Page 35 of Live, Ranch, Love

“But you’re such a big, grown up boy with a big, grown up business now,” Aurora teases, attempting an accent as close to Mrs Wolfe’s as possible. She bites down on her lip straight after, a menacing smile held back.

“Have you found those paint swatches from Cherry yet?” I ask, changing the subject back to the real reason I even came into her house.

Getting Cherry on board for decorating the guesthouses, given her interior design background, was a no-brainer. It’s the perfect opportunity to get expert advice on how to make the guesthouses feel as relaxing as possible, while also offering Cherry experience that’ll give her a competitive edge when it comes to applying for internships and jobs in the next year. Knowing I could help both Cherry and Aurora out at the same time made me feel useful.

“I thought they were down here.” Aurora’s grin disappears and she scrambles through the folders again, huffing when her search appears futile.

I flop down onto the cream couch, shuffling into the patchwork throw that’s draped over the back. It might be the first time I’ve properly sat down all day, apart from driving. Despite that, my shoulders feel oddly at ease in comparison to normal. I don’t feel the usual need to roll them about to loosen the tension. I can hear the reason why blaring in my mind, but even if it’s silently, I’m not ready to admit that the yoga Aurora’s roped us into doing every morning now might actually have helped.

“Maybe they’re upstairs. Come on.”

It takes me a second to realise Aurora’s waving at me to join her on her continued search upstairs. I make a whining noise, hoping I could stay sat here for more than ten seconds but apparently not. When I don’t move, she whines back and waves even more wildly. I concede and follow her upstairs with a deep sigh.

“And you said you thought I was kinky,” I comment, nodding to the tripod and camera set up at the end of her bed when we reach her room. Aurora spins, brow furrowed until she notices what I’m staring at. I don’t hold back my smirk as I lean in the doorframe. “Is wellness and positivity influencer code for something else?”

“You wish.” Her eyes roll, a subsequent sneer thrown my way, but I don’t miss the way her cheeks take on a rosier flush. “I was filming myself meditating actually. My followers sometimes like to do live sessions with me in the morning.”

“Wait.” I push off the door frame further into the room as Aurora starts rummaging through a bag. I’m trying really hard not to stare at her ass right now as she’s so blatantly bent over in front of me. “People literally watch you sit in silence on your bed? And you get paid for that?”

“Well, I get paid to do posts for brands, but I have done some live sessions with different companies’ meditations playing, so yeah, I guess so. Ah ha!” Aurora jumps up, paint swatches in hand and she fist pumps the air. She hops over to me. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” I pocket the swatches. I guess I should probably go, maybe pick up the paint or check on some of the cattle—actually do my job—but something makes me want to stay… “So, what is so great about this meditating? I don’t get it.”

Aurora lets out a breathy laugh, the corners of her mouth twitching. “Get on the bed.”

I freeze. That wasn’t exactly where I was expecting this afternoon to go. “Excuse me?”

“Get on the bed and I’ll show you how meditating works.”

I run my hand along my angled jaw. “Once again, I feel the need to ask—is wellness and positivity influencer code for something?”

“Oh, shut up and do as you’re told,” she retorts.

Offering back a sneer to mirror hers, I cross my arms. “I thought we established you’re not my boss, I don’t have to do as you say.”

Aurora tilts her head at me, brows raised. “Wyatt, you can’t do this retreat and not have a clue what meditating is. Just do this once.”

“Ask nicely.”

With a roll of her eyes, fire beginning to dance behind them, Aurora scoffs. She glances away from me for a few seconds, then snaps her gaze back. “Fine, please get on the bed.”

Fuck, that wasn’t quite how I was expecting her to phrase it. The way my body suddenly zapped to life with her words is also not ideal. The room in the edges of my vision seems to darken, all the light pooling around her.

Suddenly, her hazel eyes catch me, glistening as she steps forward slowly, forcing me backwards until the back of my legs hit the bed. I drop down onto it, my legs spread out with Aurora practically standing between them. The whole position makes me swallow now that I’m the one staring up at her. Sunlight radiates through the window behind her, giving her a golden glow that feels too angelic with the way she’s towering over me.

“Close your eyes,” she instructs next, nothing given away in her expression for me to decipher what the hell she’s thinking.

I’d actually rather have the annoyingly excitable Aurora back from earlier just because then she’d give me some daring grin to tell me she was up to something. But no, instead I’ve just got two big hazel eyes twinkling at me, waiting for me to abide. I huff out a sigh when I finally do and a few seconds later some calming music begins to play.

I shift about trying to get comfortable and my leg brushes Aurora’s, making me freeze again at how close she is. It’s really the last thing I need right now when I’m trying to focus. My mind is anything but clear when her body is on it.

“Just let yourself relax. Focus on breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.” Aurora demonstrates and I try to match the pace of her long, slow breaths and—

Her hand covers my chest making me start.

“You’re breathing a lot through your chest but if you focus on breathing through your stomach it will feel deeper.”

“Right, okay,” I say through gritted teeth, aware that I actually haven’t let out a breath since she touched me. And then when her fingers trail down my chest to my stomach, my whole body tightens. I don’t know how I’ll get the memory of her long nails tracking down my abs out of my head now.

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