Chapter Two #2
“We’ll see,” he tells me, then sets his plate in the sink. “Okay, so now that I’ve had my appetizer…” He pats his rock-hard stomach. “Time for some real food.”
“Sure you want to do yoga with a full belly?”
“I can out-yoga you any day of the week.”
I laugh. “That sounds like fightin’ words to me. Eat up then. Stuff your face. I’m gonna stretch because you’re going down, big boy.”
Grabbing my tea, I sip it as I go to Sophie’s room and change clothes.
I put on a sports bra and some yoga pants, then grab the two mats Sophie and I use when we work out together.
I walk into the living room and search for my favorite yoga channel.
Once I’m stretched and warmed up, Liam tells me to give him a minute to go change.
If I had a vote, if we were voting, I’d say no clothes at all. Naked yoga with Liam sounds perfect.
When he comes downstairs, he’s wearing a tight-fitting T-shirt and shorts. I hand him a bright pink mat with a laugh.
He rolls it out, then glances at the screen before looking at me.
“No way. You don’t get to choose which one we do. It can’t be one you already know. Tryin’ to cheat?”
I scoff. “That wasn’t in the rules. And no, I don’t have to cheat to beat you.”
“Someone’s overly confident, aren’t they?” A laugh escapes him as he grabs the remote, then scrolls through all the yoga exercises On Demand until he finds an extremely advanced level one-hour class. I narrow my eyes as he presses play and wears a sexy little smirk.
“Wait. Do you know how to do yoga?” I ask as we move into a downward dog position, noticing how controlled his breathing is.
“You should’ve asked me that before we started.”
“Oh my God. You slimy bastard!” I growl.
He’s full-on laughing his ass off as we move into a basic plank, then quickly transition into a side plank, which is arguably one of the most annoying poses on the entire fucking planet. He does it so effortlessly, you’d think he practices ballet too.
The instructor goes back to more basic poses—cobra, locust, fish, bow, and a shoulderstand—before moving to more advanced poses. Liam isn’t winded or complaining about anything. I’m impressed as hell as we continue for forty-five minutes.
I’m dreading what’s coming next because there are a few poses I suck at, and if one of those happen, I’ll lose my ass to him. Liam doesn’t seem like he’ll let me live it down either, especially considering I talked so much shit.
Hand scorpion, half lotus crow, big toe bow—I nail them all. Peacock, hummingbird, and one-legged staff are all easy, considering how much ballet experience I have.
He glances at me when we go into the dancer’s split. “Now you’re just showing off.”
“I can stand like this all day, baby,” I gloat. “But I’ve learned I’m not the only one who’s flexible.”
When I think we’re almost done, the last pose is one I’ve dreaded: sayanasana—a scorpion pose variation. Fuck. I want to scream, but I don’t want to show my cards. It’s important that I keep my poker face in case he can’t do this one either.
I glance at him and the asshole’s grinning from ear to ear. For as long as I’ve been dancing and doing yoga, I’ve never once in my entire life been able to properly hold this one. It’ll be my downfall, but I try my hardest.
The instructor counts down, and we get ready to move onto our elbows to balance our feet above our heads.
Elbow poses piss me off, and hearing we’re supposed to hold it for thirty seconds angers me even more.
I tend to keep a palm flat for support, but that’s not the correct positioning.
I hold it for a total of eight seconds before I lose my balance and fall, cursing the whole way down. Liam drops right after me.
“You lost!” He pokes at me. “I beat a fucking ballerina at her own game!” He stands, pumping his fist in the air. I want to slap that smirk right off his cute face.
“You cheated! I didn’t know you knew how to do yoga.”
“I never make a bet I don’t think I can win, sweetheart” he says before wiping his brow.
“I used to do extreme yoga back in the day. When I played football in college, a few of us would do stupid-as-fuck challenges, and yoga helped with balance. Doesn’t make me a cheater because you don’t know every little detail about me. ”
“Does anyone else know that you’re a goddamn yoga guru?” I ask, still annoyed.
“No.” He smirks. “I work out a lot to stay fit for my job. I throw in a few advanced poses every once in a while for fun.”
Frustrated, I shake my head and wonder what else he’s hiding. Liam’s full of secrets, ones I want to uncover. I’m even more intrigued than I was before, which is bad news for him.
“So tonight…” He rubs his palms together as the corner of his lips tilt up.
He’s so loving this. “I’d like a sirloin steak cooked medium-rare, a baked potato with all the toppings, and steamed broccoli.
