Indulgence (Taking Chances #1) (3 page)

Flustered, I pulled into the practically empty parking lot of Sunstone Yoga Studio.  A few cars were lined up in front of the building, all poised for a quick escape once class was over.  Amongst them was Jacoby’s Honda CRV, parked next to a sleek looking Porsche.  It wasn’t uncommon to see a high-end car in this neighborhood, but what wasn’t expected was for that car to belong to a yoga instructor.

Brix Johnson was unlike anybody I’d ever met.  It must have been from his Zen training, but he was the calmest person to be around.  On top of that, he was drop-dead gorgeous.  Women and men alike drove for miles just to watch him bend and stretch.  Yet I could never figure out how he was able to afford such an expensive car on an instructor’s salary.  

With a heavy sigh, I parked my Mercedes GLK350 on the opposite side of Brix’s car and grumbled as I grabbed my yoga mat from the back seat.  I’d had full intentions of arriving a little early so there would be enough time to talk to Jacoby, but thanks to heavy traffic—fucking idiots can’t drive on the freeway when there’s a little precipitation on the ground—I was barely on time.

I quickly checked my makeup in the mirror before jumping out of the car and making a mad dash for the door.  The bitter December wind cut straight through my nylon yoga suit, and even in such a short distance, my arms and legs burned from the icy chill.  Shivering from head to toe, I threw open the glass door and stepped inside.  A blast of heat and the smell of pine scented incense welcomed me into the warm building.

Very festive,
I mused with a chuckle.

A gust of wind slammed the door closed behind me, smacking me in the butt.  “Umph!”

I jerked my head around, glaring at the inappropriate door.  How dare the door slap my bottom!  I might have a nice ass, but that didn’t give it the right to be impudent.  “Cheeky,” I scolded it, rubbing my ass.  

“Addison!” a familiar voice called out.  

Abandoning the door, I turned my head and smiled at the sight of Jacoby standing mere feet away.  Dressed in his orange and black yoga gear, his dark brown eyes twinkled in the soft light of the room and his bright smile welcomed me home.  Jacoby wasn’t what I would call supermodel gorgeous, like Sebastian or Brix, who happened to be standing next to Jacoby and staring right at me, but he had that boy-next-door charm about him.  Clean cut and sun-kissed skin, even for early December, created a sort of aura about him.  He stood a head taller than Brix, and where our yoga instructor was muscular and well defined, Jacoby was lean and toned.  

If his students could see him now.
I chuckled under my breath.  Jacoby was a humanities professor for the local community college and was often admired by the girls of his classes.  Even in my days at college, it was uncommon to find a young, handsome professor who was friendly and knew how to dress.  Jacoby fit that bill to the letter.  It didn’t matter that he was gay.  He was cute, and most girls couldn’t resist the student/teacher crush.  

I, on the other hand, hated the college he worked for.  Not that I had anything against the actual college, per se, just the fact it was there that Jacoby met Ralph Eddington.  Eddie, as he liked to be called, was the man who would eventually tear my life apart.  He was also a professor and the chair over the math and statistics department at the college.  It always struck me funny that Jacoby picked a math professor since my job also revolved around numbers.

Jacoby waved me over, his smile growing wider as I approached the two men.  A light blush colored Brix’s cheeks, bringing a smile to my face.

Hello, you handsome devil.  Come to momma!  Better yet, make momma cum!

Hey, a girl was allowed her unlimited fantasies, even if she wanted to rekindle an old flame.  What a man doesn’t know about the ongoings of a woman’s mind, won’t hurt him.

I flittered my fingers at them as I made my way over.  “Sorry, I’m late,” I apologized upon reaching them.  

“You’re not late at all.  We’re just about to get started,” Brix replied, his deep baritone voice rumbling all the way to my core.  A soft sigh caught in my throat as he cast me a panty-melting smile.  Those piercing green eyes and full lips were the icing on the cake, especially since this man was a vision of perfection with his messy, dark brown hair and his chiseled body rippling in all the right places underneath his tight yoga gear.  There was only one man who could compare to Brix, no offense to Jacoby, and that was Sebastian Hawk.  

