Page 24 of I Choose You (Wilder #2)

The conversation moved on to other topics, with Maeve talking about the circus that was teaching at a high school.

Even Juliet was chuckling. At one point, I had told them that I was into yoga and meditation, and I found out that Juliet was as well, so we decided to do an impromptu yoga class in Maeve’s living room.

I found my favorite meditation soundtrack on streaming on-demand, and Maeve gathered towels to use in place of yoga mats.

We lined up facing the television, Juliet, me, Scarlett, then Maeve.

Usually, I liked to start with thirty minutes of meditation before I started the yoga stretches, but I decided to forego the meditation portion tonight.

I led them through a Palm Tree pose and Sun Salutation, coaching them on their breathing, making sure their inhales and exhales were controlled and deliberate. Juliet didn’t need any correcting, but Maeve and Scarlett were definitely new to this.

Now that the warm-up was done and everyone’s limbs were nice and loose, I directed them to the Intense Leg Stretch pose. We all separated our legs apart and lowered our front toward the floor, just as the door to Maeve’s house opened.

“Fuck, doll. I could come home to this every day,” Wyatt teased, his eyes twinkling and his mouth pulled up into a smirk. The way he looked at Maeve made my heart melt. “Don’t stop just because we walked in. Keep it up,” he told her with wink, Jane asleep in his arm.

He wasn’t alone though. It looked like their guys’ night out had migrated to Wyatt and Maeve’s house. I caught Reid standing behind him, along with Luke and Sebastian. Our eyes met. Suddenly, it was a bit warm inside. It was probably all the additional body heat from the guys showing up.

I pulled the ladies’ attention back to me. Like Wyatt said, no reason to stop just because we had some company. Everyone got back into position for the Intense Leg Stretch pose. I took two steps back so I could see their form.

“Maeve, can you move your feet apart a little more? You really want to feel this in your muscles. You want to get deep.”

The laughter behind me was barely contained. Wyatt put Jane down in her playpen and came up behind Maeve. He wrapped his hands around her hips and kicked her feet out wider. “Go deep with me, doll. I’ve got you.”

She groaned, and I felt like I was witnessing something that was intended for closed doors. “Oh, yes. That feels so good,” she moaned.

“Jeez. I want a stretch like that,” Juliet said, laughter in her voice.

“Don’t you worry, beautiful. I’ll help you out.” Seb stepped up behind Juliet, mimicking Wyatt’s position without kicking her legs apart.

Luke growled and strode over to us from the kitchen. “Get your hands off my wife.”

Seb pulled away with a wide smile on his face, his hands held high in surrender. “Scarlett, baby, why don’t I help you out instead. This oaf thinks he’s a caveman over here.”

Luke had his hands on Juliet’s hips. “Not like that, Luke,” she complained. “I do this all the time. You know what, I’ve got it.”

Scarlett’s eyes flicked to Luke quickly before she responded to Sebastian. “Yeah, sure. You can help me stretch.”

Luke’s nostrils flared. “Better?” he asked, adjusting his hold on Juliet to a light touch.

“Whatever,” she said.

“Okay, is everyone in position now?” I asked. “Just bend forward, keep your hands behind your back, squeeze between your shoulder blades. Get as low—”

“Wait,” Seb shouted, cutting me off. “Reid, you got to get in on this. You take Claire from behind so she can get a good stretch in too.”

I nearly choked on air with Sebastian’s choice of words. Not that I thought that was accidental. I barely knew the man, and I felt confident he was looking to get a rise out of Reid.

“I’m good,” Reid deadpanned, not falling for the bait.

“You want to watch,” Seb said, nodding with approval. “That makes sense.”

Dear God. My body temperature was through the roof. I had taken my sweater off earlier—drinking tended to make me run hot—and was only in a tank top now. I could feel my face getting warmer. I just hoped no one else noticed.

“Look, now she’s embarrassed that she doesn’t have a partner. You’re such a grumpy bastard for someone so young, you know that? Scarlett, baby, unfortunately, you’re going to have to share me.”

