Leveled
Page 11
He didn’t answer my question as he motioned for me to follow him out of the main area we had been using for the physical therapy session and took me past his office and down a set of stairs that emptied into a big, empty room that was obviously used for classes and group activities. He shut the door, fiddled with the controls on the wall which made the room immediately jump up in temperature, and suddenly I felt like I was walking through a muggy swamp and not standing in a gym. I tugged at the collar of my shirt as Lando walked over and pulled the shades on the massive windows that looked out into the rest of the gym down below. He smirked at me as he effectively cocooned us in the room that was rapidly heating up. He handed me a couple of mats that felt like they were made of rubber and told me to lay them out on the floor a few feet apart from one another.
“Since I want you to actually give this an honest shot we’ll keep it private, so it’s just you and me. Give me ten minutes to go change into gym clothes.”
I scowled a little and tugged at the fabric of my T-shirt that was already starting to stick to my chest. “I’m going to melt if you take any longer than that.”
“Good. Maybe if I make you uncomfortable enough, you’ll remember to take it easy on yourself. I’ll be right back.”
He went back up the set of stairs that had led us into the room and since there was only a narrow bench along one wall to sit on I flopped down on the mat on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. Getting up from this position with my bum leg was going to be a bitch. I scowled at the thought and only lasted another minute before I had to peel my shirt off.
It was hotter than hell in the room and every second that passed, it felt like it was getting hotter. If I wasn’t worried that it would send Lando running and totally cross the boundaries between personal and professional, I would’ve stripped my lightweight sweats off as well and done the damn yoga in my underwear. It would be way more interesting that way.
I was chuckling to myself at the thought when I heard him making his way back across the room. I lifted my head up from the floor to watch his approach and almost swallowed my tongue. He wasn’t in his underwear¸ but he might as well have been. All he was wearing was a pair of loose, black basketball shorts and lots of naked skin. Pretty, pale, freckled skin. I liked it. I liked him and I wanted to touch him. The long and lean lines of muscles that flexed as he made his way over to me and took a seat on the mat next to mine were mesmerizing. I was in good shape, cut and defined better than most of the guys I worked with on the force, but this guy was perfect. He looked like the sculptures the ancients used to carve out of marble when they were depicting what the perfect male form should be. It was distracting to say the least, and I missed that he was talking to me because I was gawking at him like a love-struck teenager.
I cleared my throat and pushed myself up into a seated position. “I didn’t hear a word you just said. If you want me to pay attention to you, then I’m telling you right now you need to put a shirt on.” I was dead serious.
It was his turn to let his eyes rove over my torso and I didn’t miss the way the blue burned through the gray the longer he looked at me. That look made me sweat twice as much as the heat swirling around the room.
He muttered something under his breath and climbed to his feet. “Okay so just follow what I do and try and concentrate on breathing. Don’t work against your body, work with it. I don’t think I can give you the entire spiel again either.”
I went to push myself up from the ground and almost collapsed back when my shoulder hollered in protest. Lando immediately reached out a hand to help me up and it was there again when our palms touched, that spark, that flash of intensity that made every nerve ending I had stand to attention and beg to be pressed up against his slick skin.
I hissed out a breath between my teeth and watched as he shook his head a little, like he needed to clear it.
“Okay, so first bend over and put your hands flat on the floor like this.” I watched him bend over with his legs perfectly straight as he put his hands flat in front of his feet. I tried to mimic the pose but barely got halfway there before I had to bend my knees.
He turned his head to the side and looked at me while he was upside down. “Your flexibility could use some work.”
I grunted at him and tried to straighten up. “Thanks for noticing.”
He chuckled and moved into some pose that looked like he was firing an invisible bow and arrow at the capital. I followed suit and was surprised that the pull in my shoulder ached but didn’t bellow in pain. I was also surprised when Lando asked me quietly, “How many sisters do you have?”
It was the first thing he had ever asked that didn’t have to do with my injury or regular routine. “Uh, two. Ari is a freshman in college and Greer just graduated. She wants to be a teacher.”
He shifted poses again, this time lifting his hands up above his head like he was praying and pulling them down slowly while he balanced on one leg. I decided that if I was going to balance on one leg it wouldn’t be the one I shattered and was pleased as hell that I didn’t topple over.
“I have a little sister who’s a senior in high school and a total nightmare for my parents. My dad can’t keep the boys away. My little brother is a year younger than me and lives overseas so he can play professional soccer.”
“Are you close with your family?” I was breathing harder than I expected to and I could hardly see through the rivers of sweat running down my face. It was a different kind of workout then I was used to, but my muscles were definitely straining and pulling. He dropped into what looked like a stationary push-up and I went to follow but paused. “I don’t know if my shoulder is up to this.”
“You have to bend your elbows and balance your weight. It’s all about finding your center and letting your whole body bear the weight, not just the large muscle groups.” I stretched my legs out behind me and went to push up but stopped before I got off the floor when his hands were on the center of my back and curving over my biceps to get me in the correct position. It felt like flames were dancing along every part of my bare skin where he touched me. “I’m super tight with my family. They’ve always been very supportive of me. How about you?”
