Page 35 of The Games We Play

Ember’s smile is a mile wide.

“Naomi is going to teach specialty yoga classes and tantric massage here,” she says excitedly.

I glance back at Naomi, whose smile mirrors Ember’s.

My first reaction is to be irritated by this. Her being here inmy space, co-mingling with people in my circle, when all I want to do is keep her to myself. But in reality, this is good.

“What type ofspecialtyclasses?” I ask.

“We haven’t fine-tuned the schedule yet, but I’m thinking she’ll teach once a week and we can see how it goes from there. No other studio offers Nagna yoga, so we’ll start with a co-ed class, maybe couples only, then see if we need to expand depending on everyone’s comfort level,” Ember replies, talking to Mimi the entire time, like they are still negotiating what her schedule will look like.

“Nagna yoga?” My brows furrow at the name.

Not that I know any kind of yoga classes, but this one sounds especially weird.

“Naked,” Ember replies, “naked yoga.”

My neck snaps over to Mimi. “And what do you wear?”

“Nothing,” she replies, her voice soft and seductive.

I clench my fists as I suck in an annoyed breath.

“Don’t worry, Seamus, you can have any of your guys monitor during that time. It’ll be couples only to start, and we won’t be planning any playtime after. So no need to have too much security staffed during that time,” Ember assures me, like that’s the reason I’m annoyed.

Over my dead body I’d schedule anyone else on my team for that class.

“I’m always here for any special events Afterburn has, including these moving forward,” I reply with a clenched jaw.

“Okaaayy…” Ember elongates the last bit as her eyebrows hit her hairline. She glances back at Mimi. “As you can tell, we have very passionate people who care about everyone's safety and comfort here.”

“For the comfort level of the students, I would prefer that security not be present in the room during class,” Mimi adds.

I open my mouth to vehemently object, but Ember repliesfirst. “I completely agree. We will work out the logistics on that later.” Ember makes a note on her clipboard.

“Great,” Mimi replies with a smile, then pins another look at me while I bury my eyes into her.

My eyes drop to her neck, and I stare at the diamond shaped beauty mark that rests right at the base of her collarbone. Recalling how many times I would inspect that part of her with my lips. Kissing her neck was one of my favorite things to do, because I would be able to touch her soft skin, taking in the scent that is so distinctly Mimi.

Back then she would easily open up for me. She would expose her neck so I could graze my lips over her skin. So many nights of just kissing and caressing, and that was all I needed. It wasn’t about sex, at least not until that last night.

Bitterness sweeps through me. Not just at the memory of what happened after, but the fact that she’s closing herself off from me now.

I may have gotten pulled out of camp early, but she’s the one who disappeared.

So many years wasted, when I didn’t know where she was or what happened to her. I’m determined to find out what the hell happened.

Mimi runs her palm over the base of her collarbone, interrupting my gaze and rampant thoughts. My eyes meet hers and those dark chocolate orbs are swimming with lust, mirroring my own. I know she’s thinking about the same thing I am. The sexual tension is thick, and I want nothing more than to band my arm behind her waist, tug her into me, grab her face, and kiss her like my life fucking depends on it.

Ember looks over her clipboard as her eyes bounce between Mimi and I with furrowed brows. Even though I’m only seeing her through my peripheral, I don’t miss the slight squint that tells me she’s suspicious of us.

Ember’s face suddenly softens into a look I’ve only seen when a certain someone is around.

Goddammit.

13

NAOMI

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