Sebastian moved to stand behind me, acting like he was going to help me get into position.

Reid grunted and stalked over to me. His eyes held a fire in them that held me captive.

He turned his gaze to Sebastian for a moment, that fire trying to set him alight.

Seb moved back to Scarlett, his grin even wider than earlier.

“Okay, now you can start.”

Reid’s hands rested lightly on my hips. “Is this okay?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah. It’s fine.” I reached behind my back, linking my hands together, and bent forward. My ass pushed into his groin, and I felt his fingers twitch where they grazed my skin.

“Men, stretch your hand down your partner’s spine. Apply pressure, but not too much. You’re not bending them over.” I shot a side-eye at Sebastian. “Your job is to help them find a little more stretch within themselves. Don’t force it.”

Reid kept his left hand on my hip, his right hand pressing firmly but not forcefully on my back. I swayed my hips to the side, deepening the stretch as I got as low as I could. Reid shifted behind me, pulling me closer. I could feel him getting harder.

I swayed my hips a little more, fascinated by the feel of his breaths, his hands, his erection.

My head was starting to get fuzzy. I needed to get upright again so that blood would flow to my brain because right now, it was not.

Based on the warmth in my core and the wetness in my underwear, I could tell where it was flowing to.

A cough sounded next to me, startling me back to reality. All eyes were on us. I flew upright and stepped out of Reid’s touch. My head spun from the sudden change, and a dizzy spell caught me off guard. Reid reached his arms out, catching me before I could fall .

“Are you alright?” His brow was furrowed, and his eyes roamed over me like he thought I suddenly had a visible wound he could heal.

“Yeah. Sorry about that. I just got dizzy for a second. I’m good now.

” He took an extra couple of seconds before he let me go.

“Anyway, there was more to the routine, but let’s save it for another day.

” I smiled at everyone and no one in particular.

I couldn’t look them in the face, any of them.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Reid discreetly trying to adjust himself.

I had no idea what they just witnessed between Reid and me, but I knew it wasn’t meant for an audience.

“I’m going to take off, actually. Thank you so much for inviting me today,” I told Maeve, congratulating her again when I hugged her goodbye.

I said my goodbyes to the rest of the group, putting my sweater back on, along with my shoes.

Reid followed my lead, taking the opportunity to leave as well. Outside, he stopped at my car door, resting his hand on the frame to prevent me from opening it. “Give me your keys.”

“What? Why? I’m fine to drive.”

“I saw at least two bottles of wine in there, and I know one of you ladies wasn’t drinking, plus you almost fainted not five minutes ago. You’re not driving. We can either take your car or my truck. I’m good either way.”

I paused. A part of me wanted to fight with him about it. I really was fine to drive. Two bottles between three people over the course of three or four hours was not excessive. And the fainting had only been because I’d moved too fast from being nearly on my head.

But another part of me liked the protective Reid. Like feeling that someone was taking care of me, watching out for me. Reid’s eyes flicked to my mouth, and instinctively, I wet my lips. Heat bloomed in his eyes again, but he quickly blinked it away.

“Keys.”

I handed them over to him, walking around the car to get into the passenger seat.

He had to move the driver’s seat back to fit his large frame before backing out of the driveway.

My car was equipped with a back-up camera, but Reid hooked his arm around my seat to turn and watch where he was going out the back window.

Why was that so hot?

Good Lord, I needed to get a grip. Maybe the alcohol had gone to my head. It was probably for the best that Reid was driving.

He drove us back to my place in silence. When we got in, Reid started making up the couch for the night.

“You can sleep in the bed with me if you want. It wouldn’t be the first time.” I smiled.

“I’m good on the couch. Get some sleep.”

My chest ached. It didn’t make any sense why it bothered me so much that he would rather sleep on the couch.

I had to remind myself that he was only twenty-four years old.

Wildly attractive, yes. But also, way too young for me.

It wasn’t like I could put the moves on him, not that I was planning on it anyway. He could keep the couch.

That was probably for the best.