When I levered up and balanced on my toes I waited with bated breath for my leg to give out or for my shoulder to flat-out collapse under the strain, but with my elbows bent and his hands holding me where I was supposed to be I kept myself perfectly horizontal to the floor with minimal effort. I blew out a long breath and told him, “My family is just the girls and my mom. My dad was killed on duty when I was ten. My mom never remarried or got serious with anyone until us kids were older, so all we had was each other.” I wheezed a little as my arms finally started to shake so I let him push me back to the ground and followed the guide of his hands as he had me bow my torso back so that I was arched up looking at him upside down as he stood over me.
“Since I want you to actually give this an honest shot we’ll keep it private, so it’s just you and me. Give me ten minutes to go change into gym clothes.”
I scowled a little and tugged at the fabric of my T-shirt that was already starting to stick to my chest. “I’m going to melt if you take any longer than that.”
“Good. Maybe if I make you uncomfortable enough, you’ll remember to take it easy on yourself. I’ll be right back.”
He went back up the set of stairs that had led us into the room and since there was only a narrow bench along one wall to sit on I flopped down on the mat on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. Getting up from this position with my bum leg was going to be a bitch. I scowled at the thought and only lasted another minute before I had to peel my shirt off.
It was hotter than hell in the room and every second that passed, it felt like it was getting hotter. If I wasn’t worried that it would send Lando running and totally cross the boundaries between personal and professional, I would’ve stripped my lightweight sweats off as well and done the damn yoga in my underwear. It would be way more interesting that way.
I was chuckling to myself at the thought when I heard him making his way back across the room. I lifted my head up from the floor to watch his approach and almost swallowed my tongue. He wasn’t in his underwear¸ but he might as well have been. All he was wearing was a pair of loose, black basketball shorts and lots of naked skin. Pretty, pale, freckled skin. I liked it. I liked him and I wanted to touch him. The long and lean lines of muscles that flexed as he made his way over to me and took a seat on the mat next to mine were mesmerizing. I was in good shape, cut and defined better than most of the guys I worked with on the force, but this guy was perfect. He looked like the sculptures the ancients used to carve out of marble when they were depicting what the perfect male form should be. It was distracting to say the least, and I missed that he was talking to me because I was gawking at him like a love-struck teenager.
I cleared my throat and pushed myself up into a seated position. “I didn’t hear a word you just said. If you want me to pay attention to you, then I’m telling you right now you need to put a shirt on.” I was dead serious.
It was his turn to let his eyes rove over my torso and I didn’t miss the way the blue burned through the gray the longer he looked at me. That look made me sweat twice as much as the heat swirling around the room.
He muttered something under his breath and climbed to his feet. “Okay so just follow what I do and try and concentrate on breathing. Don’t work against your body, work with it. I don’t think I can give you the entire spiel again either.”
I went to push myself up from the ground and almost collapsed back when my shoulder hollered in protest. Lando immediately reached out a hand to help me up and it was there again when our palms touched, that spark, that flash of intensity that made every nerve ending I had stand to attention and beg to be pressed up against his slick skin.
I hissed out a breath between my teeth and watched as he shook his head a little, like he needed to clear it.
“Okay, so first bend over and put your hands flat on the floor like this.” I watched him bend over with his legs perfectly straight as he put his hands flat in front of his feet. I tried to mimic the pose but barely got halfway there before I had to bend my knees.
He turned his head to the side and looked at me while he was upside down. “Your flexibility could use some work.”
I grunted at him and tried to straighten up. “Thanks for noticing.”
He chuckled and moved into some pose that looked like he was firing an invisible bow and arrow at the capital. I followed suit and was surprised that the pull in my shoulder ached but didn’t bellow in pain. I was also surprised when Lando asked me quietly, “How many sisters do you have?”
It was the first thing he had ever asked that didn’t have to do with my injury or regular routine. “Uh, two. Ari is a freshman in college and Greer just graduated. She wants to be a teacher.”
He shifted poses again, this time lifting his hands up above his head like he was praying and pulling them down slowly while he balanced on one leg. I decided that if I was going to balance on one leg it wouldn’t be the one I shattered and was pleased as hell that I didn’t topple over.
“I have a little sister who’s a senior in high school and a total nightmare for my parents. My dad can’t keep the boys away. My little brother is a year younger than me and lives overseas so he can play professional soccer.”
“Are you close with your family?” I was breathing harder than I expected to and I could hardly see through the rivers of sweat running down my face. It was a different kind of workout then I was used to, but my muscles were definitely straining and pulling. He dropped into what looked like a stationary push-up and I went to follow but paused. “I don’t know if my shoulder is up to this.”
“You have to bend your elbows and balance your weight. It’s all about finding your center and letting your whole body bear the weight, not just the large muscle groups.” I stretched my legs out behind me and went to push up but stopped before I got off the floor when his hands were on the center of my back and curving over my biceps to get me in the correct position. It felt like flames were dancing along every part of my bare skin where he touched me. “I’m super tight with my family. They’ve always been very supportive of me. How about you?”
When I levered up and balanced on my toes I waited with bated breath for my leg to give out or for my shoulder to flat-out collapse under the strain, but with my elbows bent and his hands holding me where I was supposed to be I kept myself perfectly horizontal to the floor with minimal effort. I blew out a long breath and told him, “My family is just the girls and my mom. My dad was killed on duty when I was ten. My mom never remarried or got serious with anyone until us kids were older, so all we had was each other.” I wheezed a little as my arms finally started to shake so I let him push me back to the ground and followed the guide of his hands as he had me bow my torso back so that I was arched up looking at him upside down as he stood over me.
