Mission: Seduction. Candace Havens
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her as if they were sharing a secret. He’d been overly friendly before, but Rafe’s presence must have caused him to turn territorial. She and Josh had known each other a long time, but that didn’t mean he could take advantage of their friendship.
His behavior probably gave Rafe the idea that they might be a couple, which was the last thing she wanted. She’d caught Rafe’s eyes on them more than once during the meal and he had the strangest look on his face. She was adept at reading people, but she didn’t have a clue what was happening in the marine’s head. He’d been polite throughout dinner even though she’d seen him wince more than once when he twisted the wrong way.
He’d caught the soup tureen when it slipped from Nari’s hands, keeping it from crashing to the floor. But his jaw had tightened and his hand shook as he placed the heavy bowl on the table.
In spite of his pain, he’d assured the young girl that all was well. His kindness toward the fumbling Nari had solidified his hold on Kelly’s heart. And, as if that wasn’t enough, she’d admitted she was infatuated with him before he’d even arrived.
What had begun as an act of kindness on her part for one of America’s heroes had now morphed into a complicated situation that confused her. What should she do? He was an honorable man who appreciated the truth. After seeing that up close and personal, she felt certain he would leave if he knew she’d lied to get him here.
She truly cared about him. And if he left before he really got to know who she was, she’d regret it for the rest of her life. Maybe he would, too.
Helping him heal was the one way she could clear her conscience and set her karma straight. He’d been through so much, the least she could do was support him as he tried to put the pieces of his life back together again. She’d recognized the signs of post-traumatic stress syndrome in his letters. His trouble sleeping, the nightmares, his erratic moods. He’d shared a lot with her, and now she knew what she had to do to repay that trust.
Taking another calming breath, she shut her eyes, but just before her mind went blank, a vision of Rafe on the beach overtook her thoughts. Water dripped from his dark hair, his swim trunks riding low on his hips, his chiseled jaw and toned abs some of the best she’d ever seen on a man.
She sighed.
Well, no one ever said karmic justice was easy.
4
RAFE LIMPED INTO the yoga studio, ready to tell Kelly he wasn’t up for her class. Like the cabana where he was staying, the studio and adjoining gym had glass sliding doors so that the view was of sand and ocean.
Before he could apologize for backing out of the class, the sight before him rocked him to the core.
Kelly, pawing through yoga mats, was dressed in pink shorts and a skin-tight bra top. He thanked the heavens for blessing him with this particular moment in time.
Rafe wasn’t sure if he should continue to ogle or announce himself, but she peeked up at him.
“Hey,” she said. “I’m trying to find you a mat. We have larger ones for tall people, but they’re in the bottom of the box.”
At the mention of bottom, he turned around to leave, but the Seymours were just arriving. Gracie was a physical therapist and her brother a trainer for a college football team. They were friends of Kelly’s who worked the pro-surfing circuit while putting themselves through college. Behind them was James Limon, one of the most popular directors in Hollywood. He and Rafe had discussed Limon’s time serving in the Gulf War and about his passion for surfing. He’d encouraged Rafe to try the sport when he was feeling up to it.
With nowhere left to hide his appreciation of Kelly, he rushed over to the box and knelt, as best he could, next to her.
“Here,” he said, grabbing onto the first mat he spotted. Thankfully, she couldn’t see the evidence her fine body had on his body. When he lifted his head, his eyes were level with her breasts.
Rafe sucked in a breath. He’d survived three tours, and now the universe was determined to kill him with her beauty.
“Oh, are you okay?” She was stared at him worriedly. “You shouldn’t kneel with your leg the way it is. Let me help you up.”
Panicked, Rafe mumbled, “I’m fine,” and made his way to the back of the class. Others had joined in while he’d been talking to Kelly.
By the time she began the class, there were four women and three men, one of whom looked like a pro baseball player, but Rafe wasn’t sure. Everyone put their mats on the floor and rolled them out. He couldn’t quite do that yet.
Facing the back wall, he willed his body to calm down. He forced himself to think of the last time that he’d been shot. The muscles in his body clenched, but the pain solved his problem. A few seconds later, he sat on the floor like the rest of the group.
Well, almost. His legs didn’t quite cross the way theirs did. He put the pads of his feet together. That was as much as he could do with his stiff leg.
“This is rehab yoga,” Kelly announced from the front of the class as she sat down and crossed her legs. “We have a new guest—Rafe.”
Everyone turned to smile and wave at him. He gave them a grin that was probably a bit more like a grimace, as his sore leg chose that moment to tense up in a charley horse.
His jaw tightened as he worked the muscle with the heel of his hand and then flexed his foot so the calf could lengthen.
“These exercises are done on the floor to ease the muscular pressure one might experience if doing them in a regular yoga class,” Kelly explained. “Today is about stretching and helping those muscles to relax so your body can heal. Okay, let’s start in the lotus position. That’s good, Rafe. If you need to you can separate the soles of your feet,” Kelly instructed. “You should not feel pain.”
Rafe’s groin wasn’t happy about where his legs needed to go, but he ignored the pain. He didn’t have the heart to tell Kelly that the pain never left his body. It served as a constant reminder that he was human and just as mortal as the next guy.
In the military, he’d been taught that he could do anything. Survive anything. But as they moved through the next two positions, he wondered if his body would ever recover from Kelly’s pretzel-like torture.
No pain, my ass.
“Now lift your arms up and over your head as we open ourselves to the sun.”
As she gracefully extended her arms above her head, Rafe noticed her top pulled tightly against her chest. He’d never make it through the class if he didn’t stop looking at her. Leaving was his best option, but he didn’t want to disappoint her. She had such high hopes that her classes would be beneficial for him.
Doing his best to stop staring at her, he switched his attention to the other men in the class and followed their actions. Finally, Rafe brought himself and his rebellious libido under control.
Until he glanced over and saw Kelly with her legs stretched wide.
As the class neared its end, Rafe’s muscles relaxed for the first time in months. Amazingly, the exercises had helped his leg. His muscles seemed considerably looser. The group was attempting one last stretch when Kelly put her hand on his ankle to turn his foot the right way.
“You want to keep it perpendicular so that you don’t pull on those hip tendons too much.” She gave him one of her dazzling smiles, and he was lost. Her gentle touch sent heat through his body.
“Thanks,” he said roughly, using every bit of his control to keep himself in check.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as if she were trying to figure something out, but she returned to the front of the class to do the last bit where they lay down on the mat to rest.
Rafe now equated yoga to sexual gymnastics. Sure it worked, but he was exhausted. A shower and a nap were next on his agenda.
“Close