It didn’t matter how pretty I thought Brix was, because I was pretty certain he fell into the fabulously gay guys category, which was just my luck.  Every time I came to yoga alone, Brix would ask about Jacoby with a sort of flirtatious gleam in his eyes.  That, to me, was a big red flag screaming,
“I’m gay and interested in your ex!”

“He’s right,” noted Jacoby, glancing at his watch, “you’re right on time.”

“Oh, I just figured…” I stopped mid-sentence, catching Jacoby nudge Brix in the side with his elbow.  Brix glared at him, shaking his head.

I narrowed my eyes and pursed my lips, confused by what seemed a little too flirtatious of an encounter for a man who was in a relationship. Well, as far as I knew, Jacoby was still in a relationship.

Jacoby crossed his arms over his chest and nodded once in my direction.  Brix cut his eyes to Jacoby and then looked back at me.  The already light pink hue that colored his cheeks darkened as he opened his mouth and then snapped it shut.  His lips flattened in a straight line and his forehead creased in what appeared to be annoyance.  Maybe this was what Jacoby wanted to talk to me about.  Maybe he and Eddie went splitsville and Jacoby wanted to start dating Brix.  The thought made my heart pinch.  Not only because of my secret desire of rekindling things with Jacoby, but also, damn what a lucky bastard he would be to get his groove thang on with Brix.

Jacoby shook his head and closed his eyes.  His lips twitched in what I knew was an annoyed yet playful grin.

“Am I missing something here?” I questioned, shifting my mat on my arm.

“Brix?” Jacoby coaxed from the corner of his mouth, barely moving his lips.

Brix smiled at me and glanced toward the room.  “I think it’s time I wrangle up everyone and get things started.”  

Jacoby covered his face with this hand, shaking his head.  “Good grief,” he hissed so low I almost didn’t hear him.

“We’re right behind you,” I stated with a hint of annoyance, still staring at Jacoby who seemed both on the verge of screaming and laughing.

Brix started toward the workout room, then turned around. “Addison?”

I could almost see Jacoby fist pumping under his crossed arms.

“Yeah?”

The corners of Brix’s eyes crinkled with the expansion of his panty-melting smile.  “I’m glad you made it here safe.  Class isn’t the same without you.” He paused and nodded to Jacoby, then disappeared into the room toward a group of giggly women who only came to this class to ogle him.

Jacoby let out a breathless laugh and wrapped his arm around my shoulders while grabbing my mat from me.  “That boy is hopeless.  For someone who’s an instructor, he certainly has a shy side.”

I leaned into Jacoby and breathed in the scent of sandalwood that lingered from his cologne.  “What the hell am I missing?” I asked in a daze.  Jacoby’s warmth and his mere closeness had taken away any frustration I’d felt.  Being near him felt like home.

“You really don’t know, do you?”

I shrugged. “That Brix has a crush on you and you were flirting with him?  Yeah, I caught on to that.  Not that I blame you.  He’s got a really nice ass, and from what I could tell thanks to Spandex, the man is packing in the nether region.”

Jacoby led me into the workout room, where all the tight-bodied women were laying down their mats, preparing to have Brix lead us in our intense workout for the evening.  Jacoby dropped my mat on the floor next to where his was already laid out and started to unroll it for me.

“That’s not it at all, Red.”

There it was again.  
Red
.  What did it mean?  AGH!  The suspense was killing me.

“And we weren’t flirting,” he clarified. “Brix isn’t gay.”

“Really?  Could’ve fooled me,” I countered, sitting down on the floor to take off my shoes.

“Trust me, he’s not.”

“If you say so,” I muttered, placing one shoe beside me and then beginning to untie the other.  Jacoby knelt in front of me, cupping the side of my face in the palm of his hand.  I tugged my shoelace tight, startled by his sudden closeness.

“Addy, I’m telling you the truth.  He’s not gay, and I wasn’t flirting with him.  I couldn’t do that to you again.”  His eyes bore into mine, stressing his sincerity.  “I’ve hurt you enough as it is, and the fact that you’re still in my life is far more than I deserve.”