Tomorrow, since I don’t plan on waking up until noon, I want the full brunch experience.
Since the roommates will be back tomorrow afternoon, we’ll probably need to clean up around here at some point.
Don’t want them returning to a mess in the kitchen.
” He squeezes my shoulder and flashes his cocky grin again.
“Might wanna make sure we’ve got all the ingredients, too. ”
“I did not agree to grocery shop.” I pout, placing my hands on my hips. “And you’ll eat whatever I make for you. There was never any mention of choosing the menu. So deal with it.”
Chuckling, he goes to the kitchen and returns with two bottles of water. “Pretty sure you said healthy food if you won, right? I just helped you out a bit and told you what I wanted to eat. Also, I’m cutting you a break because you demanded three meals, remember?”
“You’re impossible. But you won fair and square, even if you deceived me. Never gonna bet against you again.”
“Smart girl,” he grins proudly. “I need to hit the ATM. Then we can go to the grocery store.”
“Fine, if you’re paying.”
“Planned on it,” he tells me, walking toward the stairs. “Gonna shower, then we can leave.”
I arch a brow, implying I’d join him, but he ignores me with an eye roll and climbs the stairs. Though I hate that I lost and he loves giving me a hard time, I can’t stop smiling.
While he showers, I change clothes, fix my messy bun, and try to look somewhat presentable. Twenty minutes later, he’s dressed and ready to go.
After stopping by the bank, we go to the store. Our cart is nearly full, and all I’m worried about is fucking up an expensive sirloin and not being able to prepare it to his specifications.
Once we’re home and the groceries are unloaded, I take a shower, then get to work in the kitchen.
I place everything on the counter to figure out the best way to attack this.
I know the basics, but I’m not a chef. As I pretend I’m a pro, Liam rubs it in that I’m cooking for him, and after a while, I can’t bite my tongue.
“If you don’t shut up, I might poison you!
” I threaten, watching a YouTube video on how to properly cook a steak.
Though it takes me longer than it should to prepare everything, I begrudgingly serve him what he requested.
Liam makes a big show as he cuts into the bloody meat, and I look at him with wide eyes.
“Well?”
“It’s perfect,” he says after taking a huge bite, a big ass smile on his face.
I release a relieved breath. “Whew, good. At least I’ll have it down for when we’re married.”
Liam nearly chokes on his food, which makes me snort. He makes messing with him too easy.
Laughing, I watch him while I eat my well-done steak. “Do we have any wine around here?”
“I’m not serving a minor,” he says. “Shit outta luck, Mads.”
“We aren’t at a bar, so technically, you aren’t serving me at all.” I give him my best puppy dog eyes when he shakes his head. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
He clears his throat. “How about we make a bet then?”
My eyes widen. “I think I’ve had enough bets for one day.”
“Chickenshit,” he quips.
After we finish eating, I clean up, then we watch a movie before I call it a night. I want to spend as much time with Liam as I can, even when he keeps me at a distance, but I can’t stop yawning. Standing, I stretch, and he turns off the TV.
“Good night,” I say, looking over my shoulder as I walk toward Sophie’s room.
“Night, Mads. Thanks for making dinner.” He winks, making me laugh because we both know I had no choice. Liam continues staring as though he has something more to say but doesn’t.
The next morning, I wake up and cook his log cabin bullshit brunch compiled of eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, biscuits, and pancakes.
It’s a ridiculous amount of food, but he eats it with a smug smirk.
The sincere thank you and hug he gives me afterward, though, makes it all worth it.
Going forward, I might bet him every single chance I get.
Liam and I clean the house before Mason and Sophie return home this afternoon.
While he vacuums the living room, I wipe the counters in the kitchen and make sure there are no dirty dishes.
Sophie’s particular about her space and will kill us if we don’t pick up after ourselves since she probably cleaned before they left.
As soon as we’re done tidying everything, I hear a car door slam. Excitement streams through me, and I stop what I’m doing to rush outside. My arms are wide open, and all I want to do is hug and congratulate my big sister.
“Ahhh! Lemme see! Lemme see!” I scream, needing to know exactly which ring Mason bought. I’ve been stalking her on social media for the past few days, but she’s been completely silent. My curiosity has nearly killed me.
“What?” Sophie asks, confused as I nearly tackle her to the ground. Sometimes I forget how much power I have behind me. Mason steadies her, and I can’t stop laughing at her shocked expression.