Page 34 of Secrets

“No, I was simply making sure I knew where to put my arms.” I mimic what the class has done and wrap my arms around the soft fabric. Before I can mirror everyone and begin the stretch, the instructor leans closer.

Her voice lowers. “She’s something, ain’t she?”

My gaze glides back to Jessica who is lost in her own world as she hooks her feet around the silk and falls back, her hair sweeping the mat from her new position. Her eyes are closed, her face serene, as true peace consumes her features.

I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful.

“She is,” I finally say, meaning it much more than I want to.

Watching Elena hang upside down is by far the best thing I have ever witnessed. And by best, I mean erotic, making me wish I had an eidetic memory so I could replay the visual in my head till the curtain closes. Not only is she the most elegant woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of laying on, but the way she commanded the silks as if she’s done aerial acrobatics since she was old enough to walk was…incredibly hot.

Even though we only practiced beginner moves, there was something so incredibly sexy about her being able to pick up on it after careful observation and keen listening skills.

It could totally be because I’m the type of person who will completely abandon a hobby—even after spending an ungodly amount of money on it—if I don’t get things right the first time. Or because my listening skills are complete shit. Either way, she made me both enviously green and ridiculously pink as I spent the entire session with my mouth embarrassingly unhinged while watching her perform each move. Hell, even now, as we reach the cubicles to retrieve our things, I can’t stop staring.

Everything this woman does is with such finesse. Such ease. It’s as admirable as much as it is attractive.

“I would remind you that a picture lasts longer, but…” Elena’s smirk peeks from her periphery as she wipes her forehead with a towel. She misses a stray bead of sweat that slips down her jaw and drips onto her cleavage before disappearing in the valley.

What I wouldn’t give to be that tiny dot of perspiration…

“Yeah,” I clear my throat, failing miserably at forcing my eyes to snap up before she catches me ogling. “I’m just in awe.”

“Of?” She tosses the small towel into a nearby bin before grabbing her items from the small cubby.

I shrug. “Your…abilities.”

Another smile, this one wider than before. “It’s rather cute you think you’ve seenanyof my abilities.”

A shiver racks through me at her words. There’s something in the rasp of her voice, or her hooded gaze…or maybe it’s the dark aura surrounding her, that implies—no—thatscreamsdanger. And I want every single part of it.

“Is that so?” I muse playfully, batting my eyelashes while noting how the air is much thicker than it was a moment ago. I’m noticing it’s a recurrence whenever I’m around her.

Elena’s head angles to the side, elongating her neck in a way that immediately steals my gaze. I find two small freckles that look similar to a vampire's bite just under her ear. “It is.”

Swallowing is harder this time, but luckily, or maybe not, we’re interrupted by Willow. She shakes Elena’s hand and gives me a swift hug before thanking both of us for coming out. Elena remains impassive and observant as I bend to grab my things and promise Willow I’ll be coming back sooner than later. It isn’t until I say my goodbyes, and we exit the building that she speaks again.

“You have a close relationship with her.”

It’s a simple statement, but I like the way her voice is a little higher than normal. “Jealous already, Red?”

Her eyes cut to me as we reach the car and I curl my hand around the passenger’s handle. “I am not familiar with that emotion.”

I bark out a laugh. “I mean, I would expect nothing less from someone as nonchalant as yourself, but also, I somehow doubt that’s completely true.”

Elena’s brow furrows and I realize how much I enjoy making her experience feelings, confusion included. “Why the doubt, Agent?”

My lips work back and forth as I consider her. There’s still so much I don’t know, but jealousy is one of the first emotions we experience. There’s no way Elena is numb to basic human emotions. But her impassive, drôle expression has me thinking otherwise.

Perhaps she has alexithymia.

The notion that she might have true emotional blindness makes my chest tight. I know we are opposites in almost every way but as a person who wears her heart on her sleeve, I couldn’t imaginenotfeeling. Truly. Deeply. Overwhelmingly. Even when it leaves me a mess on the floor, and I sometimes wish I was numb, I wouldn’t actually want to be. A deep pang of sympathy and sadness hits me square in the stomach as I imagine, if that’s the case, how little she feels for me.

Clearing my throat, I shake my head and open the door, opting to return to the previous subject before I hurt my own feelings. “Willow helped me when I was on a path of self destruction.”

Elena doesn’t immediately fall into the passenger seat and instead blinks at me. A beat passes before she internally decides on something and nods. “I’m glad you had someone to keep you from the fall. Not everyone is as fortunate.”

She doesn’t wait for my response, or honestly, lack thereof, and slides into the car.

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