I nuzzled my cheek into his hand, closing my eyes as his warmth encompassed me.  My mind whirled with possibilities.  If he wasn’t into Brix and was worried about hurting me, not Eddie, then maybe he really did want me back.

You idiot! Stop thinking stupid shit.  He’s gay!

His hand dropped from my face.  I opened my eyes and swallowed down the lump that had developed in my throat.  Deep brown eyes begged for me to believe him, and somehow I did.  Jacoby had only ever been honest with me.  No matter how bad I’d been hurt by his connection with Eddie, I could never say he lied to me.  

“I believe you,” I choked out.

His shoulders sagged in relief as a burst of air released from his chest.  “Good.”  

I glanced down at my knotted shoe and groaned.  Jacoby chuckled and began working the knot out of my laces.  I took it as the opportune moment to ask the one thing that had been driving me nuts all day.  “So, what is it you want to talk to me about?”

Jacoby yanked the tangled shoelace, unraveling it enough so that he could slip my sneaker from my foot.  He placed it next to my other shoe, then helped me to my feet.  Brix had walked to the front of the classroom, so we took our positions on our mats and faced him.

“Well,” he started in a low whisper from the corner of his mouth.

“Good evening and thank you all for coming out tonight,” Brix announced.  “I know the weather is a little nasty and most of you have New Year’s plans you need to get to, so let’s get started.  Everyone, please get into the seated meditation position.”

Jacoby shrugged and followed instructions.  I huffed and did the same, taking a seat on my mat and crossing my legs over one another, resting my knees on the mat.  This was our moment of meditation to cleanse our chakras.  To be perfectly honest, I didn’t understand all the chakras crap.  I knew I had to root myself before opening my crown or some terrible shit was supposed to happen, but for the most part, it all sounded like the teacher on Charlie Brown to me.  

Whaa-whaa-whaa.

Who cared about the chakras?  Yoga was great exercise, and I had something pretty to look at while I worked out.  Not to mention the fact that it allowed me to spend some alone time with Jacoby.

“Close your eyes.  Breathe in through your nose and release it through your mouth,” Brix directed, his timbre calm and soothing.  “Again.”

I closed my eyes and started to breathe, but as for the meditating part; yeah, that wasn’t about to happen.  I was more concerned about getting Jacoby to talk.

“Open your eyes and move into the child pose,” came Brix’s next instruction.

Moving to my knees and leaning forward, I stretched my arms out and tilted my head just enough to see Jacoby looking back at me.  “Well?” I whispered.

His teeth caught the edge of his lip.  “It can wait ‘til after we’re done.”

“No!” I hissed.  “You said it was urgent.”

Jacoby chuckled, wiggling his fingers against the floor.  “You’ve never been a patient one, have you?”

I pretended to think for a moment.  “No, I haven’t.  Now, what’s so important that you felt it necessary to torture me all day?”

“Slowly move to plank,” Brix stated.

This pose always made me laugh because it reminded me of the silly people on Facebook who took crazy pictures lying on random crap.  Whoever came up with that idea really needed to share whatever they were smokin’ at the time.

We stretched our bodies out in a push-up stance.

“Have you thought about asking Brix out,” Jacoby stalled.

Had I not been so dead set on the assumption that Brix was gay, I probably would’ve already asked him out.  I had no qualms about asking a man out on a date if I was interested, but I wasn’t going to set myself up for rejection either.  Nope.  Been there.  Done that.

“Quit stalling, Jacoby,” I warned him.

“Seriously.  You should ask him out.”

So much for this being about us.  As if I didn’t already know that.
 The thought hurt a little, but I was a big girl.  I knew the naked truth.  Jacoby would forever be my best friend, but as his best friend, I could tell something major was going on.  

I rolled my eyes and pressed, “What’s going on?”

“Downward dog,” Brix’s deep tone pressed.

We all stood up and leaned forward while shoving our asses in the air.  I noticed then that Jacoby’s breathing started to increase.  Perspiration beaded on his brow, which was unusual because we really hadn’t worked up much of a sweat yet.  He licked his lips and dropped his head a little too low for the downward dog.