didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath. He sucked in a gust of air, then released it, repeating it over and over. His arms began to shake as she let go of him.
“Now can you hold it on your own?”
He focused on his breathing, willing his arms not to give out, then after a few moments, kicked down and sat on his knees. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he looked to her for approval.
“Amazing,” she grinned. “Not a lot of newbies could pull that off, but you’re a natural.”
Willa winked, and he basked in her praise as she headed back to the front of the class and led them in stretches to close them out. As Shawn laid in savasana, which was apparently a pose even though it literally just meant laying on your back and soaking in everything your body just did, he felt his body go limp and relax.
“Shawn?”
His eyes sprung open and he looked around, noticing everyone else had started packing up their supplies and chattering amongst themselves.
“I think you fell asleep,” Willa said, biting her lip to hold back a laugh.
“That was amazing,” Shawn responded, sitting up and airing out his towel. “Fucking hard. But awesome. You were right.”
“The three sweetest words in the English language,” she said, faking a swoon. “Say them again.”
He rolled his eyes, then stepped closer to her, cradling her cheek with his hand. “You. Were. Right.”
A throat cleared a few feet away from them, and Willa turned out of his grip to face a man who somehow appeared clean cut even though he was sweaty and shirtless from running on the beach. Shawn felt his body stiffen as she stepped out of his embrace and crossed her arms.
“Blake,” she said, a tight smile on her face. “Out for a run?”
He gave her a dazzling smile. “Thought about coming to yoga again, but I’m not sure it’s for me.”
“It can definitely be challenging to get started if you’ve never done it before.”
Blake stepped closer to Willa. “Maybe you could give me those private lessons we talked about.”
His voice was thick with meaning, and Shawn saw Willa’s body stiffen. Instinctively, he stepped forward and put his arm around her.
“This your boss, babe?”
Willa bit her lip and looked up at him beneath her eyelashes. Amusement and gratitude shone there.
“Yes, this is Blake,” Willa said. “Blake, this is Shawn.”
“Her boyfriend,” Shawn added as he stuck a hand out.
Blake glanced between Willa and Shawn, looking sullen. “Didn’t realize you had a boyfriend, Will.”
Blake grabbed Shawn’s hand tight and shook it in a stiff up and down motion. It took everything he had not to roll his eyes at his blatant use of a nickname he was pretty certain Willa hated and his attempt to break Shawn’s hand with the force of his handshake.
Shawn smirked. Blake would have to try harder if he wanted to overpower Shawn; he’d been stung by jellyfish, hooked by stray lines, and bitten by crabs. A pretty boy’s attempt to intimidate him didn’t hurt in the slightest.
In fact, Shawn would find it amusing if it weren’t for the blatant discomfort radiating from Willa.
“Not sure if it’s appropriate for your boyfriend to be attending your yoga classes,” Blake added.
It took everything in Shawn not to punch this guy in the face.
“But let’s talk about it at our one-on-one,” Blake continued. “I want to hear how it’s been going. Attendance has been pretty good, but clearly we need to review some things. How about we grab a drink Thursday night after your class?”
Willa gave a stiff nod. “Sure.”
“Alright, then,” Blake winked, putting his headphones back on. “Better finish up my run.”
As he ran away, Shawn turned Willa toward him and cradled her head in his hands again. He searched her face for any lingering sign of discomfort, but he only saw relief.
“Thanks for being my fake boyfriend to scare away my creepy boss,” she said with a smirk.
Almost immediately, Shawn felt his stomach drop. He hoped he hadn’t overstepped, but more than anything, he wished he weren’t her fake boyfriend. He was beyond the point of lying to himself. It was more than just a crush, now. He wanted to date her. For real. And it would likely never happen. He couldn’t blame her after what her exes had put her through. And with his history, Shawn figured he probably came off like the exact kind of guy she’d want to avoid dating.
“Anytime,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
It was too far.
Too intimate.
But he couldn’t help himself.
She gaped up at him as he stepped back.
“Do you have plans for the rest of the day, Greene?” he asked.
“No…” she raised her eyebrows at him.
“Good,” he said. “Because I have an idea.”